Prologue: The Forbidden Love

"Darius, you have to leave." Amanda hissed at her human lover. Worried that the armored soldiers from their Kingdom caught them.

"I won't leave you, my love. I beg you to go with me." he clutched her arms tight to make sure that he won't lose her. He cupped her cheek as he wipes her tears. "I love you, Amanda." He whispers and dumped his lips to hers. She grasped some air and snapped her eyes on the coming light of torches in their direction.

"Please, go. They will kill you." she pushed him dreadfully, fearing his death. "Please, Darius… I am begging you." Her voice sounds so broken as a warm tear falls from her eyes to her cheeks.

"I don't care..." he groaned stubbornly. She looked at him and back to the coming lights and look back to him again. She made a quick dangerous decision for both of them. It is now or never for her. Both their hearts are palpating as their adrenaline rushes.

"Come." She snatched his hand and run with him as they can into the dark cold night.

The wind of the night is cold with the beautiful stars above. The trees are bargaining at each other so the crickets are. The frogs are singing out of the tune; the owl and the raven are making a signal that sent chills on the night. And the running dreadful footsteps are getting near.

"Amanda!" King Arthur shouts that makes fearing warning. The stags and bunnies run away and hide in the dark trees as they can.

Amanda stopped when she heard her dearest father's voice calling her as it echoes around the forest scaring every living thing away. It was more dangerous when her father is with the soldiers to hunt them.

Darius grabbed and told her to keep up and she did thinking that it is the only way for both of them to be together and to make their dreams come true. They had reached the road where his car is parked.

Their eyes dilated on the view.

"What the—" they both watched the vines crawling to the car from the ground as the roots of trees crawled with them slowly and gently eating the whole metallic car.

Amanda raised her hand commanding the vines to release the car but it didn't move away from the car. She commanded the vines but it was stubborn as what she is. They started squeezing the car as it turns crushed into pieces.

"Amanda!"

She stopped and turn to look at her father with the soldiers behind him. Pain, sadness, and madness are on his eyes. He felt betrayed by his blood, by someone he owns. She knows that their love is forbidden. She betrayed her father. She betrayed her kingdom and people. How long would is father endure the pain? How long that both of them hurt each other? She wanted to be free and to be with the man she loves.

"Stay away from that human!" he demands that makes the ground shakes for two seconds.

"No. Please, father. I am begging you. Let us go." she begged breathlessly tears streaming down her face. Amanda held on him tight.

"I won't let you do that. You, human, cannot take away my beloved daughter!" He threatened Darius dreadfully. His eyes are turning into a shade of red showing how angry he is. "You break our forbidden laws and you know that we can't love humans. You know at very first that they are the main cause of deaths of trees and animals. They are the main reason why our world is slowly dying. They are a selfish-greedy creature." He scowls at her with full of hatred inside his heart. He doesn't want to hold back his anger. He's not good at holding it all back and he's not afraid to let go of his anger.

"Father," she murmurs as she broke her voice, shaking her head and cover Darius behind her. "Not every human is selfish. Not every human is greedy. They have a heart like us—"

"I do not care about what you think of them, because every one of them is the same. I don't know what that human gave to you or do to you why you are defending him and choose him over me; over our kingdom."

The soldiers from the woods surrounded them with torches of fire and spears on their hands. Her heart is trembling like her body when they are slowly coming closer to them, closing slowly the space. She faced Darius and scoops his cheeks. He holds her hand that is on his cheeks. His eyes are full of love and full of fear. What kind of fear does he hold now? Is it the fear that he might lose his love? Or is it the fear of death? Those fears he's keeping inside him are crazily running around inside his head.

"Please don't leave me," he begs her and gently caressed her face. "I love you."

"Get him!" the King demands. She kissed his lips and he kissed back almost immediately.

"No matter what, I will always come back to you. I promise that." he kissed her forehead hard as a tear runs from his eyes. She holds him tight, pressing her face on his hard chest. He pushed her gently when two gigantic guards hold his arms. "I love you. I will always do." He told her loud as the soldiers dragged him away nearly tearing them apart.

She shook her head as warm tears streaming down her face and run to him stubbornly. She pushed the soldiers away. Her father clutched her arm pulling her and forces her to face him. His eyes are dark, and that's the sign that he was truly angry with his daughter. She tried to resist his gripped and keep on screaming and screaming and screaming his name.

"Darius! Darius!" she screams. "Let him go!" he pulled her arm to face him and he slapped her across her cheek that makes her fall on the cold ground.

"Please! Don't hurt her!" Darius begs and now, he is resisting and fighting the soldiers. It breaks his heart more to see her in pain.

"I am so disappointed with you!" the King shouts at her. She starts sobbing and hold on the ground.

The soldiers kicked Darius behind that makes him fall flat on the cold ground. He pushed himself up and crawls towards her. But the guards started kicking him on the face, on his sides, and his stomach. His mind feels numb from taking all the torment they gave to him. He grunted for taking it all. He's more focused on her.

"Stooooooppp!" she screams and crawls fast towards Darius. She reached his hand and he was reaching too. It is like slow motion when it was half an inch before they reach each other's hands. The King grabbed her up for her not to reach him.

Darius was pulled up too as blood runs from his head, nose, and mouth. He throws out blood and struggles in cough. It breaks her heart more, seeing her love being beaten in the order of her father.

She faced her father and begs to release him. But his heart is stone and angry. She wiped her tears and gritted her teeth. Her eyes darken and she madly pushes his father's gripped from her.

"I wish that I would die if my love, Darius dies." It is not a simple statement, but it was a dreadful curse that she said to be her soul bounded to her love.

A terrifying thunder shakes the ground. A strong wind blows that the leaves from the trees nearly come off… now that the curse was made. It is up to the King to kill him and let his beloved daughter dies too.