Fairyfly - 1. Cruel Moon

This new story is a bit different from the other ones I've done, but I hope you like it. Expect lots of action, magic, and of course, hot guys! 

High up in her chambers in the western wing of the castle, Princess Arabella was sitting in front of a large ornate mirror, brushing her long, copper-colored hair. Illuminated by the candles placed in a decorated bronze candle holder, Arabella's lavish room was exactly what you would imagine a princess' room to look like. A large, queen-sized bed stood against one of the walls, covered with comfortable purple and white pillows and sheets, while the cream-colored walls were decorated with expensive paintings and even more expensive golden frames. Some of them showed landscapes of the kingdom of Alduin, while others were portraits of her ancestors. Heavy, violet drapes with gold-colored details covered one wall, separated only by a large window that let the light of the full moon into the room.

As she looked at her reflection in the mirror, Arabella thought about the big day ahead of her. Five days from now, Prince Terryn from the neighboring kingdom of Thorodan would arrive to marry her. Although she was promised to him years ago, they have met only on one occasion so far - on Terryn's eighteenth birthday. Now, four years later, as the princess herself has finally come of age, the two will meet again for the ceremony that will unite them as well as the two neighboring kingdoms.

Arabella knew very well she never had any say in the matter, and not even once did she think of expressing her dissatisfaction or, God forbid, defy the expectations put on her by her parents, the King and Queen of Alduin.

Nevertheless, she was not happy. Even though Prince Terryn was young and handsome, she did not love him. How could she when she didn't even know him.

Rulf, the man she actually loved, was far different from a distinguished prince, but both of them knew things between them could never work - not only because she was betrothed to another, but also because Rulf was a Shifter. To have a princess in a relationship with a Shifter, especially one of the infamous and feared Lykos - Shifters who could turn into wolves - was unheard of. Even though they had a bad reputation, the princess knew Rulf was not to be feared. It was true that some of the Lykos were uncontrollable and destructive when in their wolf forms, but those cases were rare. And besides, Rulf was never like that. He was sweet and kind, but also fearless and strong. Still, if anyone was to find out about them, Rulf's head would roll the very next day, and she would likely never be allowed to leave the castle again.

Despite these circumstances, the two young lovers still managed to find ways to see each other, often sneaking out under the cover of the night. For the last four months, they managed to see each other at least once a week, stealing every precious second they could just to be together. However, all of that was to end in five days, when Arabella would be married and leave to start her new life in the kingdom of Thorodan.

Thinking of whether she would get to see her love at least once more before that dreaded day, Arabella heard a knock on the heavy wooden door. She put her brush down and went to let the visitor in.

"Bella, is everything alright? You look sad," said Amelia, a slender, black-haired girl, slightly shorter than her older sister.

"Yes, everything's fine," Arabella said, letting her sister enter the room and sit on the comfortable bed. "I guess I'm just nervous about the wedding... And sad for leaving you two."

This was partly true, as Arabella and her two sisters had a strong bond. Amelia was the middle child, aged seventeen, while Ariana was the youngest - still a child of fifteen years.

Despite the three of them being surrounded by nannies and servants all of their lives, Arabella still felt like a guardian to her sisters, simply because she was the oldest. It would indeed be difficult to leave them on their own.

"I know, I'm sad too. What will we do without you?" Amelia asked, furrowing the brows on her young face. "I'll miss you so much... Ariana as well."

"I'll miss you too," the older sister said, moving to sit next to her sister and placing a hand on top of hers. "Maybe we can arrange so that you two come and visit me often."

"Oh, that would be wonderful," the younger girl exclaimed hopefully.

"Where is Ari?"

"She was feeling tired after the walk we took, so she went to bed early."

"Oh, alright. I'll see her tomorrow. I'm sure she'll come and jump into my bed as soon as she wakes up."

"You'll miss that, admit it," Amelia said with a light chuckle.

"Of course I will," Arabella replied honestly. She could not hide how she felt about her sisters even if she tried. She had enough hiding as it is.

After her younger sister left, the princess washed her face, put away the bowl with water and opened the cupboard. As she was looking for her nightgown, she heard a knock on the window. A few seconds later, there it was again, but not a knock - more like a pebble hitting the glass.

Moving over to the window and looking at the full moon in the night sky, she carefully opened the pane.

"Rulf, is that you?" she whispered, expecting to see her young lover. Even though she was high on the third floor, when Rulf was in his wolf form, he could easily climb to her window and she would let him inside. Both knew this was a risky proposition, but it was a risk Rulf was willing to take just to see her, at least for a few minutes.

Hearing scratching on the outside, Arabella moved away to allow her lover to climb up. A few seconds later, a wolf-like creature jumped into her room in one swift movement, his eyes immediately locking in on hers.

"My love," she said, moving closer and raising her hand, brushing it against his animal face. "I hope no one saw you."

The Lykos grabbed her hand and growled.

"Love, you can shift back now," she pleaded, but the creature said nothing.

Opening his mouth, the Lykos showed his sharp teeth, ready to tear at his prey. His eyes were almost glowing red and his mouth was foaming.

"You're not Rulf," Arabella realized, but it was too late.

The creature pushed her onto the bed and as she opened her mouth to call the guards, he quickly pressed a hairy paw over it.

"Scream and I'll kill both you and your precious Rulf," the Lykos growled, moving on top of the princess and struggling to contain her, tearing her dress and leaving scratches on her tender body in the process.

No matter how much she fought, the fragile girl was no match for the strong beast. With his large body on top of her, one paw covering her mouth and the other holding her hands above her head, the Lykos had free access to the girl's neck.

Quickly, he opened his mouth and sank his sharp canines into her neck, like a knife into butter. The princess' muffled cries died out after a few seconds as she lost her conscience, left with two small bloody holes on the left side of her neck.

Without a word, the Lykos got up from the bed and jumped out the window, disappearing into the nearby woods.

~~

A piercing scream echoed through the halls of the royal castle in the early morning, disturbing all of its residents.

King Norius and Queen Loreena, who were having breakfast in their luxuriously furnished dining hall, promptly dropped their silver utensils, recognizing the loud scream as their youngest daughter Ariana. Immediately rushing out into the hallway, they were met by guards who were followed by the middle sister Amelia, sobbing inconsolably.

"Amy, what's the matter?" the king asked, looking at his daughter with concern wrinkling his old, but handsome face.

"Where is Ariana?" Queen Loreena asked, taking her daughter's hand.

"She's in... Bella's room," Amelia managed to say through sobs, struggling to breathe. "Bella is... Oh my God," she burst into tears, falling into the hug of her mother.

King Norius rushed up the stairs, guards all around him, heading to Bella's chambers as quickly as they could. Outside of the room, they found young Ariana, crying her eyes out, held tightly by one of her nannies. Two guards were standing by, guarding the entrance to the room.

"What happened here?" the king asked loudly, causing his youngest daughter to look up at him.

"Daddy!" she ran into his arms, tears still falling down her face.

"It's alright, baby," he tried to console her, but to no avail.

"Your Majesty, uh, I'm sorry, but you should take a look," one of the guards spoke quietly.

"Daddy will be right back, sweetie," the king said as he pulled away from Ariana, caressing her face and wiping her tears away. "Stay here with your nannies."

Nothing could have prepared King Norius for what he saw when he entered Arabella's room. All the color drained from his face as he saw his eldest daughter lying on the bed, her dress tattered, her body bruised and dried up blood covering her neck.

"Bella!" he shouted, rushing towards her and jumping onto the bed, fearing the worst. Sobbing and trembling, the king touched her face and laid his head upon her chest, feeling as if someone stabbed him right in the gut. He could barely breathe, shaking and repeating his daughter's name over and over.

It wasn't until a few minutes later that he realized her chest was moving. His daughter was breathing, she was still alive!

At that moment, Queen Loreena entered the room and nearly fainted as she laid her eyes on the disheveled, unmoving figure on the bed.

"She's alive!" the king shouted, trying to console his wife as best he could.

"My baby!" the queen sat on the bed, looking at her daughter with sorrow and placing a hand gently on her face.

"She's still alive, Loreena," the king repeated. "Guards, gather all the doctors, immediately," he ordered in a much louder, commanding voice.

As he left the room, he saw his other two daughters standing by, accompanied by their nannies. The poor girls were trembling.

"Girls, listen to me," he knelt down next to them and spoke in a soft tone. "Your sister is alive. We will get the doctors here and heal her, ok?"

The girls threw themselves at him, hugging him tightly, but still sobbing.

"It's going to be alright," he repeated quietly, trying to convince himself as much as them.

~~

Three days had passed since the attack on Princess Arabella and the doctors were no closer to finding a cure or even stabilizing her condition. It was obvious that she was bitten by a Lykos, but the right treatment for that was unknown. She was moved to a special chamber where the castle doctors kept all of their instruments, herbs and potions, so they could monitor her condition and react as needed. Unfortunately, there was not much they could do.

The girl was still alive but losing color. Her skin looked sickly gray and her shaking was more and more prominent, especially at night. This made sense since Shifters could only shift into their animal form at nighttime.

It wasn't until Pepin, the most respected doctor in the kingdom had finally arrived that the situation became clearer. Elder Pepin was a Shifter as well, but he could shift into an eagle. In the kingdom of Alduin, eagles were considered a sign of good luck, which was another reason why Pepin was so respected and revered. He was an old, greying man, but very sharp and educated. As a Shifter, he had an understanding of both the animal and the human form, which is why the king believed him to be crucial for saving the life of his daughter. Unfortunately for the princess, the news was not good.

"Your Majesty, I'm afraid the situation is far more serious than we previously thought," Pepin said respectfully. Standing in the throne room, he was joined by several castle doctors, while a dozen guards stood nearby. "Princess Arabella was indeed bitten by a Lykos, but not just any Lykos. Her condition indicates that she was attacked by a diseased Lykos... one with the Fever."

Once again, the king felt his world crashing down. Had he not been sitting on his elaborate gilded throne, he would have surely tumbled and fell.

The Fever was a little-known illness that affected only the Lykos. Whoever contracted it would quickly turn into a Lykos and remain a crazed, raging beast, unable to shift back into their human form. This process would sometimes take weeks, but sometimes merely a few days. Once she shifted, there would be no way back for the princess as there was still no known cure for the illness.

Everyone stood still, looking at the king wordlessly. Desperate to save his eldest daughter, King Norius realized he had no choice. If the most qualified medical practitioners could not help her, surely Esthor could. After all, he was the best sorcerer in the kingdom, widely respected - and even feared by some - for his magical skills.

Only twenty-four years old, Esthor not only dazzled with his charming looks that made many men and women turn their heads, but also with the masterful use of his magic scepter. In many disciplines of sorcery, he had already surpassed his master Khalgos, although he still often relied on the old man's experience and wisdom.

After what felt like hours of silence, the king finally spoke, sitting still on his golden throne like a statue.

"If you can't help her, we need to call someone who can. Summon Esthor at once," he said as he turned his head to the guards to his left. "Tell him the king has ordered him to come immediately or he will be executed."

Thanks to everyone who decides to give this story a chance! Of course, special thanks to @AusGlitterati!