Heart of Darkness

My name is Lynus Nightshade. I am the proud heir to a land to the north, where snow and cold prevail. It is a shallow land indeed, where my father still prevails with his perfidy mind and darkest of hearts. However, I have abandoned that life long ago and am now pursuing grander goals. Everything I have been trying to achieve has led me here: to this small farm in the outskirts of a small village; far away from the kingdom I came from. It was really hard to find this place, but the reward will be worth it. That must be her… I slowly get closer to the small farm house, riding my horse while watching a quaint little girl, supposedly around the age of eighteen, as she meddles with the ground planting new seeds. There is not much to her that is out of the ordinary. She has common light brown hair, strapped up by a cloth in a way many farmers choose to put up their hair. Her dress is the plainness possible and it is filled with dirt, obviously from being around the farm ground all day. I came here in search of the lost princess from the Kingdom I belong to. My purpose? To marry her and become king, all might and powerful. You see, I am a wizard with a special l**t for power and chaos and lately I have been poisoning the king himself after becoming close to him as his personal advisor. I thought that would grant me access to being his successor as he had no heirs, but over the last month he revealed to me he had a daughter; a daughter he had kept protected from evil by being sent away to a far away kingdom in order to live a normal life as a boring villager. What a cruel father. Keeping his own daughter away from all the good things being a princess brings, for the simple fact of keeping her away from evil. Foolish old man. In the end, he ended up delivering her to me in a silver platter, though it was quite difficult to find her. The girl working on the farm field finally looks up to acknowledge the new arrival. I feel as though my heart is pierced as she stares at me with those bright brown eyes. Her beauty is nothing I have ever seen before. Despite her common looks, her elegant features are quite unique. There’s something… Something luring me to her… Is it? Was the legend true? A pure heart… Well, it is too late to turn back now… I come near her, riding my horse and stop just outside the farm field where she now stands looking at me. There is no evil in her eyes, no fear, no anguish… Just clear curiosity and expectation of something good to happen. It seems this girl is lead by hope. Foolish petty girl. You’re as hopeless as your father. I slowly hop out of my horse and turn to her, slightly bowing. “I have come for you, my princess” I say, as I offer my hand to her. As she is about to respond, someone from inside the main house comes out shouting. “Don’t come near her!!” The man glares at me with a spear in his hand ready to pierce me. A woman follows him, bow and arrow ready to shoot. “We are not going to let you take her!” She says. I see… So the king has not lost his mind after all. He sent his daughter away at the protection of his two best soldiers. Question is… How much does she know? It doesn’t matter. I shall take her by force, if I have to. I prepare to block their attacks and tear them apart with my powers before they can strike back. “Wait!!” The girl suddenly shouts and the couple freezes, cancelling the attack. “Don’t attack him. He has done nothing to harm us” I’m confused. Does she not understand the danger she is in? Is she stupid? I look at her, now curious, trying to decipher what she will do next. “You do not know how vile this one’s heart is. He will kill anyone opposing to him. To protect you, we must do the same” The man says. “I will not have you killing unnecessarily just for my protection. Please… Let me talk to him…” I look at her, as the couple put down their weapons, but still look wearily at me, ready to attack at anytime. The girl approaches me slowly. I bow to her in a gentleman manner, hiding my slight smirk. The girl is even more foolish than I thought. If I play this right, I might not even need to reveal my powers just yet. “Forgive me for this rude introduction, my princess, but time is of the essence and we must haste. I am Sir Lynus, personal advisor to his Royal Highness King Jonathan. He has summoned me to search for you and take you back to his kingdom as quickly as possible” “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Sir Lynus. My name is Mika. I’m afraid I have never met my birth father… In fact…” In that moment, she looks at the couple and back at me. “It was only a few weeks ago that I learned the truth” “I see…” I say, trying to be as respectful as I can be. I have to earn her trust. Only then will she allow me into her world, and then she will be as doomed as the king. “You mentioned time is of the essence… Has something happened?” “I’m afraid so. The king… He has fallen terribly ill over the past month… I’m afraid… He will not live much longer…” I say, as heartbrokenly as I can. She looks shocked and covers her mouth as a few tears come to her eyes. “Oh no…” I look at her trying to remain interested, but seriously what is wrong with this girl? Caring so much for someone she has never met, even if it is her birth father. If it were me, I’d be filled with glee, having suddenly learned I’m the successor of a great kingdom. “Mika…” The woman starts. “I must go… I have to see him…” The girl says. “No. That is out of the question. We do not even know the circumstances” The man says, looking at him through the corner of his eye. “Let us discuss this inside…” The woman says and starts leading the girl inside the house. She nods allowing her mother to lead her in, but first looks at me. “I’m sorry. Could you wait here for a moment? We shall be back before night sets” She says with a smile and I can feel that uncomfortable feeling in my heart again. I doubt she will keep her promise. It’s nearly sunset but still I wait patiently. After all, if she does not come back or tries to flee, I shall take her by force. But first, I shall let the river run its course… It’s always more fun to watch them do what I want than to intervene with brutal force. Surprisingly enough, the girl comes out moments before night falls. She comes to me looking determined. “I shall go with you, to see my father… At least once…” She says. I look up at her and bow respectfully. “Thank you for your righteous decision” She smiles and yet again my heart pains me. “We shall leave in the morning” “Oh! I brought some brawl for you. I figured you’d be hungry” She suddenly says, handing me a bowl. “Thank you, princess” I say, taking the bowl in my hands. Then she points towards the barn. “My father said you can sleep in the barn. I’m sorry, but he wouldn’t allow you inside our house, no matter how much I tried to dissuade him” “I see… Thank you for your hospitality” Of course he wouldn’t… He would be stupid if he would. “Goodnight, Sir Lynus” She says and smiles, making my heart clench. This woman will be the biggest challenge… Of course, I can’t sleep. I don’t need to anyway, and I do have to cast a special spell on this farm... But I am quite glad I don’t sleep, for I see the stupid girl wondering around all night at the stables, trying not to make too much noise as she prepares her horse for the upcoming journey. It seems she could not sleep either. I continue watching her and casting my spell until the sun rises.