Taming The Blind Wolf

The gloaming enchanted castle was said to be occupied by terrors.

It was located meters away from the reach of humans. The castle couldn't be sold because it was plagued and filled with despair. No one dared to even step foot close to the castle surrounded by dead bushes.

Except they were all making a death wish.

The Lord of the dark was said to live there and was the one who brought great misfortune to the land.

He lived among humans and was a scary blind demon behind a mask.

He was darkness itself and a true form of darkness. He was called the man of the dark. Light has nothing to do with him.

A bloodsucker that no one would like to befriend.

How true was it? Not all rumors are true! Who knows if anyone was truly residing in the enchanted castle when no one has been there?

Diana looked ahead at the gloaming enchanted castle from afar. It was scarier than she has pictured it to be.

The dark clouds hovered around the peak of the castle. The dark clouds formed a scary creature, enough to make her run away for her life.

But she hesitated.

She had already risked her life to come this far and wasn't going to give up all of a sudden.

The gates guarding the castle were not fully opened and she had to go through the dried bushes. Her feet were swollen with all sorts of bruises but still, she was determined not to turn back.

Running away from the lion's den to a place called hell.

It was like another place on the earth called the dark earth.

She forcefully used her hand to push the gate open, the gate of hell.

Diana was welcomed by two giant statues in form of a dragon and she was standing in the middle of it.

Tears rolled down her cheeks because of the horrifying things surrounding the entrance of hell. She shouldn't have expected much.

The road was too narrow for her to pass and guessed that she must climb on top of one of the statues to get to her destination.

She climbed the statue with her eyes fully opened but the darkness overshadowed her. Her bare bruised feet were already bleeding because of the long walk and the sharp objects on the statue didn't make things any easier.

Diana's destination was a bit farther from the entrance and was tired. She sat on the statue, trying to catch her breath but there was no point in it so she had to continue with her awful journey.

After much exhaustion, Diana thought if she was insane to ask the demon lord for help. Running from the lion's den to hell was uncalled for.

However, the demon lord could still stand tall in dignity and power even amongst the crowd but she couldn't. Her hands were already stained with blood and were now referred to as a murderer with no dignity.

He was a powerful man, with the aura of danger surrounding him but still, he was noble and the King's last son but she...she was a woman without dignity...a murderer....a...

Diana snapped out of that thought, thinking about all of it would make her heartache and she might end up breaking into tears.

She clenched her hands into a fist and the pain and guilt in her heart motivated her to climb to the end of the statue.

As if the dark earth was against her motivation and zeal to climb off the statue, heavy rain poured out of the dark clouds.

Was it a sign to make her go back and face the world?

Diana shook her head. She couldn't beat the consequences and the people already condemned her.

A deep rumbling sound was heard from the sky, thunder and lightning were enough to get her frightened.

The thunder from above struck the head of the other dragon statue, the sculptured head fell to the ground with a heavy thud.

Diana felt the urge to run for her dear life. Once she reached the end of the statue, she climbed down, fighting the obstacles; the fuzzy wind, and the rain that sent shivers down her body. She paused for a moment to catch her breath.

She came prepared but didn't expect things to turn out the way it was.

She examined the castle in front of her but she couldn't do it properly because her eyes were begging to be shut down.

The castle had chunky walls and obsidian and the widows were scattered on the walls forming a specific pattern that she couldn't describe.

It had a vast entrance that comprises small towers on each side. The step leading to the entrance were made of stones instead of bricks.

The cold was starting to get her all freeze, she quickly made her way to the entrance. The entrance was made with two large doors with knockers in form of a dragon head.

Was this demon lord obsessed with dragons?

Her heartbeat was accelerating and she moved from glaring at the dragon knockers to knocking at the door. She was going easy with the door as she forcefully knocked. She would die of cold at any minute.

A creaking sound came from the door and it opened with smoke coming from the inside.

Diana held her breath. The torture she was receiving was more than getting beheaded.

When the smoke suddenly made its way out, she was greeted by total darkness. The only thing that could be heard was the sound coming from her heartbeat.

Curious to know what was hiding behind the walls of the dark enchanted castle.

Without beating around the bush, she lets her curiosity get the better of her and peeked her way inside.

Her mouth opened, wanting to say something but nothing came out. She stood in there like a statue and heard the large door closing with a loud bang.

She was scared almost to death. Her heart jumped from its position to her mouth and she swallowed it back to its position in fear.

The feeling that the wind must have shut the door didn't cross her mind. She was all clothes in fear.

Diana's legs were shaking, and her breath seized. Her whole world was coming to an end. She needed a place to stay and rest her head but her only option turned out to be a nightmare.

Having the feeling that someone was standing behind her, Diana wished for the darkness to take the whole of her away.

Where did her boldness disappear to? It had left her the very moment she opened the large doors.

She gathered enough courage but was still trembling in fear before turning around to face the person, her gaze met with the demon lord of hell.

Diana, her father, and her elder sister; Isabel who was head over heels in love with the crown prince, were the first to arrive at the banquet that the King threw in the honor of his first son; the crown prince. Her father has gotten a promotion as a duke walked majestically with his daughters by his side

He was ready to marry his youngest daughter off to one of the king's sons. That was his plan right from the beginning.

The rule was that the father would pick a suitor for any of their daughter that had come of age. And if the girl fails to abide by the rule, she would be beheaded.

The luxury at the party didn't flick her but her sister was doing the opposite. Her father had brought them here so that he could match them up with some dignitaries as suitors and not commoners.

Diana just clocked eighteen and she had to carry her cross alone while her sister was accused of killing her husband just because she didn't like him.

The youngest daughter of Mr. Wilson was beautiful and even before they got to the banquet, some men had already eyed her from afar much to the elder sister's horror.

She didn't like the idea of her younger sister getting all the glory.

Diana's appearance overshadowed that of her sister even though she didn't wear any makeup and only wore a plain blue gown. Her unblemished skin, alluring emerald green eyes, and dark ebony black hair. No man in their right senses was able to resist her charm.

People would usually stare at her, either in awe or envy. Her sister glared at her in envy from behind.

She wondered who her father would introduce her to. He did want to spend so much on her but the young lass bluntly refused. Her sister was dressed in an extravagant dress while she wore a plain dress.

The banquet hall was soo starting to get filled with guests of higher class. A few guests that know her father would come by to congratulate him on his promotion.

Some males took the opportunity to shower Diana with the compliment but she wasn't interested and they dived to share the compliment with her sister instead since that was what she loved.

Her father saw that his youngest daughter had already started with the rejection, he smiled and she quickly caught sight of that.

If her guess was right, her father already had someone in mind for her to marry. She kept on wondering who the mysterious person was and why her father hasn't given her any clue yet.

Diana excused herself to get some drinks while her sister flaunts around with some men.

She was a bit sober while she held the glass of wine in her hand which was about to fall because she was absentminded. A man prevented the glass from falling and that was her Diana came back to her senses.

"Oh thank you, mister." Diana gave a curtsey.

The man bowed before helping her to sit and also sat next to her. "I can see you were absentminded." The man said.

Diana nodded, not taking a proper look at the man's facial appearance but from his looks, he was a well-to-do man.

"I'm Williams." He extended his hand for a handshake and Diana did too.

"I'm Diana." She said gulping down the wine in her mouth in one go with a sour face.

Williams smiled, her expression was cute. "What is a beautiful lady like you doing out here, all alone?" The man asked trying to indulge her in a conversation with him.

"I'm here with my sister and father. I need to go now." She stood up and left even before the man could utter a word, she had already disappeared out of his sight.

The sound of a trumpet could be heard, and the King's arrival was promulgated. As usual, the hall was silent as everyone's gazes were at the entrance.

Most of them haven't seen the King before but had only heard of him.

A man came out from the entrance and most of them were surprised and to their disappointment, the King was already old and ready to join his ancestors.

The King sat elegantly on his throne and the arrival of the princes was announced.

Eyes traveled down to the entrance once again. The crown prince was the first to come out and his aura commanded attention and respect. The young ladies present in the hall including Isabel were going nuts already because of the sight of the crown prince.

The crown prince stood behind his father. The second prince was still charming just like the crown prince and still caught some attention from the ladies. He stood behind his father as well.

And there was the last prince, who everyone thought that the King had abandoned or well, would soon abandon, and came out of the entrance with dignity and pride. Upon seeing him, mouths fell open, breaths hitched, and eyes widened.

He was the only one that was wearing a mask and no one could see what his face looks like. His aura was screaming danger and his manly appearance was unearthly.

Standing behind his father, where everyone could see him clearly, his white eyes that had no eyelid were visible because the mask wasn't covering his eyes.

All eyes were now on the three princes and then on the old king whose grey hair cascaded down his back and a golden crown sat on top of his head. His black royal robe was adorned with golden embroideries and trailed behind him on the white marble floor.

Isabel had her eyes on the crown prince. She imagined standing next to the crown prince on the day of his coronation as King. He was so handsome and was beyond the way she had imagined him to be.

Other ladies admired both the crown prince and the second prince. Some were even shameless about their thoughts. No one dared to admire the cursed blind prince.

It was that same cursed blind prince that took Diana's attention. The blind prince that had no one to support him with his movement even though he was blind.

The party started with blissful music. The females were ought to dance with a respective male on the dance floor before they would have the banquet.

Isabel rejected the young men that came to ask her for a dance but she bluntly refused them, hoping to have a dance with the crown prince.

She stood beside her father, who cared less about her ever since she was accused of killing her husband.

On the other hand, Diana was just been forced to act like a proper lady by her father. While she was receiving several scoldings from her father, the crown prince came to ask for a dance.

Her elder sister was about to throw a tantrum because she wanted to have a dance with the crown prince.

Diana denied the crown prince's request for her to join him for a dance but her father forced her and apologized to the crown prince on her behalf.

The latter had no choice but to succumb. She saw Williams also dancing with a beautiful lady, and a sigh of relief escaped her lips. Hopefully thinking that she'd spare Williams a dance.

The dance between Diana and the crown prince went well. The lass was uncomfortable because of the continual stare she was receiving from the crown prince.

"Why would a beautiful maiden like you dress up in a plain outfit?" The crown prince asked, examining her body.

Diana wanted to push him away from her. His hand was tightly wrapped around her waist and hers to his neck.

"I don't mind the type of outfit I wear, Milord." Diana firmly said not wanting to offend the prince.

The crown prince smiled. This girl was tough and he was beginning to have an interest in her while her sister silked away in anger and envy.

She swore that if Diana gets married into the palace, she'll separate her head from her body.

"Sounds interesting." Diana heard the crown prince say.

This time, she wanted to take the opportunity to ask about the blind prince that was rumored to be cursed. If only the crown prince won't get offended by her question.

"Milord, was the last prince born without a sight?" Diana asked curiously, leading the dance so she won't step on his foot.

The silence from the crown prince made her worry if she had offended him with her question. Her worry soon disappeared after she heard him laughing.

"Are you interested in that cursed man?" The crown prince asked raising his brow in disgust.

Why would he call his brother a cursed man? Diana asked inwardly.

"But he is your brother!" Diana retorted, harshly but calmly.

Now, the crown prince was offended.

"Before I ascend the throne, I must make sure to kill him because he'd be a threat and deserves to die." The crown prince gritted his teeth. He looked scary in the way he spoke without any sense of humor.

Diana stopped dancing and excused herself to leave and so she did, thinking about what the crown prince had just said.

Her sister was blinded by his charm and didn't know his true colors.

She wanted to leave and go back home to rest but her father was too clingy. He blocked the entrance, and a frown settled on his face, making the lass groan in frustration.

"Where do you think you're going, Diana?" Mr. Wilson glared at his youngest daughter. She disliked her naive attitude.

Before Diana could defend herself, her sister intervened. Diana rolled her eyes, she knew her sister was here for trouble but to her surprise, her sister burst into tears.

"Father, can't you see you're just forcing her? This is not the life she wants." Isabel said sobbing.

Diana was tongue-tied, her sister is such a drama queen, always doing things to her advantage.

"Isabel, stay out of this. I wasn't the one who asked you to kill your husband. You wouldn't have been a widow by now." Mr. Wilson said almost yelling.

The girl named Isabel was pissed to the core by her father's words.

A widow?

"Father, I've told you times without number, I didn't kill my so-called husband." Isabel gnashed her teeth and stormed out of the hall angrily.

Mr. Wilson didn't care at all about his first daughter, all he wanted was for his youngest daughter to get married to one of the princes except for the last prince who had no future.

"The banquet is about to begin. The crown prince might have interest in you." He snatched her hand and took her to sit next to him when the banquet started.

The event would have been a meat-heavy affair, with the insatiable king's favorite dishes including venison and birds such as swan or peacock, often served cooked on a platter with their feathers fanned flamboyantly as if they were still alive. Sweet puddings would have punctured the savory courses, rather than being served at the end.

It has very well-maintained interiors, a well-lit hall, and adequate furniture to accommodate a reasonable number of guests. It also provides a raised platform for conducting ceremonies and there is also ample space for catering.

Diana sat opposite the cursed blind prince, while her father say next to her. She couldn't eat properly, her attention was on the last prince.

Seeing his daughter's attention focused on the cursed blind prince, Mr. Wilson pinched her tight from under the table with an ugly look.

Both father and daughter were closer to the king than other guests. That way, they got to have more conversations with the King.

"Where's your eldest daughter, Sir Wilson?" The crown prince asked.

Diana glanced at him for a while. So this crown prince still notices her sister. She would be pleased to know about it.

"She left early." Mr. Wilson replied but his answer didn't satisfy the crown prince.

Meanwhile, Isabel had other plans other than to terminate her sister's happiness for good.