Purpose

CHAPTER 4

Purpose

ㅤAS MERLIN debunked the idea that the previous princess of Izquierdo kingdom was only fictional and was only created to spice up the history of Griego family’s tragedy and of her possible death, Lucas discovered that the spell ‘Hymn of the Moon’ may only sound lame in the ears of those who have not paid too much attention to its details. It turns out that it is something more than a boring spell and it actually deserves its seat as one of the forbidden magics out there.

The mere fact that it is a protective spell made things bland but with the added reality of its capabilities – which is to surpress one’s identity to hide the object it was casted upon – Lucas understood why the spell requires a heavy sacrifice. Still, processing all these information may have taken a toll in his mind.

“That better be not a joke,” Lucas uttered almost breathlessly.

Merlin blinked, amused that despite he had laid out what he knew about the lost princess to fill in Lucas’ curiosity, the prince still had the guts to take every information with a grain of salt. Meanwhile, Lucas noticed that Merlin fell into deep thought, presumably from how he reacted. Because while he came here to satiate his curiosity, now he’s taking every bit of information he can accumulate with a grain of salt.

It did not take long when Merlin chirped. “Isn’t Princess Selene a charmer? You haven’t met her but she piqued your curiosity. I can’t really blame you for taking interest over her mysterious disappearance.”

But how is that related to the doubt which Lucas had thrown Merlin? He actually expected the wizard to provide some back up details to support his claim.

The second Lucas realized that couldn’t hold back the frown that had been threatening his visage, he let his expression take over to convey the message he’d been itching to express. Merlin seemed to realize it, thus, the wizard let out another chuckle. However, it sounded hearty this time.

“Prince Lucas, you seem to be very demanding. I’ve shown you my memories, I wonder if that isn’t enough proof?” the wizard asked before he settled on his seat, “I can’t show you the king nor the queen’s point of view as I do not own them.”

Lucas pressed his lips together and realized that he had been shown some bits of Merlin’s past. He and Jonas travelled from the past through Merlin’s memories and watched the tragedy befall upon the once powerful and influencing vampire nobles – Griego. He had seen how the previous prosperous and proud Izquierdo kingdom fell apart as well as the deaths of its previous rulers before the land was entirely dominated by the Demelza family.

But why is it that he cannot grasp upon the ideas?

“Pagpasensyahan niyo na ‘kung makikisabad ako sa usapan,” sabad ni Jonas na parehong nakapagpatigil sa kanila ni Merlin, “pero Merlin, wala ka bang pruweba na ginamit nga ni Reyna Erina ang Hymn of the Moon? Iyong mga ipinakita mo sa ‘min ni Prinsipe Lucas, mga alaala mo lamang iyon nang matagpuan mo ang dating Reyna.”

“Fufu. I knew that you’d press me even though I’ve shown you what is there to see.” Merlin let out a low and a somewhat sing-song chuckle. “Alright. Let me show you my memories again. Make sure to pay extra attention to the elemental traces left by the spell.”

Lucas prepared himself to see Merlin’s memories once again. This time, when the wizard snapped his fingers and showed them what he saw on the night of the tragedy as well as of how he found the former queen’s ashes, Lucas immediately noticed elemental orbs around the cave she sought refuge. His forehead creased at the sight and he tried to seek answers through the wizard’s memories but that was all he could see – nearly transparent elemental orbs which hovered around the queen’s ashes.

“Those elemental orbs are the traces of the Hymn,” Merlin soon explained as soon as his memories popped like bubbles from Lucas and Jonas’ minds, “apparently, the other two forbidden spells don’t emit such beautiful yet dangerous orbs, rather; they emanate destruction around the place where it was casted upon. Only the Hymn leaves such traces when it’s complete.”

Mestikulosong ngumisi si Merlin bago muling sumimsim ng tsaa. The wizard hummed in ecstasy once the liquid touched his lips. Sa mga oras na ito, hinihintay ng mahiko ang mga bayolenteng reaksyon ni Lucas ngunit sa paglipas ng sampung segundo, wala pa rin siyang naikokomento.

Samantala, nanatili ang mga mata niya sa mahiko. Tatawa ba siya o ano? But no, everything sounds convincing – although, the doubt in Lucas had never left – what else is there to believe if he’s speaking to Merlin, a witness of the queen’s sacrifice and the princess’ disappearance? Sa ngayon, pilit na lamang niyang inirerehistro ang mga impormasyong nakalap sa isipan, pagtagpi-tagpiin hanggang sa makuntento siya’t maisarado na ang conspiracy theory na ilang buwang inaasikaso.

Nandito na ang sagot sa harap niya, e. Sinabi na lahat ni Merlin sa kanya.

“The rebels don’t know what happened to princess Selene but they are more than aware of the queen’s death,” Merlin says through a sing-song voice as a hum of content escapes his lips once he sips on his tea again, “those stupid mortals probably made up a story regarding her enigmatic disappearance. Who knows? But the Demelzas...”

Sumandal siya sa backrest ng kinauupuan at inabantayanan ang pagpapatuloy ni Merlin. Nanatili ang mga mata niya sa mga pagkain at tsaang nakalatag sa lamesa, wala sa isip ang kumain at sa halip ay ang makinig dito.

“The Demelza family isn’t stupid,” pagpapatuloy ni Jonas sa sasabihin dapat ni Merlin dahil tila ba wala itong balak na kumpletuhin ang sasabihin.

Kahit si Lucas, napahimig sa pagsabad ni Jonas. Tama. Hindi sila tanga. Siguradong noong magkunwari ang mga rebelde na napatay din nila ang prinsesa, nagpadala sila ng pupwedeng magpatunay noon pero walang ebidensya. Isa pa, hindi naman malalaman ni Lucas ang tungkol sa misteryosong prinsesa kung hindi dahil sa mga libro!

Kahit maitago ng lahat ang pagkawala ni prinsesa Selene, hindi pa rin maitatago ang katotohanan: parang bula itong nawala sa gabi ng trahedya.

Sinang-ayunan siya ng mahiko. “Sigurado akong hinahanap nila ang prinsesa ngayon.”

Lucas’ lips parted as soon as he heard that there’s a possibility that the Demelza family was looking for the lost vampire princess. His mind wandered for a bit, thinking how difficult it would be for the Demelzas to search for someone whose whereabouts was unknown.

But... that should not be the case for Merlin? Bakit naririto pa rin ito sa kaharian nila imbes na hanapin ang nag-iisa nitong pag-asa?

“E ikaw, Merlin? Ba’t ‘di mo hinahanap? Ikaw ang naatasang protektahan ang nawawalang prinsesa, ‘di ba?” he asked out of curiosity.

Merlin giggled as soon as he raised the question. “I am but the Hymn restricts me to track her down. Like I’ve said, it’s the perfect protective spell if you want to hide something... or rather, someone.”

“Wala bang ibang paraan para mahanap siya?”

Imbes na sumagot kaagad ay nagkibit balikat muna si Merlin. “For years, I’ve been searching for a way to find princess Selene. But all attempts fell into failure... until now, I don’t know where she is.”

Ah. That’s right. Now that Merlin mentioned it, Lucas realized how pushy he had been – of course, even if the greatest wizard within Xeofarea sits in front of him, it doesn’t mean that he can break the spell of the Hymn and just casually walk in front of the princess to take her back.

“Do you want to meet her?” biglang sabi ni Merlin na siyang humila kay Lucas pabalik sa huwisyo.

Naguguluhan niyang hinanap ang mga mata nito. “What do you mean?”

“It’s simple as it is, prince Lucas. I don’t mean anything beyond the question I’ve asked. I wanted to know if your goal on learning about the lost princess’ enigmatic disappearance involve a spark of desire to meet her.”

Lucas’ forehead creased and his gaze never left Merlin who busied himself pouring and offering more tea to Jonas who felt embarrassed by the service. Nevertheless, his mind wandered and pondered about the question. He probably thought about this before. To see her for himself and put an end to his never-ending struggle in solving the tragedy of Izquierdo but – no, previous thoughts of meeting the lost princess quickly dissipates from his mind.

After all, what good is there if their paths would cross? Nothing.

If Lucas meets the princess, then his kingdom will be damned and the Elders from the Magic tower will blame him for his recklessness as the crowned prince.

Anyway, Lucas just solves this mystery for self-satisfaction and nonexistent benefit. If the puzzle pieces lead him to the princess, then that would be cool, but does he have any plan on interferring with her life and the conflict she’s presumably unaware of with the Demelza family? No thanks. He has his priorities and Selene Griego won’t ever be a part of it.

“I don’t want to see nor meet her,” Lucas replied soon after he made up his mind with an answer that would satisfy him and Merlin, “it won’t be of any good to me if we’d cross paths, right? I don’t want to drag my own kingdom with her conflict against the Izquierdo kingdom.”

Merlin seemed to be taken aback by his response, one proof of that is how a piece of the wizard’s cookie which he had just bitten, crumbled and fell on the table cloth. Lucas didn’t even mind following where that cookie went, instead; he had his gaze fixated on Merlin’s wide eyes.

‘Why does he look surprised?’ Lucas asked to himself, though he has this urge to voice out the inquiry, he chose to keep his lips sealed.

It was then when Merlin cleared his throat and asked, “despite her father, being an accomplice of King Alexander?”

“To hell I care about that?” He scoffed before he leaned on the table for comfort and to support his weight. “I’m not my dad. He also can’t manipulate my decisions.”

“I’m sorry, my prince.” Merlin ate the last bit of his cookie and sat properly. “I know that it doesn’t concern you, however; it should be since you’re about to tie the knot with Izquierdo’s current princess, Luan Demelza. What if the land of Izquierdo is a total mess and the virus may affect your beloved Vintress kingdom, prince Lucas?”

His eyebrow twitched. Alright, that’s foul play. Kahit pa na may masamang imahe ang mga Demelza, hindi naman siguro nila idadamay ang Vintress sa kalokohan nila. Moreover, he’s still the crowned prince and even when he’s finally king, he has no plans on letting these humans trample the land his family had worked hard for. Those mortals can’t bring his land down to the slumps – what disrespect even is that?!

Matamang tinitigan ni Lucas si Xerxes and settled for a vague response. “That’s treachery against the current royal family of Izquierdo kingdom, Merlin. You may get beheaded.”

*

DAYS had passed ever since Merlin’s conversation with the Sutcliffe’s beloved prince, Lucas, and he decided to pay a visit at the palace to speak with His Majesty – wait, he is not exactly paying a visit. He just barged into the castle like he usually does, pranced around, and acted stupid as he walked to the door which leads to the king’s chamber.

As he walked down the grand hallway of the palace, he was able to discern that some gazes he received scrutinized him while some admired him. But seriously, mortals should cease throwing him the ‘looks’. For someone old like him, these human beings shall stop fantasizing over a vampire’s mystical beauty.  But then, they are just built like that, curious creatures who are easily attracted by something that is beyond their understanding.

Going back to those who judged, however, he knows where they are coming from. For someone who has not received any formal invitation to visit the king or sent any invitation to see the ruler of Vintress, his presence appears as some sort of a nuisance. No one prepared – but it is not like he wanted to be welcomed, either.

Also, as disrespectful Merlin’s visit appears to be, he has an urgent matter to discuss with the king. Sending a letter and waiting for a response will only bore him to death, thus; his grand entrance in the palace ensues.

It was then when he mentally sighed and reminisced what he and Lucas discussed recently.

Nitong nakaraan, personal siyang binisita ng prinsipe. And as much as it’s a delight since it never occurred to him, it was still a surprise that what brought him there was the lost vampire princess of Izquierdo kingdom. Napag-usapan nila ang mga posibleng dahilan kung bakit nawala ang prinsesa at mabilis ding isiniwalat ni Merlin ang tungkol sa katotohanang sa likod ng misteryoso nitong pagkawala.

Lucas had it solved the second they mentioned the Hymn of the Moon, only that he was not immediately convinced since the Hymn’s entire purpose was murdered by those who knew little of it. Nevertheless, it was fun unveiling the verity and defending its credibility as one of the three forbidden spells.

But... he wonders what lies beyond Lucas’ curiosity of the lost princess.

Patuloy lamang na naglalakad si Merlin, walang pakialam sa paligid at hindi na pinagtuunan pa nang pansin kung saan siya tangayin ng mga paa. Ni hindi niya napansing nakarating na pala siya sa destinasyon niya. Noong makumpirmang nasa harap na nga siya ng kwartong kinaroroonan ni haring Alexander, mabilis siyang bumaling sa isa sa mga kawal na kanina pa siya pinagmamasdan.

“Nariyan ba si haring Alexander?” pagtatanong niya.

Tumango ang kawal. “Anong kailangan mo? Wala siyang natanggap na mensahe ukol sa pagbisita mo. Pupwede kang bumalik sa susunod na araw.”

Mahinang humimig si Merlin nang maintindihan ang nais nitong ipahiwatig. Right. Within Vintress kingdom, his former title doesn’t serve any value, thus; his presence right now is undoubtly unwanted. Kahit kaibigan din siya ni haring Alexander, hindi iyon sapat na dahilan upang mabigyan siya ng ‘special treatment’.

That is just not how monarchy works, apparently.

“Ipagpaumanhin mo pero importante ang pakay ko sa mahal na hari.” Matamis niyang nginitian ang kawal. “Tungkol kay prinsipe Lucas ang ipinunta ko’t pupwede mong kausapin ang mahal na hari tungkol sa pagbisita ko.”

Nagkatinginan ang dalawang kawal na nagbabantay sa kwarto ni haring Alexander, senyales na nag-uusap ang mga ito sa pamamagitan ng pagpapalitan ng tingin – tinitignan at tinitimbang kung papapasukin ba siya sa kwarto o hindi.

Sa kalagitnaan ng pag-uusap ng mga ito, bigla na lamang bumukas ang pinto ng kwarto at iniluwa nito si Duke Louwes, ang sekretarya ni haring Alexander. Nang makita nito ang pigura ni Merlin na nakatayo sa harap ng kwarto, nagpakawala ito ng buntong hininga’t mabilis na inilipat ang mga mata sa mga kawal.

“Ba’t hindi niyo siya pinapasok?” pag-uusisa nito sa kanila.

The knights immediately tensed but Merlin only waved a hand and chuckled.

“Kasalanan ko rin naman, Duke Louwes. ‘Di ako nagpakilala sa kanila,” paliwanag niya.

Kumunot ang noo nito at binalingan siya. “Pupwede bang sa susunod e ‘wag mo ‘yong gagawin? Kilala ka naman ng mga ito sa pangalan kaya pupwede mong banggitin ang pangalan mo.”

“Oh, may special treatment ako?” natatawa niyang balik bago ipinagkrus ang mga braso. Nang angatan siya ng isang kilay ni Duke Louwes, sumuko rin siya, “my old title doesn’t have much value anymore, so it’s okay not to mention what it is.”

Niluwangan ni Duke Louwes ang pagkakabukas ng pinto at hinayaan siyang pumasok. “Kanina pa naramdaman ng hari ang pagdating mo’t nagtataka siya kung bakit ‘di ka pa nakakapasok.”

Napahagalpak ng tawa si Merlin sa narinig. Umalingawngaw ang boses niya sa buong kwarto at nakikita na niya ang itsura ni Duke Louwes bagamat nakatalikod ito sa kanya. Nanatili ang pagtawa niya hanggang sa makarating na siya sa harap ng mahal na hari. Sa unang tingin, tila ba wala siyang pakialam sa pagkakaiba nila ng posisyon ngunit kalaunan, nagbigay galang din si Merlin nang kumalma.

“Nakausap mo ba si Lucas?” Ito ang unang ibinungad sa kanya ni haring Alexander na noon ay nakaupo sa swivel chair nito at pinipirmahan ang dokumentong halos katatapos lang nitong basahin, “personal kang binisita ng anak ko sa Lullin village para magtanong tungkol sa mga Griego.”

Ah. He’s really not a fan of beating around the bush. “Hindi naman ispesipikong mga Griego ang tinanong niya. Lucas’ objective last time was to ask about the lost vampire princess of Izquierdo kingdom. Did you know about this?”

“I wouldn’t allow him to leave the palace nor send him your way if I wasn’t aware of his agenda,” was what King Alexander replied before he raised his head to search for Merlin’s gaze, “and I presume that you’ve told him the truth?”

“Fufu. It’s not like you left me with any other option.” Merlin then waved a hand as if he gestured. “You left several books in your library about the fall of Izquierdo on purpose. Not to mention, the books Lucas read talks about the lost princess.”

Napaismid si Alexander bago nagpahalumbaba. Pinasadahan din nito ng tingin si Duke Louwes na noo’y nasa tabi nito’t nakikinig sa usapan nila nang muwestrahan nito ang duke na lumabas muna at hayaan silang mag-usap ni Merlin. Siya ring pagsunod ng duke at pag-iwan nito sa kanila, habang si Merlin naman e minuwestrahan ng hari na umupo sa isa sa mga upuang nasa harap ng mesa nito.

Merlin immediately complied to his order but before he could settle down on his seat, he asked, “what is your purpose for letting Prince Lucas know about the lost princess?”

A deafening silence vanquished the room for a moment but Merlin waited patiently for King Arthur’s response. It took several minutes of them, enjoying the tranquility, until King Alexander opened his mouth and shared his friendship with both Merlin and the Izquierdo kingdom’s previous king, Arthur Griego.

“It’s a commemorative gift for a friend. Nothing big. Can you still remember how we all grew up together?” King Alexander began, his voice was soft and there was a tinge of loneliness lingering in his tone, “I promised you two that I’ll help in maintaining your kingdom’s peace in exchange of aiding mine when trouble comes.”

“But chaos befell only on Izquierdo kingdom. Nevertheless, I, as one of the survivors thank you for keeping your promise and aiding us during the rebellion,” Merlin responded.

Merlin was sincere – never disappointed although Alexander believed that his grave mistake was to be overly confident that Izquierdo kingdom will be saved and the throne would remain on those who truly deserved it.

“It was just really unfortunate that the humans fell for such baseless accusation.” Merlin heaved a sigh and expressed his disappointment by shaking his head. “Moreover, how is that related to letting Lucas solve the mystery of the princess?”

King Alexander let out a chuckle before he leaned against the back rest of his swivel chair. The smile on his lips never left and amusement – or rather, there was a hint of desire – that glinted in his golden eyes.

“There’s no ulterior motive at first, to be honest. I only wanted my child to learn about the fall of Izquierdo so that we would be ready if ever rebels lurked within our kingdom,” Alexander explained as he closed his eyes and hummed, “but recently, I found a spark of hope through my son’s eagerness to solve the tragedy. Perhaps, this is just me, wishfully thinking that Lucas could help Princess Selene recuperate what was originally hers.”

“Even if he doesn’t want to get involved?” Merlin asked as he remembered how Lucas responded to his question before.

King Alexander chuckled. “But there is no way that we can’t get involved, Merlin. After all, he’ll be marrying the current princess of Izquierdo kingdom. Now, before our land could fall onto the hands of those who brought a dear friend’s land to its destruction, why not prevent it as early as now?”

Merlin was silent after he heard the king’s reason of letting Lucas’ interest be swooned by the mystery of the lost princess, as well as the fall of Izquierdo. Ah. He understands. Even though Alexander seemed not moving despite the looming menace – the Demelza family – he had already made a move by persuading his son in the little ways he could.

“Pero kung ayaw niya, ‘di ko naman siya pipilitin,” the king soon added after a while of silence, “pakiramdam ko lang e siya ang susi para maibalik kay Prinsesa Selene ang trono at maisalba ang kahariang minsan nang nawalan ng pag-asa.”