I trembled as he walks forward shrinking to his approaching presence, as if death chose a carcass to host, my jaw agapes coming eye to eye with the shadowman.

A deep scar starting at top of his forehead running down through his left eye and mouth until the end of his chin, green iris eyes with the left lighter than the right, and red lips that stretched to a nightmarish smile, the canines within his alabaster teeth lengthened and pointed, I never knew fear until I looked at the definition itself.

Muscular arms that sported a black dress shirt bulging, neatly tucked into his black trousers, a brown belt around his thin waist and jet black hair tied in a bun. Dark green arts of words and designs running down both his arms ending just at the very end of his fingers.

Amusingly he raised both arms seeing my curiosity, "They are called tattoos little frog," he glides the chair out of the darkness, sitting with an ankle over his knee. "But back to the task itself."

"In the future you are to become a bodyguard for my son, you will live out your days solely to protecting him,"

It seemed easy enough so far but what is a bodyguard?

"We're not done little frog, this part next is going to be my favorite" he chuckles cunningly interlocking his fingers, "I'm sure the king has informed you about something soon to happen in the future?" he pauses, allowing me to dig in for the memories.

"Something about perhaps the daughter."

My lips quivered.

"Oh that got your attention," he cheesed, "She would soon be sought out as a collection for an heir? Well what if I told you only that sentence alone ... was true?"

A sudden flame rages within my heart setting a fire down my streams, a sound of a thread that snapped within my common sense and I unconsciously launch myself forewords. Like a an angry cat; baring my teeth with extended claws hoping to leave a scratch on the smiling man when a gut crushing kick collided with my stomach, a cracking sound from my rib brings me back to reality as I spit out an iron flavored liquid.

Unprepared I land face first on the ground crushing my nose all over again, wheezing, and soothing the ahce within my gut. I swore my vision was battling with me.

"Nasir Omar, that name rings a bell doesn't it"

"Indeed sir"

"Mother died of Cancer and Aids, an IQ of six hundred, lived in filth but secretly ventures off to a horizon where he will play with the Royal princess herself, It made me wonder how it was you survived living amongst such pigs until one day one of my men were watching you from afar, how you were swift in your thievery and even as he looked at you, he sensed no fear coming from you whatsoever, since then it has peaked my interest.

Could it be?...

I gag and wheeze on the floor, the more I moved the angrier the pain got; stretching out all through my body. "Y-you wan-want to kidnap the princess" I force out before hacking a cough.

He shrugs, "However you want to put it out, see the thing is the King hasn't told you the full story or perhaps not the right one and frankly I do not care."

"Y-you guys killed their people."

"That's what happens when you don't pay your price, your father set an example" the one on the wall chuckles.

"You target your anger to the wrong crowd little frog, my patience is never one to poke at so be wise to value your life and think before you act. You speak of killing, if only you knew what really happens within the castle's walls."

"What?" droplets of blood coat the floor I lay on. "Your wrong" I roar choosing to ignore his warning in regards for my life, the man on the wall coming to step forewords when he was halted by a hand gesture leaving me room to talk, "You sell body parts to the black market" I cough, "You guys are bad people."

He shrugs casually, "And who do you think buys them?"

A sharp chill runs down my spine, "What?"

"Who do you think buys the body parts of young children, the organs, brains and eyes? in-fact who do you think established it all and has kept it running for so long?"

I'm frozen, it just can't be, the king told me how bad and manipulative they are.

"In the end believe what you want little frog, but you have been a radar in the kings eye for quite sometime now."

"Eating or replacing certain parts of a child or woman is set to run you for seventy plus years sometimes more" the man adds on.

Chills race down my spine, it just couldn't be. "No-no"

"Here is a little slip for you little frog, the great king before now ... never died, he is very much alive even after 145 years."

"Wh-what? H-how?"

"Did you really think the Princesses room was the tallest one in that tower?" he chuckles.

"I'll tell you one thing, if you think were scary, just imagine a very old man sprinting towards you in the dark with great speed and the full intention of chewing everything inside you raw, we are on the outside of the walls, but they are within the corners of your bedroom."

My heart violently thrashing, Have I gotten everything wrong? who were they?

"Dark rituals, black magic and the blood of animals and humans is what keeps this intact, all we do is capture, but they are the ones that strikes you with the blade and you're princess little frog, knows about the whole thing."

"No."

"Still don't believe us" he chuckles, His arm disappears behind his back slowly sliding out something from his pocket. "Does this look familiar?"

Many visions play back at the sight of that pendant alone, before my mother died she bought a necklace with each of our initials, hers is buried thus leaving only my brother and I and now he dangles it in my face, the home was indeed ransacked when they invaded but does that mean they went in further?

"This one is yours, who do you think has the other?" he laughs throwing it on the ground before me.

Tears fall lifting it from the floor rising to my knees, for so long I hid it away terrified to look at the memories it held from when I had people that loved me and now its here in sight reminding me just how cruel life has been. "She has the other half?"

"Indeed little frog."

"Bu-but"

A grave noise from the man on the wall, "Drop it runt, that is none of our concern."

"Though our grandfathers have cut ties, thiers refuses to die and settle the dispute in hell. Our bonds have long severed and a payment must be made hence that is why there is going to be a war. My son in the future will have the Princesses hand in marriage thus forever granting us more power and you will make sure to guard his life, you are forbidden to ever socialise with her ever or you would soon join your family thus killing her too."

The light at the window that I forgot about flickers, Charlotte's whimpers muffles in the room neither men turn to her direction.

Awakened and afraid, she scrambles out of the ties crying.

"All I have to do is snap my fingers and that room will be doused in liters of poison that would eat her up slowly from the inside, bleeding them out the face."

"No!"

"Or! ... on my signal both your friends would be freed and beside you again, if you all survive in the future it will be entirely up to you."

"All you have to do is agree to the terms runt and you could save your friend."

A heavy burden burns at my chest tearing my brain in two. Lose my two friends or lose Tiana. His neck stretched backwards, the clock was ticking.

"Remember runt, She knew when your brother was getting murdered".

The man's neck was about to come down, Goodby Tiana. "I'll do it" I cry out, "I'll do it."

As promised he waves the signal and I watched someone walk inside, untangling the binds.

"Smart little frog, from now on, you are assigned as my sons new bodyguard, forbidden from ever interacting with his future wife and to live solely to keeping him alive."

A blade is pulled from the man's pocket, My heart falls to my feet seeing him trudge towards me.

"No! No!"

Ignoring my plea he yanks my arm, blade pierces the surface of my skin and I cry out. Slowly and painfully a mark of a 'T' was carved into my skin sealing me within the darkness forever.

"You wrote in blood of loyalty, make sure to survive all your next tasks little frog."

The room roaring with their laughter as I cry out watching as Charlotte and the boy frantically search around for a way out.

Tiana now my enemy? my once reason to breath is now the reason to my uncertainty, has that smile been fake all along? or perhaps pity upon me a mere commoner.

Perhaps death should have taken me after all.