Bewitched by the Beast (ENGLISH)

Chapter 2

The villagers gathered to meet Prince Dallas. The Prince, in turn, delightfully entertained their warm welcome with embrace and handshakes. Nevaeh could not take her eyes off the Prince. She constantly heard the name Schoita. It is a different place near Cana, but she did not think that the kingdom of Schoita would also rule the latter. Indeed, the land is beautiful, the plantations and sea resources are bountiful enough for livelihood and agriculture, some of the reasons they decided to move to the place aside from its large community. Any families of riches and royalty would stumble upon taking over the area.

She and Piper are currently sitting on a big rock under an oak tree. Eiranmade new friends of his age, and they were playing behind his sister." This is my first time seeing a prince," Nevaeh blurted out of the blue. Seeing a prince is a first for her as they previously lived in a remote place, with an uncrowded neighborhood and relatively far away from the Kingdom of Schoita.

"My third time by now," Piper mumbled while chewing a piece of strawberry. Her eyes never left the Prince, as if the present moment were her last chance to see him close before her death. "And still handsome as ever," she added. Nevaeh can see through Piper's admiration at the back of her eyes. 

"You fancy him, don't you?" Piper's cheeks flushed the moment Nevaeh hinted.

"I admire him, yes, but I don't see having an intimate entanglement with him," Piper admitted with timidity. Their glances turned again at the Prince, who was now eating the food prepared by the villagers. His curls are sterling in silver, his nose is delicately sharp, and his eyes are glistening in gray.

"He looks just like a normal young man. For a prince, his features are nothing out of the ordinary," Nevaeh said bluntly. Piper gasped upon the impertinent judgment. No one ever dared to do that to the Prince, in fact, to every royal blood that existed. Only Nevaeh did not grow up in Cana.

"Lower your voice. Others might see your criticism to be a slander against the Prince," Piper whispered. All Cana residents respect the royal blood, and criticism is another form of profanity for them.

Nevaeh came to understand Piper's words as her sight lingers on the villagers. If she were to become a princess or a queen, her subjects would hail and respect her the same way. Imagining such thoughts sends her to the depths of the clouds. However, her dream of becoming one will not happen unless she has a lot of gold in her pocket and vast land property.

"Whatever you say," she gave Piper a dismissive shrug.

Mr. Peter invited Prince Dallas to dance along with the ladies. Two sets of tiny clefts dented on his cheeks as he laughs. Nevaeh's eyebrows rose when she recognized his laugh was rather off-putting. It was hollow and insincere, which seems to be just keeping up with the people. Piper, on the other hand, enjoys what she sees in front of them. "I heard that his father, King Ergofin, came along with him, but even his shadow isn't showing," Nevaeh added.

"He left him unescorted to pick himself a consort," the two jumped in panic when they heard the voice of a gentleman behind them. They turned around to find out who cut in the conversation.

"Eito!" Piper yelled in surprise. The gentleman in coat had his hood raised and fingers stroking his chin as if caressing his nonexistent beard. "What are you doing here?" Piper asked him since she did not expect his attendance.

"You are not the only one invited here, Piper. I am also equitable to attend this celebration, for I am a resident of Cana," he replied. "And one more thing, like every ladies' purpose of being here, I would also like to see the prince," he added in his deep masculine voice.

"You fancy him too?" Nevaeh asked.

Eito intensely glared at Nevaeh, "My heart isn't ladylike enough to fancy someone my own kind, outcast," he retorted, refusing her claim and turned his gaze back to the Prince. "Observing him is the only way to confirm my suspicion."

"There you go again, Eito. Just go home. Your presence is nothing necessary here," Piper said with her eyes narrowing.

"Suspicion?" Nevaeh asked.

"That he is not the real prince," Eito replied and looked at Nevaeh. "That the entirety of their family never had tinges of blue in their blood."

"What do you mean?"

"Hold your tongue, Eito. You are poisoning the brain of a novice in our area," Piper shut him up. "And if anyone hears you, you may be among those to be executed."

"To be executed?" Nevaeh, again, wondered what Piper had said.

"People who accuse the kingdom and their reign without concrete proof may be sentenced to death," Eito replied. "Come to think of it, Nevaeh, why would they have enforced the law? Why do they seem afraid of people tarnishing their names? Why do they deprive the rights of people of their opinion? And most of all, why do they keep our history from us?" Eito asked her.

Eito's words made Nevaeh tongue-tied, but he successfully aroused her curiosity as interest became evident on her face. Cana is a big town, but the institutions he studied from and even the books never disclosed comprehensive details about it, especially its history. He was told about the daylight moon and the cursed Prince who suddenly disappeared six hundred years ago, which came to be the only thing he knew. However, these stories have always lingered as speculations since there has never been any proof, and they are only told among the children as bedtime stories.

"Come, I'll show you something," Eito invited her. He walked, leading the way. Piper attempted to resist Nevaeh, but Nevaeh did not budge. She could do nothing but follow the two. Nevaeh's life will put to risk at the hands of the Rasvoid Family if the man successfully poisons her mind, and she will not let that happen.

They arrived in a high and bumpy place. Trees surrounding a vast desert of ice that Nevaeh had no clue what's underneath is seen from their spot. The moon is the only pearl that lights the sea of darkness in the night. Nevaeh embraced herself as the cold wind blew. 

Piper frowned at Eito when she arrived. The place is far from the wooden tavern where the festival is currently taking place. Nevaeh did not let her sore feet delay them from reaching the place. Eito pointed at something in the polar desert. It was something like a top of a palace.

"That was the old palace," Eito said. "According to my grandfather, the storm and flood had completely covered the land in the past. That includes the palace." Nevaeh was just listening to him. She was unsure if she would believe such a thing, but enormity plastered on Eito's face and the story he believes seems to be true. "It was such an ill-fated event when a sorcerer cursed that the sun would never rise again on the kingdom as well as the prince," he added. 

"Sun?" Nevaeh asked. Eito looked at her.

"I assume you are just like everyone else, a normal resident who still calls the round object that gives light every daytime a moon. The moon and the sun are different. As the moon lights up the night, the sun shines every daytime," Eito explained.

Nevaeh nodded upon the disclosure. "What about the king's son? Why was he cursed?"

"It was the sorcerer's means of revenge on the king who fooled her," Eito replied. "She was promised eternal love, but he wedded another woman. Instead of putting agony on the king himself, she aimed at his son. Would you like to know what the curse was?" Eito asked.

"Nevaeh, don't get swayed by that fool's statements. Those are just absurd folktales that will never make any sense," Piper interrupted.

"What was the curse?" but Nevaeh was oblivious towards Piper's interruption.

"He was cursed with the agony of immortality that brings fear amongst humankind on behalf of his father's sin," Nevaeh sighed upon hearing the story. "I suppose the prince must be just around the area, do you think so, Piper?" Eito asked his friend. Piper looked the other way.

"That's impossible. Animals prey on the deaths of their own kind," Piper disagrees with Eito's claim. Nevaeh's mind was even more confused, not knowing what the two were referring to.

"It has been rumored these past few years that every time the moon illuminates in a full circle, the sheep and the other animals are often seen unconscious lying on a crimson ground. It is said that the prey is the beast who roams around the forest." Eito said and pointed again at the forest of towering trees.

"There is so much mystery in this place," Nevaeh said. The three of them fell in silence as they stared at the forest. It is possible that such a prince will eventually harm humans if he can harm the animals. Whether it is just a folktale or real, Nevaeh pointed out that she must look over her family in this kind of place.

"I just wish that the sun would rise above the Athel's heavens again," Eito said.

"Athel?"

Eito turned to inform her again. "It is the real name of our place before replaced by new rulers six hundred years ago—" his explanation was halted when the three of them heard a loud howl.

"It's time to go home!" Piper shouted and pulled Nevaeh down the rocky mountain. "Keep in mind, Nevaeh. Never discloses what you have heard to anyone, even to your family, if you don't want their lives to be in danger," Piper told her, smiling.

"I understand," She replied.

When they got back to the wooden tavern, her eyes immediately looked for Eiran. The villagers began to turn around, but she still could not find her brother. Eito and Piper waved at her with their parents before disappearing into the crowd outside the marketplace.

"Eiran!" taking hold of her hem as she walked all around the tavern. "Eiran!" she called out. Her throat feels like popping out by how loud her voice was.

"Are you looking for a twelve-year-old lad with the same hair color as you?" she jumped in panic when she heard a gentleman's low voice behind her. She immediately turned around to confirm who the man was.

Her heart was pounding at a frantic pace when she recognized that the man was the Prince. She could not believe she was talking to someone of royalty.

"Prince Dallas, good evening," She greeted, slightly lowered her head as she curtsied to bestow her respect. "He is my brother. H-how did you know that…."

"The two of you are the only people who look unalike among the villagers here, and someone told me that you are the novices in the area," the Prince answered and looked in the direction where the villagers exiting the market. "I saw your brother walk out of the marketplace first, probably went home as he might have thought you left ahead," he continues.

There was an intense silence when Nevaeh had no idea what to say. "My sincere gratitude, your grace. I'll head out first and b-be careful going home," she said and held into her skirt as she quickly walked away feeling embarrassed.

Unbeknownst to her, the Prince's gaze followed her. Angun, Prince Dallas' attendant, approached and looked towards where the Prince was looking. "Are you certain that you desire to marry a commoner?" he asked him.

"Perhaps," Prince Dallas entered the chariot first.

Nevaeh arrived in front of their new house. She wonders how she can get to their room to look for Eiran without entering the frontal door. Her father will get angry if he finds out that she ran away tonight just to attend the festival.

"Eiran…" she softly called and held her skirt to climb the tree.

"Are you from here?" she had not yet begun to climb when she heard her brother's voice from the back of their house. She immediately went over there and noticed an abandoned basement under the barn. It was far from their neighbor and only a part of the expansive yard of their house. She doubted that it was the owner that formerly took care of sheep and horses.

She took the old gas lamp from outside of the barn door and lit it with fire. She carried it down to the basement and illuminated where the voice came from. The lamp slipped from her hands when a figure of a filthy stranger flickered visibly from its light. His hair was messy, and his white dress was dirty. Suprise plastered in his face while holding an apple, seeing the woman as well.

"Who are you?!" Nevaeh yelled in surprise, but Eiran immediately covered her mouth with his palm.