Chapter 1: Forbidden affair

   BORNEY, OFF THE COST OF THE ANCIENT SEAS, WAS A KINGDOM WHICH SAT ON MANY ISLANDS; A land completely different from the rest of its mainland neighbours. Every morning it was greeted with the calmness of the coastal breeze. With no tempest at all; the smiling waters were a total contrast to the behaviour of its inhabitants. They were different from the rest of their neighbours.

   They were a kind of inhabitants that looked beautiful yet instilled fear in their neighbours each time they mentioned them. Though they lived in the world of their own, their lives were not complete on their own.

   They invaded others for their stay and livelihood. Those that lived near them were so surprised about all this; how fear could be associated with beautiful beings, at least from the outside. They looked innocent and beautiful, like angels, yet made others around them to live in fear.

   The subjects of Borney loved one another. But they expressed their love for others, especially the opposite sex, in a different way. Their ways were different because they were an island of vampires. To their neighbours, expressing love through bites by sharp fangs looked rather weird and cruel.

   But to the contrary, the island kingdom was not cruel to anyone. Its inhabitants were known for their peace; except when someone disrupts their way of life. Their anger would often erupt like hot lava that burned their enemies. They never fought for anything, but to defend their love and way of life.

   Zuba was a princess there. Like the rest, she was known for calmness and beauty. The two ancient seas ably described her. She was beautiful. Her shining eyes were as calm as the morning waters, though at times her behaviour was as tempestuous as the surging waters of the night on the ancient seas.

   But the nobles of that medieval kingdom were greedy. Many of them exhibited some kind of behaviour quite different from the rest of the subjects. They fought and made sure that they got whatever they wanted at the expense of others.

   Besides, many of them were lazy and boring. But not when it came to personal ambitions.

   “Get up Dario, we get to the square early”, said Marian, his mother.

   “But mom-”, he complained, and slowly getting up to go for the royal dance. He was clumsy and clumpy at the same time. His behaviour was just like the rest.

   “Don’t show me attitude, Dario”, complained his mother. “Will you show me some agency in the face of the competition”, she said, insisting that he present himself before the king at the royal square.

   Meanwhile, Oscar and his family had already arrived at the ancient square for the royal dance of the princess. He too was from the noble families of the kingdom. They arrived early at the place where an important decision that would affect the whole kingdom was to be made.

   For like the Princess, every boy that was born from the noble household was obliged to do certain things towards the kingdom.

   “Let’s see who is going to stop you,” said Wendy, Oscar’s mother.

   “You’re born for this”, assured Jim, who had escorted the family to the square. And Oscar nodded his head from where he was seated.

   Every one was silent and expectant. All the nobles of the kingdom and many commoners gathered there. They were waiting for the arrival of the princess and the royal family.

   The day was auspicious. It was a day in one’s lifetime; especially to boys that had been born from the noble families. Each one looked forward to be chosen as a possible mate to the crown princess of the vampire kingdom.

   Meanwhile, Jason Clay was not from that kingdom. He belonged to a rogue Pac; a prince from a Farow kingdom, quite distant from Borney. He too took up his position incognito and watched the proceedings from a safer distance. This was for nothing other than cheer curiosity. He had, prior to this, frequented the kingdom, but nobody knew about him. And he kept himself low, just like native commoners would do.

   But on this day, little did he know that fate was in his hands. As the crown princess was arriving, she was driven by horses in a royal cart. In the presence of her father, king Macedon and Mirabel, the queen, their eyes ran into each other.

   “We’re here at the royal square’, said her father, king Macedon, looking at the face of his daughter.

   “My dear, follow your heart. This is your day”, said Mirabel, smiling as she touched the cheek of the princess.

   But princess Zuba said nothing all the time. She was gazing at Jason, a stranger, with her eyes full of interest. Not only did she make contact with him, but something within her told her to know more about the young man she had just seen.

   She was the princess of the vampire kingdom, but little did she realise that the man was a werewolf. Jason was a prince of the rogue pack in the far away kingdom. But immediately their eyes made contact, something started building. Unfortunately the princess had an obligation to her kingdom to fulfil.

   However, she pretended to be at the royal square. But she was so indifferent to the ceremony despite her being the centre of all the matters that were conducted there.

   She scanned everywhere, but Jason was no where to be found. He too had felt something about the princess after their eyes made contact. But he dismissed it as mere hallucinations since the princess was picking her mate at that very moment.

   “Today my daughter is fulfilling her obligation to our kingdom”, said the king, as the dancers were interrupted. All the guests and the nobles were seated. And the dancers stood still.

   “That moment is here, son”, said Wendy in low voice. “Let’s see who is going to stop the best pick”, she shook Oscar as the two smiled.

   “You’re born for this”, Jim, his uncle, made an assurance.

   Meanwhile, the king signalled to every one that it was now time for his daughter to pick her mate. Every one smiled as others were ululating to princess Zuba. She was about to go round to check on the nobles from whom he was to pick her mate.

   “Show us your mate, now”, he pointed to the direction of the nobles.

   “But my king”, she said

   “What is it my daughter?” the king asked, touching her chin, “but you look worried at an auspicious day like this”, he embraced his daughter, trying to assure her of better things.

   But Zuba was not there. Her heart was somewhere else.

   “But my father”, she said again

   “What is it?”

    “I ask for royal patience”, she said to the king, raising her index finger into the air. And the king nodded.

   “I will be back in a moment, let me be alone”, she excused herself and ran into the direction where she saw that strange man who had vanished from the royal square.

   Queen Mirabel stood up from where she was seated. She wanted to shout to her daughter to stop what she was doing, but the king forbade her. She nonetheless watched with surprise as her daughter disappeared from the ceremony to be alone. But no one knew where she had gone, except that the king had assured everyone that it was fine. The music and the dancers were commanded to resume as they were waiting for her to return.

   “Where could he be?” she asked herself.

   She held her breath, and many thoughts started welling up within her. She scanned everywhere but there was no sign of the mysterious man.

   She moved a stone’s throw, but she stopped again and looked into the skies. Moments later she heard some footsteps from behind, standing like a dead wood, she failed to turn around. Her heard couldn’t move as she felt some strange strong hands holding her from behind.

   “Who are you?” she asked nervously

   “I have been waiting for this for so long”, said Jason, a stranger, speaking from behind the princess

   Slowly but sure, she turned her heard around to see who it was that was talking. Jason couldn’t let her be even when she was turning around. He still held his grip on her with strong hands.

   “Who are you?” she asked again.

   But she jerked up immediately she realised that she was in the arms of that mysterious man she had left the royal square for.

   “Let me go”, she demanded

   “I would not let my moment go away”, he said

   “But who are you?”

    “I have wanted to be loved for so long; and I want your love”, he said as he smiled. “When our eyes met, I knew that was it”

   “But you ran away”

   “No, I didn’t”

   At that moment, the princess turned around. She faced him and bit his neck. Her fangs, which were not protruding before, were sharp. The bite sent a sensation feeling into the body of Jason, but she never took any of his blood.

   “But who are you?” Jason asked.

   But there was no answer as the only reply he could get was another deep bite on his thigh.

   And almost immediately Jason shape shifted into a wolf. The princess was loosed from him. But she stood there before him face to face.

   “I am Jason the werewolf”, he said

   “I knew it when I first saw you, but you disguised yourself”

   “And you are the vampire-”

   “The vampire princess”, she said

   Jason turned his back on her and started leaving. He looked back to the princess, and then looked the other way again. He started going.

   “And where do you think you’re going?” asked princess Zuba

   “I am walking away; we don’t belong together”

   “I was going to kill you, or turn you into a vourdalak”, she told him. “But no, you will live; I have marked you with my bite”. She started crying with one eye.

   When Jason saw this, he returned and embraced her. He checked her face, and embraced her again with tight grip. The two were locked for some moments.

   “I am Zuba”, she said softly. “I am the princess of the kingdom of Borney of the vampire”.

   “But I am werewolf”, said Jason

   “Yea, its fine”

   “Sure?”

   “Yea, we’re in this together, to turn our hates into love, but they won’t allow us”. She said. “Can we do this?”

   “Why not”, said Jason hesitantly. “Off course we can, let’s get on it”

   But before they could figure out on the next step, some passers-by that saw them screamed. They began to shout.

   “Where is his majesty to come and see this?”

   They ran towards the royal square. His majesty was there; they told king Macedon everything they saw the princess doing with a stranger.