The Contract The Princess Signed

Princess Celesté Madrigor's pitiful life, as she had known, is coming to an end. Unlawful fate predicted by the skies and injustice in the face of her own beloved subjects. She was accused but they're naive and manipulated. Manipulated by malicious motives and fake promises. Celesté can't blame them. For they are sick of living in grief and fear. Their fathers, husbands, sons, brothers, lovers died and perished in hellish battlefields. They died honorably, they thought, but they left their mothers, wives, sisters and daughter mourning forever. Like wolves lost in the forest, lonely howling. Like Celesté.  She had spent years to sculpt herself into an ideal descendant of the throne. To achieve a future where justice rules and equality is superior. To achieve this deep ambition of Celesté, she sacrificed her time and other selfish intentions. Just because she wants to make her kingdom a better place. But now, the citizens she strives to protect and loved wants her dead. Wants her served as a meal for the Shadow Mage. Right now, under the gloomy sky, with grey clouds hovering above, the whole of Belkian citizens gather at the plaza. Cheering and shouting the same words under the brewing storm. “Kill her! ” “Sacrifice! Sacrifice! ” They're bashing their pent-up emotions towards the stalling princess upfront. On the wooden platform, at the center, was a huge stake. Hays beneath and a huge wooden pillar stalked strong. There tied and weak like a doll was the sentenced princess. Eyes half-lidded and sleepy. Her hands tied above her head which hung low. Her silver and blue hair draped down shoulders to her stomach. She's mumbling nonsense as she speak. Should she blame them already? Should she basked herself once more with martyrdom? One thing for sure, she's too weak to hate anyone right now. If she were to die right now, might as well die with a heart emptied than hatred carried with in the afterlife. “My,my,” a strong grip cupped Celesté's weak chin. Long nails digging into her delicate neck. Celesté's seethed in protest. “You've come so far, dear. But you've become so pathetic,” she shove her back. In a flick of a second, her hand filled with rings slapped Celeste's cheeks. The pain gave more impact with the rings included. Celesté gasped. Soon, tears formed in her eyes and it rolled down her now swollen cheeks. “You...,” she started. “...have gone this far. Just to keep the kingdom all by yourself—!” As Celeste raised her voice, Therese delivered another stinging slap. She grabbed Celeste's unruly hair by the scalp. With glaring villainous eyes, she snarled. Her voice hissing in low volume. “ Yes, I did, trash! Did you know I spent half of my fortune just to get rid of you and your father?! Thankfully, everything paid off!” Celesté felt the fact bitten her like a blade. It made her stomach churned and her head lulled to confusion and shock. Wasn't all this time she knew her father, King Berlioz Madrigor III, died in the war? Is Therese pulling up another trick? Therese pointed the roaring crowd. Their conversation was diluted in the overlapping noise. “They hate you now. The once angelic princess will be now a meal to the Shadow Mage. Where's your daddy to protect you ,little girl?” Therese singsong. “You...killed Father—” “Mother, don't! Please don't hurt Cece!” Another girl at the same age of Celesté came running through their direction. “Angeline!” Therese gasped. Angeline shoved her mother away. She's wearing an extravagant dress under the ceremonial cloak, which only Royals wear during official public death penalties, and a merciful face. The knights tried to warn her to step aside but she wailed. They have no choice but let her be. “My dear sister...” Angeline's hand reached her cheeks and cupped it. She sobbed and bowed her head. Celesté felt sick once more. Angeline will never be merciful nor pay her remorse. Because the real Angeline she's been together with is entirely different. “Hopelessness suits you.” She's as evil and cunning as her mother. “I have been waiting for this day to arrive. To get everything I deserve," she giggled maniacally. Yes, this is the demeanor Celesté despised. Fake and cunning. She would have spent the rest of her life in peace not until Therese and Angeline came into the picture. They made her life hell when her father and the other people were looking away and switch into their sweet faces once they look back. They locked her up in the attic, insulted her, burnt her belongings. Killed her father. Celesté wants to detail everything the two did to her. Write a book about it. Start from when they entered and ruined her life down to the last where they're here, ready to end it. “I despised the blood we share, Celesté—” “Damn you—!” Celesté squirmed. Her will to strangle her is incomparable. “You killed King Berlioz! And how dare you make stories of me as a sacrifice?! You embezzled the kingdom's wealth to pamper yourselves! The kingdom suffered and fall because of you! Thieves!” Celesté yelled at the top of her lungs. The uproar weakened and mumbled questions. There were whispers. There were gasps. “Your Majesty! Your Highnesses! Is that true?!” Duke Alfred White, one of those who heard Celesté, was the only one who took the courage to stand up from the row of seats prepared for the council and approach the royal family in trance. Along with his heavy stomps and his cloak ballooned by the careless wind, he asked with a voice that seems to be controlling his emotions. “I asked if what Princess Celesté said is true!” he repeated with raised voice. He glared his eyes at Therese and Angeline who were both pale and silenced. As a good friend and supporter of the late King Berlioz, this reaction is inevitable. “Duke...it's—!” Celesté was interrupted when a sob broke out. Angeline buried her face in her hands, hiccuping and sniffing. Her voice became raspy from all of the tears. “Why would we do such a thing?! It already breaks my heart seeing it has to come to this,” she sobbed. The duke jolted and pitied the bawling girl. Seeing how she's doing well, she sneakily drew a smirk in her lips. “Don't listen, Duke!" Celesté yelled as she shook her head. The duke can be her only hope. A light at the end of her tunnel. “She's lying!” With Angeline's desperate and poor acting, she gasped. She staggered a few steps back and collapsed falsely on the platform. This caused a commotion again. The duke panicked. But Celesté is the only one who knows Angeline's way. Lies revolve around her. Bargaining dignities of other just for the sake of her own pride. This one though, is way too desperate. “The princess collapsed! Help her!" Therese called. Out came the knights hurrying to aid. One carried Angeline in her arms and the others tailed them behind. Therese pointed a finger at them. “How dare you accused me and my daughter! Start the ritual, Archmage Hansen! ” she ordered. And the uproar of the audience rose again. “Stop! The princess doesn't deserved this!” Duke White yelled. Knights came to drag him back to corner of the stage. He resisted and thrash himself out. Celesté can't withstand how a friend of her beloved father. “I'll be fine, Duke. Thank you for everything,” she bid him farewell with bittersweet smile.  As the raging man's dying yells in the flood of crowd's noise, Celesté started to break into a crying mess. She let choked screams of pain. But she didn't plead. If she begged them to stop, would they listen? That's false hope.  As the archmage chants the summoning spell, Celesté was enlightened. Enlightened that she fooled herself. Driven by a dream she thought she could achieve but suffered before she could do so. She was too naive and weak. Naive by thinking she can live up to everyone's expectation and commit herself in their praises. Already forgotten what she will be of use for.  “A sacrifice. That's all you are. How I wish you were a boy instead of a weak and fragile girl.”  Those words came out from her own father's lips. Words that made Celesté surrender her purpose: to live.   Under a deal sealed sacred, the country of Belkia will be protected and shielded by the powerful Shadow Mage from wars and demonic threats. In exchange, the royal family will offer one first born daughter from their lineage every fifty years. Those who oppose, famine and misfortunes will occur and will be left without the Shadow Mage to aid.  Just like that, Celeste's existence was meant to be a meal for a tyrant guardian. And her beloved kingdom would be left under careless and cruel rulers.   “The clouds...it blackened!”  “It's coming!”  “Everyone, hide! Don't let the Mage see you!”  It was a matter of time before Celesté processed what's happening. What is starting. The ritual, strange enough, hasn't been chanted completely. How is it the evil creature appeared before the chant was complete?  Therefore, turmoil broke out from the unexpected event. People run in places. The adults screamed and shouted. Children cried.  A huge mass of fog as dark as ebony and stenching evil danced. It approaches like a sandstorm in a desert. Crackles of lightning ride along the dark fog. Its aura taunting People were teriffied and scattered like cattle. Fear and terror filled the crowd. Celesté had read about this creature. Thought she could only see it and describe from the books. Its description were almost fictional and farfetched from reality she couldn't almost believe it. Now she's witnessing the real deal and it's not sketched or printed.  Before she knew it, Therese was about to waltz out of the stage with a cakle. “Farewell, dear,” Therese said mockingly, another cunning smile escaped from her red lips. She rested a hand on Hansen's shoulder. Along with Hansen and Angeline, they were enveloped under streaks of bright lights and left without batting an eye towards the other troubled nobles. They left without bother handling the potential m******e once the Shadow Mage caused havoc. “Therese! Angeline!” Celesté shrieked. Another stream of hopelessness filled her heart. They're far too selfish and heartless. How could they leave without helping their panicking and dying subjects?!  Everything, as she witnesses, that the black fog touches were devoured and incinerated. Leaving them into remains of powered ashes. Houses, animals, and even people. Though they run with all their life, the fog can still catch up to them under effortless pursuit. A sinistral killing spree. It was supposed to be Celesté. Why did the beast is eating the civilians before her? The mage is breaking the rule!  “ I can smell hatred along with fear. But what's this? Mercy and compassion? ” a deep voice harassed Celesté's neck and ear.  Cold and sinistral. Like a humming demon, a figure of speech that can be possible to be literal. It's, she swore, the tyrannical Shadow Mage. Which is right above her head, possibly craving and salivating from the assigned meal he will be having under his nose. With unstable breathing and bare courage, Celesté slowly raised her chin. She tilted her head and neck up occasionally wincing her eyes. She has this fear and curiosity what would be the face of the devil be. Because out of the twelve wives and sacrifices, none survived to tell the tale of how the beast looked like. But if Celesté would get the chance to glance the monstrous face of the Shadow Mage for her first time, it would be the last breath that will come along with it. Would he have hollow eyes that will steal your soul once you stared at it? A nasty jaw with jagged and knife-like teeth and a thin and long mouth that would stretch and slit like those of a snake? Would he have horns and a malicious grin? What if he doesn't have a face at all? “Father...guide me from above,” "Any last words? Princess?"  Celesté sobbed suddenly. She prayed for another minute. Hoping it could save her from a cruel end. Then she remembered. A ridiculous idea entered her head. She gasped for courage and yelled.  “I'M OFFERING A CONTRACT!”