The Royal Decision (Book 1 of The Royal Series)

Chapter 11

A Strange Dream

Aurelia’s POV

It took me sometime until I was able to say what I want. That dream was so frightening. I was not afraid because of that man who was haunting me but I was afraid of the part of me who said that everything was real. It was impossible, these words kept on replaying in my mind, convincing myself that I was only shocked and confused.

My brother and Daniel were looking at me expectantly, wanting me to begin faster. However, I still needed more time to compose myself. Sooner or later, I must tell them everything, I realized. It would be better if I tell them sooner than later. Moreover, this dream had been weighing my heart down.

With a deep breath, I began recounting my worst nightmare…

I could not see much for it was a very dark room and I could not see how big it was. I could not even differentiate between day and night. A heavy curtain shut all the light from outside. The only thing I could hear was silence and nothing else. My clothes were torn in some places for I felt the chill reached my bones. It was soaked with blood, I supposed because the smell of iron reached my nostrils but whose blood was it, I did not know.

For what seemed like forever, I was locked in that room. Moreover, to prevent me from running, my ankle was chained to the bedpost. I was sitting on that bed, it was not comfortable but I did not know why I did not run or even scream for help. The fight had left me, I suppose. I did nothing except keeping my head low and move closer and closer towards the edge of the bed, the farthest place my chain let me reach. Without knowing the reason why, I felt myself breaking down. My chest hurt so much and I felt like dying as if my every will of living was gone. I lifted my head and look above, I did not feel anything, not living, not dying, not crying just -nothing… Emptiness…

Suddenly, the door opened. The light that seeped in so suddenly hurt my unprepared eyes. I forced my eyes to open as I saw what happened or should I say who entered the room. My heartbeat increased a notch when I saw that figure coming slowly to me. I could not see who was he as the light vanished once more when he closed the door. What frightened me most was not what would happen to me or who the figure closing to me was. The thing that frightened me the most was the waiting as my mind kept on projecting various outcome of what would happen when that man reached me.

When the sound of his footsteps was getting louder, I was gasping for my breath. Finally, my breathing stopped altogether when the sound of his footsteps ceased. He was standing directly in front of me when he lighted a candle on his hand. Gathering my remaining courage, I looked up at him while he looked at me in disdain.

He had a foul complexion. His face was scarred with a long gash through his left eye stretching until his right cheek. I did not know why at that time I did not tremble or give a frightened cry. There was some place in me which refused to back down no matter what happened next.

The thing that happened next did not surprise me that much. He took out a dagger which caused me to close my eyes because of the candlelight that was reflected. ‘Shing’ that was the only sound I heard. I was not dreading for this moment in fact I did not feel anything. At that time, I simply wish for everything to end. The simplest answer to my wish was death…

I opened my eyes and leveled my gaze directly to his eyes, challenging him to bring that dagger down and severe my head from its home. As I had thought, he did not hesitate but the scant second before his dagger touch my neck, a sword appeared and its tip was facing the man who wished to kill me.

“Release her!” My savior commanded that man who was still placing his dagger on my neck. I felt my blood trickling from the place his dagger rested on. This was not supposed to happen if only my supposed murderer did not flinch from my savior’s tone.