Lurking shadow
It was night already, the whole palace as silent as a graveyard.
Everyone has retired to their quarters, including the servants except for the guards on night duty.
Princess has gone to bed earlier than before, but she just could not sleep a wink.
Sleep seems not to be coming her way that night, she kept rolling and bawling on the bed.
Restless, the reason?
She doesn't know as well, maybe because she has a lot of things on her mind lately
To be frank, she has been so restless since the bloody letter was sent to the royal family.
Her father isn't saying anything about it but she knows that is the main reason of him wanting to fasten her betrothal.
The person who sent the letter must hold a huge grudge against her father.
Someone desperate to pull him down, strip him of his honour and title.
But why?
Risking your life to send such bloody letter meant something.
It means that person is putting all he had on the line or maybe he has nothing to lose except for his life of course.
Or is she the one overthinking everything, maybe she is just attaching too much meaning to it.
But deep down in her, she kept having this pinching gut feeling .
Like something big is going to happen soon.
No doubt why she has been having a terrible splitting headache, overthinking and worrying has been her hobby this past few days.
She is not a bit settled inside of her, she is very much disorganized.
She kept on rolling on her bed, then stood up swiftly.
She got out of bed, putting on a long robe on her body, she decided to get some fresh air outside.
Maybe that will somehow clear her all fuzzy head a bit.
Gently,she stepped out of her quarters, the silent serene breeze of the night hitting her .
She took in a long deep breath, hugging herself.
" Your highness", the night guard at her quarters, called obviously surprised to see her still awake and out in the middle of the night.
" Shushh", she hushed him silently, " Just ignore me", she ordered.
He nod his head in response , quietly walking away .
She roamed her eyes round the Calm serene area, the beautiful full moon shining, lightning the whole palace.
Together with the numerous stars fixated in the sky, giving the sky an heartwarming beauty.
For some odd reason she felt calm, the kind of inner peace surfacing in her.
Together with the cold night breeze which caressed her skin, giving her bumps.
Regardless of the chilly breeze hitting her skin, she stood there savouring that moment of silence and peace.
She felt more alive, all of her worries disappearing.
Time passed so quick, while she stood there watching the sky and savoring its beauty.
" If only the world could be as peaceful as this night", she thought inwardly to herself, her lips curving into a small smile.
She stood there for some time before she start to feel a bit dizzy, seems sleep later come to her aide.
She turned to go back back to her room, but she stopped on her track suddenly.
She felt someone watching her.
Her heart hammered through her chest as she heard a rumble through the grasses.
It might be the breeze.
She told herself.
Summoning on that courage, she decided to turn back and take a look.
On turning,she saw a retracting figure, the shadow behind following.
Her brows creased upwards curiously, that shadow seems all too familiar?
Or is it only her assumption?
Suddenly getting scared, she took to her heels, hastening her steps back to her chambers.
She heaved out loudly, relieved on getting to back her room.
She lay back in her bed, her front facing the up.
Her mind wandered off to what she saw earlier, her curiosity perking up again.
"Was that the person she is thinking or just her assumption?", She thought out loudly.
Was he on duty?
What was he doing outside that area at that time?
For some reason, she find it so suspicious.
Why will a Royal guard be lurking around the palace at night?
Or probably he went out the palace, for there is a gate at the back of the princess western palace.
Or is she just overthinking it?
But one thing she knows for sure is that, she knows that shadow.
It belongs to him.
But Why and what is he doing there at the late part of the night.
She couldn't ponder much on the reason as a great wave of dizziness slam through her head blurring her vision.
She didn't fight it as she need the sleep so much.
She surrendered her soul, letting the sleep take over her.
Slipping deep into her beautiful slumber.
A particular blue eyed man the last thing in her mind before sleep finally engulfed her.
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His steps as quiet as ever as he walked down to his quarters. The night blending with his attire.
Immediately he stepped foot into his room, he dropped his bloody sword on his table before he moved away to remove his clothings.
The first thing he removed was the black piece of fabric that concealed his face before going on to remove the rest of his attire which has blood splattered all over it
His face hard and stoic, sweat dripping from his forehead.
He unwrapped the piece of clothing squeezed into his hands, reading the content again
" Herodis is alive, he knows you are not dead as well", his jaw clenched in anger and hurt.
Herodis is alive? He knows he lives too? The. Why hasn't he reached out to him too?
Why?
His heart clenched with hurt.
He knew and didn't bother to look for him.
Angrily he flung the letter away, slamming his hand straight into the wall with rage.
His eyes filled with rage and resentment.
His anger centered toward a single person.
The man that ruined his life, turned him into a vengeful sadist.
That took everything he always had.
He swore to destroy him, to destroy everything he held dear close to his heart.
His mind wandered off again to how he saw her earlier, standing elegantly staring at the sky.
She looks so innocent, lovely, kind. Most of all humane.
But why?
Why would she be all that?
Why on earth will she not take over her he father.
She is his blood anyways.
Why?
There's no way.
There's a very high probability she is just like her father. All probability.
Wicked, brutal and merciless.
It was all facade.
The fact that her thoughts filled his mind now enrage him the more.
How dare she?
He slammed his hand over the wall over and over again.
Not caring if it's going to get bruised let on.
Or it is going to hurt later.
He wants to kill every one of them, he wants to burn every one of them down to ashes.
But he can't
It isn't time yet .
What matters now is that he has to make the heart wrenching pain in his heart go away.
It's driving him mad .
Twenty years, twenty good years.
He has always lived with that pain, the immense pain that consumed him and never left him since he witnessed his father dying.
He has learnt to live with it over the years even though his dreams gas been haunted by that night every night.
He has never known a night of peaceful sleep since that night, twenty years ago.
But why?
Why is it becoming unbearable this days?
Why?
© Adira H.