The Prince and Liana's Seed

Chapter Two - The Most Beautiful Maiden in All of Myana

(Liana’s POV)

“I know it may be inappropriate, but I'm afraid you have to go through with the marriage. THE CHILD MUST BE OF YOUR SEED, and the ROYAL SEED OF THE PRINCE.” King Jeffrey Hermford stated clearly.

The King’s mandate was chillingly clear: I was to marry his son and bear a child within two years. But how could I surrender my life, my future, to a prophecy? No matter how profound, and to a man I didn't know or love? My private world, my peace, felt more sacred than any destiny.

I knelt, pressing my forehead to the cold stone floor, gathering my resolve for a desperate appeal.

"Please, Your Majesty, do not misunderstand," I pleaded, keeping my voice firm.

"I love this kingdom… and I am driven to help my people with every gift I possess. But you must understand: I cannot sacrifice myself, my soul's quiet, to marry your son for some predetermined fate." I said firmly.

A slow, knowing smile stretched across the King’s lips.

"I’m glad you argued this. Otherwise, I might have doubted you were the Liana Aurora I've heard so much about."

He rose from his throne, the movement deliberate and powerful.

"I knew of a gifted young soothsayer named Liana, but I never grasped the true extent of your capabilities," he said, his tone softening into one of measured flattery.

"You are still just eighteen?" he asked.

"Yes…Your Majesty," I replied.

"Eighteen!" He let out a booming laugh. "This tells me the kingdom is in better hands than I imagined."

He began pacing, circling me like a predator.

"Our great mother, Amaya, didn't harness her power until she was thirty. The Queen, not until twenty-five. But you, my child, have endured so much from a tender age. Your father was my good friend, he gave his life years ago for Myana," he paused, elevating my grief into a merit badge.

"And now, at eighteen, you are known as a powerful Diviner, whose powers is second only to the Queen. It is no wonder Amaya chose you as the vessel, and my son as the provider of the seed, to deliver our rescue." He walked closer, his presence intimidating.

"B… but why me, my King?" I managed to ask. "I am not powerful enough to be the center of this prophecy. I am certainly not ready to marry the Prince. We are both too young... too unprepared." I nervously fiddled with the edge of my veil.

"Rise! Stand up, child! Nonsense!" he roared.

"I was made King at sixteen, and I married your Queen when she was fifteen. Your feeling of inadequacy is irrelevant. If the Great Mother trusts your power, who are you to disagree? Even she struggled with her own gifts early on."

"Yes, but still…" I stood, trying to maintain eye contact.

"My child," King Jeffrey continued, his voice now intense and sincere.

"By complying, you can save our kingdom. We may not even survive the coming terror to see the child born. Amaya gave everything; her life, her power, to build this land. It is our duty to protect that legacy."

He then shifted to persuasion.

"You have no need to worry about Prince Hermford. He is a respectful, well-mannered lad, and, I assure you, the most handsome man in Myana. He is the perfect match for a lady as beautiful as yourself."

I was speechless. The prince was said to be the most handsome man in the entire kingdom, inheriting his striking features from his mother and perfecting them with the noble genes of his father, the king. He wasn’t muscular, more lean like me, yet tall, with slightly tousled hair and eyes I couldn’t tell were blue or pale green. His pale white skin set him apart, as though he looked like moonlight itself. Every maiden in the realm, young and old, longed for him. And now… he was the one, the only one? Destined to take my seed and bring forth the Child of Prophecy? What could he possibly think of a fearful, awkward looking creature like me?

A surge of waves of desire flushed through me, but I struggled to control myself, refusing to give in to the cheap lust that ensnared so many other women of the kingdom. What is more precious than my peace? If anything, I had never trusted men, they were all too easily led by the lust of the flesh, letting it drive them into delusion and evil.

I held my ground.

"My King, I am honored to be central to this prophecy. But I still cannot go through with this. I cannot marry the Prince."

The King pulled back, slowly returning to his seat, his expression dangerously calm.

"Very well," he said. "If you choose to obey this vision from our Great Mother, I, Jeffrey Hermford, King of Myana, shall bestow upon you great power." His eyes were alight with calculation.

"You, Liana Aurora, shall be named the SECOND OFFICIAL DIVINER OF THE ROYAL COURTS, serving immediately beside the Queen. You will live within these courts. You will be provided the finest garments and meals, endless luxury, and you will stand in command alongside the Prince."

The offer was staggering. The Royal Court, the dream of every diviner, and at eighteen? It felt like a trap, yet the bait was everything I had ever yearned for: validation, appreciation, and safety.

"That... that is too much..." I stammered, overwhelmed.

"Now, Liana Aurora," the King spoke, his voice snapping back to authority.

"Will you marry my son, Prince Hermford, so the Child of Prophecy may be born?" He asked.

I sank into a long pause, my thoughts tumbling over one another. The prince was undeniably beautiful, a perfect balance of nature’s design, and marrying him would be extraordinary. But every diviner knew the truth: where prophecy ruled, danger was never far behind, especially when it came from a high force such as the Great Mother, Amaya.

And besides… would the prince even want me? Would he see me as I saw myself, as the people saw me? A fearful, awkward looking creature? I longed for the honor of serving as a diviner in the Royal Court, yet I could not ignore the price that might come with it.

After what felt like an eternity, I finally gathered my courage and prepared to speak my answer.

"My apologies, my King," I finally said. "But I must discuss this with your son, Prince Hermford, first."

"The Queen is briefing him right now. He understands his duty to the kingdom. He will comply."

"Yes, but... concerning other things," I insisted timidly.

"You lack confidence, Liana," the King observed, laughing dismissively.

"You mistake people’s fear of your power for disapproval of your looks. My son, being a timid lad, probably won't even have the courage to look you in the eye." He said with a laugh.

His words pierced my self-doubt. My nervousness had betrayed me. I wanted to be sure the Prince would accept me, despite my reputation.

The King rose again.

"You don't understand your own beauty. Perhaps it's because people fear your gifts, causing you to misunderstand their reaction to your appearance."

He summoned two court maidens to fetch a grand mirror. I stood frozen, confused, as they positioned the immense looking-glass before me, its polished surface reflecting more than just my image.

"I suspect your treehouse had no mirrors or glass to reveal your countenance. This made you believe your isolation was due to your face, not your phenomenal power, which exceeds even the Queen’s," he stated.

"BEHOLD YOUR TRUE FACE, YOUNG CHILD," HE COMMANDED. "YOU ARE, UNEQUIVOCALLY, THE MOST BEAUTIFUL MAIDEN IN ALL MYANA."

All I did was stare deep into the mirror. I had not seen one in so long that I had almost forgotten what I truly looked like. People barely dared to meet my gaze. I had always walked with a veil. I had thought the drastic changes after receiving my spiritual powers, my unruly hair no comb could tame and my terrifying eyes that made others look away immediately, would make me accustomed to their fear. But then I remembered: all I had ever known were trees and forests, the endless green surrounding the small treehouse where I was orphaned and where I had lived until now.

And indeed… indeed I was beautiful. Truly beautiful. My face was so pale, so radiant, it felt as though I were staring into the sun.

"I… I AM… PRETTY,” I whispered, barely daring to believe it.

"You do not need a veil, young child," the King observed, smiling as he watched my stunned reflection. "If you wear one, it is only to shield others from your captivating intensity."

He walked up behind me, gripping my shoulders with a false affection that felt heavy and suffocating.

"THE CHILD OF PROPHECY demands the Royal Seed, and yours, my daughter, the seed of the most powerful diviner in our land, is the only one capable of fulfilling it.”

He leaned in close, his final question a breath against my ear:

"Now, what will it be, my daughter Liana Aurora? Will you marry the Prince and produce the Child of Prophecy?"

My eyes were still locked on the beautiful, cursed reflection in the mirror. Power, acceptance, and safety were offered in exchange for my body and my freedom.

The King's manipulation had succeeded.

"Uhm… yes... Yes, my King," I stammered, my voice barely audible.

"I… I SHALL MARRY THE PRINCE.”