The Palace Beast
Chapter 11 – Lurking Evil

A whisper gently brushed into Maiden June's ears. She slowly opened her eyes. Her visions were blurry but that didn't stop her from making a profile of Princess Bonnie.

"My Princess," she muttered under her tiny fading voice. "Are we dead?" She's lost in her thought thinking she's in the world beyond.

"No, my friend, we are not dead," Princess Bonnie flashed a soft smile. She leaned toward Maiden June and continued in a soft refined voice. "I have been keeping watch on you from last night. I said I won't sleep until you wake up. However, you continued to scream in your sleep and continued to jerk up unconsciously. I'm glad you are finally awake my friend."

Princess Bonnie's words came as a shock to Maiden June. This is hard for her to believe. The nightmare was so real. 'How could this be?'

She rubbed her bleary eyes, peering at the Princess, she said, "I was attacked by the vicious beast."

"The same one that attacked us?" the Princess inquired with a sense of curiosity.

"Yes," she muttered. "Its claws were buried in my lower abdomen."

"Perhaps, it's the mixture the healer prepared for your recovery," said the Princess. "He warned of its dangers that includes horrible nightmare."

Princess Bonnie blamed herself for Maiden June's condition. She wouldn't forgive herself if she died like the rest of the knights that were attacked. She persuaded the healer to replace a quick way to revive the maiden.

'What you seek is dark art, my princess,' the healer replied with a slight bow. 'You are asking me to use black magic to heal your maiden.'

'Yes, and you will do as I have wished,' she replied, fixing a searing gaze at him. 'It's no longer a wish but a command and you must do my bidding,' she added. Her voice sounds harsh on the 64-year-old healer who always wants to stay clear of dark art.

'Your wish is my command, my princess,' the healer replied in a soft calm voice as he slightly lowered his head in reverence. 'However, be mindful that what you seek comes with a price that...'

'It doesn't matter!' she lashed out at him, cutting him off. 'What matters to me is to see my maiden alive!'

Maiden June's eyes widened. "What dangers are you talking about?” Her voice sounded like one of desperation.

"I didn't get to ask him but do not fret. I'm glad your recovery is swift."

"I feel like am dead," Maiden June whispered. All these while, she was trapped in her nightmare thinking it was a glimpse of reality. There's no relief in her. She continued in a refined voice, "What if we died on our way back thinking we are still alive."

A troublesome look crossed her face while she spoke. She could still feel invisible claws run down her spine just like in her nightmare.

"Don't say that," Princess Bonnie rebuked her harshly. She cast a scowling gaze at her. "You need to snap out from your delusion!"

Her nose flared up as she rose to her feet. Her scowling gaze at Maiden June threw her off, thinking she could lock her up not minding her condition.

Before the princess could flick around to walk away; Maiden June squeezes out words of apology. She couldn't say much. Her limbs still hurt from the attack and her head was reeling with harsh headache.

Princess Bonnie swirled and spoke only a few words to her, "Just get some rest," she said.

She then proceeded to the door. The door creaked together with the floorboard that creaked beneath her feet. She stepped out of Maiden June's chamber, slamming the door after her.

Her ire is not with her maiden but with the princes of Wex. Damon and Eliot left without saying goodbye or even kissing her and Oswald left her feeling downcast after refusing to spend her birthday with her. Maiden June only triggered her ire, although she tried not to transfer her aggression to her maiden. The best she could do was to step out from her maiden's chamber.

As she strolled down the hallway, she gestured for a guard. "Go fetch my horse," she said.

The guard bowed out and hurried to do the bidding of the princess. This is a hard time for everyone in Maxis. No one seems to know how vicious hairy beastly creature made it past the walls of the palace. Because of this, the king has ordered the palace guard not to take their eyes off the princess, even within the palace walls.

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The guard has fetched her horse, bringing it to her.

As the princess approached her horse, a voice cried out to her in praise, "Great Princess of Maxis."

She swirled hastily, casting her gaze to the direction she believed the voice came from. Her gaze was drawn to an old woman, dressed in a brown tattered tunic. She could barely walk even with her old wooden staff.

She turned toward the guard and gestured for him to go fetch the old woman.

The guard narrowed his eyes down in the direction the princess pointed to. He glanced at the princess with a confused look as puzzlement came upon him. "Forgive me, my princess, I see no one."

"Are you blind?!" she lashed out. Her nostrils flared as she stared at the guard. She couldn't believe the guard said what he said. The old woman is just standing 13 feet away from them. "Perhaps you are tired of your job. I will make sure you are relieved of your duty."

A look of puzzlement crossed her face when she turned toward the direction of the old woman but the old woman was nowhere to be found. She was taken aback as she thought for a moment before raising her hand toward the direction the old woman once was.

"Where did she go?" she asked feeling paranoid. "She was..."

She paused for a while and thought for a moment before continuing. "She was just right there. She looks like someone who seeks arms."

The guard continued to stare at the princess with a confused look. He chose to be mute in order not to offend the princess. He didn't see anyone and had no idea what she was saying. It's only the two of them and the horse.

Princess Bonnie steeled her failing nerves. She mustered courage, and slowly, she approached the exact spot where she saw the woman. The more closely she gets, the more fretful she becomes. Goosebumps brushed against her fragile skin. A whisper came close to her ears. "The great Princess of Maxis."

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It was the voice of the old woman. She recognizes it. But when she looked, she saw no one. It's just the guard standing a few paces away from her, observing her every move.

It's clear to her that she had scared the guard off from interfering. As she was about to turn in the opposite direction, she was grasped.

A wild scream escaped her lips.

"Unhand me at once!" she yelled.

There was no sign of anyone. The guard rushed toward her. "My princess!" he called out.

The grasp is beginning to hurt the princess but she couldn't see the person tightly holding her arm.

As the princess continued to scream uncontrollably, the guard couldn't help but stare at her in disbelief. He wondered what could be bothering her, especially since there was no one else around but the two of them.

The guard stood there, gaping at the princess as she screamed uncontrollably. He couldn't help but wonder what was wrong with her. They were alone, and there was no one around but them. Suddenly, the princess was thrown across a log by an invisible force, and it became clear that something strange was happening. Before the guard could react, his sword was yanked out of its sheath by an unseen force.

He stumbled backward, his heel catching on a rock behind him, causing him to lose his balance. His eyes widened in fear and his jaw dropped as he saw his sword fly towards him, slashing through the air as if someone else was in control. "Please, spare me!" he cried out. He was still on his arse. Just before another scream of plea could escape his lips, an old woman dressed in a brown-tattered tunic emerged out from the thin air. She's the one bearing the sword of the guard. She grinned and the guard and tossed away her old wooden staff before opening her mouth to say, "Sword don't kill people. People kill people." A devilish chuckle escaped her lips as she drew closer to the guard. Before the guard could beg for his life, she lit his throat with his sword.

The old woman's eyes slowly shifted towards Princess Bonnie, who was lying motionless on the ground a few paces away. With a sinister grin on her face, she raised the sword and pointed it towards Bonnie, "Your turn," she said.

Her eyes were filled with an unmistakable malice and there was no sign of remorse in her expression for what she had just done. It was clear that she took pleasure in inflicting harm on others. As she stood there, her gaze fixed on Bonnie, a sense of eerie stillness filled the air. Every little detail of the scene seemed to be etched into her memory - the way Bonnie's hair was splayed out on the ground, the position of her limbs, and the small trickle of blood on her forehead. Despite the gravity of the situation, the old woman appeared to be enjoying the moment, relishing in the power that she held over her victim.