LK9Star

Anita was deep in her sleep when she wakes up to the cries, of wolves off the other side of the river. She was scared of it and yet she did not listen to her scared heart. She roamed the palace’s corridors and hidden tunnels and found a way into the woods. Never have she thought she would see fairies and weird creatures under the castle. And after roaming the forest, she returns back to her bed and asks her father, the king. What was that he ruled all these years? The king replied that he has ruled over everything that the eye can perceive as human. 

Anita was not happy about it. She thought he should have told all the creatures of this planet. Now she was not the princess of these beings she saw the other night. Unpleased, she went back to the forest of creatures again. She roamed more and more than the night before. Yet she could not seem to have seen the time pass. It was dark yet luminous under the full moon in the forest. Secret beings roamed the forrest not scared of her. Not treating any different than any princess. She found a trail left by the animals and followed it. The light of the little fairy dust and fireflies helped her travel with her heart’s content. 

Not too long in her path, she saw a large structure that she did not intend to see. It was a wounding up castle a limp towards the barren lands. The castle was dark and had a different structure than the castle that she lived in. Not taking long, she decided not to travel in that direction any more. Let’s not travel to uninvited castles at night time. It would seem like an intrusion she told herself. The dark outline of the castle reminded her of an old tale her father told her once, where witches and devils did their unspeakable deeds throughout the night. 

She turned around from the point which was not very far from the dark castle. On her way back she thought how the tunnels led her so close to the dark castle, like it was meant to travel to the dark castle. “Who would make such roads underground?” She whispered to herself knowing there was no-one around. 

But these words were herd by the dwellers in the fairy forest. And alas, in this forest the songs in the leaves traveled fast. 

The next night while the princess was travelling in the night forest, she was awaited by a young boy. He did not have fangs or horns as her father described devils to be. He was almost human but he seemed different- not like any human she saw in her country. Was she in a different country? She thought. “You have travelled long my lady.” He said. Even his dress was different than any noblemen’s in her country. But it was richly made. She was made sure that nobody else was there with him. 

“Why do you reveal yourself your lord?” She asked without hesitation. 

“I was keen on looking at the one who traveled from a far land without weapons. I was keen on making friends out of her if it pleases her my fair lady.” The little lord replied. 

“Are you new here in this country?” The princess asked. 

“I assumed you are the traveller in these lands.” The boy who was not known to the princess said.

“Ow, I assume I am very new.” The princess told out of curtsy. 

“So let me introduce me to you. I am called Adavan. I live in that place.” The boy said pointing to the dark castle.

“What does Adavan mean?” She asked politely. 

“It means the sun in Sanskrit.” 

What an unusual name for a boy living in a dark castle she thought. And did he say Sanskrit? I must be on the other side of the river where the influence of the language has become prominent in these years. 

She asked the boy whether he has ever been near a river and was he ever been to the other side of it. He laughed at the question and said that only the the devil will be able to break the king’s decree. He also told that he has not found the meaning of her name in the textbooks in his house. She said her name meant Merciful in her mother’s words. 

After that night Anita did not go to the forest anymore as she thought if she crosses the river unknowingly again, she will become the devil herself. 

But one faithful day, Adavan took his dog and sniffed out her trail to the other side of the river and ended up outside another castle. As there were pathways which could only be opened from the other side. He was fascinated to see the beast of the forest and when he got on high lands, he realised he was on the other side of the river. 

He realised, even Kings could lie. The folks o the other side was not dark as he perceived it to be. 

He kept it a secret buried inside his heart where no one could find it. Meaning to ask it another time his father mentions it. 

He waited for the question long and longer. But it never came to him. 

Long were the two sides of the river flourished in health  wealth and jewels of gold and silver. And then a day had come where the two sides decided to open up their trades to each other through the river with a bridge. The prince and princess were in their teens then. And they finally witnessed the dark castles of their childhood in broad daylight. They smiled at these monuments of wonders were shield by the darkness and how the daylight have opened their eyes to. 

A few years later, when the priest told them to tie the knot, they replied by saying, “I ain’t becoming the devil.” To which the two Kings still giggles in their chambers. And the servants shivered in fear of their wrath!