Kingdom

07. The Forbidden Pool (3)

Yoongi rides like crazy down the forest path towards the Palace. Even if he is tired from the long day, the possibility of what could happen to the Princess shoots adrenaline into his veins. If she is harmed they will blame it on him. He shouldn't have left her alone. That stupid, naive girl, she walked into the only place she shouldn't. It might cause her everything.

Yoongi was told scary stories by his father about what could happen to a stranger who enters the forbidden pool. The memory of those stories makes him run faster down the corridor towards his rooms. He is hoping that, even if the ceremony is not complete, even if she is not truly a Queen yet, the magic won't be as aggressive to her as it could be to others.

The King rushes into the room, not noticing the two guards sleeping hugging each other by the door. He runs towards the garden, almost stumbling and falling a few times. There is a low thick fog spreading around the trees. The fumes move away from Yoongi's feet as he runs through them into the hot spring enclosure.

There he sees her, lying unconscious over the stairs, half her body submerged into the water. Dark fumes, similar to heavy smoke, are rising from the water, reaching high up towards the night sky.

Yoongi runs and grabs the Princess, pulling her body out of the water.

"Wake up!" he shouts in despair.

She doesn't answer. Is she even breathing?

"Wake up!" he repeats louder than before, trying to find her pulse.

"I can't find a way out!" she mumbles, moving slightly in his arms.

The Princess is alive, not all is lost. She is just hazed or dreaming. She is a royalty, not so easily taken by magic. Now that he is here, Yoongi can definitely save her.

"Whatever it is you see, is just a nightmare. You need to wake up! Just listen to my voice" he says, holding her firmly in his arms, trying to sound as reassuring as possible.

She seems not to hear him, talking to someone in her dream instead. Her voice gets angry, desperate, pleading.

"I don't want to go!" she says, "Why him of all people?! Why him ! I'd rather die, Joonie, I'd rather just go into exile. No, I can't promise you this ..."

She starts to toss and turn in his arms and Yoongi has to hold her closer to prevent her from slipping and hitting her head on the ground. As his hands wrap tightly around her, the Princess stops moving and her voice returns calmer and quieter than before. She sounds defeated.

"Yes, I am strong. Yes, I won't give up my life because of that man. I will find a way to survive...I promise, Joonie. Even if he seems cold and arrogant, even if he is the most terrifying man in the world... I will survive."

Yoongi starts to realise what the Princess' nightmare is about. Great. Apparently the King is the monster of her nightmares, so trying to bring her back would be like trying to get her from one nightmare to another. But he needs to try.

" You are strong, aren't you? You are not afraid of that person" he asks, trying to get her attention.

" Yes" she finally answers him, her eyes closed, dreaming, still in trance, "I am not afraid of him. I just hate him! It is all his fault "

Darkness seems to close around them thicker than before. Her dislike for the King is the last thing she should be mentioning here right now.

"Princess, do you know who I am?"

"No...." she pauses, "Who are you?"

"I am someone who wants to help you. Open your eyes and you can see me"