Prey of the Lion

Prologue: The Beautiful Prince “Prepare yourselves. Emperor Leonhart will be here soon and he will take one of you as his queen.” My father, King Leviticus Lightborne of Parzelin Kingdom, said while we were eating our breakfast in silence. I just watched my six sisters who seemed horrified because of the news that my father brought. Emperor Leonhart Dandelion is notorious for his bad reputation as a merciless and ruthless monarch. His reign is covered with bloodshed and never-ending war because since he sat to power, all he did was wage war and conquer. He has already forced four kingdoms to submission and turned these domains into his assets. He was going after our agrarian kingdom next and we have no military power to boast. If a war brews between Emperor Leonhart’s empire and my kingdom—we will surely lose. We were a diplomatic kingdom and my father hated war. Well, who loves war? No one except Emperor Leonhart, of course. “Bakit malungkot ang inyong mga mukha? We should be thankful that the Emperor was kind enough to settle the dispute with marriage, rather than senseless war. We all know the four kingdoms he has subjugated so far were taken with unnecessary bloodshed and the royal families were either killed or imprisoned. The case for our kingdom will be different and we will be under his protection, so it is going to be a win-win situation. The marriage will serve as a proof of truce and camaraderie.” It was a good thing that I am a man which is why I have nothing to worry of about being picked by the Emperor but as I looked at the faces of my six sisters, I couldn’t help but feel down towards them as one of them will be chosen by the heartless Emperor as his queen. I was the fourth child of the royal family, and I am the heir to the throne. Soon, when my father retires, I will be crowned as the next king. I looked at my four-years-old brother, Larni, who just messily ate his food in silence. He didn’t understand a thing that was going on, “mum, dad, is someone dead? Everyone looks sad.” He pouted. My mother, Queen Latifah, smiled at our youngest sibling and shook her head. “No. No, Larni. No one is dead.” Aniya at saka siya hinaplos sa kaniyang ulo dahil magkatabi lang sila. “Do you want more potato?” Kumislap ang mata ng aking batang kapatid at saka siya tumango. Agad namang naglagay ng patatas si Mama sa kaniyang plato. After that, my mother looked at my sisters. “My dears, I know you are all sad... But this is for the kingdom and as the princesses, it is your obligation. We all knew this day would come. We cannot afford to go to war and have our people die before us.” Tumango lang ang aking mga kapatid kahit na alam kong ayaw nila ito. Sino kaya sa kanilang anim ang pipiliin ng emperor? I excluded Lea and Canaria from the list since Lea is six and Canaria is thirteen. The most probably candidate for me would be Lenny, she is seventeen already and she is the fifth child. She is at the right age for marriage. Another suitable candidate perhaps would be Lafea, who is twenty years old. Or perhaps if the Emperor would have preferred someone older, he might pick Leda who is twenty-one or Lorraine, my eldest sister, who is already twenty-two. All of my sisters who are princesses of the kingdom were equally beautiful and my eldest sisters Lafea, Leda, and Lorraine have many suitors in the kingdom. But none of these men has met their high standards so far. Which explains why they are still unmarried even if seventeen is the right age for it. “I’ll be sending handmaidens to assist you, my princesses, in prettying yourselves up. Consider this as an honor—not horror—if you will be selected as his queen. We all know that the Emperor is a good-looking man.” My mother said. Yes, I admit that he was attractive because when I saw his painting, I was attracted a little bit. But that does not change the fact that the Emperor is coldblooded. Nang matapos kaming mag-almusal ay agad kaming tumungo sa aming mga kuwarto. By this time, my sisters are probably preparing themselves already. I bathed and wore a black robe with the golden mark of a python snaking its way around the fabric. I looked at myself at the mirror—my fair porcelain skin was radiant, I had a long black silky hair that fell straight down my waist and I had a feminine structure, with my pretty face and my slender body. I sighed and knotted my hair with a maroon hair ornament, revealing my slim neck that was completely like of a woman. I was soft and I didn’t have much toned muscles to boast. More often than not, I was always mistaken as a woman every time I escaped out of the castle to play with some kids when I was still a child. Well, nothing has changed since I am still mistaken up to this point because of my womanlike attributes. People would be surprised once I speak though. My voice is the only masculine thing about me. Another thing that catches the attention of people always as well is my eyes—mine were different from the rest of my family. I had deep purple eyes while the rest of my family had hazel-brown eyes. It is said that my eyes are proof that I am born with a gift, some calls it sorcery or magic, but up to this point, I still have not awakened and I remain as someone who is unable to wield magic. People who are born with magic, after all, are very rare. They consist only of 1% of the entire world population. A few minutes later, there was a knock on my door. “Prince Lark?” A handmaiden called my name. “Everyone is already gathering at the throne room.” “I’ll be there.” Sagot ko naman at agad akong tumayo mula sa aking silya. With one last look at the mirror, I walked out of my room and proceeded to the throne room where the rest of my family are already lined up, with my father and mother reclined on their throne. I looked at my sisters—they looked regal and fine with their dresses. They wore makeups as well and they had their body decorated with jewelries like pearls and such. On the other hand, my young sisters just wore a robe. As if on cue, the wide white doors of the chamber where we were at opened, revealing a figure of a man who wore a black kimono with the inscription of a lion symbol on it. What caught my attention though was his platinum-blonde hair, they were close to silver and white, and they were ever-shifting colors. He walked and his royal steps echoed against the marble floor. I can feel the dark charisma he had around him and he remained expressionless. Behind him was a man who had a sword hanging on his waist, a knight by the look of it, and there was another redhead woman. Tumayo agad sina Mama at Papa, pagkatapos ay yumuko bilang pagpapakita ng respeto. I never thought I’d live to see the King and Queen, bowing their head to someone. Sumunod naman kaming lahat at yumuko rin. While my face was downward on the marble floor, I saw the three figures pass me by and walk towards my parents. “Raise your heads.” He commanded and we all did—he was right in front of me and from my side, I can see perfectly his features, especially his golden eyes that were radiant and full of fire. The only flaw he had was the scar on the side of his forehead, it glistened with the sunlight. But without the light, it is not that much visible. He looked at me afterward and I felt something twist inside me as he caught me scrutinizing him with my gaze. I looked away. I can suddenly feel the heaviness that lingered in his presence. The room suddenly felt hefty. “It is nice to make peace with you, Emperor Leonhart Dandelion. I am the King of Parzelin Kingdom, Leviticus Lightborne, and this is my queen, Latifah.” Ngumiti ang aking ama habang pinapakilala ang sarili at ang aking ina. Though I felt the uneasiness in his actions, as if he was afraid to make a single move that may become a reason to spark a war. My father was being extra-careful. “These are our children, lined up before you.” My mother said after a few seconds of silence. “My children, introduce yourselves to the Emperor.” “There is no need.” The Emperor said. He looked at my sisters with a bored expression and I cannot help but feel insulted for them. At least look mesmerized, for pete’s sakes! You are looking at the most beautiful women in the kingdom, and perhaps, the whole world! Habang pinapasadahan niya ng tingin ang aking mga kapatid ay tumigil ang kaniyang titig sa akin. “Give me your name.” Utos niya sa akin. “Lark Lightborne.” Sagot ko naman. Kumunot ang noo niya, “you are a man?” I nodded. He chuckled darkly, “I thought you were a woman.” “Everyone always thinks so.” I smiled without thinking as I spoke casually. That’s the time I regained consciousness when I saw the appalled expression of my family who looked at me like I did something bad—which, I actually did by speaking nonchalantly. “I-I... I mean, I am always mistaken as a woman because of how I look, Emperor Leonhart.” Agad na pagbawi ko at bumuntonghininga. Ramdam ko ang pagbilis ng pintig ng aking puso rin dahil sa kaba. Did I just blow things up? Will he wage war because he might have felt disrespected by me? He chuckled once more and I felt shivers down to my spine. It was sexy, as much as I hate to admit it. “No need to call me Emperor Leonhart, just Leo is fine.” He told me, then he faced the King, my father, and pointed me. “I’m choosing Lark.”