Swords and Scars: The Promise of Forever

Shadows Of The Past

She had found him.

He frowned but quickly regained his mischievous smile and ran off. "Catch me if you can!" he shouted. Grinning, she sprinted off after him. 

They stargazed that night. The world was asleep and it was just Valerie teaching Felix about the constellations. She liked the calm; it was just her and Felix, laughing and blabbering with each other in their secret tower. "Why're you so stupid?!" she exclaimed. He seemed hurt but he said, "You wait and watch! One day, I'll grow just as strong as you!"

She laughed. How he managed to shake off all the rude comments she gave him was still a mystery to her.

He was that way. He had always been that way. He was kind and regal. He made mistakes while doing small things but still managed to laugh it off. She used to call him a dork, a stupid prince. He got hurt for that. She knew. But he still looked at her with the same joy and excitement. 

Valerie wasn't that way. She was energetic. She was hot-headed. She couldn't forgive easily. But she still loved playing with him. Though she constantly teased him about being dorky, she loved him. And he knew that.

She knew that they would always be best friends. She knew they would always be together. She knew, that even when they grew up, he would still call her 'Lily'. She knew that she would always tease him about his green eyes even though she secretly loved them. She knew that he would always sneak up behind her just to see her scared face.

Or at least she thought she knew.

Until all that came crumbling down.

The screams of her parents on that gruesome night flooded her mind. The cling of the knife as it stabbed them again and again. Her helpless cries. Her mother shouting her name. The merciless, villainous laughter. She could see herself huddled against her bed frame, trying not to get killed. She could see the crimson stains on the knife as it almost struck her.

Panic engulfed her senses. The horrible memories of that night came flooding in. She couldn't run away from them. No matter how hard she tried. She wanted to slap herself. To force herself awake from this nightmare. But she couldn't move her body. It was as if she was back on that night again. Huddled against her bed, crying helplessly as all she ever loved in the whole world was gone. The dead were pitiable, but the greatest sorrow was felt by those who lived. Those who wish to die but can't, even when everything around them is no longer there. Valerie knew that all too well. 

"Princess"

The screams of her mother became more vivid. The pain gnawed at her heart.

"Valerie"

She tried to force herself awake. But failed.

"Valerie!"

Valerie had never felt more relieved about being awake. Sweat dripped from her forehead. Her throat was sore from the screaming. Vision was blurry but it slowly became more clear. She could see Amber, her lady-in-waiting with a concerned look on her face. Amber and she had grown up together, so they were more like good friends.

"Princess, are you okay? Was it a bad dream?" Amber asked.

"Yes, it was, but I am fine now..." Ellara said. 

"Princess, The Espanol is next week. A lot of preparations are yet to be made. You should hurry "

"I'm coming. Amber, just go and check if Count Lawrence is here."

Amber left. Valerie was left to her thoughts. She was still taking deep breaths. Part of her wanted to forget all about what she had just seen in her dream. But the other part of her wanted to stay. Part of her wanted to go back to that dream and regain everything she had ever lost. She wanted to cling to those memories of her and Felix. These were things of the distant past. She had long forgotten about them. She had sworn never to think of them again. Never to think of him.

But part of her still missed him.

Ten years. It had been ten years since Princess Valerie and Prince Felix, who had always been best friends, last saw each other. The memories still stung her heart. Ten years ago, she had sworn to end King Aiden, father to Felix. It was all a plan. Felix had grown close to her only to know her better. Only to betray her in the most ruthless way possible. She couldn't believe that the same Felix who laughed most charmingly and never failed to cheer her up, who promised her that they would always be close would turn out to be her greatest enemy. 

Tears welled up in her eyes. She still kept that matching bracelet he had given her. She wanted to cry badly. She wanted to huddle up against the wall and let all those bottled emotions out. 'Be strong' she reminded herself. 'He won't ever be the same again.'

The Espanol was the greatest royal summit of all time, held once every fifty years. Valerie's father had taught her that the rulers of the most powerful kingdoms would gather in the 'Mirand', a great castle built on the outskirts of the country, to discuss terms of global welfare in an attempt to forge political alliances between kingdoms. 

Valerie was to attend the summit since she was next in line to the throne.

Which means Felix would too.

She wasn't sure whether to feel excited or hateful. After all, she had every reason to hate him. Still, he was her childhood best friend, the only person who truly knew her behind her facade of strength and courage.

Then, the memories of all the wrongs done by Felix came to mind. She couldn't trust him anymore. He was no longer the Felix she knew. He was a cruel and merciless person, one who could kill with a smile on his face. Valerie's blood boiled. She once again reminded herself of her oath. On the night when her parents died, when she lost everything she ever loved, she had sworn to end everyone who had been part of the plan of her parents' murder. She wouldn't kill them. Death was too good for their deeds. No, she would make them suffer. She would make them suffer just as they had tricked her kingdom and her parents into believing they were allies, till they could no longer breathe. 

Valerie wouldn't compromise on giving the royals of Socotra a taste of their own medicine.

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A/N-

Hey!! So that's the first chapter. This is very bad as this is my first writing. It may seem very boring, but I promise that things will get a lot more interesting as the story progresses. There are a lot of twists and turns waiting. The next chapters will be more fast-paced; I just wanted the first chapter to be kind of a gist of what the story is going to be about. Things will make a lot more sense. So, let me know if you would like to read the story, and I'll drop by more chapters then(if you like it, I might as well make this a series, 'cause it's a long story with a plot I have thought about very deeply)

Peace!

- Rose