Getting Away
My family has ruled over the Nilhana Kingdom for many generations and, although our kingdom has grown due to foreign tribes joining us, we have retained our pure royal bloodline. My father, King Valan Nilhana II, has always been against allowing foreigners to join our kingdom and ever since he inherited the throne, he’s been trying to find a way to get rid of all the foreigners we now call citizens. That’s been much more difficult than he anticipated though. His attempts came to an end recently when he became gravely ill, restricting him to his bed. Despite being bedridden, my father refused to do nothing and continued to work in his room while his condition worsened.
“What?!” My voice echoes from behind my father’s bedroom door. “No! I don’t care if she’s the only noblewomen left, my answer is still no. She’s older than you, Father. What other reason do I need? We both know she hides her true age with magic, so don’t bother lying.”
“Lady Milrox is the only one that can give you a pure blooded heir. The other nobles have tainted their bloodlines with foreign blood and have thus betrayed us. I can assure you, Lady Milrox will be happy to give you a rightful heir.”
“Damnit, Father! No! I refuse to marry an old hag like her and that’s final!” I quickly leave his room and slam the large door shut. I walk a few feet down the hall, lean against the cold stone brick wall, and slide down until I’m sitting on the tile floor with my head tucked into my arms.
“My, oh my. Prince Neza Nilhana, is that you down there?” I hear a rough, deep voice from further down the hall. When I look up, I see a large round figure slowly walking towards me. As the figure gets closer, I can see that it’s Lord Jerome Damias.
“Yes, it’s me. What, may I ask, are you doing here, Lord Jerome?” I stand up to greet him, but I avoid eye contact. It’s not that I dislike him, we’re actually friends of a sort, but I find his large appearance rather repulsive. We’re only friends because I’ve spoken to him from time to time since he was appointed the status of a noble when his tribe was taken in by my grandmother. Since ashen skinned people were unheard of, they were given their own small domain to govern as long as they remained loyal to the throne. However, Lord Jerome is the only one granted nobility and the right to enter the castle while the others were restricted to living within his territory.
“I simply wanted to speak to the king, but I can see that is probably unlikely to happen. I heard he was planning something and wanted to offer my assistance.” He tipped his head as if to bow since he would often lose his balance otherwise.
I let out a long sigh. “Don’t worry, there’s nothing you could assist with anyways. You already know how my father feels about your kind, all foreigners for that matter.” I lean back against the cold wall and take a deep breath of the icy winter air. “Pardon my language for a moment. He’s such a stubborn ass. If I don’t change his mind soon, he’s going to marry me off to that old bitch. What the hell am I supposed to do? Ugh! I’m sick of all his idiotic schemes that I can’t stand being in this castle any longer.”
Lord Jerome grinned as he rubbed his chin. “Are you referring to the old witch that has served your family for a few generations? I can’t blame you for not wanting a woman like that, but with how your father is, I doubt he’d let you marry anyone else.”
At least someone understands me. Since Father keeps his distance from Lord Jerome, I’ve been able to just vent about whatever bothers me without having to worry about Father finding out. He doesn’t visit the castle often, but whenever Lord Jerome is here, he has always taken the time to listen to me. It’s somewhat comforting, but I still dislike the fact that an older, hideous man like him is my closest friend.
He gives me a gentle pat on the back. “Well, if you truly can’t stand being here any more, then how about you come to my mansion? I’d be honored to have you, Prince Neza Nilhana, as my guest.”
“Really? That is quite the tempting proposal, but my father would be furious if he found out I went to your territory. Oh, please just call me Prince Neza.”
“Oh, come now. There’s no need to worry. Besides, your father is stuck in bed, is he not? He can’t do anything to stop you nor can he command you to stay. You’re of a mature age now, so perhaps it’s time for you to choose what you want to do, right?” Lord Jerome places his hand on my shoulder and pulls me closer. “I also have a shaman back in my territory who can make a potion that’ll keep you warm. I’m positive you’ll have a great time, especially once you meet my guards.”
I shrug off his fat hand as I think for a moment. “Alright, It won’t hurt to stay there for a few days.” Honestly, I do just want to get out of this cold castle, but meeting some new people also sounds nice since I haven’t gotten the chance to socialize with anyone other than nobles that visit the castle. I proceed to tell one of the maids where I’ll be staying and that my whereabouts must not be told to my father. After I pack a few of my belongings, I enter a carriage with Lord Jerome and set off for his territory.
The trip took about a week. During that time, I was able to get to know the warriors that guard Lord Jerome. They showed off some of their training and hunting tactics while others told me stories about living in the jungle as a small tribe. I was captivated the entire trip since there was just so much I wanted to learn about these black skinned foreigners. Their strong accents made it difficult to understand sometimes, but I didn’t mind listening to them since they were happy to talk to me. Unfortunately, that all came to an end when we finally arrived at Lord Jerome’s estate. At least he said that I can visit them in their barracks whenever I want since it was right next to his mansion.
Lord Jerome led me through his mansion to a lavish bedroom. The bed is nearly as fine as the one back in my room at the castle and the large window had a clear view of the barracks right outside. I guess he wasn’t joking when he said I can visit them whenever I want since this room is ground level, so I can actually just leave through the window. I notice one of the warriors that I met and I wave to him through the window. I smile when he sees me and waves back.
“This room is amazing! Thanks, Lord Jerome.”
“You’re welcome, Prince Neza. Now then, if you’ll excuse me, I’ll go fetch my shaman to prepare a potion that will keep you warm. I expect it’ll be ready by tomorrow morning. The sun is setting, I do hope you’ll make yourself comfortable tonight. I wish you pleasant dreams~” Lord Jerome quickly closed the door with a smile and left me alone to get ready for bed.
“What the- Damn, these undergarments are a bit tight.” I groan to myself before blowing out the lantern. I forgot to bring my own nightwear and had to ask a maid to bring me some, but all they had was something a bit more feminine and lacy. I didn’t want to sleep naked and my other clothes were all dirty, so I reluctantly decided to wear it. Thankfully, no one can see me in this since it’s so dark. Honestly, I couldn’t even see those black guards patrolling the barracks once the sun went down. The moonlight barely makes them visible. If it was cloudy, they could even be at the window and I wouldn’t know it. That thought sent a slight shiver down my spine, but I decided to forget that thought and go to bed.
Unknown to me, there is a strange fog slowly flowing into my room from the air vent next to my bed. I slept peacefully, but odd dreams began to form within my mind. A brilliant fire bathed in gold and jewelry dances while black shadows gather around. The flame almost looks like a woman shaking her hips in some strange dance I’ve never seen before. The shadows worship her? No, she dances for the shadows as if to please them like a slave trying to please her master. Although it may be a dream, I almost don’t want to wake up. The longer I watch, the more I start to see a person instead of a flame. Her dance is so graceful that I can’t look away. It feels almost hypnotic. Just before I wake up, I notice that she kind of looks like me.
