My Cursed Alpha Prince

CHAPTER 9

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Caspian never thought the day would come when he would get tired of riding a horse. But after the first day, he realised that even the most pleasurable things could easily become irritating if done for too long.

Avarel was still an entire day's ride away, but it felt like it was never going to end. He had sat in his saddle all day long, as they crossed the forest of Aeman, through the widow's mountains and then so many towns that he got tired of counting. His back was sore, his feet were numb, his mood was irritable, and he felt like punching someone in the face very soon if they didn't stop. The problem was finding a suitable place where they would be able to stop. He did not trust the darkness of the forest, or the whisper of the wind which sounded like the wail of a banshee. He was well aware of the tales which were whispered about the Black Forest, and how it was rumoured to be the home of witches and evil spirits who could take the form of any animal and lure men to their death.

Heaven forbid that they should all perish at the hands of some malicious spirit while on their way to meet his future bride.

Finally, they reached a clearing just at the edge of their Forest, and he declared that they would set up camp there. When he finally climbed off his saddle and his feet touched the floor, he felt like screaming from joy. He pulled his stallion’s reins towards a nearby tree and wrapped it around a low hanging branch before he began to remove the saddle.

Jurien stepped forward with his own horse beside him, and he looked around before he spoke to Caspian to make sure no one was listening.

“Your Grace, I don’t think it is a good idea to camp here,” he said. “This is a very dangerous place.”

“We’re right on the edge of the forest, Jurien,” he said. “Im sure there’s nothing to worry about.”

“The men are not comfortable with the idea of camping here,” he insisted. “They’re saying it’s a cursed place, and that evil spirits lurk around these parts. We should keep going until we reach the next town. I’m sure we can find a nice inn to stay for the night. But camping here does not seem like a good idea.

Caspian turned to face him slowly. Suddenly, he didn’t feel so tired anymore. And the urge to punch someone in the face was becoming more and more enticing with each second that passed. Jurien certainly seemed like a viable candidate for that. And the longer he stood there and continued to stare at him, the more irritated Caspian grew.

“Any man who is afraid of an old fable can turn around and go back to Xania,” he said. “We will camp here for the night, and that is the end of that.”

Jurien knew better than to argue. Whenever Caspian got into one of these moods, it was a sure sign that the best option was silence. So he kept his mouth shut, and walked away, leaving Caspian to carry on in his sour mood for the rest of the evening.

Half an hour later, the men had finished setting up the tents and a few of the brave ones had ventured off to catch their dinner. They returned with a wild boar they had captured, and dinner was going to be a feast. While the animal was skinned and placed above the fire to grill, Caspian climbed onto the nearest tree and surveyed their surroundings.

The forest was dense and never-ending, and even though he had assumed they were close to the edge of the forest, they still had several hundred yards before they would emerge on the bank of the river.

“f**k!” he grunted.

Down below, the men were gathered around the fire and they were laughing at a joke someone had said. Wine was flowing everywhere, and someone had begun to play the flute. Indeed, the fear which had been sown into their hearts by the darkness of the forest was starting to dissipate, and everyone was becoming more and more cheerful.

A cold breeze slapped him across the face, and Caspian looked up at the moon, hanging pale and low above him. Its light filled him with renewed strength, and he stood there for a while longer and simply allowed the breeze to caress his cheek.

But even that became a painful memory when he remembered a familiar night just like this all those years ago, when her hand was on his face and her smile made his heart soar just like the moon did right now. Sadness crept into his heart instantly, and he settled down on the branch to stare at the moon some more. He wasn’t ready to go back down. And even though the smell of meat was enticing, he forced himself to remain up there, just to have some alone time.

The cold was welcome, and very soon he got really comfortable on the spot. He leaned back on the trunk of the tree and closed his eyes for just a short while, just to clear his head and forget the wave of sadness which was threatening to drown him.

He must have fallen asleep at some point, because when he woke up, the moon was in a different place entirely. The fire below was reduced to embers, and all the men were asleep. Caspian looked around confusedly, stunned by how the air had turned freezing so quickly. Every trace of sleep was gone instantly, and he climbed down to the campsite to check on everyone. With the fire gone, the air felt stale and damp down here, in contrast to how it felt when he was up on the tree branch. The dampness of the forest was odd, and he slowly made his way towards his tent. Even the men who were supposed to be taking the watch had fallen asleep as well.

Caspian found that they had set aside his foot for him. He sat down and began to eat hungrily, his stomach growling with each bite he took. He felt like he hadn’t eaten in decades, and by the time he was done, his stomach was so full that he could hardly move. He turned to the side and pulled his blanket up to his chin, and then he tried to fall back asleep.

“Caspian.”

A chill ran down his spine as he looked up, and he narrowed his eyes as he stared outside and tried to see who it was. He couldn’t be sure, but he could have sworn that it was a woman’s voice he heard. That didn’t make any sense. And he knew he wasn’t dreaming. So how could it be?

“Caspian.”

The name was mentioned again, and this time he reached for his sword and drew it from its sheath, pointing it directly at the entrance of the tent. The horses were skittering and neighing loudly outside, and their continuous nervous steps were enough to cause Caspian to to worry.

“Who is there?” he demanded, as the temperature dropped even more. His breath turned to mist, and he was suddenly very aware of his surroundings. He waited and listened, his breath held so he could hear whatever was going on.

And then he heard footsteps, so soft that he probably wouldn’t have know if he hadn’t been listening so intently. Someone was moving outside his tent, and they were doing that just to spook him, because it didn’t sound like he person was coming forward at all.

“Whoever you are, show yourself,” he demanded.

But the footsteps continued, and Caspian wasn’t sure when a bead of sweat crept down his back. He suddenly felt dizzy, and it felt like the entire forest was spinning. His grip on the sword was faltering, and he couldn’t even hold it up any longer. It felt like it was made of lead, and the only thing he wanted to do was lay back down and sleep.

The tent flapped open, and a thin, bony hand slowly slipped inside. Caspian watched it as it entered, but he couldn’t bring himself to do anything. He simply sat there and watched as it moved, creeping towards him ever so slowly. He should have done something, but he couldn’t even lift his sword anymore.

A cloaked figure stepped into the tent, wrapped in a black cloak which looked like it was made of pure darkness. A horrible, rasping breath was coming from the figure, and Caspian felt as if the very life was being sucked out of him. He couldn’t move, and the cold seemed to seep right into his bones, its horrible claw wrapping around his heart and squeezing tightly. He went limp as a dead rose petal, and all the while the figure continued to move towards him.

“W-wh-w…”

He couldn’t even speak. The words just simply wouldn’t come out. No matter what he did, he couldn’t bring himself to string together a coherent sentence.

“Caspian,” the figure whispered again, and this time he was sure that it was a female.

“W-wh-who are you?”

“A friend,” it whispered. “Do not be afraid. I only want your soul.”

Caspian forced himself to grab his sword, and after what felt like a Herculean effort, he managed to grab the hilt of the blade and point its tip at the cloaked figure.

“Get the f**k away from me,” he growled. “Otherwise I’ll run you through so hard that you’ll wish you never existed.”

The figure laughed, and the sound of its laughter caused Caspian’s ears to bleed. It was a high and cold laughter, which spelled nothing but dread in Caspian’s heart. The sound went straight to his soul, and it pulled at an ancient and painful memory which he had completely forgotten, making the pain a thousand times worse.

“I’m not here to hurt you, son of Adam,” the figure said. “If I wanted to kill you, I would have done so from the moment you and your men set foot in my forest. Or I would have killed you while you were sleeping atop that tree. But I kept you alive, and that should inform you that I am not here for your blood. Not yet, at least.”

“Then what are you here for?” he asked.

“I’m here to offer you a solution to your problem,” it said. “You already know that king Raemon is plotting against Xania. I can see in your heart that you wish to retaliate, but your hands are bound by the laws of your land and the ruling of your father. You cannot make a decision he doesn’t approve of. And knowing this, you realise that you cannot do anything against Dalmatia. All you can do is sit back and wait, never truly knowing whether the attack will come or not. But I can give you that which you desire.”

Caspian kept his grip firmly on his sword. He didn’t say anything, because he wasn’t sure what exactly this shadowy figure was offering him. Whatever it was, he had a sneaking suspicion that it wouldn’t be good.

“I can make the vampires go away,” the figure said. “I can burn them all in their homes, and destroy everything they ever stood for. It will be as if they never existed, and the world will be a better place without them. You shall have dominion over their lands, and you will expand your empire to feats which were previously thought impossible. You will be the greatest king to have ever ruled, and your name will be remembered for decades to come.”

The words swayed Caspian. Deep down, he knew the only reason why it was telling him all that was because it knew exactly what he wanted to hear. Throughout his life, Caspian had only wanted to stand out above all others. He did not want to be remembered as just another king. Ever since he was a kid, he knew that he would want to stand out amongst the ranks of other kings. His greatest failure would be to waste his reign and just be remembered as another random king. So if this shadowy figure was giving him exactly what he wanted, surely there had to be a catch.

“The choice is yours, prince of Xania,” it said. “You can have your name remembered as one of the great kings of Xania, or as another king who moved through life without doing anything spectacular.”

“So what’s the catch?” Caspian asked.

“Why does there have to be a catch?”

“Because I know how this goes,” he said. “Just tell me what the catch is. There’s no way you just came here to offer me something like that without giving me any reason for doing so. Just tell me what it is that you want.”

The cold intensified, and the cloaked figure immediately lurched forward and came perilously close to Caspian’s face. Its breath was rancid, and it nearly caused him to choke. Even though he couldn’t clearly see what was underneath the cloak, Caspian could see the round shape of what appeared to be a mouth, except there weren’t any teeth. Instead, there was just an empty pit which was so dark that he felt like he was going to be sucked right in. He was forced to look away, the creature’s horrible breath was so suffocating that he felt his throat tighten.

Finally, it moved back and put some distance between them so that Caspian was able to breathe again. His eyes began to water, and he glared at the creature with a narrowed gaze.

“Do not insult me, son of Adam,” it said. “You and I both know how this is going to go. I do not ask for much in exchange for what I’m offering you. All I want is a simple artefact which I’m sure you do not even care about.”

“What artefact?” Caspian asked.

“When Xania was formed as a kingdom over a hundred years ago,” it said, “the magic of old was imbibed into the very crown which sits on your father’s head. It is an object far more precious than any mortal could ever understand. If you can retrieve the crown and give it to me, then I will make all your dreams come true.”

“The crown?” Caspian muttered confusedly. He had never truly thought about it except in those fleeting moments when he would look at it resting on his father’s head and he would wonder how long before he would get to wear it as well. He always looked at the crown as something unattainable, and something which he could only admire from afar. Of course he had heard the tales of how the crown was formed with ancient magic, and how it was supposed to protect the kingdom from any foreign invaders. It was said that the magic of the crown could often be felt by the king whenever he wore it, and Caspian often wondered whether his father could feel this magic coursing through his veins and flowing through his entire body. The man certainly didn’t seem like someone who could ever be associated without something magic. He was simply too logical for something like that.

But why would this creature want the crown?

It definitely wanted it for a sinister reason. Caspian was certain of this, and he knew that it would be ridiculously naive and downright stupid for him to agree to its demands without realising what it was planning. He wasn’t about to hand over the mist powerful object in all of Xania to some creature he met in the woods. That was the last thing he was even thinking of doing.

“You hesitate,” the creature said. “Do you perhaps believe that I am unworthy of wielding it?”

“The crown is not mine to give,” he said. “It belongs to my father, so perhaps you should have spoken to him instead.”

“The crown will pass onto you one day,” it said. “I am in no hurry. When the crown does pass onto you, then I shall come to collect my debt. If you swear to me that you will give me the crown when it passes down to you, then I will wipe out the entire people of Dalmatia tonight. All you need to do is swear to me that the crown will be given to me when it becomes yours.”

It extended its bony hand towards Caspian, who stared down at it in silence for a very long time without even moving. He was thinking about the consequences of whichever decision he was about to make, and how it would affect not just him, but everyone else in the kingdom. He couldn’t take such a drastic decision without knowing the consequences of what he was about to do.

“What exactly do you plan on doing with the crown?” he asked.

“You will find out when the time comes,” it said. “Do we have a deal or not, prince Caspian of Xania?”

“I cannot make a deal with you until you tell me what exactly you plan on doing with the crown,” he insisted. “I am well aware of the magic which the crown possesses, and I suspect you do not wish to use it in a way which will benefit my people. Tell me what you wish to do with it, and I might consider your offer if I find that your plans are reasonable.”

“I owe you no explanation, son of Adam,” I said. “Do we have a deal or not?”

“I’m afraid we do not,” Caspian said. “I refuse to make any agreement with you on such vague terms. You do not seem like you have anyone’s interest at heart but yourself. And if that is the case, then it will be a stupid decision to let you have the crown.”

“Insolent mortal!” the creature cried, lunging at Caspian. The latter was able to bring up his sword just in time, and he managed to shield his face just in time, before it slashed at him. He tumbled out of the way and dodged the creatures claws which has suddenly extended. It ripped through the tent cleanly, and Caspian swung his sword in a wide arc at the creatures midriff, causing it to jump back. As soon as it did that, he lunged straight at it and almost drove his sword directly into the creature’s chest. But it avoided the sword easily, and it punched him so hard that he was thrown backward and straight out of the tent.

Thankfully, Caspian landed on his feet. He immediately took a battle stance as the creature emerged from the wrecked tent, and he felt the chill driving straight through his heart. But he kept his ground, and he refused to back down. Worst of all was the fact that his men still hadn’t moved, and they continued to sleep quite peacefully even with the chaos that had broken out around them.

“Woe onto you, son of Adam,” the creature said as it crawled across the ground towards him. “I curse you and your generation, and I will hunt you down until the end of time if I have to. You will never know peace, and I will snuff out any light which enters your life.”

It lunged at him once again, but Caspian swung the blade straight at his head, seeing the opening he needed. He drove the sword straight into the creature’s neck, fully expecting blood to splatter everywhere. Instead, he felt like he had stabbed through thin air. Nothing happened at first, but then the creature vanished in a puff of smoke. Caspian was left standing in the middle of the campsite with his sword in his hand, and sweat pouring down his back and forehead. He looked around confusedly, as his men suddenly began to wake up. The cold was gone, and now they were all staring at him with identical puzzles expressions.

“Your Grace,” Jurien said as he stepped forward slowly and fixed a confused gaze on Caspian. “Is everything alright? Why are you holding your sword?”

Caspian turned around continuously, but the creature was nowhere to be found. Light flooded the campsite once again from the moon, and everything looked normal again.

So why did he feel so hollow and empty? Why did he feel as though someone had taken a bucket of ice cold water and dunked it right over his head? Was it the creatures words which had drawn this reaction from him, perhaps?

“Wake the rest of the men,” he said finally. “We move at once.”

“Your Grace, what happened?” Jurien insisted.

“Nothing,” he replied, feeling the cold sweat freezing on his forehead. “It was nothing. Now wake the men and do as I asked.”

“At once, your Grace,” he said, bowing before he left. As he walked away, Caspian turned to face the forest once again, wondering where the creature was now. He definitely hadn’t imagined it. And something told him that the creatures threats were not to be taken lightly.

“Great,” he muttered to himself as he untied his horse. “Another f*****g curse to bear.”

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