Along The Prophecy

3

The marketplace immediately erupted with hurried and frantic whispers. The villagers looked at each other with apprehension coating their faces.

This has never happened before; the previous King did not send someone riding on a majestic horse who was now eating the turned over apples from the ground to round up the village girls.

We humans did not even know that we could be mates to Werewolves. The humans were mostly kept in the dark about most things related to the supernaturals, all we knew was that they existed, and they were the superior species. They were very secretive so even if a human somehow knew about them, they would be killed.

For a Werewolf to come racing down the market square and openly announcing something about their kind that humans did not know was a big deal. The last Kings mate was a Werewolf and he had easily found her while on one of his journeys to the Werewolf town. I heard she was very graceful and absolutely beautiful.

How could a human surmount to her? Werewolves were elegant, sophisticated, and had a natural beauty that was otherworldly. A human could never measure up to one.

As I thought this I looked down and my red dress which had a few loose threads at the bottom and a small hole in the side. My shoes were tattered and dirty. I was not pretty enough to be noticed, I blended in with the crowd well, just an average face that someone would see every day.

This calmed my racing heart down a bit, I could never be a Werewolf mate, it was impossible. I just guess the King was desperate. Mates were very important to the supernatural, they were their other halves and every supernatural longed for one. Having a mate was a blessing to them, it was like their life was finally complete and they could see another world which they thought didn't exist. It cleared a hazy vision which they didn't even think they had.

The crowd was still apprehensive and casted nervous glances to the people next to them. We did not know whether to take this seriously or not. It was absurd, the man who came on a horse looked around with an annoyed expression.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Line up!" He pointed to the space in front of him.

"Start here from eighteen and end to the right to twenty-four." He instructed while getting on his horse.

I suddenly came to a terrible realization. I was to go and meet the King. I did not know why this though hit me so hard, I knew that I was twenty three and I knew that I would have to line up, but strangely enough, I did not think of the King at all.

My palms turned sweaty and I clutched the basket in my hand so tight that my knuckles turned white and the hard strings that were intricately woven to form the brown basket stung my palms.

The King was dangerous, that was an understatement of the century. He fought many wars and lived to tell the tale. No one dared to cross him, they were terrified to, and yet, they respected him. Out of fear or out of admiration I did not know. I think it was a mix of both.

The women in the market square had no choice but to leave whatever they were doing and line up behind one another. I heard from the loud whispers beside me that another one of those horse riders had visited the village and rounded up the women from there too.

No one dared to speak out, we knew that the horse rider could snap our necks and rip out our spines in a breath. Though laws were implemented to not hurt peaceful humans, the horse rider was sent from the king and we all had a sinking feeling that the King wouldn't mind to kill any one of us if we went against his direct orders.

I walked forward where the women were slowly lining up and looked around. Some were hugging their loved ones and saying tearful farewells for they did not know when they could see each other again. I did not know anyone to say goodbye to.

The woman in front of me was trembling in fear and I did not blame her. Fear was ever most present in the cool morning air though some were good at hiding it, among them, myself. I hid my fear in the way I clutched at my basket and fiddled with my satchel.

I tried not to think about the King, my heart jumped at the mere thought of meeting his eye and I quickly felt like I was going to throw up. The horse rider sat up straighter on his horse after he saw us all lined up appropriately. I did not know how so many women were supposed to make it to the castle where the king resided, it was days away from our tiny village.

I presumed they were rounding up the women in other human villages too, some villages were further from the castle than us. There was still mumbling among the women over what was going to happen and I clenched my eyes shut as if that would make me stop hearing them.

"I heard the King is ruthless, he once killed a servant for sneezing while serving him." One whispered.

"I heard that the King was desperate for his mate, I guess rounding us all up like this and searching among us humans confirms it." Another said.

That she could believe, if the King were searching among the weak humans then it meant that no other supernatural was his mate. This was his last, desperate attempt.

"Quiet!" A loud voice rang out

Everyone had instantly become silent, the fearful whispers ceasing. We looked at the horse rider in nervousness.

"The kingdom is very far away, and we cannot travel by foot, so I want you all who are lined up to repeat after me when I say; Arcem extra muros, quae regi non. Ut nos ipsi qui vident, quae erit in futura nostro regina."

I stared in astonishment; how could I say all that without messing up? I would rather continue my groceries.

Mr. Finn!

How could I forget! I was supposed to get medicine for poor Mr. Finn and now he will suffer for god knows how long because some King needs to find his mate and I was sure it was not me so why waste my time and make Mr. Finn feel even more terrible than he was already feeling?!

I hope Mr. Finn would understand the circumstances and will not get mad at me. He would have to get the medicine from someone else, but I did not know who.

I was too busy thinking about Mr. Finn that I missed the horse rider repeat the words I was supposed to say, it was too late when I tuned back in.

"Great, now that you all memorized it we can go on ahead. Now, on the count of three,"

"One."

Oh no! What if I didn't say the words, what would happen?!

"Two."

The King would surely find out that I was not present in his court and kill me.

"Three."

Oh well, at least it was a wonderful life and maybe I could see my parents again.

"Arcem extra muros, quae regi non. Ut nos ipsi qui vident, quae erit in futura nostro regina."

The air spun around me, and my hair whipped against my face, my dress flew wildly against my ankles and the world turned blurry as if I were spinning very fast. I grew nauseous and my stomach churned. I shut my eyes tightly.

The world went still, and my feet went from feeling floating on air to resting on hard ground once again. The dizzy spell slowly disappeared, and I deemed it safe to open my eyes.

The sky was blue, and the grass was greener. I was on the grounds of the castle which would determine my life a mere bystander or the Queen.