Candela

Inside a dark room, ligthened up by candles only, there is a woman tied up in a bed while wearing an intense red gown. Tears keeps on rolling down from her puffy eyes. It’s been a day or two since she finally regained from being in a deep unconscious. She was expecting that as soon as she opened her eyes, it was her husband whom she will first see. But to her shocked, her eyes first landed on a woman, standing beside the bed where is being tied up.

A woman whom she already recognized after all her shattered memories came back. Those horrible memories that reminds her of that woman who’s truly responsible for her parents death.

It wasn’t Lord Magnus who killed her parents but it was her, the woman in red dress. It was Amari who happened to be her real mother.

She wanted to laugh non-stop if only all what happened are jokes. But she, what happened in the past… what truly happened before weren’t a jokes to laugh for. How ironic it is, right?Ccontent © exclusive by Nô/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

All her life, she thought that she is living with her real mother and father. But who could tell that it was all a lie.

She hated to think that her real mother killed those vampires who means life to her. She hated the fact that her real mother is a devil with a long horn of evilness. She hated it, she hate her… she hated Amari for killing those vampires whom she loved the most.

“Here, eat this young lady.” She threw a deadpan look to the woman who gave her a tray of food.

For those days she spent being her mother’s captive, it was all nothing but a hell for her. Yes, they sustained her her needs. They gave her foods to eat, clothes to wear but that’s not what she want. She wanted to go back in the Crimson Palace, she wanted to be with her mate again but she knew, it was impossible. It was impossible as there are lots of securities outside her room. Plus the fact that there is a golden chain casted by a strong wizard spell that is binding her right hand to the bed.

She remembered how she tried all her best to freed herself from the chain. She even used her ability but it seems nothing compared to the spell. Her ability didn’t work, it can not help her in anyway possible. At the end, she gets tired of trying to escape. But if there’s any one thing she didn’t get tired?

It was secretly praying for a rescue. She didn’t get tired of praying for her husband’s rescue. And she knew that it was possible… her husband will save her sooner or later. All she have to do is to wait, to wait for Blade.

“You aren’t eating every meals I gave to you, young lady. The Queen might kill me if there’s something bad happen to her daugh–”

“So what if she kill you? I will be happy seeing you died in her arms,” I cut her words making her eyes widened.

“Please, eat your meals young lady or else I will call the Queen and she herself will be the one to feed you,” she insisted but I remained hard on her pleads.

Who cares if she died?

Who is she to me for me to pity her?

Everyone in this dark palace are nothing but a vassal of evilness. They are all servants of my evil mother. They didn’t deserve at least an ounce of my mercy.

“Young lady…” she called, trying to put a spoonful of food in my mouth but I tilted my head harshly causing the spoon to drop. It made my dress tainted by the food so she hurriedly clean the mess and get back on feeding me again.

“How many times do I have to tell you that I didn’t want to eat! I don’t want to eat!” I growled so she leaned backward.

I shoot her my piercing eyes. How I wished that my stares can slice her into two? How I wished that I can kill her!

She is so annoying. All of them are so annoying. I hated them all, I despised them to hell.

“Alright,” she sighed. “If you still don’t want to eat, then suffer to its consequences. You’re only making it hard for yourself, young lady. So, if I were you… eat you foods.” She stood up, leaving the tray of foods beside me.

“Just call me if you need assistance. I am only at the back of this door.” She said before stepping out my room.

Who said that I will be needing her assistance?

Hell no!

I would rather die in hunger than eating these foods they gave me. I will never, ever eat this. Even I lost all my strength.

************

Night came and Candela is only staring outside through the help of a small window near her bed. The outside was dark, dark as the crow’s feathers. Even though in the day, the outside is dark compared to a normal day in the Crimson Palace.

It seems that the place where she is, is only surrounded by darkness. Where there are nothing seems so special, nothing seems enliven. When she looked at every corner, all she could see was the heavy ambiance of the whole place.

“This must be the hell, Candela,” she silently murmured while staring outside.

She then looked down her hand with a chain around it and sighed heavily afterwards. Her hands hurts already. She could even feel that it was swollen because of the metal wrapped bind around it. If only she could break the spell, if only she can then she will do everything to escape from the hell where is right now.

“Where are you now, Blade? Are you going to save me…”

Tears flowed down on her cheeks as she remembered him, Blade. She will never doubt him because she know, he will save her. All she have to do is to wait… to wait for him.

“Aurelia told me you didn’t eat your foods, Candela.” She instantly faced who spoke behind her.

She cussed inside when she saw her mother, standing in the door while her arms crossed around her chest. Amari was staring at her as if she is skinning her alive but Candela on the other hand, didn’t show any fear.

So what if she will her? That would be nice rather than being her captive forever. Rather that being tied up and locked on a room like a prisoner.

“What do you want? Why don’t you kill me instead of tying me here all day and night?!” she scolded.

But Amari only let an annoying chuckled. “Kill you?” she asked, shaking her head. “What do you think of me, a fool? My dear daughter, if I will kill you then it will look like that I destroyed all my plan. My plans that I created for many years. So, it was a no, Candela. You will remain as my captive, you will stay in this room, tied up!”

“You are an evil!” Candela growled.

Amari just laughed mockingly and walked near the window. She turned her back on her. “You call your mother an evil?” she asked, there is a hint of sulkiness on her voice.

“What do you expect me to call you? An angel sent by heaven?” Candela mocked.

“Don’t you want to know why I turned to be like this? Why I turned to be an evil?”

“I didn’t care! All I want is my freedom from your ruthless hands!”

“You will never have that, Candela!” Amari yelled back, facing her with rage visible on her face.

“All of you, all of you wanted me gone! From my God parents down to my daughter, all of you wanted me gone. You all say that I am an evil but do you ever asked yourself why? Is there a moment you asked yourself why I turned to be this evil? You all turned me to this, all of you are the reason why I a devil now.”

“Don’t blame us–”

“Then who will I blame?” Amari cuts her words.

“Blame yourself for choosing to be an evil rather that being a good Goddess of this world…”

“They made me choose this, Candela. They made me choose to do bad things to them. My parents disowned me because of love, because I loved a vampire which is against with our rules as Gods and Goddesses. They choose to disowned me because I fell in love. But do you know what hurts more? It is when the vampire I loved the most betrayed me. He betrayed me and choose to be with another woman instead of remaining faithful to me. Of all person, he is the one who shattered my heart into pieces. Now tell me, Candela… am I really that bad when of all my life, the only thing that I asked is to be love?”

Candela’s tongue seems caught by a cat. No words came out from her mouth, she became mute for an instant.

“Caspian, the vampire whom I love the most. We blessed a beautiful daughter but he didn’t believe me. He didn’t accept our child and even asked me to kill her but how can I? How can I kill our unborn child? When I didn’t follow what he wanted, Caspian tried to kill the both of us. He tried to stab me using the silver knife that I personally owned but I didn’t let that happened. I didn’t give him the chance to do what he want.

“When I caught him, trying to stab me while in a deep sleep, I cursed him. I turned him into a tree that every vampires in his world will be scared off. Even if it hurt, even what I did hurt me too, I did it just to protect my child from his own father. I thought, after I cursed him… I will live in peace with my child. But one night, his wife came into the mystic woods where I peacefully lived. She came with a silver arrow that is meant to kill me. Bit just like what I did to Caspian, I cursed her too.

” Do you know what I did to her?” Amari asked, staring at Candela with her teary eyes. When she knew that Candela can’t able to answer, she smiled at her. “I turned her into a beast. Into a beast that will only lived into the banyan tree. See how being considerate I am, Candela. That instead of killing her, I choose to cursed her instead and let her live with her love of her life which happened to my love of my life too. We both loved the same person, Candela but I gave him to her.”

“And why would I believe you?” Candela finally uttered. “Why would I believe you, Amari? Yeah, maybe you’re telling the truth but that will never changed the fact that you still killed my mother and father, you even killed Auntie Bea!” she shouted with tears rolling down on her cheeks.

“Because they deserve what I’ve did! Coraline, your so-called mother is my child. She is the daughter I protect with all my life but what she did? She choose to be with the alliance, with the family who wanted me dead. That Baltimore, at the very first place, he wanted me dead. Coraline knew it but instead of protecting me, she even helped Baltimore to get and prison me. They succeed but I promised to them that I will have my revenge, that I’ll come back and get what I really deserve.

“And this is the starting line of my victory, my dear daughter. I will crashed the whole vampire world using my hands, I will make them suffer under my ruling, my power. Don’t you want that, Candela? Me, sitting on the throne with you. We are going to rule the whole vampire world, my child–”

“I don’t what it! I will never go with your craziness, Amari! If I need to sacrifice my life just to stop you from your evil plans, then I will gave my life. I will protect my love ones from you!”

“Love ones? Am I not included with your so-called love ones, Candela?” Amari asked with a devil smile on her lips. “But on my second thoughts, who cares if I am not included? Who cares if my own daughter didn’t love me? I don’t care, Candela… I don’t care about love anymore! All I care for now is to get my revenge and victory. So, if you choose to stop me, then taste my wrath dear daughter,” she said before vanishing into thin air.

Candela on the other hand left dumbfounded.

***********

The next morning and Candela awakened by a continuous pat on her cheeks. When she opened her eyes, it was the wizard, the right hand of her mother that welcomed her. He was smiling at her as if they were a friend or close to each other.

Candela sit on her bed with her brows meeting each other, creating a straight line. She then tilted her head and looked at the wizard dangerously.

“Why are you here?” she asked, hatred creeping on her voice.

The wizard then appeared a bright smile again. Oh, how she hated that kind of smile?

“Well, Young Lady… I was assigned by the Queen to take good care of you this morning,” he announced making her furrowed even more.

“Take good care of me? You don’t have to, I am fine here alone. You may–” she was stop in a midway of her words when the wizard happily clapped his hands.

As soon as the wizard clapped harmoniously, the door then flew open. And a number of women in black dress entered with different things on their hands. When Candela’s eyes landed on each women and to their things, she saw different gowns, different boxes of shoes even different glass box of jewelries.

“W–what is the meaning –”

“Sshh!” The wizard put his index finger on Candela’s lips making her stopped on asking. “Saved your words for a while, Young Lady. Let us handle you first as the Queen might gone mad if you took so long. She and the her visitors is expecting you,”

“Expecting me? What f–for…” Candela wasn’t able to finish her words when she felt sudden drowsiness. When she forced herself to open her eyes, the last she saw was the wizard. In front of her, snapping his fingers and then some pollens are coming out from his fingers.

“Sleep tight for a while, Young Lady,” he said before everything on her sight went black.

And when she wake up again, she is now standing in front of a vast body mirror. Her eyes first landed on the reflection plastered on the shining mirror. It was a woman, wearing a red sweetheart ballgown embroidered by ruby stones. She is wearing a revierie ruby necklace and a ruby tiara.

“Perfect!” Candela’s attention then caught by someone who suddenly cheered. It was the wizard who seems cheering on what he is watching.

“What’s the meaning of this?” she asked, still confused on what she is wearing right now.

“Keep your mouth shut for a while, Young Lady. Let’s get outside… the Queen is waiting for us.”

Before Candela could refuse not to go with the wizard, he hurriedly dragged her outside. It was her first time to see what’s outside her room and to her surprised, an elegant hallway and walls welcomed her. Just like the Crimson Palace, this palace is as big and elegant as it is. It seems like she is in the second version of Crimson Palace but the only difference is, the palace where she is right now is surrounded by unknown atmosphere.

Compared to the Crimson Palace, this palace seems a place that everyone should not trust. It’s like that in every corner of the place, there are beast lurking around. Even though it seems peaceful, still, it’s like a calm ocean but there are lots of beast in its depth.

“This way, Young Lady,” the wizard said, guiding her into a hallway and then later on, they are now in front of the large staircase.

It took her a couple of minutes before she could even follow the wizard who’s already climbing down. There’s something telling her and pushing her to run as fast as she can so that she could escape but whens she looked around, there are knights in hard armors that are securing every walls of the hallway.

Even though it was hard for her, Candela climbed down and she then brought into the front of large door. The wizard twirled around and smiled at him before speaking.

“Be nice to them, Young Lady,” he reminded her for the thing she didn’t even know. “They are our visitors, Young Lady… and we need them to win the war.”

“Win the war?” she mocked. “So, you are saying that the visitors of your kingdom are your alliances? Then why would I be nice to them?”

“Your Queen Mother will be mad at you if you do shameful things, Young Lady.”

Candela smirked. “Mad? Then expect the expected, Mister Wizard. I will never do such things that will benefit you and my mother’s evilness. Never,” she emphasized before stepping inside the room.

When she stepped inside, it was her evil mother she first saw before her eyes landed on three visitors inside. As soon as her eyes met theirs, it sent Candela one and only realization.

She felt how her turned into the red as she saw their golden eyes. Enemies!

“Candela… calm down, they are not our enemy!” Her mother tried to calm her down but how can she f*cking calm down when it was their legendary enemies she is now facing.

“They are werewolves. And me, vampires won’t calm down when I am facing the enemy of our race!” Candela shouted before attacking the woman.

Before the woman could ever react, she is now strangling her neck using her bare hand. Candela’s nails dug onto her neck making the blood of the werewolves flow slowly into her hand.

“Werewolves…” she uttered, tightening her hand around her neck.