Chapter One
It was dark. And in the dark there was pain, so much pain. Kale screamed out loud, opening his eyes to find he was being carried. He made out some of the villagers, but couldn't remember their names. Maybe he didn't even know their names.
He cringed again when they put him down. Slowly his vision started fading again. And soon enough he was pulled back into the darkness.
—-
Kale shot up with a threatening growl. He looked around him. He was in his bedroom, alone. Sighing he wiped the sweat of his face, his palm stopped over the scar his claws had left. Grunting he pushed the linen aside and stood.
It had been three years since that night. The night he dreamed about almost every night. Kale paced his bedroom thinking, that night he had been treated like the victim instead of like the monster he was. No matter how many times he screamed that it was the Wolf everyone just shook it off as shock.
Three months afterwards, he was crowned king. His wounds were healed, but his claws had left scars along the right side of his face and his chest. He had to stand like that, open, exposed, for the entire village to see what he was. That he looked like a monster.
But they didn't know that he was a monster. He had murdered his parents. After the first time, the Wolf had shown himself more and more. It got so bad he couldn't allow anyone near him. He had cleared the castle of all the staff, only Esmeralda, his nanny refused to leave his side for one second.
She knew, somehow she could sense a change in him. He was shocked when she had approached him; her loving smile comforted him as she spoke.
"My Prince, you are changed?" He had tried ignoring it, but she confronted him with the harsh truth. "You are cursed!" At first he didn't know what to say, that was until she told him that she came from a long line of gypsies.
"I sense the magic that is afflicting you. Remember, my Prince, a curse can always be broken by the most powerful thing in the universe: true love."
Of course, it would be love. He had laughed when she had said that. True love, who would ever love him? Even if someone ever did, he wouldn't allow himself to be loved. He was a monster; he could hardly control the wolf, who would arise every time he got mad when he was sad or even when he got excited.
The wolf made sure he remembered what he really was.
A knock on his door shook him out of his trance. "Yes?"
Esme came in, smiling, "My Prince, the Govern family has sent you a gift, for ridding them of the coyote that was eating their livestock." He nodded and she closed the door behind her. He started getting dressed. Slipping on his black pants and white shirt, he tied his boots and cloaked himself with his hood, he never went anywhere without it. It was more for himself, everybody knew what he looked like, but the hood made so they didn't try to look at him.
He quickly moved down the stairs and into the hall where Martine Govern stood with an enormous bag of what looked like meat in his hands.
He bowed when Kale reached him, "My King, from me and my family, for ridding us of that fowl beast who would've ruined us."
He motioned for Eduar, his butler and chef, as well as his friend to take the bag from Martine. "It is my pleasure, sir. I am here to make the life of my people easier. Never fear to ask for help." Martine bowed once more before he turned to leave. Kale sighed; at least one good thing came from his parent's demise. Under their rule, the people were poor. While they ate themselves half to death, the people almost starved. Now they lived with plenty. Mostly, because Kale never ate. The Wolf made it impossible to digest certain foods. He lived off of raw meat. Hunting as the Wolf in the forests surrounding Edduen he rid the village of every foul creature, beside himself, he could find.
He chuckled, remembering the coyote. It was never a fair fight between the Wolf and the other animals. They were threatened, running scared. Even in his human form, animals would scamper away from Kale.
He moved to the kitchen where Eduar was busy packing away the meat. He lifted his hood, not caring if Eduar saw, he knew what Kale looked like, and he was fine with everything, even being the only other staff member in the enormous castle.
Kale smiled at him, breaking a small piece of the meat off and propping it into his mouth. He saw Eduar shudder.
"How do you do that, majesty?" Eduar's question was a surprise; he wasn't expecting any from him.
"What?" He waited as Eduar cleaned his hands, waited as he moved to the opposite side of the kitchen and back with a butcher's knife.
"How can you eat raw meat like that?"
Kale thought about what to tell him. Eduar was just chopping away at the meat, waiting patiently. Kale didn't want to lie to the man, he loved him. More than that, he respected the old man more than he has ever respected any other man before. He was like the father he had needed and wanted.
He chose to tell the truth. "I can't eat it cooked or I'll vomit."
Eduar laughed. Kale frowned surprised. "Majesty? Can I ask you another personal question?"
Kale nodded, still surprised by Eduar's lack of disgust. "You may ask me whatever you like, Eduar, you're like my family."
This made Eduar smile, in the whole three years that he has worked in this castle and for this child, he has never thought the King would say something like that. Forgetting his questions he simply said. "Thank you."
For a while, they just stood in silence until Eduar sighed. "Majesty, I have great respect for you, but I never thought you felt that way about me. Not to offend you, sir, but you act like you don't care most of the time. You're always hidden in the castle and I do see you wander into the forests at night."
Kale started to panic, the wolf started to make noises in his mind, knowing that he will be let loose any moment. He wanted to answer the man, but what if he takes too long and the wolf comes out in front of Eduar. The wolf has always been merciless, a beast, tearing its way through everything he could find.
As the wolf, Kale had no control; he was merely a bystander in his own mind.
"Eduar..." He couldn't say more.
Eduar laid a hand on his shoulder. "Majesty, I am not asking you to justify your behaviour and I know this is bold coming from a mere worker like me, but I care for you and this life is not...healthy, for anyone."
Kale felt himself calm a bit, the wolf had to wait, and he had to make Eduar understand. "Please, I will answer anything you ask, I have more respect for you than I had for my Father. Although I may not show any of my emotions does not mean that I don't have any. But I cannot confide in you the truth, because you will not believe without seeing and if you see you may end up dead."
Eduar nodded, not really understanding what his King meant he just nodded. Even though the answer raised more questions Eduar felt closer to the child he had come to love like his own. It made his heart warm that he felt the same way. "I don't completely understand majesty. But I will not pry further, knowing that you are well is all I need to know."
Kale nodded, feeling the wolf stir because of all the emotion running through him he pulled Eduar in for a hug. Breaking free he excused himself and bolted out the side door and into the forests.
Eduar watched the King as he disappeared into the forest. What he does in there is a mystery. He continued to chop the meat, packing it away as he went. After an hour the kitchen was clean and the food was packed away, only two pieces remained behind for him and Esmeralda for dinner. Suddenly he heard a howl, making him shudder. It was strange that there were wolves in the forests near Edduen; wolves usually ventured more to the north, near the small city of Sanko.
Esme sauntered into the kitchen a worried look on her face. "What is it, dear? Why are you worried?"
She gasped silently, "Eduar, I didn't know you were in here!" Eduar chuckled, "Have you seen Kale?"
Eduar shook his head, he was used to the old woman calling the King by his name, and she had raised him so it wasn't a big deal. "Last I saw, he ventured into the forests, oh wait, here he comes. What on earth!" Eduar huffed, running out to meet his King.
Torn and bloodied, Kale just raised his hands. "I'm fine, Eduar, no need to panic."
Eduar looked back at Esmeralda's peaceful face, never in his three years here has he seen the King like this. What does he do in the forest? Wrestle some sort of beast? Where did all this blood come from? "Sir?"
Before anyone could say anything a knock sounded from inside. Eduar straightened up and quickly escaped inside to see who was at the door.
Esme looked at Kale, pity shown through her hazel eyes. "Kale, Eduar will want answers."
Kale just nodded "I know." There wasn't anything he could do, he didn't want to lie to his friends so Eduar will have to know the truth, and the only problem was how he would take it.
They made their way to the front to see who had come. Kale entered first with Esme on his heels trying to clean him up. But it was no use, he didn't care. He walked in his head held high. There were gasps from the visitors; two guards in black with soft purple trimmings looked at him with wide eyes their hands on their weapons waiting to see if they'll need them. The other man, rather boy, was frozen in fear. His hands shook as he held out the letter to Eduar, who took it with a smile. The boy started walking backwards, slowly, until he was behind the guards. Then in seconds they closed the doors behind them. Kale chuckled. Esme shook her head, "Poor child. You gave him the fright of his life!"
She moved to Eduar, who handed the envelope to Kale. "Did you see his face, though?" He tore it open. Taking out one single sheet of purple paper, he read to himself, his eyes stretching till they were as wide as the boy who brought the letter. After a few seconds of reading and rereading Kale dropped his arms to his side.
"Majesty?" Esme and Eduar asked together. "What is it?"
Kale just shook his head, "We're getting some visitors," Esme smiled but as Kale continued her smile faded. ", apparently, I'm getting married."