Crystal Eyes

Chapter 2

At the day of the ball, all the villagers wore beautiful gown and suits. The people who could not afford rented the clothes or either stole them. The contest to attend was important. Hanguel dressed in a sleek black dress and her hair was a plaited and flowers decorated her long golden hair. Everyone parted to the kingdom in utter hurry. Most of the houses were forgotten to be locked and the dogs tiptoed in to the smell of the food on the table which was forgotten to be put inside a refrigerator.

The ride to the royal palace was a long one. Some of them went by foot and the other rented horses and offered the people on foot a ride. The others had manual carriages of sorts which were slower compared to the horses but did the job quite well.

The palace filled with villagers dressed for occasion. The prince searched for Hanguel eagerly throughout the palace. He put guards to search and track down the beautiful girl. Hanguel sat at a corner whilst her parents chit chatted about the royal palace and the prince with the other familiar villagers. The prince immediately spotted her and went over to offer the drink in his hand. "Fancy some wine?"

Hanguel looked up to see the prince holding a silver cup over her face. "Oh no I couldn't." she said.

"It's alright. Have a drink with me." He smiled.

Out of sincerity, she took the cup to her hand and took a sip. She never quite looked at the prince straight to his eyes. Of course this felt annoying for the prince and he mentioned it. She always said,

"Oh, no I couldn't possibly".

The prince held her chin up and she glanced accidently to the shock. Then and there something sparked. A blue light whirled around them like a storm. The prince faded into a blue light and disappeared. When it was all over, Hanguel looked around to see everyone staring at her. She was in shame and didn't know what to do. All the villagers from various villages turned around to witness the show. Everyone whispered under their breath. Few of the villagers from Baharatian said,

"So that's why no one looks into her eyes. Poor soul, now the prince is trapped and it's all her fault."

Hangeul's parents hurried over to her and covered her with a cloth. "It's time to leave, Hector." Hangeul's father nodded and hurried over the back door shielding Hanguel from the owl eyes of the villagers.

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Back at the village which took some time to leave to, Hanguel sat crying. Her parents too were in shock. The street dog that had come earlier to eat the remaining food on the table, lay silently under the bed hoping the family wouldn't see him. The family was more concerned of their daughter.

"Exc-u-se m-ee!" Someone cried out loud. Shocked everyone in the room paused for a second to see where the voice came from. "Kn-o-ckk knoo-ckk!" Confused Hanguel asked, "Who is it?"

The prince immediately started screaming out loud.

"Oh thank the good lord she stopped crying! I'm the prince and I demand to know what is going on. I was in the middle of a conversation with you and the next thing I know, I see all of my ball from where you stand and everyone was staring at me in utter disbelief. Now, just a little later staring at the boring street ahead of me where I was being traveled to for some reason, I was in a river. Definitely not a good one. This one had so many waves. Please explain! Where have you all taken me?!"

Hanguel looked at her parents. "Oh! Oh no. This cannot be happening! " the father shrieked. Confused, Hanguel and her mother looked at him.

"WHAT ISS IT?!" the prince shrieked at the look on his face.

The father went onto explain, "Biorima."

Seeing the confused look on everyone's faces he continued,

"When Hanguel was small, Gena and I took her to a doctor from the earlier village because this exact situation happened to our son. Hanguel knew about it because we told. We couldn't bear to keep it a secret. Little Jone was a part of our family and he should always be in our hearts. Doctor Radian explained that Hanguel had Biorima. It is a sickness that cannot be cured right now with any medication. Jone died in her eyes." He looked down in shame.

"I am truly sorry, prince Laden. This isn't what we planned tonight. Hanguel was happy and she knew never to look at anyone directly. I don't know how this happened. Hanguel was born with this sickness. I wish there was a way to cure it." The mother explained.

The prince looked confused and said. "So, what exactly are you telling me? That I am stuck in her eyes? That's bollony!" The father nodded in shame.

The prince was annoyed. "So, I'm trapped in the most beautiful girl's eyes that I have ever laid eyes on and I am going to die and you are telling me that the trauma earlier I experienced in the river, was because she cried? Can you really tell me, looking into my eyes, that all this does not sound hilarious to any of you?"

He paused. "No wait. In fact don't look into my eyes. I had enough of eyes looking at me today."

He sighed and with all the determination and hope he had left in him he said, "Please find a new way to cure this! Send an announcement to my father that I shall not be home for a while and please explain the state I am in. Get all possible resources to help with the creating the cure. I cannot die, not yet."