Masked Princess ✓

3: Nights fueled with nightmares

Chapter Three:

Nights fueled with nightmares. 

What is happening? 

    Aeui could only feel her body tensing up from what was drawn upon her. Her heart was shattering by his mere presence alone, and she wasn't sure how she could go forward with this. It was only when he walked towards her direction in a slow manner did the fear suddenly washed through her body like waves - eating her whole. 

    However, her mouth couldn't form words. Her body wasn't with her, not omitting any form of movements or activities to let the man to stop pacing in her direction. Every inch and crevice of her body had stayed the way that is it. She knew deeply that she needed to stop him. 

    She needed to stay away from him.    

    More than anyone else, she needed to survive. 

    She needs to do all of that yes - but what can she even do? 

    She needs him too. 

    "I am here because you want me to be here," he whispered, now stopping close to her body. 

    She could feel the heat of his body creeping into hers, making her feel that this was a different feeling whenever her brothers would try adjusting to her needs of warmth. It was one of the perks of being one of his kind - the warmth. However, despite the warmness that she could feel from his body - she knew better that she couldn't be comfortable. 

    "Now, please stop crying," he hushed, wiping the tears that flow in her face, "You know that I always hated to see you cry, love." 

    She shook her head, tears still falling from her cheeks, "Y-you shouldn't be here!"     

    His lips escaped, realizing just what her words were saying. Even after everything that he had done to her - she still cares. This was the type of woman that he had loved, someone with a heart of gold. No matter what everyone always did to Aeui, she was ready to forgive them even if they didn't ask. 

    A sigh escaped through her lips before grabbing a mask, flopping it right to her face. Things like this shouldn't continue to happen. No matter how much she wanted to see him, it wasn't right to have them to continue being able to meet each other so casually. 

    This isn't right anymore. 

    She is bound, and furthermore - she can't see him. 

    However, why is he here? 

    Aeui stilled upon feeling his warm hands on her cheeks, it was one that she remembered most. His hold was like unlike any other, it always calms her down. Makes her feel that everything was alright. For the most part, she listened to that feeling well. 

    Her cheeks flushed to what he was doing, he continued on wiping her tears even with the continues shed of it. Aeui could see the visible pain in his eyes upon seeing the evidence of sadness and grief to the woman that he had loved. When his eyes met hers, she looked down. 

    She knows that it was a futile attempt as the man had already loved her - with or without her charms. However, one shouldn't be too cautious. The hands that once wipe her tears start to travel to her hair and patted it, eliciting a soft whimper from her. 

    "You changed so much," he says. 

    Looking at the man, she sees more visible changes in him. Unlike the man that used to bear so much love in his eyes, it was now different. There is hatred and pain swirling into his eyes like an oil and water, mixing to blend but never really breaking into one. 

    "However," he continued, breaking out a smile, "there's still some large part of you that remains. Even then, you have always been breathtaking." 

    Ever so slowly, he leans in close before fluttering a soft kiss on her forehead. Instead of his normal kisses, this seemed like a parting type of kiss. Confused as she was, the man wasn't finished. He took the time of her in a confused state to create a soft distance between them. 

    Aeui raised her brow, and just when she was about to utter her confusions did the door swung open, revealing her two brothers. Kingsley and Crowde already have fireballs ready in their hands and just by the looks of it, they were ready to throw it at the guy who just entered their sister's chamber without permission. 

    Crowde snarled at him, "Stay away from her!"     

    The man only offered a smirk to them, amused at how they were acting. Truth to be told, he wasn't pissed that these two would always meddle whenever he visits - for most of the time that he would visit, the beast inside of him would be in control. He was pleased with them for they are taking good care of his Aeui.

    He's pleased that she is still alive and well because of them. However, he still hates the fact that every time she wanted to get close to him - they would rather she retaliate back. It doesn't matter if the beast is in control or not - he already knows that they didn't want him lingering to her. 

    "What are you doing here," Kingsley gritted his teeth, baring it to the wolf, "Werewolves aren't allowed in any vampire kingdom. I thought we had warned you about that." 

    "Chill, vampires." 

    Crowde was first to throw his fires, igniting a scream from the princess. The fire didn't even hit him as it was a sign for nothing but a warning. It was, however, enough to waver both of them upon hearing the scares from her screams, which was so obvious that he noticed it. Not that he was looking for anything that implied that. He already knows that there is one weakness to the Zitae brother - and that is her, Aeui. 

    "Princess, get in here," Kingsley muttered, pointing to her back. 

    She shook her head, "P-please, don't do it."     

    He smirked, winking at the girl, "I am just here to warn you about my master. He is planning something big. Something big that even I wasn't told the details, so you better jump into your protection and do your thing."

    Crowde hissed, annoyed at how he was acting, "Don't act nice now, Levi. That's not your thing." 

    "I am aware of what my job is so you-" he stilled and it didn't take long before a howl escaped through the night. Looking through the outside, he couldn't do anything but mutter a curse or two, "I better go then." 

     Without even casting a warning, Levi jumped out into the window and disappeared in the forest. 

    Aeui stayed inside, still in the midst of shock. She was right to think that he was here and have already collecter her whereabouts. Levi was the person who had left the ring - which was obvious as he was the only one who has her engagement ring. 

    It was a ring that he had given her, one that resembles his love for her. 

    Slowly peaking from the outside, she was to make sure that he was far from where she was at. It was no brainer to think that he would be in imminent danger if their master found out that he was here to cause nothing but the report about some upcoming war. 

    She doesn't get him in any way, never knowing why he was still doing his best to report whenever he could but when he wasn't sane enough, he wouldn't think twice before snapping to her direction. He's doing his best to keep her safe, and at the same time, he's one of the reasons why she's in trouble.

    How did that make sense in any way?

    "Are you okay, honey?" Her eyes diverted to that person and she smiled as she saw the Queen, her mother, Queen Atlana. Aeui only nodded before bowing at her presence. The Queen could only do nothing but sigh upon seeing the redness of her eyes and her flushed cheeks, "Do not run like that and just shut your doors, Aeui. You know better that you shouldn't be alone at all times." 

    "I apologize, mommy," she whispered.     

    "How can he even enter here? That was something I should look into. I made sure to cast a spell in your room so he couldn't even enter," Her father, King Stephan, only sighed before taking a good look of his daughter, "Are you alright, my peaches?"  

    "I'm okay with him, I guess," she sighed, slowly looking at him in the eyes, "but I am not pleased about your announcement, dad."

    "This is needed, my princess," he says.

    A frown etched on her face, confused, "What do you mean?" 

    "It was no surprise that you were sent in this palace," he says, ushering them both into the tables. 

    While she was walking there, she could only nod. The kingdom was chosen as this holds the most sacred books that were ever cast into this realm. She was to read that and fulfill her prophecy to this world before she was to become the biggest threat to anyone. 

    "I am here to learn."     

    The King shook his head, "You are here to meet the Prince." 

    "Prince?" she questioned, surprised.

    "Prince Thaddeus or as you may have known him, Prince V," he answered.     

    "What do you mean?" she asked. 

    The man was unlike any other prince in the realm, he holds the most useful power that they needed to defeat the wolves and unlike his brothers, he holds the most possibility that he will defeat whoever holds a threat to her life. Prince Thaddeus controls many things, four elements were only a piece of thin ice in his whole block of powers. 

    "Did you read the seventh chapter?"

    She nodded her head, confused, "While I am to learn the ways on how to defeat those who will pose a threat to the realm, I needed..." 

    That was when she looked at her father, surprised to even realized what the verse was saying. Her father only nodded his head, thankful that she was now getting the gist of what was to happen. No matter how much power her sleeping powers were, she was to need someone who will protect her. 

    "You needed your husband to fend off anyone who will stop your chants."

    She could only gulp, now realizing everything, "So, he is the only candidate to fulfill that prophecy?" 

    "Yes, which would mean one thing," he says, looking to his children to offer him some warmth. As soon as Crowde took hold of his hand, that was when he touched his daughter and smiled, "You are Prince Thaddeus's beloved." 

    Crowde whistled, surprised, "What the f**k. I didn't even know that."     

    Beloved. 

    The word tasted wrong in her mouth, to be able to be destined to one of the most powerful vampires does hold a threat to many. She had heard that many vampires had wanted to have a chance to be with the Prince and now that she was to marry him, she now knows why her father has been vague to say as to who she was to marry. 

    For if they knew that she was to marry Prince Thaddeus, she was to face another crisis. 

.

 .

Queen Nervana holds her head, feeling a migraine coming through.

    It had been hours since his seven sons walked to her camber and demanded to will marry the Princess. Well, to say they were seven would be outrageous for only one vampire demanded to wed the Princess while the other sits there and. She carefully looked at one prince in particular.

    Her son, Prince Thaddeus. 

    "I want to marry the princess, mother," Slyvester muttered with a voice so determined than most.

    She sighed, showing a hand to stop his words, "You cannot marry her, Slyvester."

    "Why not?" 

    "Thaddeus," she called, getting the attention of the man. 

    His eyes were frozen, void of any emotion and she knew better what was going into his son's mind. It was always Thaddeus who holds the responsibility as he knows that he is the most capable. Understandably, this wasn't the case as to how he wanted to raise his children but Thaddeus was different from the rest and he had known that. 

    That is why she was more than proud that his son decided for himself that he would bear every responsibility.

    "What's your call?" She called his son.

    Thaddeus stands from where he was seated before bowing his head, "I will marry her, mother." 

    "f*****g hell, V!" Slyvester roared. 

    He looked at his brother, unfazed at his words, "We could always challenge each other." 

    "Are you even attracted to her?" He asked, eyes blazing to his brother.

    V smirked, amused to how he was acting, "Attraction? Is that how you'll rule? Riddle me this then brother, do you even know why she was in the castle?" 

    He frowned, confused about his words. It never dwelled into the man as to why the woman reside in the palace when V was already aware that something was going on. Their parents never let anyone from another kingdom to stay in their palace and it was his clue to know that the Princess wasn't like any other. 

    "Do you think you can protect her?" V urged further, looking at the man with no emotion laced in his voice, sensing something into his brothers, "Do you think simple use of forces would guarantee her safety?"     

    Slyvester growled, "I can always address guards to her disposal!" 

    "Then you better just kill the woman," he says. 

    Queen Nervana looked at his child and nodded, it was true that unlike his brothers - Thaddeus know more about combat and proper things to do whenever someone was endangered. Even if Slyvester was much older than Thaddeus was, the man was more mature in every way. Whenever a problem arises, it was always his job to come forth. 

    No other children of his would be there to stand guard for the castle, except for him.    

    "Slyvester, do you want to know the reason as to why you are not fit to marry the Princess?" she asked, holding the look of his son to her. 

    The look of his face was something of desperation, hurt to have heard that he was not someone who she should have married. However, he should have seen this coming. No one in the palace was determined to rule and protect other than Thaddeus, for others would always say that he has what it takes. 

    However, the man wasn't all powerful, to begin with.

    There were times where he was weak and out of materials to deploy. No matter what it is, he would always manage to look upon the danger and would always do what was needed. He needed not to pass others of his job as he took an oath that he should protect everyone under his wings. 

    "Mother," Slyvester called. 

    She shook her head, "Answer me this. Why is she under our care? The Zitae Kingdom has everything they needed - why does she need to reside in our palace?" 

    Only silence was all he could offer, having no other idea as to why the female was in their kingdom. It never sparks his mind to think why someone of royalty was living in their kingdom when she has her own. Things like this are why she had urged her children to partake in combat training and what they needed to be a prince.

    She needed them to be more decisive.  

    However, they choose to play and highlight their powers. Never knowing that it was only when critical times do they need something of power - for what they face usually fit with what they could offer. His son, Thaddeus, knows that. That is why he takes good importance in training. 

    "If you can't even answer a simple question, how do you propose to marry the woman?" she asked.     

    Sylvester looked at her, determined, "I love her." 

    "Don't you dare utter words you don't understand. How can you say you love her when you didn't even care as to why she was in the palace to begin with," she snaps, making her rage to feel from the very depth of her son's heart, "All you ever did was take your time with her and needed to dance with her."

    "V danced with her!"

    She looked at Thaddeus, serious, "Why is the Princess in the Kingdom, Thaddeus?" 

    "She is in imminent danger," he responds. 

    Looking back into Sylvester, she could only scoff, "If you didn't even notice something as obvious as that, I doubt you'll do good in being her husband." 

    Slyvester looked down, embarrassed to how his mother now viewed him. It was true that all he ever cared about was that the woman was now living in the same place. He didn't care how anxious she would always feel and when something had happened to her chamber. It was V who always questioned everything that was happening to her and no other prince was cautious enough to act on it. 

    If there was to be an attack, he knew that V was the only prince who will be able to save her.     

    He was useless in battle. 

    "Dismiss," Queen Nervana muttered before glaring at his sons, "I expect every single one of you in this room at around 6 in the morning. No one should be late or I will let you take training with your father."     

    Everyone shuddered including Thaddeus, knowing how dangerous the training their father would always partake into. It was enough to even make someone like him, a King, to whine towards the Queen to how hard training was becoming. 

    Thaddeus, as a challenge, partakes in the training of his father and he was visibly shaken to what was offered before it. It took him quite some years before he dwelled into it but even now, he was scared to face it again. He was more than impressed that his father was able to face such battle every single week. 

    "Yes, mother," they all muttered at once before leaving. 

.

.

The palace was dark, enough to fuel anyone's nightmares. 

    It was alright since every vampire was to rest in their chambers and not a single worker was to lurk every night. That was to make sure that whenever someone was to walk through the halls, it was no one but an intruder. Something that the Queen had to make sure to tell everyone as she knows what she was protecting.

    By times like this, Aeui was always wide awake.

    She always has nightmares that fuel her dreams, never letter her get an inch of sleep. This wasn't usually every day but these couple of days, they have been visiting quite frequently. Her lips couldn't even utter a scream for that will do nothing but wake everyone who was present in the Kingdom. Her cries would also have to be lowered down as her brothers could always sense her sadness. 

    Whenever her nightmares would be awoken, she did nothing but sit on her bed and carefully think about every detail that she remembers about Levi. 

    He always made her feel calm at some point.

    It's been too long... his feature changed so much.

    Shrugging the whole pain that she feels inside her heart, she stood up as she glances into her bookshelves. For her entertainment, the Queen has been nice enough to provide her with a variety of books to reads. It would have taken her weeks before finishing it off. 

    However, with her frequent nightmares and having to read some of them - she was down to nothing to read. Although, if she had remembered back when Prince V was nice enough to tell her history of the kingdom, he had told her something about a library. 

    "I guess, I could take a look or two," she says, grabbing hold of her scarf and was about to head out.

    Her hands touched the handle when she looked back at her bed, seeing the mask that sits in there. Wanting to be quite careful to anyone who had been awake other than her, she grabs it on the go and heads out of her room. 

    As her steps were light and steady, she didn't even fear that she would awake anyone from any radius. She had sneaked out of her father, the King, and he never heard a squeak from her. So all she ever think was that she was safe. When she opened the doors in the library hall, her eyes grew open.

    A man so familiar with her eyes locked eyes with her, confused to her entry. 

    "Sorry," she muttered, bowing immediately to the sight of him, "I didn't intend to disturb you."

    He shook his head, pointing to an array of bookshelves near him, "No, you are not disturbing me. Please, browse any books you wanted to." 

    She looked to where he was pointing and felt utterly weird. It was a good thing that she had thought about the possibility of meeting someone or he would have seen her face. Glancing everywhere to where the books usually placed, she looked back at the man. 

    "Are you sure?" she asked, uneasy. 

    He nodded, "I don't mind, this a place to share." 

    Mumbling a soft thank you, the prince only nodded before coming back to his book. She was amazed to see him still trying to learn at this very moment. He holds a book that says about the history of the warriors who had participated in the great war. It contains usual training and how they had able to live with nothing to fend off to.

    "Do you usually fight in battles?"

    Thaddeus, confused at her question, only nodded but never casting his eyes off of the book, "Yes, you could say that. I was trained to be a warrior by the age of 10." 

    "Ten!?" she sputtered. 

    He nodded, "I was not forced, so you don't have to blame anyone for that. I wanted to be able to protect myself at that age. I am sure you have heard that I am different from normal vampires." 

    Aeui could only nod, surprised to how the man was able to train for such a young age. Seeing that he was busy, she now heads into the racks of books she would found interesting. It wasn't really hard to impress her as the novels made from vampires are very amusing to read. For her, it was like a breath of fresh air. 

    Thaddeus glanced at the female who keeps on smiling from every time she would find a book and snatch it from its place. She had gone to the novel section through the history of the vampires. He didn't even know why she would find something like that as amusing. Now that she was dressed in her nightgown, he could see her skin so visibly white than normal. 

    If he didn't know better, he would guess that she bring a shawl to protect her from the cold.

    Then again, vampires never get cold. 

    "Do you plan on reading all of that?" He asked. 

    Aeui jumped in surprise upon hearing his voice while she was far from him. The books have now fallen from her hands and into the floor where everything scattered like a piece of trash. When she was about to fix everything did a single note gets noticed by her eyes. 

    It was written in a paper so old that it had turned brown. Words were quite blurry for her to understand but she shuddered upon seeing the signature made below. It was from Zahir, the King of the werewolves. Even if the words were too hard to understand, a signature that is something like this isn't actually something that one couldn't bear to forge. 

    Especially his.     

    Zahir. 

    A werewolf. 

    Thaddeus frowned upon hearing nothing from the Princess. So despite his best interest, he walked through the hallways of the array of bookshelves and saw her sitting on the floor. Books were shattered around her and not a single one was put together. The princess sat there, holding a single note. 

    He frowned, "What do you have there?" 

    She stilled, looking at the piece of paper with nothing but disbelief, "A letter from Zahir."     

    "What?" 

    Aeui couldn't do anything but hand him the note for him to take a good look at it. Zahir isn't someone who is set to meddle with any vampire when he rampaged and almost killed a huge ton of vampires. That is why it is surprising to see his letter into one of the books in the kingdom. 

    "Where did you find this?" he asked, looking through every letter. 

    She bites her lips, grabbing a book that had her still, "The Secrets of the History, Vol II." 

    "Can you hand me that, please?" 

    She only does what he says before picking any book. V walked into the table and accessed the letter. She was amazed to see him work so fast upon grabbing a piece of paper and writing what he thought makes sense. It wasn't really a surprise that he knows a thing or two in things like this. Whenever a war would ensue, the letters that he gets would always bear some blood and taint and it was for him to figure out whatever it means. 

    Rushing to his side, every word that he writes seems to break her heart.

    "It wouldn't be long for me to get what is rightfully mine," she reads, letting the Prince to stop his writing.

    Zahir only thinks of one thing in this realm that belongs to him - her blood. It wouldn't be too long before he took a great hold of her. However, one thing was off to this letter. If she was to think when this was written, this should have been made before she was born. How could he have known that there would be something in the vampire kingdom that he thought was his? 

    Was her birth written in stone? 

    "Do you have any idea why his letter was left there?" she asked him, her heart was full of nothing but worry. 

    Thaddeus shook his head, confused at the current state at hand, "Was this the reason you were here? He was after you?" 

    She could only look at him, confused as she was ever be. It never crossed her mind to think that he would be cautious that something was after her - let alone a wolf. Not that she was making it any hard, or at least - Zahir was. 

    "I am to be your husband, I do not understand why you need to keep this from me," he says, quite troubled that she was hiding things from him. 

    To be fair, it wasn't in Aeui's role to tell him what was going on. However, something was stirring from him. He had read thousand of books of the possibility of having another chance in having a beloved - but it always says that it was never meant to be. Especially with his case, this woman was a vampire.

    The case was different.

    He was now only a weapon that was to wield his powers to protect the one chosen to free them all.

    That was his only stand in the prophecy.

    Nothing else. 

    "I do not know," she says, a frown settling on her face, "also, I am sorry for putting a responsibility in your shoulders. Though it is true that my parents have chosen you to be my husband, that would mean that imminent danger would follow you soon." 

   To say that Thaddeus was new to her tone was an understatement. Even if his mother had been worried about his health- it had been back when he was nothing but a child. No one was able to care enough for his wellbeing for a long time, as every single vampire thinks that he has the capability to defend for himself. 

    Aeui was an exception.    

    Or maybe was this because she was unaware of his powers? 

    He wasn't sure, but that might be the cause. 

    "Are you worried about me, Princess?" He asks. 

    She frowned, confused at his answer, "Of course, I am. If there would ever be a chance that you were to fight someone. That reason would be because of me, and if that ended badly - that was because of me." 

    c*****g his head to the side, he could all do nothing but cross his arms, "I choose to protect you. You will be my wife, your safety is in my hands."

    "See!" she all could mutter in nothing but exasperation, "How am I going to live with that? Even if you did save me, I will leave in guilt knowing you would have still been alive if it wasn't because of me."     

    He smiled, chuckling to the idea planted into her brain, "You do not have to fret, I will not die."

    She looked at the man with nothing but hope, wanting nothing more for that to be the case. Aeui will not hinder the news of her marriage or for someone to fit their role in the prophecy but she was scared, to say the least. If it was up to her, she wouldn't want to take note of another bloodbath in her watch. 

    "Will you be able to promise that?" she asked, offering her pinky finger to the man.

    Pinky promise, she thinks. 

    Whenever she would be in nothing but desperation, it was one thing that she clings on. For if a vampire was good in one thing - it was never breaking a promise. It was a custom that was only available in the human world, no vampire knows of such thing but in her crazy mind, they should have known about this. 

    Confused, he asked the female of what she was doing, "What do you intend me to do?" 

    "Promise me," she says again, pushing her pinky finger to his direction, "that if you marry me - you will not die or sacrifice your life for me. If you were to fight someone, always make sure that you will come back. Wounded, but never out of life." 

    "Princess," he says but he was stopped by her words. 

    "Promise me or there wouldn't be no wedding. I will never let someone die on my watch, especially if your goal of this marriage was to protect me." 

    Amused, he could all do nothing but laugh as he nodded his head, accepting her tiny little pinky before responding, "I promise, my wife."