The Legend of the Eight: The Charmed (Book 4)

Prologue: The Prince's Secret

PROLOGUE: THE PRINCE'S SECRET

THE PRINCE WAS YOUNG—FRESH into his twenties and only recently married. His father's health was ailing and would continue to do so. It was only a matter of time before the Prince would become the King and once he did, what little freedom he had would be stripped away. If he was going to see her, it had to be soon.

He stepped over piles of rubble—from fallen homes and branches that had rotten and broken off their trees. He carefully navigated his way through the darkness. His boots crunched over the rubble and he tightened the pea coat around him. He had to be quick—he had to return to the palace soon to be with his family.

He approached a large structure that resembled a castle though it looked like decades had passed since it was last inhabited. A wrought iron fence surrounded the property and the gate creaked sharply when he pushed it open. In the towers, orange flames flickered—the only light to be seen for miles in the Realm's hazy gray fog. He pushed open the front door and entered the foyer, his footsteps echoing against tall walls and checkered tiles. He ventured through them before entering a room which was decorated like a library.

Sitting in an arm chair with that copy of Anna Karenina she'd read a dozen times and a blanket tucked around her was a beautiful woman. She had rich, raven-black hair and striking cheekbones though both paled in comparison to those stunning jade eyes. The thick quilt around her disguised most of her body but the Prince didn't mind. He knew every inch of her like the back of his hand.

He'd loved that woman all his life and though circumstances in their lives tore them apart years ago, not a day passed that he didn't think about her.

"I was wondering how much longer I'd have to wait to see you again," she said without looking up, recognizing the sounds of his footsteps as if they'd been his voice. "It's been months."

"Slipping between Realms isn't exactly the easiest thing to do," answered the Prince, walking over to the woman and pressing a kiss into her cheek. "And I don't see you making any efforts to see me."

"There's a difference," she smirked, lacing her fingers through his. "I've been Banished. I can't leave."

"One day," he promised hopefully, and then adjusted his arms around her, hugging her from behind the chair. "Evan got your letter to me. You wrote that you had something to tell me?"

She let out a breath, a heavy one, and set her book aside. She removed the quilt from around her and pushed against the chair to stand. At first, the Prince didn't understand why she used so much effort to rise but when she was on her feet, straightening the blouse she wore with her jeans, he made a face.

What was usually a svelte stomach now was shaped with a basketball-sized bump. It reminded him of his wife. But his wife's shape was due to their daughter which she was carrying, due in a matter of weeks. And then he realized.

"You..."

His mouth hung open, searching for words he could not find. As if reading his mind, his lover smiled and nodded. Her hands held her bump and she began rubbing circles around it.

"I know this isn't how we planned it—"

"Not how we planned it?" the Prince retorted and his tone was either angry or overwhelmed—maybe a mixture of both. "We didn't plan this! We can't have a child. My father is dying. I'll be King soon and my wife—My wife is pregnant. We already have a son. I can't..."

"Well, we are," she fired back before beginning to pace around the library—probably to ease her discomfort; his wife had been doing that a lot lately too. "Any day now."

The Prince began to panic. How was he supposed to figure everything out any day now? Things with his wife were never perfect, but that was expected of two people destined to rule an entire Realm together. She was the woman that he was supposed to marry. Sure, he loved her but he was never in love with her. When their first child was born, a son, they attempted to work on their relationship but lost their connection over time. In an attempt to reignite the flame, they decided to have a second child. But his heart was never in it. It was Realms away with his lover. His wife didn't know he was sneaking away to see her. How was he supposed to tell her about their child?

"Sweetheart," he eventually sighed and wrapped his arms around her—like he had with his wife only hours earlier. "I don't know what we're going to do here."

She took his hands and placed them over her belly. "Bring us home with you," she answered like a desperate plea. "You'll be King soon. You can appeal to the Council and lift the Banishment. We can be together."

"It's not that simple. I have a wife now. And a family."

"You have a wife you don't love!" she shouted, her bright eyes glistening with tears. "You've said so time and time again. You say your heart is here." She put a hand on her chest, above her beating heart. "It's always been here. With us. Let us be your family."

He was slow when shaking his head and he took his hands away. "It's not that simple," he said again because he didn't know what else to say.

"Sure it is," she smiled and guilt crept up his spine when she did. That smile... He'd do terrible things if he could see that smile.

She pushed her belly into him as she moved to kiss him and he was as weak in the knees as he was the first time they'd kissed. It was ten years ago and they were just kids then, with no idea what the next decade would bring them. When she pulled away, she was still smiling.

"If you can't bring us with you, then stay. Stay with us here. Be our family here. Stay."

The Prince stayed with his lover for three days until she went into labor—giving birth to a healthy, beautiful baby girl. She was much tinier than the Prince remembered his son ever being, almost like a doll. She had her father's dark mop of hair and her mother's striking eyes. The day after she was born, the Prince waited until both the child and her mother were asleep before preparing to sneak out. But when the time came, he couldn't take a step.

He remembered holding his daughter and though he'd only known her a day, he knew he could never leave. If he returned without her, he'd never see her again. He couldn't stay but he couldn't bear the thought of leaving this precious baby girl behind.

So he swaddled the infant in blankets and removed her quickly from her cradle where she'd been laid to sleep. Neither the baby or his lover woke so he quickly scribbled a note on the back of an old book—the only paper he could find. In his note, he apologized for leaving and promised to return one day.

Then he took quiet, careful steps out of the room and just as he was about to shut the door behind him, he glanced back at the woman he loved. He swore that no matter what, they would be reunited one day.

He carried the child out of his coat while he navigated out of the castle and through the Shadow Lands. He had a hood over his head in an attempt to disguise himself from anyone who may recognize him. Keeping an eye out for any witnesses who may have heard or seen his daughter—children were considered a rarity in the Shadow Lands as many were unable to conceive—and he felt the utmost relief when he reached the portal which had been conjured by an old friend of his who was sworn to secrecy.

Only after he was safely back in the World of Magic did the Prince finally realize what he'd done.

He'd stolen his child away from her mother and likely destroyed the love of his life in the process. His lover would never forgive him when she woke up and found them both gone. His wife would never forgive him for the affair. And his daughter would never forgive him for keeping her from her mother. No one in the World of Magic could know the truth or his child would be Banished back to the Shadow Lands. The Prince refused to let his daughter suffer such a fate.

That day, he vowed that he would protect his daughter with his life. She was the closest thing he had to the woman he loved and the only way he could keep her safe was to lie.

So he did.