????Journey To The
Beauty Land????
(Once upon a kingdom…)
CHAPTER 19
By: Tofunmi Nikky
★★★★★
The Royal Palace***
Luciano ignored their inquisitive stares and just sat upright, creasing his forehead as it kept pounding here and there to his discomfort. He raised his head up and looking down at his mother’s pacifying hand by her back, he decided to act cool.
“Mother, I’m alright now. The doctor can go now, please.”he managed to flash her a fake smile.
“Son… Are you sure?”the queen asked, looked down at him as she reached to feel his temperature. She sighed seeing he was all okay, causing Luciano to shrug as she recollects her hand
“I think he’s all okay now. We should leave him to rest while you just come with me and prescribe him some medications…”the queen told the doctor.
The doctor nodded and grabbed his things back into his briefcase before going out with the queen. Luciano looked back to the only person still present, not getting why she’s still there.
“What are you still waiting for?”he fired at her angrily, making her to flinch back unexpectedly.
“I’m so sorry Prince. I-I beg your pardon.”he watches her as she she shuttered, fidgeting with her fingers and then ran out of the room immediately.
He made sure she was gone before he throws his fingers into his hair and yanked on it frustratedly, blowing out a puff of air from his lungs as he muttered. “Damn, I think am going crazy. They are hunting my soul, they are trying to drag my soul to where I don’t even know. I’m fed up… Why can’t they just let me f*cking be?!”
*****
“What do you f*cking want with me, Roy or whatever your name is!”Sabrina yanked Ronald’s hand away from her wrist in displea-sure and moved backward a little bit away from him. Yes, space. She needed to give him space since she doesn’t trust him the slightest bit.
“Why are you this stubborn, Sabrina? You want me away or you had rather calm your t*lts and let me tell you what am here for? Which of the two options will you go with?”he asked, arching his brow at me, his arms crossed across his chest while I gave him the look of uncertainty.
“Fine, am off. Have your peace and breath out.”Hearing no response from her, he sighed out and turned around to go.
But Sabrina was quick to run forward and obstruct his way.
“Wait, please!”She pleaded, making him huff at her in frustration. To him, she was so unbelievable. She knew she’s going to do this only to act all tough at first, isn’t it?
“I’m ready to hear you out. But please be quick,”Sabrina urged him, her hands falling to her sides .
“Well, how do I start that you won’t take me for a liar…”he cleared his throat, rubbing his nape as he sounds uncertain.
“Just go ahead. I know you to be jerk anyways, so it wouldn’t be a surprise if you are here now to feed me with lies and…”
“Oh, cut the crap!”He countered, snapping the rest of her words off her tongue.
He then leaned closer to her and Sabrina maintaining her stance and trying all she could not to bolt off, listened to him as he whispered to her in a soft-low voice. “It’s about the Prince. Prince Luciano… I have seen you with him on several occasions so that was why I picked you as the perfect person to tell.”
Instantly, Sabrina’s curiosity grew. She gave him all her attention immediately.
“Okay. Please, further…”she trailed off, awaiting his continuity.
“It seems strange though. How he could be the Prince of our Kingdom; Magadascar and also be a King at another strange world entirely. But the thing is…”he started, while Sabrina’s li-ps parted away in awe
“How on earth! How possible, I-“she was on cutting him off but she brou-ght his index finger to her view, signifying for her to stop talking.
She slammed her mouth shut, and he continued,”…The thing is, sooner or later, he will be dragged to the other world where he’s been in existence for almost a decade. He rules their world there and due to some circu-mstances, he came to our earth here but… They want him back, Sabrina. His people wants their king back, his wife who is the Queen and his betrothed also longs for his return.”
“Sh*t! This sounds too complicated.”She wasn’t even aware of when she drops to the concrete floor, still trying to take in all the revelation little by little. How on earth was that able to happen?
****
Back at home…
Sabrina jammed her door shut and plopped on the bed. All Ronald had told her was still up roaming in her head. Another world?
Yes, she believes there’s another world because of her journey to the beauty Land not too long ago. She needs to let him know about this. She tried to locate him back at school but he didn’t attend today.
Horrified, she jumped out of bed and hurriedly wore her fli-p-flops before scurrying out of her room.
“Where to?”she shrugged shoulders with her brother as she descended the last stairs, quite unaware of his presence due to the fact she was in a hurry.
“Somewhere. I will be back soon.”And she left after half yelling her response.
Soon, she could be seen standing before the palace gate. She brou-ght up her hand to knock, and waited for the security to open up.
“Who’s there? Oh, you.”the security open the door and was inquiring when she took in her face. Recognizing her, he was quick to usher her in.
“Thanks.”she told him as she raced her way into the palace.
Hearing voices from the parking lot, she looked to see a certain royally dressed in a floral white dress speaking with a certain doctor in his uniformed white jacket. Deciding not to waste too much time, she furthered to locate Luciano’s room.
The guards didn’t try to stop her as she ventured inside. On one or two occasions, they have sighted her with the Prince.
Not knocking, which she regrets as soon as she steps foot into the room caught up with her as she was soon slammed against the wall at such a scary fast motion. This caused a winch to escape her li-ps as she looks up to his face but it was too late.
Luciano yanked his sword from its shred and targeted it towards the intruder’s abdomen without even a look at the face. A gasp followed…
★★★★★
Somewhere unknown***
Sabrina woke from the heavy sleep and coughed out, her throat choking her to tight she jumped up to her feet with a start. She takes a step forward thinking it’s her room and about to go get water to ease her cough when she froze.
Her Adam apple bobbed around their sockets as she start to move backward hurriedly. Faced with two unknown creatures that resembles monsters or maybe a wolf, she trembled with fear and her heart pound inside her chest.
She quickly clench her head in-between her palms, as she started recollecting her memories.
How she came here. How everything happened, because apparently this doesn’t seems like the surface of the earth.
She remembered while at school she had went to use the toilet and… oh God! That must have been when she was kidnapped.
“You should be scared. And you should be crying in pain now, but no; we don’t do that until we have given you a warning. So, if you still don’t yield, then we shall do to you the way we please.”One of the demon’s boomed, its voice creating so much terror in me that I jumped back in fright.
They look so huge and hunky. Both monsters has two horns each on their head and they didn’t have tooth but fangs, a very sharp ones because as the monster boils angrily at her face, she saw the way its fangs sharpened and glittered.
Their legs looks like animal’s ones, and their body alone looks like that of a beast. Never in her life has she witnessed nor seen with her eyes such creatures. Well, except in movies and back then, she remembered how she was always grinning at the TV not knowing she’s going to meet them in reality and instead of grinning like back then, she’s going to be trembling with fear.
She gulped down nothing as the second monster staggered towards her, each steps the monster took shook the cave they were currently in. Wait, the cave? Her eyes wide-ned, this cave looks just like the ones she saw while journeying to the beauty Land…. Holy Molly, on realization that she wasn’t even on the earth anymore but a place far away, she feels like collapsing and never walking up. And if the momsters decide to eat her up, that would be better as long as she won’t be waking up to see them again.
“Do you know King Luciano Pavarotti?”She sighed out when the monster only asked and stopped a few feets away from her. And his question, she furrowed her brows in slight confusion.
“No, I don’t. I-“she started, shuttering.
“Straight answers. Don’t get me so angry that I will have to feed your stupid body to the dogs!”The monster yelled annoyingly at her, its face flaring up in anger.
She blinked rapidly, her heart thumping up and down her chest as she quickly spluttered in fear,”Yes, but it’s prince Luciano I know.”
She hoped they will drop topic about the innocent prince immediately, but instead, their noses crinkled with irritation before the monster before her huffed in disbelieve.
“Your prince but our King.”the monster corrected, intentionally drawling on the word ‘king’ so even if Sabrina happened to be deaf, she’s going to catch on its words.
Sabrina would have laughed at the monsters face right now and tell them to get the f*vk off if she wasn’t at their mercy right now.
She knew they can snap her head into two within a minute so she has decided not to test their patience but instead, just shut up and listened to them.
“Ok,”Seeing them giving her a longing look, she remembered she hasn’t replied them so she quickly uttered, giving them an apologetic look she isn’t even sure they noticed.
“We want you away from him. Our queen wouldn’t mind wasting your f*viking blood if she sees any traces of you with him. It’s a pity she’s just to mercy, so thank your stars cause else… We would have been gladly feasting on your blood.”
Queen? Which Queen? Sabrina wouldn’t mind asking but on look at their scary faces, she slammed her mouth shut. And their warning… They told her to stay away from Prince Luciano who they are currently referring to as their king. She knows that would be too ha-rd but she’s ready to grab the second chance.
“Get her back home.”the monster snapped at the second one behind him and immediately it commanded, a tunnel appeared before her causing her to sigh in relief. She’s going home!
****
Sabrina’s room**
“Mother, we can’t find my sister!”Austen ran into the house and announced to his mother. He didn’t even bother to close the door after getting in.
His mother hearing the noises scurried out of the kitchen with the spatula in her hand, as she was cooking when she heard the door been flung opened.
“What Austen? It’s not even time for you to be home yet.”his mother asked, hurriedly climbing down the stairs to meet face to face with her.
“We can’t find Sabrina. The whole school has been searched but still, it’s all futile.”Austen sighed out in frustration, his chest rising up and down as he ran his hands throu-ghhis hair.
“What do you mean? How can you just come in and tell me you can’t find your sister. C’mon tell her to enter, you guys jokes can’t work on me.”she laughed lightly, about to turn away and go back to the kitchen.
“I’m serious mother. I never joked with such a thing before, we seriously need to find her.”Austen said, his voice thick with seriousness. She turned to face him, her face becoming pale as realization hits her… What did he just say?
“Oh goodness, where did my daughter go? Why can’t you find her? She never really goes anywhere without informing us.”she starts to panic, tears was starting to form in her eyes.
Austen walked past her, heading upstairs.
“Where to? Aren’t we supposed to be out and go find her?”she turned, asking him. She wipes the tears that just dropped on her cheek with the sleeve of her shirt.
Austen didn’t even have the time to reply as he was already at her door.
He jerked it open with his right foot and made his way in, sweats forming on his head.
His eyes wide-ned when he saw Sabrina on the bed, laying on her stomach.
“Mother!!! She’s here… Come up and see mother.”Austen called unto her as he ran to Sabrina’s bed.
“W-hat?!”entering the room, she dabbed on her eyes to confirm she wasn’t seeing things. How can she be here?
“Honestly son, I don’t know when she came in. I was in the kitchen throu-ghout until I… I… went to the kitchen to go prepare dinner. Except she entered throu-ghher room’s window which isn’t even possible since the fence is so high and… Oh heavens…”she kept panicking, fumbling with her words as she walks here and their the room.
Austen turned her over to see Sabrina still breathing but with a pale face and…
“Mother, bring water.”Austen requested, laying Sabrina’s head on his thighs. This cut his mother off her trance, she nodded and hurried out of the room.
“Rin, a minute okay? You’ll be fine now.”he tried to sooth her, rubbing his palms all over her cheeks desperately. He promise himself he’s going to deal with whoever did this to his sister and dumped her in the room thereafter.
“Here…”his mother came back and he took the bowl of water from her
He started sprinkling it over her face and soon, Sabrina was battling her lashes and was cozying the pillow beside her closer to her chest.
Austen finally exhaled while his mother put her hand over her chest in relief…
*****
Austen and his mother had left Sabrina’s room and left her to take a rest… He’s going to question her later on and ask her if she knows how she had went missing.
Climbing his motorbike, he was about kicking off the road to school to go tell them about his sister when his phone rang in his pocket.
“Who the f*vk is it?”he cussed, retrieving the phone from his pocket
He slids to receiver and putting the phone across his ear, he heard the most unwanted person’s voice.
“Austen.. Forgotten me so soon?”Anita’s voice chirped into the phone. Austen rolled his eyes. Was there even a time she isn’t happy?
“What do you want? I have better things at hand to attend to.”Austen blurted, his patience growing thin
“You do know and can still remember what we had together not too long ago, right? Well, it’s a really hot s-ex so I had to record the moment. I know you won’t want me leaking the tape for the whole school to see right? If yes, then you have to do a small favour for me in return.”Anita cooed evily.
Austen’s face dropped… What has he gotten himself into?
****
Luciano opened his car door and dismissing his driver, he climbed in and wanted to shut the door but it didn’t buldge.
He looked at the source and he huffed at Anita who was grinned at him, pocketing her phone inside her backpack
“Hello Prince Luce,”she smiled at him but he merely looked away, not even fazed a little bit by her appearance. If anything, he just wants her gone.
He could call his guards to do that but he didn’t want them manhandling her.
“How may I help you?”he creased his temple before stepping out of the car and inquiring.
“I-I want to ask if I can get a ride with you. My car is being fixed at the moment. So-”
Anita was speaking when suddenly a tunnel appeared before them and she disappeared into it.
Luciano was taken aback, and made to pull her way from tunnel as fast as he could but the tunnel was gone with her. His jaw clenched as he balled his fist. What the f*vk just happened??
*
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TBC