Chapter 2 - The Son Before the Crowned Prince

I was woken up by the bright rays of sunlight on my skin. The uncomfortable warmness on my leg brought up my sleeping consciousness.

When I opened my eyes, I had to blink multiple times to see clearly. My eyes immediately darted to the open window adjacent to where I was sleeping where the sunlight was coming from making the whole room bright.

After a few moments of contemplating whether to get up or not, I pulled the covers to cover my entire body and was just about to go back to sleep when I heard the door creak and felt the covers being pulled away from me.

I let out a soft moan. "Oh good Lord, Alliyah." I heard someone say. I opened my eyes and saw Martha scowling as she looked down at me.

"When are you going out of your bed? I opened the window hours ago," she huffed.

I didn't say anything. I never did. And I never will.

I just stretched my body from head to toe as Martha started her morning lecture as she go around the misplaced items in my room.

"Get up, young girl," she said, I caught a glimpse of her old face in the midst of contemplating whether to listen to her or not.

She has gotten a lot older since the first time I saw her. Like a normal human being should. The thought of her growing old slipped in my mind for a moment and immediately slipped away.

After a few more moments, I finally got up from the bed.

"The mistress is dying to wake you up," she said. I haven't even noticed her walk closer to me. She scooped my long hair and tied it up. "Go wash, young girl. Today is the day," she told me and walked out of my room. "We'll be waiting for you in the bath," With each word she said, I hoped she knew it was not that early for me not to notice her remorse.

I stared at my pale feet for a few more moments before following her to bathe.

Because today is a big day. For the Mistress at least.

With a heavy heart, I started leaving my room.

It's been 6 years. 6 years second moon years since that tragedy happened which meant it had already been 48 years in the human calendar. I've gone through a lot after being sent away from the ashes of my old home. I spent horrifying nights within that dark forest. No food, no water, no light, and full of danger. Deadly forest creatures were inches close to eating me.

But after weeks or even months of searching for a way out of that suffering, I managed to reach the countryside. Where I was discovered by Martha. Martha was a maid of a Mistress, a wealthy man's wife. She works for a wealthy family who also agreed on taking me in. And now, they've been keeping me for 48 years. Martha and everyone in this house has grown old with only me being left young.

Just like what my mother told me, I lived without a voice. In the countryside, I am often called mute. Martha often introduces me as mute to everyone. It's because I let out no voice from me.

RUN. HIDE. DON'T TALK.

I was walking. Almost dead out of hunger and thirst. When I noticed a light coming from somewhere not that far from where I was standing. I followed the flicker of light and it took me somewhere new to sight. The long trees has disappeared and there appeared a huge ground and an endless dark blue sky I have never seen before.I never thought there was a lot of it.

Standing scattered on the ground seemed to be houses. Houses I was sure I'd never imagined becoming this big. After a few moments of star gazing in the dark blue sky, I remember hearing voices coming from nearby.

I looked around to find the owner of the voices but it became too late. I passed out.

When I woke up, I saw a beautiful woman's grimace looking down at me. She was someone I have never seen before. Even her pretty clothes and dangling and sparkly accessories were unfamiliar to me.

After what had happened in the forest and what I know about people outside the forest, immediate fear struck me.

DON'T TALK

DON'T TALK

"What is your name, young girl?"

"Where were you from?"

"How did you get here?"

I was sent a lot of questions that I never answered.

No voice. Don't let them hear you.

If you get caught, you'll die.

After a few minutes in that same room, sitting face to face with the beautiful lady, my eyes widened when I realized I didn't have my stone.

I got out of bed they laid me and went searching. Everyone scattered as I walked past them and went searching for the stone. But I didn't care if they got scared of what I was doing. Everything that was in my mind was dying and not being able to follow my mother's orders.

I have to live.

"Are you looking for this?" My eyes darted to the young woman holding my bag. The very small piece of stone was there. I immediately took it from her and checked the glowing stone inside. "She was looking for it. It must be important,"

"Hmm, such a mysterious girl," I heard the pretty woman say behind me. A few seconds later, I felt her hand run through my fading red hair that has begun to turn pink because of being unable to use my voice for weeks.

An Elvian's power is her voice. If left unused, her Elvian identity starts to fade into the depths of her body. But it will never leave completely.

I wonder how my eyes look today.

"You are very pretty," she told me straight into the eyes. "She does seem to hear, doesn't she?" she asked the other maids.

"Yes, Madamme," they answered.

"What are we going to do about her, Madamme?" one of the maids asked.

"Madamme, I wonder if we should keep her," said Martha.

"Correct!" her loud voice resonated all across the room. "We couldn't afford to lose such beauty from our premises." she suddenly said.

"Madamme, are you certain?" I remember Martha asking twice.

"Of course, we can use this beauty for something else in the future," she said. Her eyes seemed ominous. But with a flicker, it was gone. She then slowly put her finger on my chin and made me look up at her. "Pretty red eyes, plump lips, soft skin, pinkish hair, a good body, everybody will fall for her despite her loss of ability to speak." she smiled evilly her white teeth showing out of her red lips.

"Yes, Madamme."

"Take her to sign language classes, but clean her up first and make her reveal her name. If not, you choose what to call her."

I stood there watching the Madamme stomp her heels away from the room I was in. I didn't know what to do. I wonder what she was planning for me.

"Come here, young girl. I'll take care of you,"

In the following years, they made me learn sign language. I took it willingly as it would also benefit me. Before learning sign language, I wasn't able to tell them anything. Martha had to repeat the alphabet in front of me just to juice my name out of me.

After 6 years, I've become fluent in using my hands to communicate. And it benefits me more than it does to anyone. By using my hands, I've lived a pretty normal life where I could easily share my thoughts with most of the people around me. Especially Martha who took the lessons with me just to communicate with me.

Martha has already become an old woman. Her hair is already gray. I've never seen her in any other clothes other than her maid uniform and her dress for sleep. She manages the household more than the Mistress who spends her days spending her husband's money on luxurious yet unnecessary possessions.

After a few months, Martha also let me learn how to help manage the household.

Even though each day passes by hard, I am thankful to them for taking me in and bringing me into a new environment with extreme comfort. Despite my view of them, I have grown to dissipate whether should I or not give them my trust. And I have trusted nobody else other than Martha.

Until a few months ago, the Mistress came into my room. Drunk. His hair was ruined as well as her makeup. Her robe is almost untied and it was as if she was in the middle of drinking when she got the news.

"The Prince, the Prince will be choosing his bride in 2 months!" she said happily as soon as she got into the room.

Martha immediately stood up and asked, "The Prince? The crowned Prince?"

I sat on the bed. My gaze went back and forth between the both of them as the silence grew deeper. Not until the Mistress suddenly let out a huge laugh.

"Not the crown Prince, you silly!" she said in the middle of her loud laughing. "It seems that you must've also forgotten! The King had another son before the crowned Prince!"