RUNAWAY BRIDE: beauty and beast

There were two kinds of darkness in Eldoria. The first came at night. The second lived inside people's hearts. For three years, the kingdom had suffered beneath a terrible famine. The skies had forgotten how to rain. Rivers that had once carried boats were reduced to muddy streams, and fields that had once shimmered with golden wheat became cracked stretches of dead earth. The people prayed. They begged. They sacrificed. They waited. But the heavens remained silent. Every morning, hungry villagers gathered outside the royal granaries, hoping to receive a handful of grain. Every evening, they returned home with empty baskets and hollow eyes. Some whispered that the gods had abandoned Eldoria. Others blamed the king. Others blamed the witches who, according to old legends, lived beyond the Blackwood Forest. But the oldest people in the kingdom whispered a different story. They said the famine had begun the night the prince disappeared. Prince Azrael Draven. The lost heir of Eldoria. The boy who had vanished eighteen years ago. Some said he had been murdered. Some said he had run away. Some claimed they had seen him wandering through the forest as a monster. Nobody knew the truth. And those who dared speak his name too loudly often disappeared. But in a small, crumbling manor at the edge of the kingdom lived a young woman who had never cared much for royal legends. Her name was Lucia Vale. And she had problems of her own. --- Lucia woke before sunrise. She always did. There was no bell to wake her. No servant. No gentle voice. Only the cold. She opened her eyes to find frost covering the inside of the attic window. For a few seconds she remained beneath her thin blanket, staring at the wooden beams above her. She could hear the wind squeezing through the cracks in the roof. Her stomach hurt. She had gone to sleep hungry again. Lucia slowly sat up. The attic was barely large enough to contain the old bed, a broken wooden chest and a small table. A single candle stood on the table. It had burned almost completely down. Lucia reached for it and struck a match. The flame flickered. For a moment, she saw her reflection in the cracked mirror beside her bed. She looked tired. Too tired for eighteen. Her long dark hair fell messily over her shoulders. Her cheeks had become thinner during the famine, and there were faint shadows beneath her brown eyes. Still, there was something striking about her face. Her mother had once told her that beauty was a gift. Lucia had discovered that beauty could also be a curse. Especially in a house ruled by Lady Seraphina Veyra. A knock sounded against the attic door. Lucia froze. Another knock. Harder. "Lucia!" She immediately got out of bed. "Yes, Lady Seraphina." "Are you awake?" "Yes." "Then why are you still in bed?" "I'm getting dressed." "You have thirty seconds." Lucia hurried. She pulled on her faded dress and tied her hair back. Before she could open the door, Seraphina shouted again. "Twenty." Lucia opened it. Lady Seraphina stood outside. She was a beautiful woman in her early forties, always dressed elegantly despite the famine. Her dark red gown was embroidered with gold thread. Her hair was perfectly arranged. There was not a single sign that she lived in a starving kingdom. Her eyes traveled over Lucia. "You're slow." "I'm sorry." Seraphina turned. "Come." Lucia followed. The staircase from the attic led into the main hall. Unlike the attic, the lower rooms were warm. A fire burned in the enormous fireplace. Lucia's father was sitting beside it. Lord Cedric Vale looked nothing like the powerful man he had once been. The famine had aged him. His shoulders were bent. His face was pale. His clothes were worn. But when Lucia looked at him, she still saw the father who had once carried her on his shoulders. "Good morning, Father." He glanced at her. "Good morning." That was all. Seraphina placed a bowl of porridge on the table. Lucia looked at it. Her stomach tightened. There was enough food for perhaps three bites. She reached for the bowl. Seraphina slapped her hand away. "That's for me." Lucia stared at her. "But..." Seraphina pointed toward the kitchen. "You can eat after the chores." Lucia lowered her eyes. "Yes, Lady Seraphina." Cedric looked uncomfortable. "Seraphina, give her some." The room became silent. Seraphina slowly turned toward him. "Some?" "She hasn't eaten since yesterday." "And neither have half the people in Eldoria." "She is your stepdaughter." Seraphina smiled coldly. "And you are her father." Cedric said nothing. Seraphina returned her attention to Lucia. "Go." Lucia walked toward the kitchen. She didn't cry. She had learned long ago that tears only made Seraphina happier. --- By sunrise, Lucia had already swept the house, washed the dishes, cleaned the fireplaces and carried two buckets of water from the village well. Her hands were cracked from the cold. Her fingers were red. But she kept working. Outside, the kingdom looked like a corpse. The once-green hills were brown. Trees stood bare. The village market was almost empty. There were no fresh fruits. No vegetables. No meat. Only desperate people exchanging whatever they had left. Lucia carried the water buckets toward the house. Halfway there, she noticed an old woman sitting beside the road. The woman was thin and trembling. A little boy sat beside her. His eyes were sunken. Lucia stopped. "Are you all right?" The old woman shook her head. "We haven't eaten." Lucia looked toward the house. Then at the bread she had hidden inside her dress. It was the small piece she had saved from the previous night. She hesitated. If Seraphina discovered it, she would be punished. But the little boy was staring at the bread. Lucia slowly pulled it out. "Here." The boy's eyes widened. His mother immediately tried to stop him. "No, child." Lucia smiled. "Take it." The boy grabbed it. He tore it in half and gave some to the old woman. Lucia watched them eat. For a few seconds, she forgot her own hunger. Then a voice came from behind her. "What are you doing?" Lucia turned. Seraphina stood there. Her expression was furious. Lucia's heart dropped. "I..." "Did I give you permission to waste food?" "It was only a little." Seraphina marched toward her. "Only a little?" The old woman immediately lowered her head. Seraphina snatched the empty wrapper from Lucia. "You will come home." "Lady Seraphina—" "Now." Lucia obeyed. She didn't look back. But she heard the little boy whisper: "Thank you." And somehow, those two words made the punishment worth it. --- That evening, Lucia was locked in the cellar. Seraphina called it discipline. Lucia called it imprisonment. The cellar was cold and dark. She sat on the stone floor with her knees against her chest. Hours passed. Nobody came. She could hear footsteps occasionally above her. Then silence. Lucia stared into the darkness. "Father?" No answer. She swallowed. "Father!" Still nothing. Her eyes filled with tears. She hugged herself. "I hate you." She wasn't sure whether she meant Seraphina or her father. Perhaps both. Then she heard something. Scratching. Lucia froze. It came from the wall. Scratch. Scratch. Scratch. She slowly stood. The sound stopped. Lucia waited. Nothing. She stepped closer. "Is someone there?" Silence. Then— Scratch. Scratch. Scratch. Lucia placed her hand against the wall. It was cold. Too cold. Suddenly, she heard a whisper. "Lucia." She jerked backward. Her heart pounded. "Who are you?" Nothing. She stared at the wall. "How do you know my name?" A faint sound came from the other side. Not words. A growl. Low. Deep. Almost animal-like. Lucia stepped away. Then something appeared beneath the door. A black feather. It had been pushed inside. Lucia stared at it. She didn't touch it. Another whisper came. "Beware the crown." The candle flame went out. Lucia screamed. --- The cellar door opened. Seraphina stood there holding a candle. "What are you screaming about?" Lucia pointed toward the floor. "There." Seraphina looked down. There was nothing. The feather had vanished. Lucia's blood ran cold. "You don't believe me?" Seraphina grabbed her arm. "You've been spending too much time alone." "I heard someone." "You heard rats." "It called my name." Seraphina stared at her. For one strange moment, something resembling fear crossed her face. Then it disappeared. "Go upstairs." Lucia followed. But as she reached the staircase, she looked back. For an instant, she thought she saw two golden eyes staring at her from the darkness. She blinked. They were gone. --- That night, Lucia couldn't sleep. She lay beneath her blanket listening to the wind. Then she heard horses. Several of them. She approached the window. Torches moved along the road. A group of royal riders was traveling toward the village. Lucia watched them pass. At their center was a carriage bearing the royal crest. The crest of Queen Vespera Nocturne. Lucia had seen the queen only once in her life. Everyone knew her. Queen Vespera was beautiful. Elegant. Powerful. And terrifying. People whispered that she never aged. She had ruled Eldoria for nearly two decades. The same amount of time since Prince Azrael disappeared. Lucia watched the carriage disappear into the darkness. Something about it made her uneasy. Then she noticed something else. A figure stood at the edge of the road. Tall. Motionless. Watching the carriage. Lucia leaned closer. The figure turned. Two golden eyes flashed in the darkness. Lucia's breath caught. The figure vanished. --- The next morning, everything changed. Seraphina entered the kitchen carrying a letter sealed with black wax. Lucia was kneading dough. Seraphina smiled. It wasn't her usual cruel smile. It was worse. It was pleased. "Lucia." Lucia looked up. "Yes?" "Come here." Lucia wiped her hands. "What is it?" Seraphina held out the letter. "You are getting married." Lucia stared at her. "What?" "You heard me." "To whom?" Seraphina's smile widened. "Lord Malachi Ravenscroft." The bowl in Lucia's hands slipped. It shattered on the floor. Cedric entered the room. "Lucia—" She turned toward him. "Father?" He stopped. Lucia's voice trembled. "Tell me she's lying." Cedric said nothing. Her heart sank. "No." She stepped backward. "Father." "I'm sorry." "No." "Lucia—" "No!" She ran. She ran up the stairs. She ran through the hallway. She reached the attic and slammed the door behind her. Moments later, Seraphina followed. "Open this door." Lucia backed away. "No." "Open it." "I won't marry him." Seraphina's voice became dangerously calm. "You will." "No!" Seraphina opened the door with the spare key. Lucia stumbled backward. "You don't get to decide my life." Seraphina walked toward her. "Your life?" She laughed. "You have no life." Lucia stared at her. "You are alive because your father cannot bear to lose his precious daughter." Seraphina leaned closer. "But this kingdom is dying." She placed a hand beneath Lucia's chin. "And Lord Malachi has food." Lucia's eyes filled with tears. "So you're selling me." "Don't be childish." "You are selling me." Seraphina slapped her. Lucia fell against the bed. Seraphina looked down at her. "You should be grateful." "For what?" "For the opportunity to become a nobleman's wife." "I don't love him." Seraphina laughed. "Love?" She walked toward the door. "Love is for girls who can afford to be foolish." She stopped. "Oh, and Lucia?" Lucia looked up. "Do not try to run." Seraphina smiled. "People who run into the Blackwood Forest never return." The door slammed. Lucia sat motionless. Then she began to cry. Not loudly. Not dramatically. Just silently. The kind of crying that came when a person had finally run out of hope. Outside, thunder rolled across the kingdom. Although the sky had been dry for three years, clouds were gathering over the Blackwood Forest. Lucia slowly stood. She walked toward the window. Far away, beneath the dark trees, something moved. A huge shadow. She couldn't see its face. Only its eyes. Golden. Watching. Waiting. And then, carried by the wind, came a voice. Deep. Ancient. Almost human. "Lucia..." She pressed her hand against the glass. Her heart raced. The voice came again. "Run." Lucia didn't know who was calling her. She didn't know why the forest seemed to know her name. She didn't know that a witch was already watching her from the palace. She didn't know that the man she was being forced to marry had already made a bargain with darkness. And she certainly didn't know that somewhere beyond those trees lived a cursed prince who had spent eighteen years waiting for the woman destined to destroy his curse. All Lucia knew was that she was trapped. Her wedding was only three days away. And something inside the forest was calling her. Something powerful. Something dangerous. Something that had been waiting for her long before she was born. Lucia looked at the dark forest one last time. Then she whispered: "Who are you?" Far beyond the trees, the creature opened his eyes. And for the first time in eighteen years, Prince Azrael Draven smiled. TO BE CONTINUED...