The Royal Dilemma

Oh, beloved princess, royalty,
Waking up gracefully from death's bed
Little did she know, what a pity
They wouldn't rest 'til they seized her head.

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Ferdinand's feet plodded away, pounding heavily on the floors beneath him. Before he left, his eyes turned cold, threatening her with a deathly glare.

"Pretend that you're asleep. Do not attempt to talk to him—you know what I can do to you."

The oaken door squeaked open, followed by drumming footsteps that invaded the room. For almost ten minutes, the man's grim presence lingered in the warm air.

Just a few steps away from the bed was the small lobby of the royal bedroom. A ray of light came from the common area—a few distances away, blessing the dark nest of hers with color.

Stone walls divided the large space of the princess's chamber. There, a commotion started brewing as the scent of honey and tea reached Eva's nose.

Muffled chatters escaped their mouths, fueling her growing curiosity. Out of nowhere, a man started sobbing. The sound was faint but familiar. Upon realization, her eyes widened—it was the king's voice.

A compelling urge pulled her feet down the bunk. Eva surrendered to the desire and followed it. She quickly found herself disobeying Ferdinand's direct orders, but it was too late to turn back now. The answer was a few strides away.

Each step she took was as light as a feather, careful to not bring about any noise. She panted, though not exhausted, while her heart mimicked the beat of a giant drum being played at a faulty rhythm.

Eva gulped as she positioned her cheek against the wall. She buried her face, her ears rubbing against the coarse paint.

The silence was broken by a thundering yell.

"W—what do you mean my daughter is not safe here!" said King Astra, followed by a loud thud. "This is one of the most prestigious castles in the whole of Xamere. Your words are sheer insults to the lineage of this house."

Everyone remained quiet until a masculine voice responded with a forced mellowed tone. "Yet an assassin was able to infiltrate it easily. I do not desire to offend you, my lord, but I ask again." His huskiness faded, regaining his composure. "Let the princess stay with us. Ferdinand will be able to attend more to her illness, and perhaps in a few months, she would grow back to her former self."

The voice did not belong to anyone that Eva knew. Perhaps this was the sorcerer that Ferdinand spoke of.

Incidentally, the old man did not seem to care, for he shouted, "I want to see my daughter! Please, let me see my daughter." The hooves of chairs scraped against the floors, followed by brash footfalls.

"The princess is an unstable state, my King," Ferdinand finally spoke. "She immediately fell into a deep sleep, moments after waking up. There's no point in —"

"No! I want to see her!"

"The princess has a bizarre condition, my lord. It might be contagious. As the High Sorcerer of the Kingdom, I cannot permit an extremely important person such as you to come in contact with Princess Reia. Please, understand," the stranger said.

Eva—stuck on the other side of the wall—could only visualize the scene and tension. Whoever is that man, he is sided with that monster. They lied so blatantly to that naive king. Such a shame that he is beginning to believe it.

A loud defeated sigh reverberated around. "Then, I ask the doctor. Can you treat Princess Reia's illness if allow her to stay in the high sorcerer's mansion?"

Ferdinand spoke with no hesitation, "Undoubtedly, my king. Let us take care of the princess, and we assure you of her safety and wellness."

The frustration came bursting out of Eva. Damn them, arguing about my life. I'm not a mindless puppy; perhaps the old princess was one, but not me.

Amid the frigid air, an idea grazed her mind. As she paced towards the cabinets with haste, a grimace formed on her lips. She pulled every drawer carefully in her vicinity with her trembling hands. I know that damn doctor put it here somewhere.

Sweat trickled down her neck, drenching her dress. Time began to move faster as she hurried on opening the drawers. Her face kept swiveling to the doorway, wishing no one would appear. It's gotta be here. Where is that—

Suddenly, her anxiety faded as she found the poisoned dart, wrapped in a white handkerchief. There you are. Eva cackled with her soft voice before snatching the poisoned arrow. She pulled her sleeve and slipped the weapon down.

A deep breath escaped her lips. Eva was a helpless prey no more.

Standing with a menacing smile, she began to plot her escape. Ideas gushed inside her little mind while strolling back to her bed.

She wandered within the walls of her imagination, getting lost at every turn until it all crumbled down as the lights went bright.

Crap!

Eva froze, afraid to turn around. Her nails dug deep into her left wrist.

"Didn't I told you to stay in the bed?" asked Ferdinand in his brutally cold tone.

Her legs did not dare to move.

Did he see me? Crap. She swiveled gently, keeping her breathing at bay. Her finger slowly reached for his sleeve while her sight stood guard for his dangerous thin threads.

"Nobody is coming here, so I thought —"

"You're lucky the king had already left." Ferdinand sighed while Eva brought out her empty hand. "As it happens, I've told someone about your situation. No need to worry; you can trust him." He nodded once, signifying her to follow him.

How can I trust him if I don't even trust you? Self-entitled idiot.

She pushed back the arrow while shuffling behind Ferdinand with a merciless grin. If only we are alone together, then this would be a perfect time; What a shame.

They came into the lobby of her bedroom, a few steps away from the window and bookshelves.

A tall man lazed on the couch while reading Ferdinand's notebook. Unlike him, whose body was slender, this man's physique was well-built. His hair spiked messily, and a wide charismatic smile etched in his face.

"This is Darius Whisper, one of the High Sorcerers of Xamere," Ferdinand exclaimed as he pulled the man into posture.

"High Sorcerer? What's that?" She raised an eyebrow.

"A high sorcerer is one that governs the use of sorcery in a certain place. Ferdinand told me about your situation, and I'm here to help you." The stranger cleared his voice and extended his palm.

"Sorry. I don't shake creepy men's hands."

Darius laughed as he sat cross-legged on the armrest of the couch. "I'll take note of that. How's your time here. Did he do anything to you?"

She gave no reaction, maintaining her distance. This man is also a sorcerer. He's as dangerous as Ferdinand, if not more. 

She puffed her chest and spoke. "Are you with him?"

"Indeed. Think of me as his benefactor." Darius giggled, glimpsing sideways to the doctor.

Ferdinand pinched the bridge of his nose as he took a deep breath. "He is not! I work with him, not for him."

"Stop being a brat. You live in my house, remember? That makes me your master."

"That's because you need me to get your unsightly life in order. Who knows what beasts would thrive there if I wasn't supervising your shabby manor?"

Darius scoffed and put his gaze back to Eva. "Let him be. Sadly, his temper is proportional to the number of years he has left. That's why he can get too cranky at times."

Judging from Ferdinand's face, he was full of it. He stomped out of the room and crashed the door behind him.

"I'll take care of the preparations!" he snarled before the door locked shut.

The young woman cleared her throat, hoping to ask again. "Let's just get straight to the point. I've heard a bit of your conversation with the king, and I know that you're going to take me to your place. Is that correct?"

"Yes. I'm glad I don't need to explain anything." Darius seized a deep breath and threw himself over the sofa. He sat like a drunk with a pillow over his head.

"What if I refuse?"

"We won't be able to protect you, so you'll die." He slid his finger across his neck and clenched the features of his face. He looked mature and handsome, yet he acted more like a child.

"Why help me? I refuse to believe that you do this out of pity, so spill it."

"I'm interested in how you came back to life. That is all the motivation I need."

"I've already told Ferdinand all I know. My resurrection is a mystery, even to me."

"But there is more beneath what you can comprehend. Geniuses like me and him know a puzzle when we see one and trust us—we don't like unsolved puzzles."

She heaved a sigh as she strolled around, glancing at the colorful books that packed the hard acacia shelves. "You're both magicians, aren't you? Then why can't you—"

"You want us to bring you back to your own body? We can't." Darius groaned and stood, stepping closer towards her. "If you still can't understand the gravity of your situation, I will explain it to you. You are a princess, a royal figure—not the most loved one, but still one nonetheless.

"The gossip-loving Aristocats that came to mourn saw you waking up from being dead. What do you believe the church would think of it? Imagine how the generals would react if they were able to make their soldiers flout death. Think of the other royal clans who would take an interest in you.

"Imagine everything turns ten-fold for the worse as they learn that you are no longer Reia Astra, but a peasant woman from a country that had a long conflicting history with Xamere."

"Then why bother asking me if I had no choice in the first place!"

"There's always a choice. Take that poisoned dart, for instance. You could strike us at any point, but you chose not to."

A soft gasp seeped out her mouth as her jaw hung wide. She stepped back and reached for the arrow. "H-how did you know?" She pointed the dart a needle away from his gem-like cyan eyes.

"I won't tell Ferdinand," he giggled, "and I won't take it if it makes you feel safer. I doubt you would kill your only salvation. We don't have much time. What's your decision?"

Eva glanced around, and with hesitance, she replied, "Fine. When are we going to leave?"

"You came to the right choice," Darius exclaimed with a bright smile. He strolled to hug Eva, and his expression suddenly turned foul. "Ugh. We might need a fix to the smell of curses on your skin. It might irritate the others."

Others? So there are more... Damn this kingdom.

As he was about to leave, he turned back around. "I forgot to say but there might be a very trivial problem. Assassins might come after us, so be prepared."