Cursed Union

{1}

It'd been three months since she had felt the sun touch her skin. The bracelet around her wrist felt more like a lock, a shackle tying her to the darkness of the Prince. She held firmly the invitation to the Winter Carnival of Ganea, her home.

Her chambers were lit lightly by some glehlium flowers native to Sleyisea Empire, but even in the dimness, she could easily see the plea in her mother's writing to come back home. She brought the parchment closer to her nose, hoping to get some remote sense of her mother, but all she could smell was tears and the regular scent of Ganea's papers.

Even then, some sort of comfort and courage sank into her, making her rise from her rocking chair. She caste a look at the quilt she had made earlier for the Prince to give something to smooth the impact of her request.

Eliana had spent her life living in fairytales. Her Kingdom was like a fantasy story: it always smelled like fresh rain and flowers, and that was the biggest speciality of Ganea. The fields stretched everywhere around them endlessly with no disease plaguing their lands and no enemies strong enough to wage a war.

Her sister Roese used to whisper tales from different kingdoms in her ear everytime her parents weren't there. Often, she made some stories up to keep Eliana entertained during events. She would take her down to a well every Friday and would wish for a handsome prince and then ask Eliana to make a wish herself. Eliana was loyal enough to wish for the same thing, the same gift her sister wanted.

Everyone knew the wishes never came true, that the goblins stole the gold people caste in to the well and it was just a ploy to be rich.

But people hoped, because that was what Ganea was; a land of hope.

And those lingering feelings made Eliana hope that perhaps the Prince wouldn't be as mad as she'd imaged and perhaps he would let her go back.

She picked the quilt; it was shimmering silver just like the Prince's hair, just like the Prince liked it. Two guards followed her closely as she headed for the Prince's chambers with two maids behind her.

The Prince's guards entered the room to inform the Prince of her arrival, to return moments later with the door open. The guards followed her inside with two maids: one carrying her coat and another quilt.

Eliana was certaom that the Prince's chambers were the most beautiful part of the castle. Everything around her was pure black in color with golden and silver designs. Platinium-white flames danced around the room making the embroidery shine bright than it usually would.

His chambers were like a house. The main room had velvet black sofas on one end and a balcony on the other. She had never entered his bed chambers, but had glimpsed enough of his study to know for sure that it was marvelous.

A chandelier hung high in the middle of the room with crystals casting lights all around. The flames were quiet that day, making the crystals create star-light projections on the jet black room.

Sleyisean empire was infamously known as the Night Kingdom because of the creatures that lurked in the dark. Creatures like the Prince. Eliana had never actually explored the kingdom, it was too high of a risk for a royal to take. Her dresses were brought to her room for choosing and her guards always accompanied her every time she was required to make an appearance with a Prince outside the castle.

But from all the churches she'd been to: both holy and unholy, she knew if she had to choose, the Prince's room would be her favourite place to worship.

A guard opened the door to the balcony and she realized that the Prince was out enjoying the cool breeze. A black hooded coat was draped over her shoulders and head by a maid. It was a light silk coat that went perfectly with the red dress her designer Eloise had picked out the morning but it did nothing to give her warmth against the winds roaring outside.