The Curse of the Goblin Prince

Chapter Three A Companion

The doors opened to reveal the brightly lit dining hall. Excitement was soon replaced by disappointment as her face fell. Only the king was seated at the table.

She bowed, trying her best to hide her lack of enthusiasm. "Long life and health to you"

"That won't be necessary. You may speak comfortably, child. We are practically family." King Lorcan beamed at her.

Dahlia was grateful but confused.

The king continued, "Your father and I have known each other since childhood. We would often play together when we were younger. You see, your grandfather would make annual visits to our kingdom."

He noticed that she was still waiting to be seated. "Come. Sit here, my dear." He gestured to the empty chair beside him. Then he motioned for the servants to bring her something to eat. "I hope you find our cuisine to be acceptable to your palette. If not, we will see what we can come up with. My hope is that you will be able to acclimate to our kingdom quickly."

Dahlia felt like he was being a little too considerate of her needs and wants. After all, they had never met before. Was he acting this way because he wanted her to be a good companion for his son, the prince? Where was the prince?

She carefully sat down next to the king as he studied her every move. She grimaced. Then cleared her throat. "I don't see the prince. Where is his highness this morning? Is he still not feeling well?"

The king's face pulled down into a frown. He looked out the window and sighed. "Yes. I fear he is still unwell."

"I see. Well, I hope he has a swift recovery." She struggled to smile as she read the pained expression on his face.

"As do I."

They ate the rest of their meal in silence. Both were lost in thought. Then the king bid her a good day and excused himself.

No one came to escort her, so Dahlia decided that this would be the perfect opportunity to find the crimson-eyed boy from yesterday. She gingerly made her way to the twin staircases. Making sure not to look suspicious.

Looking around, she saw no one in sight. So she climbed the carpeted stairs up to the landing. She stood in front of the door, held her breath, and peeked through the keyhole. She didn't see anyone, so she slowly turned the knob.

Once in the room, she gently shut the door. Taking extra care not to make a sound. She took in the small bedroom. There was a plain poster bed on the left wall and a simple wooden dresser directly across from it. Nothing hung on the white walls. No pictures or mirrors. It was very stark and quite odd for a room in the main part of the palace.

The only thing that seemed out of place were the heavy dark red velvet curtains that opened up to a balcony; where the sun poured light into the otherwise dreary room.

A noise coming from the closet startled her. She quickly hid behind one of the curtains on the balcony. Dahlia peered into the room. Wondering what had made the sound. The closet door opened to reveal another room.

The secret room was lined with medical equipment and a small bed. Several nursemaids were busy tinkering with the equipment. While others were surrounding the bed.

One nurse yelled causing panic to fill the room. "Check his vitals!" Her tone was clipped. The nurses moved swiftly, leaving a space between them. There, lying on the bed, was a thin grayish-blue boy with pointed ears.

"A goblin!" Dahlia covered her mouth, hoping that no one had heard her. She watched as the goblin thrashed around on the bed.

"Hold him steady!" One of the nursemaids shouted and the rest of the nurses pinned him to the bed. Securing him with thick straps.

Dahlia watched as the head nurse inserted a needle into his arm and turned on the machine. A dark red liquid flowed from the machine, through the tube, and into the needle.

Slowly he stopped moving. The machine whirled and clunked as the liquid surged through his veins. A tear streamed down the side of his face. His head turned to the side and his eyes slowly fluttered open. They were the same crimson eyes that she had seen yesterday. He narrowed his eyes as he stared at her. A hard expression fixed in place.

She panicked and hid herself further on the balcony. There she noticed a large pot of roses growing. The deep red roses with black tips were the exact same as the ones that grew on the castle walls at home. "What are they doing here? Father said that they only grow in our kingdom."

The sound of the door shutting brought her focus back to the hidden room. She listened as the rustling of the dresses stopped when the sound of the door clicked. She waited, unsure if it was safe for her to escape from the room.

She spotted another balcony to her left that was not too far away. She could climb over and reach it if she was careful. She decided that would probably be the easiest way to leave undetected. Dahlia started to pull herself up onto the balcony when a hand grabbed her waist and another covered her mouth.

She fell back and landed with an 'oomph'. The hands that were holding her released her on impact.

"That really hurt!" The goblin rubbed his back.

She jumped up, straightening her dress. "What are you doing here?" She questioned.

"I could ask you the same." He raised an eyebrow.

She looked to the side. "I... I ... well I wanted to see you!" She looked him square in the eyes. His crimson eyes were mesmerizing. "Your eyes. They're the same color as the roses."

He looked frustrated and angry. "Yeah, they are."

"I think they are beautiful. They remind me of home." She smiled. A forlorn look on her face.

"Do you miss it? Your home, I mean." His soothing voice wrapped around her like a warm embrace.

A tear trickled down as she nodded and sniffed. "I'm supposed to be here as a companion for the prince, but he's still sick and I haven't even been able to meet him yet. I'm really worried about him."

Dahlia wiped her face with her hands. She squatted down on the floor directly in front of him. Her light pink dress fluttered around her. She wrapped her arms around her knees.

He hadn't moved. A pained expression came over him. "Why?"

"His father looked really sad when I asked about him this morning. He must be really sick." She looked down and played with the hem of her dress.

He clenched his fists. "Yeah, he is."

She perked up. "You know him?" Her curiosity peaked.

He nodded slowly.

"Really?" She leaned toward him. "What is he like? Do you think that we'll get along?" She sat back and clenched her dress tightly in her small fists. "He's older than me, so I was a little worried he might think I'm too childish." She bit her lower lip.

He smirked. "I think you will do fine."

"Really?" She was doubtful.

"Yeah."

She looked at her hands and picked at her fingernails. "Do you think we could be friends?"

"You don't have to worry. He will definitely like having you around." He spoke with confidence.

She looked him in the eye. "No. I mean you and me." She pointed to him.

Heat rushed to his face. He covered his head with his arms and peeked out at her.

"What's wrong?" Concerned, she attempted to peer through the space between his arms but his black wavy hair was in the way.

"Why would you want to be friends with me? I'm a monster. An ugly goblin." His voice was muffled as he spoke through his folded arms.

She gingerly pulled his hands away from his face. "I think you're kind and gentle. And I would be honored to have a friend like you."