The Curse of a Half Blood Princess

Chapter 8

Getting to the castle is quite possibly one of the most dreadful things I have ever been forced to endure in my whole life. I want so badly to explain my past to the guards, but the only thing I dare request is to put the hood of my cloak over my head so no one has the ability to see my face. They agree that it's best and could get me there much more safely, so they allow me to wear my hood. Other than that, the trip is silent, which has my vocal chords aching to speak and pulsing with vibes of storytelling.

If I were to tell them, would they actually believe me?

Sadly, my doubt is greater than my belief and I keep silent, which is especially unbearable when we finally can see the view of the castle. I cautiously glance ahead of me at the people, whom all stare at us as we pass by. I sigh and watch my feet take each step, which only makes the journey seem longer and agonizing.

When we arrive at the entrance of the gigantic castle, the soldiers guarding the gateway step aside so we can enter. I look up to see the door and when I do, they both look horrified for less than a second before they contain themselves again. A knot heavily twists in my heart that people think of me like this. I'm half them! Why can't they visualize this?

"Wait here," the head patrol guard tells the guards holding Blaize, Brienne, and Brim. "We'll decide what to do with them as soon as the king seals her fate."

I bite my lip hard, looking back at them apologetically. They nod at me and stay back while the remaining guards forcefully take me to see the king.

My father.

The doors to his throne room must be at least one hundred feet tall. I glance up at them as the head guard opens the door and pushes me in. I fall to my knees and he pulls the hood of my cloak off most forcefully. I look up and it's as if my whole world freezes in the moment.

There he is. My dream has finally come true. I'm finally getting to meet my father even if it's not in the most pleasant circumstance.

His black hair is hanging down to his shoulders in a flowing matter and his red eyes are focused on the peasant ahead of me as she appears to beg for something. He must be at least half a foot away from seven feet tall, being one of the tallest men I've ever seen. He paces back and forth a little while she speaks, but when she finally gets up to walk away, looking quite pleased, he sits back down on his throne and looks right at me, making my knees freeze up.

"Get moving," the guard hisses at me, pulling me up sharply as we take our place on the purple carpet right below his throne. The guard pushes me down to my knees again, which causes me to cry out quietly, but I dare not look up at the king; I'm too frightened.

"Sire," the head patrol bows graciously to his king. "I hope this day has treated you well."

"Thank you, Dartanum," the king tilts his head toward his guard and smiles happily at him. "What brings you to the castle today?"

"This young lady," he says, gesturing to me. I finally gain enough courage to look up at him and when I do, my heart skips a beat. He's here. Oh my, he truly is!

"And you didn't kill her because?" he asks, raising an eyebrow as his eyes study my abnormal characteristics. It surprises me that he's not startled; everyone else who's seen me looked at me as though I was a monster.

"She insisted she wanted to see you. I was about to take her life, but she insisted. I believe she's human, sire, though that doesn't explain how she has eyes and hair of that shade."

"Speak, woman. These could be your final minutes of your life, so unless you want to be executed, you must have a good reason to want to take up my precious time," he looks at me with his eyes partially narrowed and I take a deep breath, preparing to explain.

"Sire, I am not what your people think me to be. I'm not a human, but I'm also not a demon," I explain very cautiously, glancing at him occasionally to make sure he's still into my story. "I'm a half blood. My father is a demon and my mother is a human. I've come to this land in search of my father."

"Your father is a traitor!" he says, which almost makes my jaw drop. Why yes, you are a traitor. "What is his name? He shall be executed the moment we find him! Who is he? I demand to know!"

"See, that's just the thing," I say, pausing to prepare myself for his next reaction; my heart may give out if it beats any faster. "I'm looking right at him. I wanted to come to the castle because I wanted to find him. You're my father, sire."

"This child is full of blasphemy!" the king roars, getting up off his chair. I almost start crying with fear; he's planning to kill me. My dream will be the death of me. "To the dungeon! Her execution will take place tomorrow!"

"Wait, no, please!" I cry out, getting up. I grab my sleeve and pull it down to expose my scar just as the guard grabs hold of me. This is my last chance to save myself; please, please work.

"Stop," the king puts his hand up to his guard and squints as if trying to get a better glimpse. He touches his shoulder and starts slowly coming down the stairs as I begin to shake with fear. "Carlita, get me a washcloth, please."

I see his maid, who was standing by the door, take off in a hurry. He continues to come closer and when he gets to me, he reaches out to touch it as if making sure it's real. I try and stop crying, but it's rather useless; it's been a very traumatic day.

"How in the world do you know about that?" he gasps, taking his hand from my shoulder and looking at his hand as if it's diseased. I try to speak, but I rethink my decision as I know it will just result in more sobs. He already thinks I'm odd; no need to give him more reasons.

His maid scurries back in no time with a wet washcloth and hands it to the king. He places it on my scar and starts scrubbing hard, painfully hard, to see if it will come off. To his shock, it doesn't, and I know he's believing me now. His eyes stare as if he can't believe what's going on.

"Dartanum, I need a word with this girl. Alone."

"Sire, what shall I do with her...friends?"

"Release them. Also, please get their information of contact and record it for future reference. I need to counsel with this girl. Alone."

"As you wish. Everyone out!" the head patrol guard calls to everyone. I glance at them as they all shuffle out in an orderly manner and I'm left with the king, my father, whom I hate to admit it, but I'm quite terrified of right now. He takes a deep breath as soon as they're out and turns to me, putting a hand on my shoulder.

"Who is your mother?" he says in a very serious tone. His eyes are boring holes into my head and it takes all I have to look him in the eyes when I speak to him.

"Thalia," is all I have to say before he takes a step back and runs his fingers through his hair, grabbing it.

"This cannot be happening," he whispers to himself before looking at me again. "I have a daughter. I'm a father. We had a child. Oh, mercy, I'm a traitor! She kept it from me all these years and never told me! How could she have hid it? How is this possible?"

I watch him as he continues to talk to himself and soak in the fact that he has a daughter. I feel a mountain of relief that I won't be dying, at least for now, but I'm saddened by the way he seems to be upset that I exist. Shouldn't he be happy as my mother always was?

"Sire, please," I finally say, becoming weary of his mutterings. "I understand your confusion. I wouldn't have come if I'd have known how dangerous this journey was and that it would cause you such grief. All I wanted was to see you and I have. My dream has come true. I can go home now. I'll just need-"

"You're not going anywhere," he says abruptly, making me feel a bit astonished. "Not a chance. They hid you from me for over seventeen years and there's no way I'm letting them have you any longer. No, you're staying here. I'll provide a room, I'll help you get something to cover your skin so you can stay safe, and more than anything I want to get to know you. I have a daughter. A daughter!" he smiles and pulls me into a hug, which throws me off quite significantly, but once I gain control, I hug him back tightly and feel the tears start trickling down my face all over again.

This is just too good to be true. My dream came true. I'm with my father in the land of the demons and he's actually accepted me.

I did it, Peter. I actually did it.