Chapter Sixteen
Ana threw the quilt and bolted out of the bed and ran towards the far, dim corner of the room. The sun's rays were slowly creeping in. Her only chance of escape was already nonexistent as glaring sunlight beamed towards the door. She witnessed the light slowly inching its way to her as she pressed herself to the wall as if there was still room left for her to go at her back. She crouched low, cowered before her killer, her heart raced and pounded that she could almost hear every beating of her pulse. Sweat formed on her forehead, her eyes widened with fear for she knew without a doubt she would die. The light was a couple of meters away from her, but it was getting closer... and closer...
She knew she would die. But before she would perish, she wanted to see him. Even for the last time... And so, she shouted the name both her heart and mind were yearnings to be with her at the very last minutes of her life.
"IVAN!"
Two things happened. It was as if a miracle had allowed Ivan to burst open the door and stormed right inside the room and yanked the curtains close, while Lucya teleported before Ana and threw her arms around, protecting the princess from the sun. But it was already too late. Before Lucya was able to teleport the both of them, a streak of light already touched her eyes rendering her blind.
Ana felt dizzy as if she was in a floating boat. Then a second later, she felt something pull her out of it. She felt she landed on a soft surface. She knew she was sitting on a bed. On who's bed, she wasn't sure. She was now blind.
"I can't see!" she cried as she struggled out of the bed. "I can't see anything!"
A pair of hands pushed her softly back to the bed. "Princess, it is I, Lucya, and you are in my room. You are safe here. Please be still while Erien tries to clean your wound. You are beginning your transition."
"I can't see anything!" she repeated.
"Calm down, princess." She knew it was Erien. She felt someone pushing her back to lie down on the bed. Then she felt someone pour water on her foot, relieving it of the burning pain. She could only guess who was cleaning her burns. She could not see anything! When the light had touched her eyes before she was teleported by Lucya, she saw white light flash across her sight before total darkness consumed her vision.
"Why can't I see anything!" she wailed.
"Princess, please. Let Erien tend to your burn first." The voice came from Lucya. "The sun had momentarily blinded you. But your sight will be back in a few hours... or days."
"Days!" She will be blind for days?
Ana heard someone banging on the door. A moment later, she heard a clicking sound, and then heavy footsteps followed. "Where is she?" It was Ivan's booming voice. She felt strong hands grasp her fingers. "Anastasia," he said. His voice had somehow eased her fear. "How are you?"
"I'm blind, Ivan," she answered. "I can't see anything! And—and my foot hurts." She wanted to cry like a little kid, but she needed to suck it up and stop whining. She felt helpless this way. She didn't want to be helpless. She wasn't used to feeling helpless. She was used to fending for herself. No family, no relatives. It was only her and her fellow orphans. And that was how she survived alone in the human world—by not being helpless. Having this kind of feeling was new to her, and it was tantamount to fear. But having Ivan near her was making her feel she was not alone, and she would never be alone, and there was nothing to fear. It was strange—she never needed anyone in her life. But fate had decided to thrust her family and Ivan into her hands. And now, since she was starting her transition, she realized she needed her family... she needed Ivan while she underwent all through her changes.
She firmly clasped Ivan's hands and choked back a sob. "Don't leave me." I'm scared... She wanted to say, but she couldn't. She wouldn't admit she was afraid. It was already explained to her what would happen during her transition, but she never expected it to be this painful, to be this frightening.
"Hush now," Ivan said. "I will never leave your side." She felt his hand stroking her face. She felt someone was applying something cold on her burnt foot.
"Promise me," Ana said. "I—I don't like feeling this way."
"Admitting you're frightened is not a sign of weakness, Anastasia," Ivan told her. How did he know she was scared? Were her feelings so transparent? "Even warriors feel frightened at one point in their lives."
"Have you been afraid before?"
"No. Never."
"Then you don't know how I feel. I don't want to be scared. I don't want to feel helpless."
"And you will not be. I am here. I will always be here."
She believed him. She didn't know how she knew he was telling the truth, but she felt it. Her heart was telling her Ivan would never leave nor harm her.
"Sleep now, my princess. You had a very long night." She felt the side of her bed dip. Ivan must've sat on the bed beside her.
"Will you stay?" She wanted him beside her. His presence kept her fear at bay.
"I will."
She closed her eyes and allowed herself to sleep. She was safe. Ivan would make sure of that. She knew he would.
Anastasia was fast asleep. The rise and fall of her chest said so. Ivan watched her as she slept. She looked at ease now, unlike earlier, unlike how she saw her inside the tower, cowering before the sun.
He was up early that morning. He had decided to go to his estate near the border of Elfiro. But he needed to inform his plan to his betroth first. So, he headed towards Anastasia's tower. That was when he felt fear inside of him. It was strange for there was no reason for him to feel fear. Then the feeling of dread consumed his heart as if an impending death was upon him. And when he heard Anastasia's cries, he knew those feelings were not his. It was Anastasia's. He had sprinted towards her room. He saw her frail body pressed against the wall, fear was sketched into her stark and pale face.
"Your Royal Highness?" the vampire lady's maid said. "I want to ask your permission to go back to Sanggre and inform this news to the queen."
Ivan gave her a nod, his eyes never averted from Anastasia's face. She looked so small and fragile. Although, he knew she was never fragile. She was not even intimidated whenever Ivan had treated her vehemently in the past. She had never feared anything. But now, the one thing she loved was to be her greatest fear: the sun.
He needed to protect her. He could not explain it, but he felt protecting her was the right thing to do. It was as if he was compelled to do it. Maybe Tadhana was telling him it was his duty to safeguard his female. Or maybe there was something else that pushed him to keep her safe...
"Prince Ivan," he heard the elf lady's maid say. "Princess Anastasia's wounds—I can't heal it even with my magic. If we won't heal it now, it would leave a permanent scar after her transition. Shall I call for the healers?"
"No. Don't bother." Ivan stood and went at the foot of the bed. "I will do it." He had some knowledge of the healing arts. His father's ward, Lady Alea, was a healer and she had shared with Ivan some of her knowledge. He eyed the green poultice on the wooden bowl. "What is that made of?"
"It's a mixture of ylac leaves and plant extract from orgon," the elf answered.
That was good. He remembered Alea telling him a poultice made from ylac and orgon was good for treating wounds. He sat at the foot of the bed and examined Anastasia's burnt foot. It was inflamed and with blisters surrounding the affected skin. Only the upper layer of the skin was affected. It was good. It meant that the nerves on her foot were not thoroughly damaged. He placed his hands over her burns and channeled his magic towards her wound, commanding his power to heal her. A warm sensation crept towards his palm and green light glowed, indicating his magic was working. Slowly, with the help of the poultice and his magic, the blisters disappeared, the redness slowly faded, and the gaping wound slowly closed. When he was done, he gave a sigh of relief.
"Why did no one bother to close the curtains inside the princess' rooms?" he found himself asking the female elf. "You and the vampire knew the princess would be having her transition soon and yet no one took any precautions."
The female elf bowed her head. "I apologize, Your Highness. Lucya and I loved the princess dearly and we would never want to place harm on Her Royal Highness. We were both sure the curtains were closed before we left her. I swear I saw Lucya drawing the curtains down!"
"And where was the princess during that time?"
"She was... in the other chamber taking her bath." The elf looked stricken with her mistake for leaving the princess unattended. "I apologize! But the princess was so adamant for us to leave her. She said she didn't need any help and she told us to retire to our chambers."
Ivan gave the elf a nod. He knew Anastasia could be stubborn sometimes.
He stood and was about to go back to his original place went someone grappled him from the back and threw him forcefully on the wall. The impact was so intense, the wall cracked, and debris went scattered on the floor. Before Ivan could even pull himself to stand, clawed fingers curled around his neck and heaved him upwards, and pushed him back on the wall.
Kristoff's angry black eyes stared at him murderously. "I left my sister in your care, elf. And yet you almost left her to die!" Ivan knew Kristoff was waiting for this very moment to have a reason to kill him.
He tried to remove Kristoff's choking hold on him when he heard Anastasia stir.
"Kristoff, is that you?"
Immediately, the male vampire released him and dropped him to the floor. Only a second later, Kristoff was already beside Anastasia. "Yes, it is I. I came here as soon as your lady's maid informed us of what had happened. Mother will be arriving soon."
"I can't see, Kristoff. I can't fucking see anything!"
Kristoff chuckled. "Dear sister, I have always missed your colorful words. But you should behave as an adult soon-to-be vampire now and suck it up—figuratively speaking of course."
"Oh, now you think I'm a kid," Anastasia grumbled.
"My dear, with your twenty years, compared to my three hundred and fifty years of existence, you are like an infant to me."
"You are that old? How come you don't talk like the rest of the people here, like someone from the past I mean. Sometimes you speak as if you are from my place."
"I sometimes visit the human realm. I own a penthouse in Global City, you know. Besides, you have only met the elven race, and their lot tends to stick to the old ways."
So that's where Kristoff had been hiding when I was hunting him, Ivan thought as the elf lady's maid handed him a goblet with wine. Typical of the vampires. Everyone knew it was not allowed for them to pass through the portal to go to the other realms without official business. But the vampires thought they were above the law.
"You are that old?" he heard Anastasia say.
"No, not really. But Ivan is. I heard he is five hundred years old."
"Oh my—! I'm marrying an old man?"
Kristoff gave a shout of laughter while Ivan almost choked on his wine. He was not THAT old. Damn that vampire for making up stories. "Do not believe a word your brother says, Anastasia. He is known throughout the land for his lies and deceits." And in a mumbled voice he added, "And I am only four hundred years old."
"Still old for me," Anastasia replied.
Instead of feeling insulted, his lip curled to the side. Anastasia was her old self again. That was a good sign.
The vampire queen and the vampire lady's maid suddenly materialized, and the queen backhanded him so hard in the cheek he thought his head would be separated from his neck. His future in-laws really loved inflicting pain upon him.
"That's for hurting my daughter!" the queen shouted before she stormed towards Anastasia's bed.
"Mom, I'm okay now. Really. I just freaked out a little when I lost my sight," Anastasia was explaining when the queen gave a lot of fuss over her daughter's current condition.
"Anastasia dear, please do speak properly," the queen said. "I don't understand some of your words."
The small room was now occupied by three vampires. The elves were outnumbered. If the queen and the prince of the vampires decided to behead him for his failure in securing their princess' safety, he would have a hard time defending himself. But the castle was the safest place there was. It was heavily guarded with both warrior elves and magic. The lady's maid insisted the curtains were closed before they left, so why was it opened when he went inside the tower room? Anastasia's chambers were guarded against the outside, so no one could have easily slipped inside unless the sentries left their post. He would have to investigate the sentries on duty at that time.
Something was not right...
"Kristoff," Ivan finally said. "I need a word with you." When Kristoff merely raised a brow, he added, "Alone. Now."
Kristoff rolled his eyes. He then faced Anastasia. "I will leave you with mother, for now, dear. I will just have a word with the elf."
"Please Kristoff, do not kill the elf," Ivan heard Anastasia say. "I will need him for the wedding. Do not give me a headache on finding a replacement groom."
Kristoff bestowed an affectionate smile to his sister even though she could not see it. "I will just give him a few broken bones, maybe the ones on his nose or jaw. But otherwise, I'll let him live."
Anastasia chuckled. Ivan snorted.
Kristoff stood and approached Ivan. "Where to, elf?"
Ivan smirked. "To the lower dungeons. You know where it is. You were always a constant visitor down there."
Kristoff gave him a scowl, grabbed his shoulder, and teleported the both of them to the darkened lower dungeons.
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