10

The next morning all the Royals (excluding Prince Damien) met in the throne room. Lord Jeremiah informed the King and Queen beforehand. 

'You say he was protecting her?' the Queen asked, quizzically. She found it hard to believe it. The Supreme Sorceress nodded, 'He sensed her distress. That is the only possible explanation of what happened.' 

The Queen couldn't help the wave of jealousy that raged inside her. She felt so helpless. That orphan girl had elicited more response from her son in months than she had in years. She didn't like it. Her son was moving away from her. She feared her decision of bringing the girl back in Damien's life. She was losing her son to an orphan girl with no lineage. It made her feel helpless. She was supposed to be the most powerful woman in the Kingdom but now she was losing to a mere orphan girl. It got on her nerves.

She wanted to send the girl back to where she came from. 

Her son had never responded to her distress in such a way. He had always pushed her away. 

'There is one more thing,' The Shalore spoke. She looked nervous which was odd. She had everyone's attention. 'I don't understand how but there was magic there. I think it was radiating from her but I am not sure of it. I had never sensed it before.' 

'From her?' The Frisier raised a brow. 'That seems impossible.' 

They turned to the Queen when she spoke, 'I have had the best warlocks look into her mind. There was nothing about her lineage there. She truly knows nothing.' Her tongue felt bitter as she defended the person who was stealing her son. After hearing the news, she never once doubted that the Prince would be around her more often than not. The girl had controlled him. She had to be respected. 'It cannot be her.' 

'Where is she?' The King asked. 

'She's asleep in her chamber,' the sorceress informed. 

'And my son?' 

'Knocked out cold. No movement since the incident last night,' Lord Jeremiah spoke. 

The room was plunged into a few moments of silence. Everyone at the table thought about it, unable to digest the implications of the incident. The Crown Prince Damien was cursed years ago. No one knew what the curse was. The only thing the Prince would tell them about it was that he would turn into a monster every once in a while. He claimed to be unaware of what triggered the transformation. The Royals knew it to be very painful. They had seen him so many times; screaming, scratching and withering inside the cell down in the dungeons. 

They distinctly remembered the first time he had suffered it. 

It was right after he had returned after avenging his brother. He had brought home the head of the Demon Lord's son. He hadn't spoken to them. After returning, he had simply locked himself in his chambers. Then one day, the Queen had barged into his room. She was horrified to see her son spasming on the floor. Inching closer, she yelled for help. She cried that day. She tried to comfort her son but he wouldn't stop. 

That was the first time he had transformed. Against the Queen's wishes, the King had put him in a cell. The Queen had never felt so hollow and helpless. She thought she would lose her lovely son. The Royals had the best doctors take a look at him; his condition left all of them speechless. That's when the Queen turned to the warlocks for help. They told the Royals that there was a powerful curse that loomed over the young Prince. 

The Queen remembered how she had cried and cried and cried. She was wallowing in misery while her only son growled, cried and shrieked. She couldn't get herself to stand. She had grown weak over that time. She felt like nothing. Even with so much power in her hands, she couldn't put a stop to the Prince's misery. 

He recovered after months and during that phase, only the Royals were allowed to feed him. They found out the transformed like raw meat. So before they ate their meal, they fed him raw meat. They'd watch him gnaw into it; licking his fingers, groaning in pleasure. It was terrifying. 

There was no doubt that he was a wonderful Prince. He loved his people. There were rebellions because of the Prince's curse. They were small and insignificant. Though her son would never admit it, the Queen knew it wounded him. There was no doubt that Prince Damien would be a worthy King; all they needed to know was how to lift the curse. 

'I suppose we're done here then,' She spoke, trying to keep her tears from falling. She kept her face impassive and looked at them. It was as if they could see through her facade. She wanted to cry. She had every reason to. Her son was cursed. He had shut her off. And for the first time, the beast had reacted toward that orphan girl. 

She hated Amara for it but her son's well being was far more important. She wanted this curse off and if it meant losing him to the girl, she would shut up and drink the poison.

She stood determined, 'We will talk about this later.'