The Cruel Prince

HEARTBREAKING CRUELNESS

The morning arrived, and the soft sunlight kissed her skin, burning her as she slept. Ying Yue snapped her eyes open waking up from the sting of her flesh being cooked under the sun. She yanked herself out of bed frantic, hissing at the sliver of light streaming through the window like lethal steaks that could slice and kill her like lasers.

Wang Jian's eyes flew open, awakened by her frantic shifting around. "What's the matter?!"

He could see it, the steam of smoke curling out of her body as if she's being burned from inside out.

Ying Yue hissed, backing off. Her eyes darting around avoiding the slivers of sunlight from hitting her.

"What's the matter, Ying Yue?!" He cried out, flicking his eyes to the window.

Wang Jian soon figure out she's sensitive to the sunlight, jerking their blankets and everything else he could find in the bedroom.

He rushed to bar the sun from streaming in and stuffed all the pockets where the light escaped.

Wang Jian breathed, calming himself before he could face his wife again.

"Ying Yue?"

Wang Jian turned around, his glance searching the dark bedroom for his wife, he could barely see anything, having to re-adjust his vision for at least a minute.

He later found her cocooned in the darkest corner of the bedroom.

"Ying Yue..." He crooned walking up to her. Wang Jian crouched while Ying Yue gave him a low warning hiss.

"Back off, Jian." She let out a low growl.

"It's alright, I got rid of the sun. Nothing is going to hurt you know." His voice soft and tender, like cooing to child afraid of the darkness...except, it was the sunlight for her.

She hissed, sliding further to the comfort of the darkness. "Get away from me, I could smell you. You smelled of human."

Wang Jian reached to touch her cheek, the contact of her pale skin burned his palm, but he endured the pain, and held his touch steady. He looked at her, her dark demonic eyes glinted in the darkness. "Look at what he did to you. He's slowly turning you into a demon." His voice quivered. "How can he do that to you? How can he turn you into something like him?"

"Jian..." She moaned.

"No, I'll free you from him even if it cost me everything!"

"Jian..." She crooned softly, she shifted, sliding out of the cocooned darkness.

Wang Jian pulled her into a hug.

The hug burned every nerve, every pore and he let out a howling scream of pain, torture and agony.

She let go immediately, torn in terror, as she watched him in agony. He fell to the floor, left with the sensation of his skin burning. "Jian, Jian, Jian..." She leaned to him, towering him, she examined his bare arms and his chest. There was nothing, no marks, no burn, the pain was an illusion of Banye's magic. It was the hex he put on her to ward off Wang Jian from touching what belongs to him.

The room loomed with darkness, so dark that nothing was visible, it was like the ocean of darkness, and calmness, except she could see him, she could hear his panting breaths, his gasps, his struggling, his anguish.

She began to shake, shaking so hard to the bones that she thought her bones would shatter, but she made herself stay with him. There was a devastation in his face...and hers. He blames himself for everything that's happening.

"Jian..." She rasped.

"Ying Yue..." He groaned, dampen cheeks visible to her.

And she realized, he's the one needed protection, she looked over to their bed, finding the blanket given by the shaman. She leaped snatching it and draped it upon him. A protection until they could find a way to break the spell.

"Ying Yue..." He groaned again, hand protected by the blanket like a mitt and pushed his hand grasping softly around her wrist, he pulled her close to him, the other arm wrapped around her back.

"I'm so sorry..."

Both couldn't stop trembling.

"I can't, I'm helpless against a powerful demon. I'm only human. I'll try, I'll try better. I was stupid. I didn't know how to protect you back then. I was eighteen at the time when I kicked you out, I shouldn't have done that. I sent you right to him. I don't know what to do, I felt alone, and I must protect you against the most powerful demon in the underworld. There's no going around him, there's no outsmarting him. This is all my fault you're going through this."

"No." She croaked. "You and I...we're married, I would've endured the same pain. You don't have to do all this alone. I'm with you."

She didn't fight him as he tightened his arms around her, tucking her in to his chest tightly that her scorching heat soaked over the blanket burning him even more. He gasped and buried his face unto her hair and said with the most tenderness. "I'll save you, it kills me to see you like this. It kills me seeing you turn into a demon because of him. He's trying to make a wife out of you. I can't, I can't give up. No more running around him. I need to find a way to be strong enough to face him."

I'll be strong for you, Ying Yue. Please, give me some time, I'm trying to..." He paused, exhausted. All he can do left was to apologize again. "I'm sorry for being cruel, I wanted nothing more than to love you."

He murmured non-stop until she dragged him out of the floor and back into the bed. "Let's get back to bed. It had been a very long few weeks for you."