Reborn As A Princess Mated To The Vampire Prince

A dark cloud blanketed the sky, concealing the blue hue she so loved to stare longingly at, and hovered over the horizon as it loomed closer and closer. The silver hairs at the back of her head stood on end. “State your punishment! For treason by disobeying an order and marching alongside the men in battle…! Her actions need to be punished!” She was bound to the ground by heavy, metal chains. They were wound so tightly around her ankles and wrists that bruises formed, and they throbbed terribly each time she tried to move. All she could do was sit on the grass and watch the men standing around her dictate her fate. “We want her hanged!” A croaky voice resonating from an elder man in the back of the crowd called out. “She’s obviously a spy!” Another countered the elder man’s demand, “She should be interrogated first, and then she’ll be hung!” “Are you insane? She’s a witch! We spill any blood, and her kind will sniff it from the grounds and come after us! She has to be hung; immediately!” The men argued back and forth, and it seemed that their quarreling would not soon come to an end. There was a man standing directly behind her; the sergeant and leader of the soldiers. She sensed his uneasiness as a lioness would sense the fear from her prey. He wanted to deal with the matter as soon as possible. The witches were terrifying and brutally cruel. An entire army of human men would not last five minutes against them. The sergeant reached his hand down and grabbed a handful of her hair, sending a piercing pain through her skull that made her wince and groan. He yanked her head back, and she looked up at the sky above the men’s heads. “Who are you? State your name!” The man shouted at her. She felt his grip on her hair loosen for a moment. He was hesitant. He didn’t want to risk spilling a single drop of her blood because the result would be that all of their blood would stain the grass in mere minutes. “Caleana Rhith…” A gust of wind blew in her direction, and her silvery locks danced with the wind. The wind was cold and hot at the same time. It was inviting and also threatening; the embodiment of what pity, sympathy, and fear felt like. She was only a twenty-one year old woman. Some of the men had daughters and wives whom they risked their lives to protect. This meant that they either felt sorry for her due to the fate she was about to meet or that they feared her and were determined to vanquish what threatened the lives of their loved ones. “Rhith?” The sergeant’s grip finally loosened, and he released her head, “You’re General Rhith’s daughter?” As soon as those words passed his lips, the mumbling that erupted around her created a ringing noise in her ears that she desperately wanted to stop. The sergeant looked to one of the soldiers and said, “Bring this to the Prince’s attention.” Said soldier nodded and left without another word, leaving the sergeant behind to continue to the soldiers standing at attention, “This matter is to be dealt with by the Prince. If anyone outside of our regiment is ever to discover that General Rhith fathered the child of a witch, I will personally and indiscriminately inflict the harshest punishment on you all.” The nervousness of the soldiers filled the atmosphere. They glanced at each other and muttered amongst themselves. Caleana kept her gaze on the ground. A rumbling of thunder was heard in the distance. The dark cloud grew nearer. If it was possible considering her current state of mind and shock her body was experiencing, she could conjure a fiery hot holt that could shatter her chains into millions of pieces. Yes, that was the perfect plan of escape. And so, she gazed up at the sky, her eyes taking note of the movement of the clouds. They slowly moved eastward along the wind, the cardinal direction being behind hair and indicating that the clouds would very likely pass over her head. However, a glint of obsidian caught her eyes, and she lowered her head to look at the soldiers. No, what she saw was not obsidian; it was the darkest color that seemed to swallow all light that belonged to the strands of the famous Prince. The soldiers quickly parted, creating a pathway for the cloaked figure to walk through them. They kept their distance, too afraid to stand close to him lest they be swallowed up within the void. “Where is the witch?” His voice was somewhat smooth but louder than a strike of lightning, and it sent a shockwave resonating through Caleana’s soul. That was not because she feared the mysterious prince, but rather because the shockwave was akin to a shave of nostalgia that made her feel ecstatic, if only for a moment. The Prince finally reached the opening, and it was Caleana that stole his attention outright. He ignored the chains that bound her to the ground and instead focused on her face. As soon as he realized that he recognized her, the mean expression softened for a moment. He never thought he’d see her again. And now that she was in front of him, his heart danced with joy. He wanted to sweep her off her feet and embrace her in his arms. However, to the eyes of the onlookers, she was a witch and an enemy to the clan. They would very much love to see her tortured and executed for her crime of being born a witch. The sergeant stood at attention and watched as the prince approached Caleana. Despite the nostalgic feeling she experience from gazing at his devilishly handsome features— his phosphorescent crystal Jade irises that reminded dher of the one childhood friend she was forbidden from seeing when she was she was a child— and the pale skin accompanied by soft pink lips… Yvan pursed his lower lip as though he noticed that her attention was on his lips. He didn’t focus much on what she was looking at because he was deep in though himself trying to figure out if the silver-haired witch before him was the childhood friend he fell madly in love with as a child. “State your name,” the prince ordered with a softened tone. He reached inside his robe and pulled out a dagger from the holster that had been hitched to his belt. “Caleana Rhith,” she said once again, noticing his eyes widen for a split second. That was General Rhith’s daughter, Caleana, his lost friend, that their fathers forbade them from seeing each other all those years ago. There she was… sitting before him and about to be executed for being a witch. “Caleana…” he muttered under his breath. She had a distant expression on her face, almost as though she didn’t quite recognize him. And he couldn’t outright tell her that he knew her… that he loved her once. If word ever got out that he fell in love with a witch… “The soldiers are preparing a noose. She’ll have left this world within the next thirty minutes. But…” the sergeant paused as he spoke, drawing Yvan’s attention, “I need to know what we’ll have to do about the General. He fathered a witch. That is an unforgivable-” “We do not know if that’s the truth,” Yvan said, “For all we know, she could be spouting nonsense, believing that we’ll let her live because we think she’s related to the General.” As he spoke, Yvan glanced at Caleana to see that spark that emerged in her eyes. She saw through his lies. He was trying to protect her father after she made the terrible mistake of revealing that she was his daughter. But why would he do that? She was a witch. If anything, he should have had her executed along with her father. A soldier stopped directly behind the prince, a rope in hand. Yvan turned around and motioned for him to back away. “She’s the only witch we’ve ever caught,” he said to the sergeant, “A thorough questioning would be the best approach for now.” The sergeant was quick to nod. He had no right to defy the Prince’s orders. Besides, as long as not a single drop of the witch’s blood was spilled, they were safe. In the meantime, they needed to find out where the other witches were hiding and if there were possibly any hidden amongst their midst. “Clear away!” The sergeant ordered the soldiers, and they all dispersed to continue their duties. The sergeant stayed. However, when Yvan gave him an assuring glance, he bowed and left as well. “Let’s go somewhere with cover. It’ll rain soon,” Yvan said, and the chains bidding her to the ground broke off without a touch. She raised her hands and looked at them. Had Yvan not shown up when he did, she would have bit her tongue, and the storm would have blown away all life to protect the witch’s. He put the dagger away and reached his hand out for her to take, and she couldn’t help but look at it. It looked so familiar, so pale and inviting. That wasn’t the first time she had ever touched it, but she couldn’t remember who he was, just that he reminded her of a childhood friend. He led her to his tent at the edge of the field where the forest began, and as soon as they stepped inside, the rain began to pour. Yvan took off his coat and tried to drape it over her shoulders, but she flinched and stepped away. “Don’t worry. I’m not going to harm you,” he said assuringly with a soft voice. She resisted the urge to scoff and asked, “You won’t harm me? I’m a witch. How can I believe that you won’t?” He gave her a small charming smile and motioned for the chair next to him. “Because I know you… At least I did once. I could never hurt a friend,” he said. She hesitated but finally agreed to sit down. He walked to the entrance of the tent and glanced out to see the soldiers preparing for the storm, then he zipped the tent up and turned around to look at her. She looked confused. “What do you mean ‘friend’? I’ve never met you before,” she said. He nodded and walked up to her, sitting in the other chair before her. “I guess friend isn’t the right word,” he began, pursing his lip in thought, “You said your name was Caleana Rhith, right? I believe you. There was a Caleana I once knew… General Rhith’s daughter. You’re her.” He looked at her beautiful face to see if her expression would change; if she would show any semblance of recognizing him, but she remained confused. “I didn’t know you were a witch back then. You kept it hidden well,” he chuckled. Caleana was not sure if she could trust him. He was more than friendly towards her, and that warmed her heart towards him. “I didn’t know I was a witch until a couple of years ago,” she glanced down at her hands. If she really did know Prince Yvan as a child and she kept her true nature hidden from him, then she hadn’t done it intentionally. “Yes, you wouldn’t have lied to me. I mean, she wouldn’t have…” he lowered his gaze to the floor while she kept her eyes on him. “This isn’t right,” she muttered, and he looked up at her expectantly, “You’re a vampire. We can’t be seen together… talking so casually-” “I’m the Prince of this kingdom,” he interrupted her, standing up and walking up to her, “No one would dare question my actions.” He took her right hand off her lap and caressed the back of it with her thumb. He furrowed his eyebrows before he quickly reached his hand out to her ear. Naturally, she flinched, but she didn’t move away. He waited a few seconds until it was alright, then he brushed her white strands aside and touched the back of her ear. “Do you still have it?” He asked, surprising her. She quietly nodded and turned her head to reveal to him the birthmark that she had. It was three lines; one lengthy one that forked into two paths to symbolise a reversed ‘Y’. “How do you know…?” She asked, “No one besides my mother knows about this. Not even my father.” “I know because you showed it to me when we were children,” he smiled more to himself than to her. Perhaps, if he showed her that he knew her, she would remember him. “I’m sorry… I don’t remember,” she said, a saddened expression on her face. He could only nod. “Caleana, why are you out here?” He asked next, and her expression changed completely to that of a serious one. He was still holding on to her hand, and she firmed her grip around it. “This war… you’re going to lose it. Everyone will be killed-” “We can’t lose this war, Caleana,” he interrupted her, “We’re fighting against one lone kingdom with three others in our ranks. We have four times the soldiers that they do.” He wanted to understand what she was saying, but considering the progress they had made into enemy territory in the last two days alone, the concept of losing sounded impossible. Caleana frantically shook her head, “I came here to find my father and to warn him. The Heartlands, your enemy, they had a discussion with my clan last night. They are now allies…” She paused when he released her hand, and a distressed look overcame his face. His shoulders grew tense. “The Heartlands are fighting with the witches?” He asked more to himself than to her. What she said earlier suddenly made sense. If their enemies did side with the witches, it would not matter if all the fifty kingdoms came together against them. The witches alone would lead them to victory. “How do you know all this?” He asked. “My mother… There’s a council of witches that had the discussion with the Heartlands to form the alliance. She’s a part of the council-” “Doesn’t your mother know that your father is fighting with Incartra?” Incartra was the kingdom that Yvan’s father ruled. “My mother hates my father. She bears a personal grudge and doesn’t care for him. I believe that’s why she convinced the witches to fight with the Heartlands,” Caleana explained, “Please, let me see my father.” Yvan sighed, “Unfortunately, your father was assigned to a vanguard regiment earlier this morning. It would take at least a day to get to where he is.” Caleana was shocked. The vanguard regiments weren’t so far away from the Heartlands. And her father was reassigned that morning? She thought back to what the Sergeant and his soldiers’ worries about there being a witch hiding amongst them. It was far too convenient for it to be a pure coincidence. Caleana could not bear to listen to the rain pelting on the roof of the tent any longer. She stood up and marched towards the entrance of the tent. She was stopped by Yvan when he gently grabbed her hand and stopped her in place. “Caleana… I understand that you care for your father, but you can’t go out on your own,” he said as he pulled her back towards him. She pressed her hands against the chest of his armor, and he held on to her waist to keep her from leaving. Tears had welled up in her eyes. “I tried my hardest to convince the soldiers outside to keep you alive another day. I don’t know what they’ll do if they see you wandering-” “You’re their Prince, aren’t you? What good is your authority if you can’t exercise it!” She hadn’t meant to shout at him. Her emotions overcame her, and she could do nothing besides succumbing to them. Yvan seemed hurt by her outburst. “My authority means nothing when faced by the threat of a witch. Those soldiers only agreed to have you interrogated due to their loyalty and favor they have towards me. Who knows when that might run out,” he explained. It was war time. Every soldier was fighting for his life or for the safety of his family. There were times when they didn’t think rationally because of it. Caleana was somewhat convinced by him not to leave, and she almost calmed down when they heard the sound of commotion and rushing footsteps outside accompanied by the neighing of horses. Yvan held Caleana close. “We are soldiers from the Highlands, and we seek the Prince’s attention! We have news for him!” Were the voices they heard shouting over the rain. Yvan looked down at Caleana. “I’ll be right back. Stay here,” he said, releasing her. Her hands lingered on his chest for a moment as though she didn’t want him to leave, but she let him go. He exited the tent, and she walked up to the entrance and stayed hidden by it to listen to the outside. “State your name and station,” Yvan called out as he confronted the soldiers on the horses. Caleana could only listen. She wanted to sneak out of the tent and find her father. There was no other exit. If she wanted to leave, she would have to cut a hole in the back of the tent and sneak out into the forest. “We bring word from the vanguard regiment… a sudden development occurred last night. All of the soldiers were killed under the veil of the darkness. No nine survived,” one of the soldier’s relayed the information, and the first thing that Yvan did upon hearing that was glance behind him at the tent’s entrance. He sensed Caleana standing there; the spike of emotion that only he was perceptive enough to sense. The anger that was brewing behind him mixed with the sorrow and depression that formed a very dangerous cocktail. Caleana stepped out of the tent cautiously. The tears she had been holding back were now flowing down her face. She had a scowl on her face, yet her lips were quivering as she was on the verge of sobbing. Yvan had told her to stay in the tent. However, that didn’t matter at the moment. The messenger soldiers noticed her hair at first glanced, and they were alerted. “Is that a witch? The vanguard regiment was attacked by the witch clan! Are you working in alliance with them?” Their horses reared and stood up on their hind legs. Caleana’s emotions were getting so out of control that even the animals sensed them. At the same time, the rain fell harder and harder. The atmosphere was filled with the neighing and snorting of the horses along with the loud rain pelting on the tents around them. “She is not a witch! Do not jump to such drastic conclusions!” Yvan called out to the soldiers as he backed up closer to Caleana. He kept his right hand ready to grab the dagger in its holster. “If she’s not a witch, then what is she? We’ve seen plenty on them on our way here, and she resembles them! No other clan possesses that hair besides the witches!” Yvan clicked his tongue. If Caleana continued on that way for long, the storm ensuing due to her wrath would kill them all; that was if none of the witches nearby sensed her distress and came to help. “She’s not a witch…! She’s my wife and the future Queen of Incartra! I will not tolerate such disrespect towards her name!”