He was wearing a mask.
One that covered his face so completely that it looked like he had draped some essence of night and shadow around him. His inky black hair managed to cascade down his back in straight silken strands. His hands had gloves on them and he even wore black boots.
Everything about him seemed dark.
Roxanne found herself walking back, scared by just his presence.
Behind that mask could be a scary face. The rumors she had heard made her know it was a face she wouldn't want to see. She turned to leave, telling herself that she had never met him, she didn't want to ever meet him.
"Everything will be just fine. I just have to get out of here."
Roxanne couldn't help the effect he had on her, it made her even more scared than she had anticipated. When she saw that no one was chasing her anymore, she decided to walk freely in the less populated paths of the market.
She suddenly had her wrist roughly grabbed by someone and, like their earlier meeting had left a mental imprint on her, she immediately knew who it was.
"Please, just let me go," she pleaded, her voice trembling.
She noticed that everyone around her was quiet, no one was calling her the traitor's daughter, but yet their gaze was filled with killing intent.
"You are coming with us," one of the men who had held her captive said.
They started dragging Roxanne towards the outskirts of the village.
Roxanne paled as she realised where they were headed.
The forests.Roxanne pleaded and begged, she cried and screamed, but all of it was to no avail. At some point she stopped struggling, she had finally come to her end.
"Let go of her."
Roxanne heard the most alluring and intoxicating voice she had ever heard in all her life. She frantically turned her head to see the owner of the voice and it was no one else but the man whose presence sent cold shivers down her spine.
She heard some exclaims of fright and as she was roughly dropped on the floor, she noticed that all the men who once had her in their predatory grip had scurried away.
Leaving her alone. With him.
She stared at the man with the mask on his face.
Gossip about him was always going on in every corner of the kingdom.
The cursed prince.
She remembered the words of her coworker under Lord Alex. When she had told Roxanne about the mysterious man who had lived for many years in a haunted castle, alone and with no one else to keep him company, Roxanne had laughed and wrote it all off as useless gossip.
The way Loeille had described the man had made Roxanne actually feel scared, but looking at him right now, made her even more scared than she had anticipated.
She never expected him to have an aura that made her mind go numb and unable to think.
She stood still, unable to move her wobbly feet. She felt she was going to faint at any moment from now.
She noticed the cursed prince had his fist tightly clenched. This made her even more scared.
"Leave" he commanded.
His voice was husky.
Roxanne felt an unknown boldness rise up in her. The urge to go closer to him and appreciate him was overwhelming. She couldn't leave, but neither could she move forward towards him.
She drew in a few deep breaths before she started walking towards him.
The prince's mask obscured most of his face but not his eyes and his eyebrows. Roxanne could see confusion in those eyes and the cursed prince had cocked an eyebrow at her, almost like he was surprised by her boldness.
"I said leave" his voice sounded hoarse. and shaky? Was he panicking?
Roxanne was ready to get closer to him, she wanted to see his face. She didn't know what was pulling her to him, but boy did it pull her. It was almost like she knew that the man in front of her was a burning flame, but she was a moth drawn to that flame. She wanted to reach out and touch those flames.
She felt her heart beating insanely fast. She wanted to remain calm, but she couldn't no matter what. She felt so scared, but still, she took a step further towards him, and another, and another, all her hopes set on reaching out and touching him.
"What are you doing?".
She heard his voice closely this time, it was full of confusion, like he was scared.
Roxanne stood right in front of him, close enough that she could smell the scent of something old coming off him, she could see the silken strands of his hair. He had a physique that made her feel small as he towered above her and she decided that she wanted to see his face.
She needed to see his face.
Roxanne reached out and just when she was about to touch his mask, the prince held her hand, stopping her from achieving her aim.
"Don't do that, you will regret it."
His tone was dark and deadly and just like that, Roxanne snapped out of the trance-like state she had fallen into and her knees went weak. She fell to the floor.
She noticed some of the townspeople had come to watch. They stood at a safe distance. She noticed the sinister smiles curving on their lips.
She gathered her strength and she stood up. She looked directly at the dark prince, he looked like something that rode out of hell on a dark and deadly night, but yet, as she looked into his eyes, she was able to see the pain behind those blue eyes. She felt hurt.
She immediately composed herself and turned to leave. She decided she had already gotten enough of this horrible town.
She heard some people burst out in silent laughter. She turned to look at the girls who were laughing at her. She noticed the deadly glare directed at the ladies by the dark prince too. The silence was so immediate you would think these people had grown up silent.
She desperately wanted to go back to him and appreciate his efforts, but again something withheld her from doing so.
She turned back.
Roxanne found herself walking back to the prince to appreciate him for saving her. She could say thank you at least, but before she could even reach him, he had started walking away.
Roxanne watched as he hopped onto his horse and she quickened her footsteps.
"Please wait" she called out.
The prince stopped to look at her. Even with the mask on his face, anyone could tell from his body language that he was a little baffled by her actions. Or annoyed. His immaculate shoulders were slouched.
"I... I would like to say thank you for what you did back there", Roxane stuttered, feeling small under his intense gaze.
The Prince nodded, without a word.
He was about to kick his horse when Roxanne remembered that she was still yet to know his name, his real name that is. She didn't think the title of the cursed prince was his real name.
"What's your name?".
Roxanne watched as he cocked his head to the side slightly.
"I don't think you want to know my name." His tone was now a bit gentle and he was looking at her intently. Roxanne felt the decision harden in her.
"I'd like to know".
The prince stared at her in silence for a while before he answered."My name is Ariel".
Roxanne watched as he immediately kicked his horse and left, riding fast along the town paths.
Prince Ariel.
Roxanne muttered the name silently. She hoped she could calm down. She felt oddly drawn to that name and she felt satisfied with the outcome of the situation. It made her lips curve into a smile and she turned to leave. Again she was suddenly grabbed and she felt her hand being roughly pulled. She felt so scared, thinking that it was one of those who had earlier held her captive. She turned to see who it was and she was momentarily relieved to see it was nobody else but Lord Alex. Realization dawned on her and her heart palpitated. She looked down, feeling scared, but for a totally different reason now. She wondered what Lord Alex would do to her now. How did he even find her in the first place? "My lord, I...I can explain" Lord Alex stopped dragging her and he turned to look at her. His golden-flecked eyes always managed to catch her by surprise and it was the most commanding part of him. Those eyes were glaring at her now. "What can you possibly explain, Roxanne? You have me
When Roxanne noticed Lord Alex and heard his words, she felt overwhelmed with emotions. She wanted to throw her hands around him and gave him another tight hug, but she knew she had to withhold herself. She smiled with the tears still dripping out of her eyes and then she knelt on the ground. "I know I'm not worthy of your forgiveness, Lord Alex, but I'd want you to forgive me and give me a chance to prove myself worthy" she begged. Her voice was hoarse and her throat felt dry. The older man only smiled at her and he extended a hand to her. "Stand up Roxanne, I've come to realize that I was a bit selfish. I was thinking about my family, about how they would survive if my business was not moving forward, but you are also family, and family sticks together. I'd appreciate it if you stayed with us and didn't leave. " His words made Roxanne's eyes well up with tears, she was a bit emotional, she couldn't help the dreadful feeling when she had noticed the blazing anger in his eyes and
Ariel's wolf howled in his head from late that night till early the next morning. He felt like he was going crazy. For once in his life, he felt sorry for actually wishing his wolf came back. Now that it had come back it seemed determined to drive him mad with howling. "Will you shut up!" The birds that perched on the window sill of his castle fluttered away in a flap of wings. Pigeons. They were part of the reason the castle was so filthy anyways. Ariel scrunched his face under the mask he wore as he looked around. This was the first time he was granted a reprieve in decades and his castle was filthy, his room was a mess, and his wolf didn't see the need to stop howling. He truly was cursed. He let out a crazed laugh at that thought. Like he hadn't been made aware of that fact for the past two hundred years now. He had to live and watch everyone he knew die. All the lords that were in attendance the day the curse was cast were killed off, He had killed them himself. The
The sun hit Roxanne directly on the face and for the first time in a long time, she had a smile on that face. "Hey, sit still, will you?" Roxanne giggled as she sat down more firmly into the chair. It had already been a few days since she had the encounter with the cursed prince and she was already trying to cast the incident out of her mind. He had simply helped her out. Nothing more. It didn't really matter that he had given her his name and it didn't matter that she couldn't stop thinking about him. The way his mask had given him an aura of mystery and danger might be the reason she couldn't stop. That was probably it. Roxanne sighed looked in the waters of the clear stream she had her feet submerged in. She would have to go into it almost totally later on but that was something she would think of when the time came. Annabelle had insisted that they come out here to dye her hair. She said Roxanne could put herself halfway into the small river and she would sit on the ri
Panic filled her as she saw the people walking towards them. It was the same group of men that had tried to rape her that day, and they were coming for her. Roxanne's stomach roiled as she realised she wasn't alone this time. The men were coming for them! She whipped her head around, frantically searching for Annabelle with but Annabelle was nowhere to be found. She had either fled or vanished into thin air. Roxanne would be satisfied with anyone of the two. As long as her friend was out of danger. Panic filled Roxanne as she contemplated her current options. "Oh shit." She was in the river. She hadn't bothered to put on anything except a simple white frock, and it was one that would definitely cling to her body now that it was wet. That would be like giving the men more motivation to come get her. They would take one look at her dress clinging to all her curves, and they would run crazed with lust. Why did they have to appear at this time? Roxanne felt frustrated. The
The water in her lungs was the first thing that urged Roxanne to go above the surface of the water.The water here was ice cold, almost like the forest itself. There was something about the chill that had settled over her that she didn't find natural.Maybe it was the water or maybe it was the fact that she was almost drowning. Roxanne didn't know.She cried out as her leg hit a sharp rock and her toe sent a flare of pain up her body. Dry land was just a few paces away from her. Roxanne could hear the water and smell the flora of the forest. The trees were thick and the sun had retreated into the clouds. Everything looked darker.Roxanne pushed herself to maneuver her way to dry land. The shore was just a few paces away. If she could just use her last remaining bit of strength to get there.Something hit Roxanne on the head again and the sound of laughter was the only thing she heard before the world blacked out.Roxanne dreamed.She was on the beach now. The sun is shining warm on h
Roxanne only looked at her friend as she said those words. She blinked.Ariel had saved her again?Why?"Why would he do that?"Annabelle simply shrugged her shoulders and walked off.Roxanne felt even more confused with Annabelle's reaction.But why did Ariel save her? And what was that nonsense the men had said about her being a witch that had cursed their crops?Roxanne tried to sit up but the headache that lashed at her made it impossible for her to even raise her head up. She didn't feel any cut on her head but she could tell that she had been injured somewhere.Her head ached like someone had hit it with a hammer and that hammer was still lodged in her head.People just loved being cruel and wicked. Why did they all want to kill her?"Are you okay Rox?"Roxanne felt a sensation of relief wash over her as she heard Lord Alex's voice. His tone dripped with concern and his face made it clear that he was definitely worried.He sat down by the side of the couch and touched her head w
The villagers were indeed approaching Lord Alex's house. The only problem though was the fact that they weren't the mob that the stable hand had reported .Roxane couldn't tell if that was a problem or not. It confused her though, it confused her a lot to be honest.They were running actually, approaching Lord Alex's house with a speed that just walking couldn't grant. And according to what she was currently seeing, they probably didn't go up to five in number.Could five people be considered a mob?"I think the stable hand might have misinformed us."Lord Alex only shook his head and looked at the approaching figures. They were running, a few more paces and they would be at the door to his house. He didn't think the stable hand had misinformed them though.The people of this town had managed to convince him of the fact that they weren't inherently good people. They were insecure, cowardly and at the very least, untrustworthy, so there was every possibility that there was a mob coming,