Cursed Union

{2}

"Of course, Your Highness,"

The Prince turned in her direction and she gave him a small curtsy before speaking, "Good Evening, Your Highness,"

He ignored her completely and addressed the knight when he spoke again, "You made her wear satin gloves, it is as if you want her to miss her target!" his voice remained contained, but rugged enough to scare the knight.

"Pardon me, Prince Alex, I thought they'd protect Her Highness's hands from any damage caused by the bowstring!"

"She's not made of paper, Kalon. Take off your gloves and all of that as well," he instructed and she obeyed without hesitation.

"Your Grace, she could scar her hands-"

"I suppose that's my problem, isn't it. We don't need your supervision, Kalon, you may leave now," flustered, the knight left throwing Eliana a pitiful look. She lowered her head, her eyes fixated on the ground. "Leave us," she knew that was for the maids and the guards from the way they scattered away the next second.

He picked up another bow and a single arrow for her and handed it to her. "Thank you, Your Highness,"

"I think we've reached a point where you can address me by my real name, Eliana," she'd always felt her name was ordinary until she had heard him say it. It rang with such passion and possessiveness that it almost didn't sound like it belonged to her.

Something gave her the courage to raise her head and stare into his eyes. He handed her the bow and the arrow and came up right behind her.

"On battlefield you won't have time to put on your armours or even your gloves. The enemy won't wait for your to be ready. Learn to tolerate some pain, princess," And there it was, the mock again.

"Yes, Your Highness,"

He ignored her attitude and spoke, "Take a minute to take in your surroundings. Let your eyes adjust to the dark. And if you still can't see, we can always turn you into a vampire,"

She turned around so fast that the string of the bow strapped and attacked her right in the face. The Prince moved almost just as fast, but he couldn't save the string from getting embedded in her skin.

She sucked her torn lip to keep herself from crying out in pain as the Prince cursed. He quickly detached the string from the bow.

"Hold tight, my robin," with only those words as warning, he scooped her up in his arms and ran to her room faster than humanly possible.

She somehow managed to keep herself from crying as the tears only made it sting more. A healer arrived a few minutes later followed by her helpers carrying all sorts of remedies. She closed her eyes and her hands formed fists around the sheets as the healer started applying the ointments.

By the time the healer was done patching up her wounds, Eliana was covered in blood. It slid down her neck and stained her gown's neckline, all the while soaking her hair. Her eyes met with the Prince's and something darkened in them and she realized she was bleeding in front of a vampire.

The Prince rose up from the chair as soon as the healer left. "I need to finish some work," he spoke quietly, his eyes drifting anywhere but towards her.

He turned around but before he could take a step, she asked, "If I asked you to stay, would you?"

He lowered his head, sighed, and then walked out of the door as if she hadn't spoken at all.

That morning she dreamed of the last festival of Ganea.

Flowers overlooked the entire garden beds, stretching for miles in distance. They had a good harvest that year, with just the right amount of rain and bouts of sunshine. Ganea had magic seeping through its veins, through its rivers and the air that everyone breathed.