The Cursed Prince's Strange Bride



It was very painful for Amber to move, but with the help of a stick, which she held onto with all her might, she moved slowly outside, her body hotter than ever as though engulfed in flames. 

She was grateful for the fact that Paulina was not here, at least. 

She had weighed her options and come to a conclusion about what to do. 

She had her eyes fixed on the Blood Moon as she painfully tried to get closer.

Harold followed behind her quietly. There was nothing he could do. As much as he hated to admit it, he was useless when it came to the tactics of the deities. 

"MY LADY!" Came the desperate cry of Paulina behind her, racing towards her with all her might. A frustrated Lance ran after her.

"DON'T LEAVE!" Paulina cried, running to embrace her. 

Despite the burns the body contact with Amber caused Pauliana, she refused to let go until Amber tearfully pushed her away with all her might, and Paulina fell into Lance's arms. 

"Take care of yourself," Amber said to her weakly. "We... will meet again, I promise," 

Paulina shook her head, crying. She also tried to get away from Lance, but he wouldn't let her go. 

Lance, however, wasn't sure what was happening and just watched with a sad gaze. 

"Please..." Paulina cried in a broken voice. "We have been through so much together. You... are my only family! I beg you."

Amber forced a smile at her and apologized for leaving her behind. 

"I will protect you in our next life," Amber promised before she looked up at the moon, which looked redder than ever. 

Under the blood moon, she looked back at Harold one last time, her eyes filled with sorrow.

"Let her go," she implored, her voice strained. "Her destiny was to liberate our people and yours. To be the vessel for the greatest being that will free all of us from our sad fates."

Harold shook his head, his heart breaking at the thought of losing her. "No," He muttered.

He didn't care about any of that. He only wanted her.

Even if the world was going to crumble, he would not let her be the sacrifice.

"It doesn't matter what you want," Amber spoke calmly before adding in a resolute tone. "Three souls cannot dwell in this weak body. We can only give it up for the little one."

Harold shook his head. He was not going to let that happen. 

He would not.

"Grant me one last favour, Harold," Amber said this without giving him any chance to decide if he would do it or not. 

"Punish him. King Cedric." Her eyes darkened. 

"For the pain he inflicted upon my mother. Give him the same death sentence he bestowed on her. Publicly," she said, her voice tinged with vengeance. "His children have to feel every pain that I felt." 

Amber paused and shook her head. "I'm sure they wouldn't feel as much pain. Because... they weren't betrayed by their own father. Because it wasn't their father who killed their mother. Neither are they going to be sent into exile." She laughed bitterly. "They can never feel my pain. But they deserve to feel at least a little. Because I do not forgive. I... am not my mother. Neither can I forgive you and your kingdom."

He could only look at her helplessly as she shifted her dark gaze to the blood moon and opened her arms wide, declaring, "I SEEK FOR VENGEANCE!"

The air crackled with power, and thunder rumbled, awaiting her command and scaring every creature who could feel the impact of her power in the kingdom. 

"MY LADY!!!!" Paulina cried to stop her, but Amber was focused and did not get distracted as her weak voice grew louder. 

"I SEEK VENGEANCE!" She repeated, and lightning filled the sky, a red glow from the moon settling upon her like a spotlight. "BUT NOT MORE THAN I WISH FOR MY CLAN TO REUNITE AND REST IN PEACE!"

Lance, "PRINCESS AMBER!"

Paulina, "MY LADY!"

"AMBER!" Harold yelled. 

"I LIBERATE MYSELF OF EVERY LINK I HAVE WITH THE WOLVES, AND IN EXCHANGE FOR MY 20TH LIFE, BURN MY CORE FOR MY CLAN'S FREEDOM AND PEACE!"

A visible burn mark appeared, covering the scar that was once visible on her neck, and she let out a painful scream, as did Harold, who growled in pain, clutching his heart. He almost fell, but Alvin appeared behind him, keeping him up as he looked at the scene before him, horrified. 

Amber gasped faintly, and her voice grew weak as she said the last words, preparing to give her soul: "May... we all rest in peace and reunite with those we love. Far beyond the Moon and stars," 

"No... no..." Harold said in horror as he pulled himself from Alvin's hold and tried to stop her. Unfortunately, it was too late. Amber had offered her soul. Another painful scream escaped her lips, and they watched in fear.

The blood moon seemed to absorb her very soul, and all those present could only watch in tears as her life force left her body until there was nothing left to take and the weak body fell. Harold was quick this time, despite the intense pain he felt. He cradled her body just before it could hit the ground and held her closely. 

Her delicate frame lay motionless in Harold's arms, with the red moon casting haunting shadows on her pallid face, contorted with pain. Prince Harold's heart broke into a thousand shards as he cradled her, and he whispered her name like a desperate prayer, hoping for a miracle. Harold's voice trembled with anguish as if by saying her name, he could somehow will her to stay with him.

However, he said Alicia, which confused Lance.

Alicia's frail form trembled, and a soft groan escaped her lips, revealing the immense pain that wracked her body. She turned her gaze towards Harold, her eyes dimmed by the weight of suffering. "Harold," she whispered, her voice trembling like a fragile leaf in the wind as if the effort to speak was draining the last reserves of her strength. 

Her words tore through him like a dagger, and he choked back a sob, shaking his head in refusal. "You can't leave me," he implored. "I won't let you."

She mustered a feeble smile, and her hand slowly reached out to touch his tear-streaked face. "This... body can fight on, but my soul... is slipping away," she confessed, her voice filled with a mixture of acceptance and sorrow.

Behind them, Paulina watched helplessly, her tears flowing freely. She had always been with her. Either Amber or Alicia, she had been by their sides through all the trials and triumphs, and now... 

Paulina couldn't contain her emotions any longer and burst into tears, her body trembling, and Lance hesitantly pulled her into his embrace as he tried to swallow his grief too. 

"We... haven't spent enough time together. We... we didn't spend enough time together..." He said stubbornly, still embracing her burning body. 

"You... have to let me... go, my love." She begged, but he held her even closer, not wanting to accept her fate. "I won't let you go," he vowed. "I will search the lands, the heavens, wherever it takes me. I will find a way to save you."

Alicia spoke, her voice growing fainter. "Remember... the saddest drama I once starred in, which I told you about?" she said, her breaths shallow and laboured. "A man who clung to his past love, seeking her through the passage of years, until the memories faded away and he forgot even her name and the reason he was still alive."

"P-Princess..."

"I... don't want you to be like that man." She said with tears falling from the corners of her eyes. 

He shook his head. "I don't... want to ever forget you... You have to stay with me. I will do all I promised to do if you dare leave!" He threatened. 

"I... know you won't." Her tone was filled with love and her faith in him. Her hand was about to slip away from his face, but he held it in place, covering it with his hand and looking down at her with teary eyes. 

She winced in pain and muttered that she was cold before begging in a whisper, "Save the child within me. And when... when the time comes... let this body rest peacefully."

"No. I won't allow this. I won't!" He continued stubbornly, shaking his head while hugging her tightly to his body. "P-Please..."

"S-Sing me a song..." She pleaded weakly. 

Both of them remembered the last time she asked him to sing her a song, and he said he didn't know how to sing.

Now, however, he sniffled and hugged her body even tighter as he sang her the only song he knew. A ballad. His voice broke as he poured his heart into the song.

Alicia's eyes closed, and her breathing slowed as she listened to her husband's heartfelt melody with a contented smile on her face. 

Their memories flashed before their eyes. From the moment they first saw each other on their wedding day to their trip here.

To their constant banters and running around the palace.

To dancing in the village.

To the first kiss they shared.

To teaching her how to shoot an arrow and helping her ride Hellion.

To confessing their feelings and sharing their bodies.

To the times they both bare their hearts out to the other. 

All of these memories and more came crashing down, letting their tears flow freely as Harold sang in a broken voice, causing tears to flow also in the eyes of those who watched. 

Paulina's cries grew louder, echoing the anguish in Harold's soul. It was a heartbreaking scene of love and loss, as the three of them were entwined in their shared sorrow.

Finally, her hand slipped from Harold's grasp, and her body grew limp. And even as his tears fell on her lifeless form, he did not stop his song.