by Dahlia Lu
Princess of the Damned
Dahlia Lu
All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
Copyright © 2012 Dahlia Lu
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form.
Books by Dahlia Lu
The Devil’s Lover Series
The Wish
The Resurrection
Nala had been tormented by thousands of years of unrequited love for her other half. Exhausted and mentally drained from her pursuit, she was determined to exact revenge by finding another man who could reciprocate her love.
Prologue
She looked down at the crashing waves below and decided that the cliff was high enough. If she fell from this height, she would break more than just a few bones in her body. Good. If she couldn’t lure him to come out, she didn’t want to feel the pain of dying.
She inched closer to the edge and took in a deep breath. The pure height of where she was standing made her dizzy and she had always hated the feeling of free falling. Her position gained the attentions of the fishermen standing by the shore. They looked like insects from where she stood, but she could hear their rowdy commotion.
Without giving herself any time for second thought, she leapt off the cliff. Her impeccable vision allowed her to catch a glimpse of their horrified faces as they watched her dropping to sparing boulders and unforgiving waves below. No human could have survived a fall at this height.
Instead of splattering onto the geological landscape or being swallowed by the current, he came to her rescue. He materialized and caught her in midair. They gently floated down as if they both weighed nothing and landed on a patch of grass. He had traced both of them back to the top of the cliff.
He let her down to her feet and she wrapped her arms around him immediately so that he would not run away again. When he tried to free himself, she stubbornly held on to him.
“You care about me, I know you still do!” she cried. “Otherwise you wouldn’t have come!”
“You shouldn’t lure me out this way,” he said. His voice was so cold that it sent a chill through her. “I won’t always be around to catch you.”
“I hate it when you lie. You’re always around. You’re always watching over me. Please don’t run away from me anymore. I am tired. I am really tired.”
He traced away from her embrace. “Take care of yourself, Nala.”
“I love you!” She shouted out before he disappeared from her life once again. “I love you, Trent! No matter how many more thousands of years come to pass, I will only love you!”
“You don’t love me!” he retorted. She had never seen such an angry expression on his face.
“I do love you.” She reached for his hands and held it tightly at her chest. “My mind, my thoughts are filled with nothing but you. I love you so much, it hurts.”
“How many times must I tell you that the love you speak of is nothing more than the forces of the universe pulling us together?” He snatched his hands back. “We were originally one person, don’t you understand? Why won’t you understand, Nala?”
“You’ve told me! You’ve told me hundreds of times over and over! Why don’t you listen to what I am telling you? I am in love with you. No matter how many men I have forced myself to love; I still couldn’t love anyone but you!”
“What do you want me to do, Nala?” he finally asked the question.
There were a million things she could have answered him, but she failed to say a word. She wanted him to be with her? To love her like she did him? When he stopped running and she stopped chasing, what would happen? Force him to accept her feelings? She let out another sob and stepped away from him.
“What do you want, Nala?” he repeated the question. “You’ve tricked me, you’ve lied to me, and you are making my life a living nightmare! When will it be enough?”
“Am I wrong to fight for my own happiness? Unlike the humans who only have to endure a lifetime of sorrow from their unrequited love, I have already endured many lifetimes!”
“Why are you fighting for something that doesn’t exist?”
“Then tell me…” she said in breaking words. “Tell me that my feelings are mine alone. Tell me right here that you don’t love me and I swear to you I will never appear before you again.”
“Nala!”
“Say it!” she demanded. “Tell me here once and for all. I am very tired, Trent. I don’t have the strength to struggle with you anymore.”
He stared at her for a long moment before turning to walk away. “I’ve never loved you.”
It was better to be tormented once than forever.
She had forgotten how many times he had walked away like this. He was always the one to say the last word and he was always the one to walk away. She wanted to change that for once.
She had never felt so drained and exhausted.
“Out of two of us, only one should exist, Trent. I will get rid of the woman who sees you and only you. I will destroy everything about her here, this moment, so that she could never love you again!”
“If you think that I would fall for one of your tricks again, you are childish!”
She shook her head. “There will be no more tricks. I don’t have the time for that. I have traded my eternity for a few years with you. The next time you see me, I will not be the Nala who loves only you anymore.”
Chapter One
Northern Kingdom, 939
Death was stalking him.
Sayan could no longer feel the hunger that had tortured his physical body. He was beyond that now. He felt numb, lightheaded, and an overwhelming urge to sleep. He tried to move his fingers, but he couldn’t even feel them anymore. It was a sad way to die, but it couldn’t be helped.
He couldn’t blame his parents for leaving him there to die. War had left the common people with little to survive on. Some people were even reduced to eating tree roots and bark to survive. Having him around would only be a burden. Life would be better for them now. His siblings would have more to eat. They wouldn’t have to go to bed with half empty stomachs.
Danger lurked around him.
The beast hiding in the shadow of the forest showed itself. A grey wolf was coming for him, hunched, and ready to tear his small body to shreds. He looked straight into its eyes and kept a still glare. At this point, the sensation of fear had already left him. It returned his glare and he found himself in a battle of wills against the animal. The beast could get his body after he died, but not before. He wanted to spend the last moments of his life thinking of the good things his parents did for him, so that in death he would not hate them.
He didn’t know how long he glared at the wolf. Just when he thought he couldn’t keep his eyes open anymore, it whimpered and then scampered away.
There was a girl in front of him then. She had a gentle face of light tan complexion. Her silky platinum hair fell off her shoulder and rained down the side of his cheek. Her eyes were pale green, clear and fresh like morning dew on young spring leaves. He wanted to get a still look at them, but her long and dark lashes hid them away with each blink.
He was losing touch on reality. His eyelids were as heavy as lead. He did not want to sleep, but sleep was coming for him.
When he opened his eyes again, his surroundings had changed. He was lying in a small bed, draped with pink and gold fabric. Moonlight shone through the blue glass window, giving the tiny room a luminescent glow. Lying next to him was the beautiful girl he had seen before he passed out. Her pale green eyes smiled with her.
He slowly sat up. “Am I dead?” he asked.
“You’re not dead yet, although you came close.” She
sat up and placed the blanket on his shoulders.
“Who are you?” he inquired. He suddenly felt dizzy.
“You can call me Nala.” She reached for the bowl next to the bed and handed it to him. “Have some more honey. If you want some solid food, I can get you some.”
He looked down at the watered-down honey inside the bowl. This must be what she had been feeding him when he was unconscious. No wonder there was a trace of sweetness on his lips. “Did you save me?”
“I only fed you a little bit of honey.” She patted on the soft pillow. “Rest a little more while I find some food for you.”
He did as she asked. She shuffled his hair and then exited the room. She returned several minutes later with a loaf of bread and a roasted drumstick. Hunger had made him forget about manners. He devoured the food as fast as he could. How long had it been since he had a meal like this? She handed him a cup of watered down honey when he finished the meal.
“Why don’t you stay here until you figure out where to go?”
He looked up at her. “You mean…I can stay here?”
She nodded.
“No, I won’t be a burden! I don’t want to be anyone’s burden!” He brushed the blanket off and bolted off the bed. His legs failed him and he tumbled onto the floor.
She picked up him and placed him on the bed again. “How about this? You do a little bit of chores while you stay here?”
A little smile appeared on his face. “I promise I will work very hard to earn my meal!”
She shuffled his hair again. “You have to rest first.”
On the morning of the second day, Sayan felt like himself again. His strength returned. He wandered out of the tiny room and discovered it to be a traveling wagon. There were many identical wagons lining up behind one another. There were many beautiful women walking by wearing revealing dancer’s costumes. It must be a dancer’s caravan.
“Excuse me,” he called over one of the women. “Do you know where…Nala is?”
“What a cute little boy,” the woman pinched his cheek. “You look so much better than the pitiful shape we found you in.”
“Do you know where she is?”
“I haven’t seen her all morning,” the woman replied. “Don’t worry, she’ll be back soon. Speak of the devil, there she is.” The woman pointed at the horse heading toward them. Nala got off the horse and received a small brown bag from the horseman. The horseman smiled at her and then rode off.
“Who is that?” Sayan asked.
“He’s probably a rich man’s retainer. It looks like she just got paid, so you’re going to get food tonight.”
Sayan returned into the wagon and closed the door shut. Several minutes later, Nala came in with a tray of food. There was that smile on her face again.
“Are you hungry yet?”
He knocked over the tray that she offered. “I would puke up all of the food I’ve ate until now if I could!”
“You don’t feel well today?” She picked up the loaf of bread and tapped away dirt that may have clung on to it.
“So this is what you do? I would never have eaten the food if I had known that it was earned by your dirty ways!”
“Food is food, little one, no matter how it was obtained.” She placed the loaf of bread in his hands. He threw it out the opening of the window.
“I would rather starve!”
He was expecting her to be furious with him, but she said nothing and exited the wagon. He watched her walked away through the opening of the window. He didn’t catch the look in her eyes, so he couldn’t tell if she was crying or not.
He bolted out of the wagon and chased after her.
“Wait!”
She paused.
“I’m sorry I lashed out on you. I thank you for your kindness, but I can’t stay here anymore. One day, I will find a way to return the favor. I hope you weren’t hurt by what I’ve said.”
She turned around. “I’m not hurt, little one. I’m just a little sad that someone as young as you already has such negative feelings about my profession. I’m a dancing girl- it doesn’t mean I sell my body.” She walked toward him and placed the small brown bag in his hands. “Here is some money that will help you along the way.”
“Why…why are you doing this?”
She was hesitant to answer. “I think it’s because you remind me of myself many years ago. I lost my memories and didn’t know who I was, but luckily the madam took me in and sheltered me. She even taught me the trade. The madam made me believe that there are still good people in the world. Well, take care of yourself.”
“Sayan”
“What?”
“My name is Sayan,” he offered the brown bag back to her, “and I will work very hard to serve you from now on.”
Chapter Two
Western Kingdom, 946
Morning light seeped through the crack of the windows. Sayan used his hand to block out the light from getting to his eyes. He had wanted to get some thick curtains for the windows, but he knew the light was the only thing that could wake him up. He quietly got off the bed and exited the wagon. Nala needed more sleep in the morning since she performed late into the night. Normally she woke up much earlier than him, but he insisted that she stay in bed.
Morning started with chopping the wood and storing the kindling in the storage wagon. Then after that washing all of the dirty laundry and preparing breakfast.
“Breakfast, Nala.” Sayan nudged her shoulder.
She sat up at his touch then washed her hands and face in the water basin he provided. She only ate a tiny bit of food and expected him to finish the rest. He had asked her to eat more, but she always said that she doesn’t have the appetite. He had given up on persuading her by now.
“The Caravan arrived at the Red City last night,” he informed her. “The madam wants you to perform courting dance of the butterflies tonight.”
“Did she instruct anything else?”
“No, she just asked that you be on time.”
Nala put on a black cloak and pulled the hood over her head.
“Are you going somewhere?”
“Would you escort me through the marketplace?”
“Of course, wait for me to put these away.” Sayan picked up the tray and the water basin and exited the wagon. He returned shortly, strapped the covered heavy blade on his back, and followed her to the marketplace. The thing probably weighed more than he did, but he had gotten used to it over the years.
The nice aroma of spices and perfumes were mixed with putrid smells of dead fish. It smelled like the city, alright. Sayan followed Nala through stalls of luscious silks, beautiful jewelries, and exotic goods from faraway lands. She passed through them without a second glance, but stopped in front of a blacksmith shop. He unwrapped the heavy blade and placed it on the table.
The blacksmith shook his head after examining the weapon. “I have never seen anything like it.” He carefully traced the edge with his fingers. “I can get you a very good price for a fine weapon such as this.”
“I’m sorry, it is not for sale.” Nala signaled him to put the weapon away. He wrapped the heavy blade with the thick grey fabric and strapped it back onto his back.
“Are you sure? I can give your twenty gold coins.”
Nala shook her head and continued to the next blacksmith shop.
He had always been curious as to why Nala wanted to know more about this heavy blade. Every town or city they have traveled through, she always stopped by the blacksmiths first before she went anywhere else.
“Twenty gold coins is a lot. Are you sure you don’t want to sell the blade?”
“If I sell it, I may never be able to find out who I am.”
“This blade is linked to your identity?”
“It has been with me since the day I lost my memory. If I find out who it belongs to, maybe that person will tell me more about myself.”
“Is finding out who you are that important to you?”
She took
a moment to think about it. “I may have a family looking for me. Maybe I have parents and siblings waiting for me to come home. I don’t know, I just can’t help being curious. What about you, Sayan? I’ve never asked you about your family.”
He paused for a moment and then picked up his footsteps. “You are my family now.”
“Come to think about it, Sayan, I haven’t bought you new clothes in a while.” She turned around and measured him with her eyes. “You are growing so fast, that outfit looks tight on you. I gave you money, but you never spent any of it on yourself.”
“No, this is fine – Nala!” He reached out and caught her hand when he saw her tripping on an empty bucket. If he hadn’t caught her in time, she would have fallen face first into the mud.
“You saw nothing,” she quickly brushed the embarrassment away.
“Sure,” he chuckled.
“Come.” She took his hand and led him into an outfitter. “White would get dirty so fast and navy doesn’t go well with your complexion.” She smiled at the shopkeeper. “Miss, do you have anything neutral that would look good on my friend here?”
The shopkeeper flustered at the sight of him. “For him, of course I do!” She walked around the counter and then measured him with her hands. He stood still for her to do her work until her touch made him feel uncomfortable.
“Anything will do,” he said to her.
“Yes, yes, come with me.” The shopkeeper led him into the dressing room and handed him a beige outfit.
“Something darker,” Nala said to the shopkeeper.
The shopkeeper picked out a black outfit and Nala did not object.
“Would you like me to help-?”
“No, I can dress myself!”
Sayan quickly changed into the new outfit and stepped out of the dressing room. The shopkeeper smiled satisfactory. “I knew that would look good on you!”
