The sound of galloping horses was heard across the kingdom. Soldiers rode through the kingdom with sticks of fire in their hands as they safeguard the kingdom against invading enemies.
Lilia hid behind a cart, a scarf tied around her head as she waited for a soldier galloping towards her. The soldier rode past her not noticing her presence, Lilia inhaled deeply in relief and quickly walked towards Mama Gunad's door.
She knocked quietly not to attract the attention of a nearby soldier approaching her. She heard a voice indoors, "Open mother, it's Lilia" she whispered with her mouth pressed on the wooden door.
Instantly, the door opened, Lilia quickly burst in and closed the door. The noise of the closing door attracted a nearby soldier. Quickly, Lilia hid under the old woman's bed, her hands over her mouth.
"I heard a noise in here," the soldier said firmly as he stared at the woman with angry eyes.
Mama Gunad weakly held onto the door as she faced the intimidating soldier, "It's nothing, I thought I saw a rat and it got me scared" she quickly replied.
The soldier narrowed his eyes, shoved her aside, and walked into the hut. His eyes scanned around the small room for more than a minute, after making sure that the house is free from any invaders, he turned to the tired woman, "You better keep your door locked and don't create any problems for this kingdom" he paused with staggering eyes, "Witch!" He spat out and walked out of the hut.
Mama Gunad quickly locked the door and turned towards her bed. "You can come out now, he is gone" she announced and Lilia crawled out of the bed.
A look of worry appeared on her face as she scanned the new appearance of the young princess who woke her up from her night slumber. "What are you up to this time Lilia?" She inquired with a questioning look.
Lilia gazed out of the window as a soldier with a fire stick walked past the hut. She looked at the worried woman before her but her decision has been made and there is no going back, "I am leaving the kingdom tonight" she announced as her hands clung onto her bag tightly.
Mama Gunad's eyes expanded in fear, "No dear, you can't, it is very dangerous out there, you have to go back to the kingdom" she said quickly in panic.
Lilia nodded in disapproval, "No!, I won't go back to that kingdom until my parents let me do as I please and not just marry me off like I am a piece of exchange" she asserted.
With love in her eyes, the older woman walked towards her and wrapped her hands together with hers, "This isn't the best decision Lilia, you can still talk to your parents about your wish and not run away, that isn't the best decision.
Lilia inhaled deeply, she closed her eyes with sadness written all over her face. She knows that her parents will be worried when they find out about her disappearance but her mind is made up, she won't allow herself to be bound by any laws or responsibility of being a princess, " I am sorry mother, but my mind is made up. When the right time comes, I will come back home" she noted.
Glaring at her face, Mama Gunad knew that the young princess' mind was made up. Feeling defeated, she breathed in deeply, let go of her hands, and walked towards a cupboard. Mama Gunad pulled out a drawer and picked up a silver necklace. With depressing eyes, she walked towards the princess and wore the necklace around her.
"My mother gave me this necklace and I will love you to have it. I believe that it is powerful enough to protect you against any danger" she hesitated and cupped Lilia's face in her hands, "Please be safe and come back when necessary" she begged.
With eyes welled up in tears, Lilia hugged her compassionately, "Thank you mother" she whispered and slowly let go.
The sound of a passing soldier filled their ears, Mama Gunad glanced out with troubled eyes. She turned to Lilia who has the same uneasy look as she bit her lower lip nervously.
Quickly, Mama Gunad glanced at her tall cupboard, tiredly, she walked towards it, her eyes scanning the old furniture.
Lilia walked towards her confused by her act, "What are you trying to do mother?" She implored curiously.
Mama Gunad looked up at her, "There is a passageway my father built long ago before his death during war times" she disclosed.
Lilia surveyed the room but found nothing, with an uncertain look, she turned to the old woman, "But I don't see anything mother" she confessed.
A smile appeared on the older woman's face, "it is hidden beneath this cupboard, you have to push this cupboard away from its standing spot and you will find it there" she said.
Curiously, Lilia dropped her backpack on a stool nearby, walked towards the wooden cupboard, and pushed it with all her might. Surprisingly, a small door was seen locked perfectly with a padlock. The sight of it brought hope to Lilia who couldn't help but smile. She glanced up at the woman before her, "Where is the key?" She implored with enlarged eyes.
Mama Gunad walked towards a table, picked up a jar, and brought out a small bronze key. Lilia took the key from her, unlocked the door and a dark passageway with stairs as seen below. Lilia's eyes lit up in joy, she handed the keys to the old woman, hugged her with her face filled with smiles, "Thank you so much Mama Gunad, I will never forget you" she said and hugged the woman again, her eyes filled with tears.
"You have to go now, news of your disappearance will be discovered soon, you have to leave" Mama Gunad gestured to her.
With a nod, Lilia picked up a fire stick from a side of the house, brought out a matches box from her pocket, and quickly lit it. She turned to Mama Gunad, smiled, and walked down the stairs, deep darkness revolved around her but the fire stick gave her way through the dark tunnel.
With fiery eyes, Lilia walked down the long stairs which never seemed to end. She gazed at the wall of the tunnel with wonders in her heart. This tunnel looks so old and deep and she wondered for how long it took Mama Gunad's father to build.
After an hour of walking down the stairs, she began to see light a distance away, filled with hope, she held onto her backpack and walked faster. She began to realize how narrow the tunnel become, quickly she bent and began to crawl towards the light that was becoming obvious. After a few minutes of climbing, she finally reached the end and got out of the tunnel into the open sky and an atmosphere filled with trees and moist ground.
Lilia turned back to the tunnel, she has succeeded in her escape, right now, she has to face the reality of life and find another kingdom.
With the fire stick in her hand, she knew that the sun was going to rise soon. Lilia inhaled deeply and walked into the woods with nothing but a stick and her bag.
The sun shone brightly without mercy, the chirping sound of insects filled the woods as squirrels ran past the grass up to a tree trunk. Lilia's eyes flickered around as she walked on, she had been wandering around for hours but couldn't find a nearby village. Every moment she felt thirsty, she brought out the bottle of water in her bag, took a sip, and dumped it back into her bag just to preserve it. She doesn't know when she will find a village so she shouldn't be wasteful. As she walked on, her feet stepped on dry leaves as the rustling sound occupied her, she looked up at the tall trees before her, some of them had dry leaves which fell drastically to the ground but the rest were green and filled with fruits of its kind. She must find a way through these trees and get to someone as soon as possible but the more she walked, the more she became confused and paranoid. Lilia bit her lower lip with puzzled eyes, at a point, she began to feel weak and her feet began to hurt. She surv
Lilia began to struggle in the dark but the hand that held her was far stronger than her fading strength. She kicked the figure hard on its leg which was so firm that she thought she hit a rock instead.The figure said nothing but refused to release its hand from her mouth no matter how hard Lilia strived.Slowly, a tiny ray of light emitted from a crack above, and slowly, Lilia saw a pair of dazzling green eyes staring at her. At first, she couldn't see anything else but those green eyes that were pierced deep into her soul. She closed her eyes and struggled more but the more she did, the more she realized that her effort was fruitless. With sad eyes, a tear slowly fell from her left eye as she begged the green eyes which stared at her nonstop. Slowly, the ray of the light became brighter and shone on the necklace around her neck, its radiation filled the room.The green eyes before her shone in shock at the sight of the necklace and suddenly his eyes became so angry and violent.
A ray of light pierced through her skin, her body burned up in enormous pain. Slowly, Lilia opened her eyes to find a pair of eyes staring at her. She narrowed her eyes at the image before her as it became clear, the eyes that stared at her were not the green eyes she was expecting to see but her mum's blue eyes that shone in worry."My Child" Queen Mena muttered with a happy smile as she quickly cupped Lilia's hand in hers, her face beaming with joy.Lilia blinked with a confused look, she scanned around and was surprised to find herself back in her bedroom, her mum seated next to her with a relieved face. She squeezed her forehead puzzled as she wondered how she got here, "Mother" she whispered as the pain in her mouth prevented her from speaking. She winced in pain, her eyes shut together as her back ached badly."Stay calm child, don't stress yourself, you are still healing" Queen Mena caress her hand slowly, her eyes welled up with tears, "I thought I have lost you forever" she s
The sound of the galloping horses was heard as they left the palace and headed to the village. Lilia glanced out at the open window of the carriage as she gazed at people who stopped as soon as they saw the royal carriage approaching. Finally, she could get answers concerning the necklace that was given to her by Mama Gunad, she needs to know its origin and maybe get answers of the beast in the cave. The carriage rode gently, the pain in her body made it difficult for her to stay put but she insisted that she would, no matter how hard it would take.Soon, they got closer to Mama Gunad's house, the people around stared at Queen Mena in glittering eyes as they admired her beauty and royal clothings. They were used to seeing the princess but the presence of the Queen gave them goosebumps as their heart raced with awe. Lilia got out of the carriage, she didn't care about her twisted ankle or the villagers watching. With pains, she limps towards the door of the hut, her heart filled wit
Two maids rushed into the room as they heard Lilian loud gasp. They stared at her with scared eyes as they wondered what happened.Lilian panted heavily as she stared at her body, she still had bruises on her skin but she felt no pain in her legs, hands or body!.Shocked, she quickly got out of her bed, walked towards the door and back to her bed without limping or any feeling of pain. The maids stared at her in confusion but none of them dared to say a word but watched her with longing eyes. Lilia walked towards a mirror nearby, glared at her reflection and to add more to her surprise, her red puffy eyes were all gone as they were replaced with her normal eyeballs. Even the cut by the side of her mouth healed, not a scratch could be seen but the wounds on her hands and leg were still present. Quickly she turned to the maids with a smile on her face which quickly faded as she walked to her bed, sat on it and the weird dream she just had crawled slowly into her mind. She turned to th
"I am Adolphus, son of the leader of the Alpha pack of werewolves and I need no one to question my identity!" He roared in deep rage, his teeth elongated and became pointy and so terrifying to gaze at. His ears become longer as his appearance turned into a wolf, His eyes facing Lilia's terror eyes as she shivered in fear. Lilia's eyes widened In shock at his revelation. She stared at the beast before her whose face was immediately covered in hair, long fur that became pointy. She gazed in great shock as he transformed into a wolf with four legs but his eyes were as green as ever,harsh and filled with death.Lilia screamed in fright, her legs wobbled and her mouth dried up at once. Not able to stand the sight, Lilian took to her heels and ran away quickly as she could, her eyes searching the hole she created on the wall. Adolphus, who became a fierce wolf, ran ragingly towards her as his teeth were ready to tear her into several pieces. Filled with fear, she ran more, her heart beatin
The palace was filled with merry music as maids could be seen around the palace carrying a tray of foods, fruits and flowers.Lilia stared out of her room window as she gazed at the royal carriage of King Fabian, prince philip's father as they visited with the engagement preparation.Lilia sighed in an unhappy tone, she walked towards her bed, her hand folded as she sat on her bed with a bordered heart. It's been a week since her encounter at the cave but still she kept seeing his face in her dreams and everytime she closed her eyes. Never did she think that she would be drawn to him even after he almost killed her if she wasn't fast enough to escape death.Lilia inhaled deeply, she stood up with tensed stares, her mind far away from reality as her mind didn't go well with her engagement plans with prince Phlip, just his face alone gave her a feeling of disgust and she couldn't imagine living with someone sue didn't love for the rest of her life. His attitude, fake smiles and silly ex
Lilia laid still on her bed as the incident that unfolded between her and the caveman filled her mind. With her restless eyes, her mind went back to the night he transformed into a wolf, a night that she wants to forget so badly."Adolphus' ' she whispered to herself, his name crawling into her like a poisonous snake, an addictive music that cannot be turned off."Adolphus" she mumbled again, the name sounds familiar and she was sure that she had heard the name somewhere.Confused, she got out of her bed, opened a little bookshelf by the side of the mirror in her vast bedroom. Most women in the kingdom didn't know how to read or write but she was taught how to by the royal professor as it is mandatory for a princess to be able to be educated formally in every aspect.With her eyes fixed on the books in front of her, she ransacked through the bookshelf, glancing at one book after another. Suddenly, her eyes rested on a book with a brown cover standing untouched at the top shelf. Carefu