The Last Monarch

Chapter 6

With my head intensely throbbing, I could not think straight and recklessly went along with the prince before instantly regretting it. He wasted no time pulling me out of the crowd and led me down a hallway on the upper right side of the ballroom. The hallway stretched to a distance with no end, and memory started playing tricks on my mind as I passed. I remembered running down the same hallway when I was just a little girl. Back then, the palace was filled with joyful laughter and unending happiness, not a single place was shredded in dimness. However, as I walked down the hallway once again, there is nothing warming worth reminiscing, there were only tragic recollections. I had not a single clue where the prince intends to bring me as the memories within the palace walls were nothing but blurs now. Strangely enough, I was not afraid. I felt safe in fact, safe because my palm was enveloped tightly in his hand, safe because his broad shoulders were shielding me securely behind him. For a moment, the thought of trusting him flickered by, though it was only for a brief moment. The insignia on his gloves made me sober, it pushed away any thought of me committing myself to him. I willed, telling myself he is not someone I should be associating with. In fact, he is the last person I would dreamed of being with in this world, but still my heart wavered, fluttered. Worst of all, it was slowly opening up to him and there was nothing I could do to stop it.

“We’re almost there.” He said. Soft breeze started wheezing through as we slowly approached our destination. As the air started to taste like fresh lemon grass, I realized he was leading me to the royal garden. We passed a few shrubs of bushes as he guided through the herb garden, his constant mutters reminded me to take careful steps as not to damage any of the plant as they are valuable assets to the healers in the palace. Across the royal garden, a massive greenhouse loomed at the far end, with glass walls lining its rigid structure. We slowed our pace as we made it to the concrete bridge built in the middle of the garden. The walls of the bridge were carved with intricately flawless patterns. In front of the sturdy bridge was a fountain with mermaid statues. The mermaids were in upright positions, with wavy long hair and harps in their hands. Underneath the bridge was a pond filled with lotus flowers. Water lilies floated on the water surface with their dew drops glistened silently under the moonlight. I could not hold back my awe as a gasp escaped. Nothing changed. Not the flowers nor the pond. Everything was how and where they should be.

“Breathtaking, isn’t it?” the prince asked.

“Very.” I replied with a smile.

“I was nine when I first came to the palace. Didn’t took long before I found this place.” He said.

“Were you as fascinated as I am?”

“Trust me, I am more than just fascinated.” He replied with a chuckle. He continued speaking as he locked both of his hands together behind his backs. “Well, I think this is a good time to learn more about you, Anna. Anything you would like to mention?”

“Nothing, really.” I was caught off guard by his inquiries and figured it would be best to reveal nothing. “As you can very well see, Your Highness, I’m just like any other ladies you’ve met.”

“No, you’re not.” He muttered lightly, his voice was low enough just for him to hear.

“What?” I pressed as I did not catch his muttered words.

As my word fell into place, the grip he had since the dance started to tighten, pulling me into his direction.

He whispered lightly, “There’s something I want to show you.”

Once again without my consent, he dragged me along with him to the place he had in mind. We crossed over the bridge and walked quite a while before we finally reached the edge of the garden walls. The grey-coloured walls were decorated with tangles and twist of rose thorns while the base of the walls was covered with bushes of rose plants. The prince halted before the walls, and before my brain could even process the reasons behind his actions, the prince bent his body slowly while taking off his gloves. He placed his hands on the bushes and started pulling them apart to reveal a small tunnel hidden behind it. The tunnel led to the other side of the garden and though small, it was still big enough to fit the both of us if we bent down a bit. I looked at it with mild shock clouding my eyes. For all the times I had been behind the palace walls, never had I once noticed the tunnel in the garden walls. Yet, the slight change between reality and my memory excites part of me.

“Come.” The prince urged, entering the hole before me. I followed behind meekly.

As I straightened my body, the fresh view of meadow resting beneath the warming moonlight entered my vision. It felt foreign to me, I had never traveled to this part of the kingdom and I could feel the adventurer part of me slowly surfacing. Stretching into the distance, I could see a willow tree looming in the middle of the meadow.

I turned to the prince and smiled, “Race you to the tree then.”

I lift part of my dress and dashed for the tree. Even whilst wearing a dress, I still ran faster than I did when I wore comfortable clothes. However, the prince reached the tree faster than I did, which left a bitter taste down my throat. I throw him a glare as I arrived, panting breathlessly at the same time. The prince was already leaning against the hard wall of the willow tree trunk, with a sarcastic grin playing around his lips.

“So, this is what you wanted to show me?” I asked, my glance traveling up and down the tree. From up close, it was massive, gigantic if you compare to the ones in the woods. The branches and leaves intertwined so much that I only managed to catch a few glimpse of the night sky between the gaps of the branches.

The prince shook his head lightly, “No, this is.”

As soon as his lips pursed, he closed both of his palm together to make a clap. As his clap sounded, little hints of glowing lights started to form in the air, fading in and out as they moved, forming a dreamy view. I shifted, trying to take a closer look at the tiny, moving glow. There were fireflies, though from afar, they look like little glowing cotton balls. They are circling around the both of us, making the view all the more breathtaking. Together with the willow tree, they were a stunningly beautiful sight to take in. In that instant, I could feel my tense body relaxed as my gaze continued to follow them.

“Do you like them?” His voice sounded, snapping me out of trance.

“What’s not to like?” I laughed. “Thank you. I loved it.”

I gave him a grateful glance and curtsied before him to show my gratitude. I continued staring at the fireflies and slowly reaching to touch them with my hands.

“I’m glad you liked it.” He bowed in response, before returning me a warming stare. I dropped my eyes instinctively to avert his face. I could feel my cheeks burning from just from his actions alone. It was weird, the feelings that lingered with me when I’m with the prince, it feels almost as if I was with the mysterious man in the woods. But it could only be the air playing tricks with my mind, after all, what are the odds of me ever meeting that man ever again.

“Anna.” He whispered, his voice soft like the gentle wind. For a moment, it feels like time stopped, the prince reached for his mask, shifting it slightly before removing it. The cold wind blew as he did so, his golden locks waved in midair and his blue eyes shone underneath the soft moonlight. I was wrong, wrong for doubting myself, wrong for thinking that it was only shadow of the man I see in the prince. The moment his mask was torn away, his bright blue orbs gleamed under the moon’s reflection. As his thick eyelashes fluttered, I felt a surge of wind knocked out of my chest, and with it, my soul. It was him. The man from the woods. I had known he was a noble, but never had I imagined that he would be a prince. Realizing how silly I must have seemed in front of him, I casted my gaze on the uncut grass, avoiding his burning stare. But his hand made the first move, travelling up my arms and landing on my shoulders. Gently and slowly, his bony fingers came in contact with my mask and without much hesitation, he took it off, revealing my face to him.

I jerked back in response, but his lips split right into a smile the moment he sees me, and my heart melted right away.

“It really is you.” He said, with the smile still plastered on his face.

My hands immediately found their place on my cheeks, “You remember? But, how did you know it was me?”

“Call it an intuition.” He answered with a wink.

I blushed at his words, cursing silently for not being able to get a hold of myself. But a voice in my heart echoed, wanting more of his gentle side.

“Why were you in the woods that day?” I asked eagerly.

“Just wanted to clear my head, that’s all.” He replied.

“So I guess even a prince like you get tired of all the formal etiquette.” I chuckled, before whispering, “Well, that makes the both of us.”

He laughed along, the smile never leaving his lips.

We stood silent for a while, with his eyes locked on mine and mine on his. But the awkwardness never lingered in the air, in fact, it was never there. After a moment, he blinked as he moved his lips, but the words intended never reached.

The voice fades as a sound of rustling leaves interrupted us from behind. The sound travels from one tree to another and when I finally regain my senses, the prince was already shielding me behind him. An arrow was stabbed deep in his arm and with it, blooms of crimson blood. My breath paused as my eyes widened. The prince grunted under his breath, doing his best to bear with the pain. A dull thunk echoed as another arrow found its target, this time it was the prince’s knees. The prince fell as it struck, exposing me to the perpetrator.

But there was not just one, they were too many too count, all of them masked, dressed in black leather coats. The weapons never left their grip, some of them were with swords and daggers, but mostly, they were armed with bows and arrows. I bent down to my knees and held the prince by his arms, trying my best to keep him steady. His face pales with each breath, his blood were pooling and staining the soft grass. It pains me to see him hurt, it took all my restraint to hold back my cries, but the tears lingered in my eyes as I turned to face the culprits.

One of the perpetrators stood up, with his mask and hood on, the thought of him being the leader came almost instantly. He was a tall man with broad figures, the aura he sets off around him was unsettling. I drew both of us back as he approaches, feeling helpless. Strange, with all the fight I had in town, running away from these people should be nothing but a breeze, yet here I am, trembling with a prince in my arms. My lips were open, but it was not words that was coming out, they couldn’t. The man halted just a few feet away, but it was just enough for me to feel his cold breath. I glanced up at him and in that instant, our eyes met. His eyes were the colors of his soul, grey and hollow. They retain a certain sadness, a certain loneliness I can’t pin. He should pose as a threat, yet I felt only pity and fear. His eyes narrowed just after the contact, and he tilted his head slightly as if surprised

I felt his grin behind his mask as he said, “Take the girl.”

“But, what about the prince, sir?” his followers questioned.

“Change of plans. Tie up both of them.” He yelled aloud, coming towards me close enough to touch my chin, “Looks like we’ve dig up a gem.”

I drew back harshly, but he took a grasp of me just in time. I tried to throw a punch at him instinctively with my free hand. Everything in the world seemed to move incredibly fast at that instant because in a blink of an eye, he was already hitting the back of my neck before I could attack. Immediately, I felt lightheaded, and I could see dark spots bursting before my vision. The last thing I remember was that I was lying in his arms, feeling weak and defenseless. But his whispers kept me awake, just enough to send the fending walls inside me crumbling down.

“Rest assured, no harm will fall upon you and your dear prince. We just need a little bit of your time.” He said, “Princess Adina.”