Crystal Eyes

Chapter 3

Years went by. The family moved to another village because the villagers always muttered under their breath and cursed the family for putting the prince in terrible danger. Hangeul's family stayed deserted and cast aside from everyone else from the country. Her parents couldn't walk into the village to buy vegetables, without everyone staring at them. Hanguel parents did as much as they can for their daughter. The doctor tried his best to find or create a cure. All in vain. The royal palace was quiet. The king and queen were depressed and until their son returned home, they ordered all guards to keep close contact with doctors of the entire country to find a cure.

The prince was settling down. Time to time the prince and Hanguel fought. When she cried, the prince suffered to struggle to shore, in an ocean with extreme tides. When she got mad, the prince was locked in a metal room with the large wooden hammers tick tocking side to side like an old grandfather's clock where the prince in turn had to find ways to survive in. He struggled immensely to stay alive. When she was happy, he was in a garden of beautiful flowers on a sunny day. He learnt to adapt to her moods and understand her feelings. He would constantly remind her how blessed she is, to keep her happy throughout the following weeks, months and years. He had learnt that sufficient amount of watering the flowers made her happier, plucking them brought sadness to her. Her sadness made the clear skies grey and rain. The prince helped as he could and he learnt to imagine himself in a new world. Her gullible heart was shown and felt to him through her eyes.

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One fine night, Hanguel woke up from a bad dream. She woke up quite startled and afraid. Her scream did not make it far enough to reach her parents. Sometimes she truly forgets that someone resides in her eyes, after all it is uncommon.

"Oh dear god! What is that monstrous being!" the prince shrieked from inside.

"I am not sure. I dreamt a bad dream."

"Oh is that so? I thought I lived one right there" the prince said in sarcasm, pointing to the dark forest that is now being faded away into a deserted island, like the calm after the storm but all a mess.

"I sincerely apologize, prince. I'm quite sad since the incident."

A single teardrop fell from her eye and the prince immediately started knocking on the glass wall in front of him.

"OUCH! That hurts, prince!" Hanguel shrieked.

"Well, I would appreciate if you thought a little of me- no actually thought quite a lot about me and be selfless enough not to cry. It's not that it pains me to see you cry, it's because I feel like I didn't do enough good deeds and god sent me on a direct path to hell. If I was human-which I still am, no doubt- I meant, if I was right in front of you I would have told you to cry your heart out. They say that one needs to let the darkness out but this is just unfair. I'm actually living in what I said to other women. Not that I had many to say that to. Please don't misunderstand I actually like you very much."

"Oh. I feel quite bad about this situation. I wonder what the cure is so I can leave you be safe in the palace surrounded by the ones you love. You must feel very lonely in there. What do you see when I close my eyes?" Hanguel asked concerned.

"It's quite obvious isn't it? A man needs sleep!" He sounded annoyed and Hanguel would have left him be but he decided to speak more.

"You can call me prince Revlock." He smiled.

Somewhere between the smiles was the first time that they both made a genuine connection and there was a spark between the two. Although this was one of those nights when a woman felt insecure, the spark led to something along the lines that destiny called, love.

sn';