Fated To The Demon Prince

The young lady tiptoed through the palace, the air heavy with tension due to the recent strange visitors the king had received. She hid behind a door, carefully avoiding the guards' patrols. Once they left, she cautiously came out, pressing her ear against the door to eavesdrop on the king's conversation. Her heart sank as she listened, unable to believe what she heard. This couldn't be true.

In shock, she stumbled backward, accidentally knocking over a metal object, creating a loud noise that echoed through the room. The hushed discussion inside stopped, and the door was flung open. She was quickly caught and dragged out of her hiding spot.

"What are you doing, Abigail?" the king bellowed as she was thrown to the floor.

"You... you plan to send me to those beasts?" she stuttered in fright, squirming on the floor.

"It is your honor as the princess of Ashford," the king asserted.

"But I am not the princess," she yelled in desperation.

"You said I was chosen to keep the real princess away from the public because she's sick. Your Highness, I didn't sign up for this. You cannot hand me over to those beasts. They want the princess, and I am not her," Abigail pleaded, looking at the faces of the men in the deliberating room.

To her shock, the men did not show any surprise at her revelation. They were all aware and part of the plan. She was meant to be a sacrificial lamb, to be killed in place of the real princess.

With tears streaming down her cheeks, she fell to the floor, sobbing uncontrollably. She had never agreed to this; she was led to believe that the princess was sick and needed to be kept away from the public. Instead, she had been groomed and used to replace the princess. The truth became apparent – she wasn't covering for the princess; she was being used. They had honed her with perfect manners fitting for a princess, only to send her off to the place of nightmares.

"You will go to Nightfall Kingdom as the princess of Ashford, as demanded," the king declared firmly, sealing her fate.

"Take her away," he instructed the guards.

As they approached to grab her, she swiftly snatched a penknife from one of the soldiers. "I'd rather die here and now," she cried out in anger, driving the knife into her stomach. She collapsed to the floor as blood seeped slowly from her wound.

The king and his entourage stared down at her dying frame with disdain.

"She's ruined our plans. We don't have time for this. Maybe we should send the real princess," one man suggested, but his suggestion was silenced as the king drove a knife into his heart.

The other men stood in shock, watching their king with trepidation.

"We can't fight them. We must comply with their demand for the princess; otherwise, it's just a matter of time until we're all killed," they reasoned with him.

The king remained resolute. "No! We will find another substitute, one perfect and fitting to be known as royalty. We will send her instead. Abigail's dead, but there are plenty more Abigails out there. Find one," he ordered, his determination unwavering.

Jasmine's P.O.V

The young children of the village gathered in a small room, with a fire lit. They sat with wide eyes, frightened expressions, and a look of awe, listening to the legends.

"So, any more questions?" I asked the wide-eyed kids.

"Why are we at war?" One of the kids asked me.

I sighed deeply. That I couldn't really explain, "Nightfall's King is just really greedy and power-drunk. He wants to conquer every kingdom for himself," I explained briefly.

Nightfall was a massive nation. Smaller nations like Ashford and the Kingdom of Fae had come together to battle against them, but they remain undefeated.

"The warriors of Nightfall number about five hundred who ride out to battle. Yet the united army of kingdoms, consisting of thousands, still couldn't bring them down."

I sat at night most times in the village with children, telling them stories. This was one of such nights.

The war between our kingdom and Nightfall had gone on for over decades. But even before that, stories of their brutality and the takeover of kingdoms had spread years before our war with them started. We had suffered for years from the war.

"Are they really that strong?" A girl with brown hair of about thirteen years asked.

"We have strong warriors, but the war has gone on for years now. My older brother has been gone for more than ten years now, fighting against them," she added sadly.

I felt a little bit saddened; the war had made these kids grow up faster. At their age, they talked about a lot of violence and death.

"Well, don't worry, kids. The kingdoms have been deliberating. Soon and very soon, the war will come to an end," I said to them as their faces lit up. I really do hope it does.

"You really love kids, don't you?" Nate asked, walking over to me, meeting my eyes with his breathtaking obsidian orbs.

"Yes," I said with a smile.

"Well, let's get married. So we can have our own," Nate said, pulling me closer to his body playfully.

I let out a small giggle, and he tickled me. I've liked Nate for years now; he was always there for me.

"Uuuh, Jasmine and Nate are gonna kiss," the kids squealed in both excitement and disgust.

I giggled at their reactions and said, "You should all go home now."

"Bye Jas!" the kids said, standing to leave, bidding their goodbyes.

I walked side by side with Nate back to the palace. I loved evenings like this, strolling back with Nathan.

"Will things ever go back to how it used to be? Life without being at war," I wondered out loud. I missed my family dearly.

"You know it hasn't always been like this," Nathan said.

I knew this; I was well aware. My grandmother often spoke about a time before the war when our lands stretched out for miles, and people could freely travel between clans and kingdoms. However, everything changed when Nightfall, in their greed, declared war and attempted to take over our lands.

Our kingdom was smaller, and most of the men had been sent out to battle. Families were torn apart. Among them were my brother and father. Father, the war commander and the king's right-hand man, rode out to battle and hasn't been seen or heard from in five years. We received wounded soldiers, who returned battered and half-dead, with unspeakable horrors in their eyes and faces.

Survivors barely lasted three days, succumbing to their wounds. Their wounds looked strange, with claw marks, burn marks, and some having their bones completely broken. They became delirious, talking of a monster that could snap a human's neck with bare hands like a twig.

However, lately, no news about the battle came forth. The uncertainty weighed heavily on all of us. The only certainty was that we were losing. Soon, Nightfall would march over, taking us as slaves. We waited here, counting our days, biding the time we had left as free people.

"You know Nightfall has a secret weapon, the main reason why they've been undefeated for years now," Nathan said suddenly. I glanced at him in disbelief.

"It's true; I spoke with one survivor." He continued in a hushed voice. "Although he died a day after." Nathan said with a sigh. "There's a rumor of a man who's like a beast, with fiery red eyes, a warrior from Nightfall, part human, part beast. Highly destructive, the weapon of Nightfall, and he killed many with his bare hands."

I stared at Nathan blankly. I had heard of this, rumors like this spread from the battlefield, but it was completely ridiculous, even the king said so himself. What was concluded was that warriors had become nearly crazy from what they experienced; they became delusional.

Still, it was worrisome. Just how dreadful were those people we were at war with?

"Don't be ridiculous," I said while rolling my eyes in disbelief. The stories from the battlefield had grown increasingly outlandish. "It's true! Nightfall led an army of five hundred soldiers against three thousand of our men, and we were completely annihilated! It makes no sense if you ask me."

I was familiar with the story he mentioned. Nightfall was a kingdom of unknown and immeasurable powers.

"If we can figure out the source of their strength, we could stand a chance to defeat them. Other than that, we're heading to a slaughterhouse!" Nathan said firmly, his eyes burning with passion.

We stopped at the palace gates. When my father rode out to battle, I stayed at the palace, housed by his Majesty and serving as a royal household servant. Nate worked as one of the guards for the royal family. As we walked back to the palace, I bid him goodnight as we separated for our duties.

In exchange for my father's service, my mother was taken care of. She had always been sick, and with my father's sacrifice and my service to the royal family, she received treatment from the royal doctors.

Once back at the servants' quarters, I headed to the kitchen to continue with my chores. The uncertainty of the war and my longing for news about my father made every day a challenge to get through. Being around the kids and telling them stories set me at ease.

Bella, a senior servant who served the royal family directly, called out urgently, "Jasmine, come at once!" She instructed at the door. As I stepped out to the hall, two familiar royal guards, Patrick and Mike, stood by the door.

"Come with us," they instructed, and I followed them meekly.