The Cursed Prince’s Bride

Lily sat on a large log of wood with her head bent as her heart thumped in fear. She had failed her mission in killing the crown Prince but she was a bit relieved that he didn't see her face.

She was still deep in thought until a hand tapped her shoulder rudely. Her head tilted to the side and to her dismay, she was shocked when someone thrusted out a hand holding the fatty flesh of a goat.

Lily shook her head in rebuffal but the person shoved it into her hands rudely while saying;

"If you don't eat, you will starve and if you starve. You will die. You don't look like a man who can carry do so much work and the least you can do is eat to your fill. " he stated and turned away, happy to have one extra meat all to himself. He shoved the meat into his mouth and chewed it like a glutton while slurping aloud.

Lily bent her head watching as a couple of women lifted their open palm towards an open fire for warmth and she was reminded of her childhood back at home. She and several children would circle and sit round an open fire while playing games or counting the stars.

Lily's nose scrunched up in disgust when she noticed a guard patting one of the women by the bottom. Her hand clenched into a tight fist as she watched him lick his lips while holding a gourd in his other hand. It reminded her of how the men in her colony treated women like commodities that could be touched without will.

Her lips tightened when she noticed him dragging her toward the darkness of the night while leering at their womanly bosom , taking her far away from the other women who were unable to speak. She was further appalled when she heard cheers coming from the other guards.

Lily realized that they all most likely would have picked out numerous female servants to warm their beds, every night. She bit her bottom lip while in awe of the misfortunes and the disgusting things her eyes had seen.

Her ears picked up hushed chatters and she was certain that it was about her. They had thought of her as a man who was mute and dumb. Lily bent her head and stared at the ground. 

She then tried to think on what her next plan would be since the Prince was now awake but she was as blank as an empty scroll. The fresh blood on the dagger was still wet and she could still feel it while hidden away in her pouch under her cloak. 

Lily sucked in a breath and still deep in thought until her heart sprang up at the voice of the headservant.

"What are you men sitting around for? Don't you have wood and hay to carry?" he bellowed.

"Oh no, Varick is here." Lily heard a man mutter and before she could stand, she lifted up her head to find Varick towering above her with one hand grasping a black bullwhip.

"Are you tired, Theo? Do you want me to whip you awake?" Varick shouted. Lily smirked under her cloak as she slowly rose to her feet while bending her head. From the way he spoke even as she walked to pick up some fresh hay for the horses, she could still hear him shout while whipping numerous men by their ankles, Varick seemed like a man who only had control from his mouth and his whip. 

Lily gritted her teeth while she picked up a large amount of hay in her hands. This was going to be a tough journey but she had to be stronger.

Kaden stared at his mother's urn with his face scrunched up into a frown. His hands reached to hold it as he grasped it tightly in his arms, unable to believe that he was merely holding a vessel with his mother's ashes.

"It wasn't your fault. " he heard his father, King Alexander say behind him as he patted him on the shoulder gently.

Kaden tightened his lips as he dropped the urn on the round table that was the only object in the large room lit with several candles. He still couldn't understand why his hands were capable of killing women but spared men.

"I was cursed by the moon goddess. " Kaden whispered to himself. That was the only explanation he could decipher at this moment. His heart broke when his father told him about his mother's demise and the circumstances surrounding it.

He was responsible for It and his father's words couldn't take that away. It was strange when a servant ran away from him but even worse when another died from his hands.

"You are awake and that is all that matters. " he heard his father state as he stroked his beard.

"Even if my hands are cursed?" Kaden asked.

"Yes. It's a miracle that you awoke from your slumber. Several sorcerers from all across Rivera and far beyond had tried to break that curse but they couldn't." King Alexander responded.

Kaden slightly shook his head as he began to wonder why his hands were cursed in the first place. He had fought so many wars in the last decade and nothing went wrong until Navar colony.

But he still couldn't remember a thing about what had happened and he gripped the ends of the table while staring at his mother's urn once more.

He was no more a Prince or a hero. He was now a man who had his hands cursed. 

"But you still need a mate, my son. You don't have an heir and my days would soon be numbered. " King Alexander coughed.

Kaden sighed heavily, the realization hitting him that he was unable to mate with anyone because of his curse. He was now confused and his left hand balled into a fist as his knuckles struck the table.

How on earth was he going to be a King when he had been asleep for three years?

And to worsen it, he was unable to shift into a wolf because of how much strength he had lost and he wondered that if he was in a deep sleep for that long, how come he was still so weak?

He hated how everyone stared at him before they made way for him to walk alongside his father. Some had fear written on their face while others had pity and now his father was treating him like a child who had a fatal ailment.

He wasn't sick. He was cursed. 

Kaden didn't want his father to think that he was weak or incapable of standing on his feet. 

"You should go back to your chambers and rest. The night is still young. " his father spoke with finality.

Kaden turned to look at his father with a frown etching on his face.

"I had been sleeping for three years and yet you want me to comfortably go back to my chambers and pretend that nothing has happened, Father." 

"You still have to rest. You have a lot to see, learn and know." King Alexander answered.

Kaden clicked his tongue and bit his bottom lip.

"You must be hungry. Eat well because you have a lot to do, tommorow." His father continued.

Kaden covered his lips with a hand as he began to ponder while he walked around the entire room. He needed to figure out why he was cursed and quickly. His head still hurt and he was certain that in the next couple of days, it would ease and his memories might return.

"You're not saying anything, my son. " He heard his father speak in a soft tone.

"What words should I speak, Father? Everything has changed, including you. The walls, your scepter and even your clothes have changed but I haven't. I can't remember why I was cursed neither can I understand why I would be asleep for years." 

He watched as his father sighed while walking toward him.

"Everything would be fine, Kaden." 

Kaden tilted his head and was about to respond when the door flew open with four men walking into the room dressed in grey iron amours. His eyes picked up a familiar figure walking toward him with his shield under his arms as he walked into the light with a smile on his face.

"Aros." Kaden whispered to himself.