Apocrypha

Lyriel sensed a strange and ominous presence standing before her. A cold shiver ran down her spine as she assumed it must be a wild beast ready to feast on her. Without her magic, she would be completely helpless.

She proceeded to lift her head to see the beast before her, but the intruder pressed the cold edge of a metal dagger against her neck, ready to slit her throat at any moment. That single action changed her thoughts entirely. It wasn't a beast! Could it be human? Surely it had to be.

She remained frozen, torn between raising her head to confirm her suspicions and staying exactly where she was. Her mind raced wildly. What if it wasn't human at all, but some evil being? The ominous aura surrounding the stranger was far from reassuring. Perhaps it was a dark fae who had come to corrupt her... or something far more powerful and evil.

At last, she gathered enough courage to lift her head.

Lo and behold, a being stood before her, drenched by the rain. She couldn't make out his features through the darkness, but there was something unmistakably human about him.

He wore a long, dark cloak that concealed most of his face, as though he wished to hide his identity. There was such an overwhelming aura of mystery and power surrounding him that Lyriel could have sworn that, if the rain itself had a will, it would have changed its course rather than dare fall upon such a formidable being.

"Who... who are you?" Lyriel asked fearfully.

The mysterious man crouched down to her level, never removing the dagger from her neck. Lyriel strained to catch a glimpse of his face, but the rain poured so heavily, and there wasn't a single ray of light to aid her vision. The blade pressed a little deeper into her skin, and warm blood trickled down her neck. She felt a strange warmth spread through her body like fire on ice.

It was then that she saw his eyes—unnaturally bright and silver, like two moons in the midst of darkness. The sight frightened her so badly that she began to sob quietly.

What kind of human had eyes like that? Or had she somehow gone through the wrong portal, one that had led her into a different and far more sinister world rather than Earth, where men dwelled?

Surely she hadn't encountered a human. She had encountered a creature from the very depths of hell.

A Day Earlier...

"Lyriel!!"

A deep masculine voice resounded along the hallway, and Lyriel halted in her steps, fuming. She was disappointed to have encountered the last person she wanted to see that morning. Without sparing him a glance, she kept her eyes forward and walked quickly down the hallway, her golden wings brushing against the glowing floor.

The young man was startled by her nonchalant behavior. Lyriel wasn't just a regular princess, she was a bit naive but also very blunt. She wasn't the type to hide her feelings or opinions about a person or an idea, and of course, he wasn't in her good books.

An idea popped into his head as he gazed at the princess's retreating figure, and he smirked. He spread out his wings and flew toward her, hoping to sweep her off her feet. He was successful.

"Farren!!" Lyriel gasped in surprise as he lifted her off the floor without batting an eye. What had just happened was far beyond her imagination. She never expected that Farren would play such a prank on her... and of all days, it had to be the very day and moment when she had to appear before the council chambers.

She struggled and clawed at him, hoping to escape, but failed. Farren won, and this time he took her outside the palace. The ride was rather rough as they circled through the air, one trying to escape while the other tried to hold on. Farren was stronger and therefore able to keep her in place until he descended into an open field.

"Have you gone crazy?" Lyriel yelled and pushed him away. "Why did you play such a prank on me?"

"You were walking too fast, my love," he said, flashing a smile that probably worked on everyone else—just not her.

"Because I have somewhere important to be!" Lyriel frowned and turned around to leave, but Farren held her back, grinning widely. That grin made all the females go crazy with love for him, everyone except her.

"We should discuss our upcoming wedding! I've been thinking... maybe we should move the date closer. What do you think?"

She turned to him slowly, her blue eyes narrowing.

"Farren," she said evenly, "I'll make sure that wedding never happens."

Farren laughed out loud at her threat. He could not understand why the princess despised him so much.

"You cannot go against your father, Lyriel."

"Watch me!"

"Can't you see how much I love you?"

But Lyriel was already walking again, faster this time.

He ran after her in an attempt to make her listen, but just as he was about to touch her, a branch coiled around his legs, moving slowly and steadily. It caught his attention, and he wondered what sort of plant had the ability to do such a thing. The branch slithered further up his thigh, and when it had secured a proper grip on his leg, it pinned him to the ground and dragged him all the way to the river.

He looked up at Lyriel for help, only to see the grin on her face. He had never seen so much happiness and satisfaction in her eyes. How could he have completely forgotten that the princess had developed the habit of magically manipulating trees and branches? Bringing her down to the field was practically like signing his own death warrant.

More branches attacked him, stretching toward his torso and neck, coiling around him like snakes. Luckily for him, he was also a high-order Fae and therefore possessed magic. He fought against the branches, but the more he destroyed them, the more Lyriel sent to strangle him. He could see the glee in her eyes; she treated it like a game.

When she saw that he had been overpowered, she took to the sky and flew toward the castle in haste. She had an important meeting to attend, and Farren would definitely not be the reason she was punished for arriving late.

Unfortunately for her, Farren had broken free and accepted the challenge of stopping her from attending the meeting. She increased her speed and rose higher into the sky. It was impossible to beat royalty, as they were naturally stronger and faster than non-royal Fae, a trait indicated by their golden wings. Still, she couldn't underestimate Farren. He could definitely beat her if he set his mind to it.

The citizens of the kingdom were more than pleased to witness the chase between the princess and Farren. It wasn't every day that they even had the opportunity to catch a glimpse of them.