Princess of the Damned (34 page)

“
Are we being attacked?”

“
On the day the wedding was supposed to take place, the Southern Kingdom mobilized the army across the border. That’s where His Majesty…”

“
That was four days ago…”

“
My lady, we are very worried. His Majesty would not listen to the physician’s advice and left for battle in his condition.”

“
What condition?” Nala hurriedly asked.

“
His Majesty collapsed and was running a high fever. We tried to stop him, but that was an impossible task!”

Nala troublesomely sighed. “That boy…”

She should have been more discreet about her powers, but she was in no mood to waste time finding a place where she could dematerialize. The servants screamed out in surprise when she suddenly disappeared from their sight.

She reappeared in the middle of the battlefield and amongst an ongoing battle. Sayan’s scent was difficult to find amongst the thick haze of blood and sweat, but she was sure he was close by. The loud noises of weapons clanging against one another, cutting through the flesh, and the agonizing screams amidst the high spirited battle cries distracted her senses from finding him. A soldier rammed his sword at her, but she stalked pass him.

Fai, where are you?

She turned her head to the east when the beast leaped out into the air and landed in front of her. His large paws pinned down two soldiers upon his landing.

“
Where is Sayan?” She asked the beast.

I’ve lost him, master. He fell off my back a while ago and I cannot find him.

The beast roared at the soldiers planning on attacking him and then they cowered away.

“
Sayan!” She screamed out his name, but her voice was drowned out by numerous of other noises. “Sayan!”

There is a high possibility that he is already dead, master.

“
Be quiet!” She shouted at the beast. He drew back and whimpered. “Sayan! Sayan! Where are you, Sayan?” She was wasting her efforts in vain and she knew it. Fai trailed behind her to protect her from being assaulted.

“
Human lives are just too fragile! If only I had sealed the blood contract!” She muttered. The thought of finding his corpse trampled on the ground and beyond the point of identifiable set a fire beneath her. She didn’t want to lose him. She couldn’t lose him.

“
Sayan!” She cried out his name as she ran through the battlefield. Never in her life could she imagine sounding so weak and vulnerable without intending to. “Sayan! Answer me!”

She heard her name being called. Her head frantically scanned her surroundings. She froze when she caught a glimpse of him still standing in the distance. Obelisk still faithfully protected him from his enemies. The aching inside her chest was appeased when their eyes met, but another overwhelming feeling took its place. She set off toward him, wrapped her arms around his neck, and the momentum of her leap forced the both of them to fall to the ground. She had gotten them both to safety.

Sayan looked up at her with a still expression, as though he could not grasp the reality of what just happened. Heavy teardrops fell onto his cheeks and broke away his doubt.

He reached for her and pulled her down against his chest. His lips repeatedly apologized in very soft whisper. She puzzlingly stared at him when he slowly pushed her back and wiggled away.

“
I…I’m covered in blood…”

She found it delightful that this boy still believed her to be pure. His image of her had not been altered in the least. She leaned forward and initiated a kiss and he welcomed her with a fierce kiss of his own. He turned them over so that she would be the one laying on the soft bed of grass.

He pulled away. “Don’t seduce me now. I have to get back to battle. My men are…”

“
I have the Southern King and the Eastern Princess hostage,” she said quickly to dissolve any thoughts he may have about returning to battle.

“
How? He is protected by Lilan.”

“
It was rather easy with Trent’s help.”

“
I see,” he said in a disappointed tone. “Will you be leaving with him as soon as you fulfill your promise?”

“
Perhaps,” she teased, but he didn’t catch the playfulness in her voice. His expression slumped.

“
I know you love him, Nala. I know that he can make you happy, but…” He trapped her in a tight embrace. “I
need
you. I just can’t let you go.”

“
Why do you need me?”

“
Must you make me say it?”

“
That’s not necessary. Need me or not, I have already decided to be by your side until you grow old and until your body ceases to function. After you die, I will watch over your grave. That is my promise to you.”

“
You’re stripping me of the pleasure of growing old with you.”

“
I am not human, Sayan. The way you see me now is how I will remain for all time. There is always the other option. My offer stands.”

“
Let me prove my sincerity to you a little longer. Ask me again in ten years.”

“
You fear immortality more than you fear death?”

“
If I live long enough, there will be a day when you will walk away from me. I can guarantee that you will not be bored of me in a lifetime, but I do not have the confidence of longer than that.”

“
Will you still love me?”

“
I will always love you.”

“
Well then, we still have a war to end. I think you will be a good king.”

He released her. “I have no interest in being a king, nor am I made out to be one,” he confessed. “For nine long years, the battlefield has been my second home. I have had enough adventures and I have seen enough bloodshed. I cannot say that the end justifies the means, because I know I have caused my people far too much grief. I will find a man who is worthy enough to burden the hope of the people. As for myself, I want a peaceful and quiet life with you and the children we will have. I want to live near the ocean, and like words written on the sand, the waves of time will eventually wash away everything about my past. No one will remember my name. That is how I want to live the rest of my life. Will you still have an ordinary man like me?”

“
Are you testing me, Sayan?” She asked curiously. “The moment you hand your power over to another, is the moment they will have you dead. I think you know that as well.”

A knowing smile appeared on his face.

“
Dreams are just dreams, I supposed.” He sighed and then got up on his feet. “I was hoping you would say you would have me no matter if I were a beggar or a king.”

“
I am not a romantic.” She took his hand and he pulled her up. “Do you want your wife to continue to be a traveling dancer?”

“
You would just be provoking me to kill.”

“
Ah yes, jealousy is the passion fruit of mankind.”

“
A little too bitter for my taste.”

“
Well, I think it’s sweet. Anyhow, we have wasted enough time. Phasia is only a day away from being whole again. Procrastination is poison when time is of the essence.”

“
Have I ever mentioned
that I am not very fond of high places?”

Nala inched closer to Sayan’s side on the palace’s balcony, overlooking the crowd below. His left arm wrapped around her dainty waist and pulled her even closer. His other arm waved to the cheering crowds below. She was small, but perfectly proportioned. The smooth silk of her wedding gown stuck to her frame and emphasized the curves of her body.

“
It appears that you have won over the hearts of your people, Sayan.”

“
It seems so for now, but the hearts of the people are very fickle. Smile to your people, my queen,” he said and then purposely flashed a dashing smile at her. “You wouldn’t want them to spread rumors that this tyrant king forces you into marriage.”

“
It wouldn’t really be a rumor, Your Majesty.”

“
Sayan,” he corrected her. “And you
promised
that you would stay by my side, yet it took me three full months of persuasion to get us here. Smile, Nala.”

“
I like the way you
persuade
me.”

He grated, “I am certain that there is still
much
persuasion to be done.”

Their eyes locked together in a flirtatious gaze.

“
There is still one thing stuck in the back of my mind.” Sayan curled his lips, slightly frowning. “What motivates you to save a starving child in the forest?”

Her eyelashes curtained over her pale green eyes. Reluctantly, she looked up again. “Compassion?” she replied silkily.

“
Nala,” he warned.

She heaved a long sigh. “I never told you how I died, did I?”

He blinked, indicating his answer.

“
My story began with my father, the archangel Lucifer – Sovereign of Hell. His magnificent arrogance, his otherworldly ruthlessness, and his overbearing pride rivaled that of a god! And he fell in love with a mortal woman. I mean, he was really in love with her. Fate has a way of sticking it to him.” She wittily laughed. “Lucifer’s subjects opposed to the union and devised a number of plots to separate them.”

“
They opposed because she was a mortal woman?”

“
Partly,” Nala nodded, “but primarily because they were jealous.”

“
Jealous?”

“
We simply exist and we exist for very long. We needed a purpose to keep us sane. Serving Lucifer was the only purpose of their existence.”

“
If that is so, shouldn’t they be happy for him?”

“
But my mother was a mortal woman. Mortal dies and very easily, I might add.”

He understood. “The blood pact?”

“
You are brilliant!” Her compliment delighted him.

“
Lucifer abandoned his throne in Hell for my mother, and that was uproarious to the demons. They begged Lucifer to return to them, but he refused. Returning to Hell would mean leaving my mother to die. After failing numerous plots, they resorted to desperate measures.”

“
Is this story going to take long? Where do you come in?”

“
I already skipped through a lot of things,” she replied earnestly. “Let’s see. I forgot where I was at. Oh yes…from their union bore a son. He has a very long name but they called him Trent for short. Every demon is born with an instinct.” She pointed at herself. “I am…was Trent’s instinct. I dwelled inside his mind and thoughts and dreams. He became aware of my existence when he was five years old because of an event I
don’t
want to talk about. We were friends – the best of friends. He installed a large mirror on the ceiling of his bedroom so we could talk to each other before he sleeps. We divided the time. He owns the day while I walk the night.”

“
He is your other half?”

“
Yes, two part of a whole.”

“
Then how did you two became separated?”

“
A courtesy of Arvin, one of Lucifer’s right hand men. By that time, the demons had already given up on Lucifer returning to Hell. They needed a new leader and a new purpose.”

“
Naturally, they would choose Trent.”

“
You would think, wouldn’t you?” The question was rhetorical. “No, Sayan, Trent was not their first choice. His heart was too…human. They saw more of Lucifer in me. They devised a plan targeting our mother so that I would voluntarily leave Trent’s body and into an empty demon egg.” Her eyes focused inward as she spoke, trying to recall the memories of her past. “I woke in Ethiopia, thousands of years later. They believed that I was the daughter of a god and sent me as tribute to the Egyptian Court. Ramses, an Egyptian prince, fell madly in love with me. He was the one who gave me my name.”

His body tensed. “What does it mean?”

“
It means ‘beloved one’. He was as intelligent as he was cruel, but he cared deeply for me. And it was at the Egyptian Court that I met Trent again, only I did not know who or what he was.” She inhaled deeply. “I fell in love with him. It was the first time in my life I was drawn to anyone. The feeling was raw and instinctual as if we were fated…and we
were
. When I confessed my love to him…he freaked out.”

“
Freaked…out?” Sayan was unfamiliar with the expression.

“
He was… appalled,” she rephrased her words. “He disappeared from my life and the only thoughts that occupied my mind were that I needed to find him. Ramses, now a pharaoh, was immensely jealous when he discovered that I planned to leave him. In a fit of rage…he decapitated me.”

Sayan’s hands flew to her neck. His eyes widened. “Decapitated you?”

“
Remorse came almost instantly. He held my head in his arms and he wept for days. Most of my lovers end up killing me for some godforsaken reasons.”