“I don’t want you here when I lose control.” Your shaky voice stern but softens, your hazy gaze on everything but him. He reaches out, the same warmth that once comforted you but now only drove the madness further. You lash out, fearfully trying to keep him at a distance, for his sake. “Stay away from me.”

His gold eyes narrow and dark, the same eyes you feared and misunderstood before, now are the only things that brightened this darkness. His voice held an air of roughness, grim that only softened for you like in this very moment. “Don’t push me away now. Damn it all, don’t you dare push me away. I’m here for you. Let all else burn to crisps, I’d burn the very earth for you alone.” He understood the insanity spreading through your veins like poison, this prince of darkness didn’t fear you. He only feared losing you.

The dark magic had seeped in, pulsing through your heart like a thick suffocating black smoke. This magic, this curse, knew you weren’t a royal, it burned through your veins to warn you that you didn’t belong. It created hallucinations similar to that of schizophrenia, this madness would eventually eat away your sanity. You’ve accepted this fate to save the kingdom, to save your Prince. You knew of the prophecy where the Prince of this kingdom would be sacrificed to rid the land of its impure evils, only would it be satiated by blood and magic. This prince, the one who everyone feared from rumors, held a heart gold that you couldn’t let go. This prince’s curse, his fate had no happy ending so you decided to change that, if only by your own life after falling in love with him.

You knew only the royal lines were gifted with magic and treaded dangerous ways to reach people with dark magic powers, illegitimate heirs of the royal family who were wanted dead or alive. You learned their ways, their curse, their burden. You prayed for their curse and by drinking the blood of your prince behind his back, you were now in their shoes with the very same ‘gift’.