The Unknown Lycan Princess - Chapter 76: Chapter 76

Ares POV
I was hovering around the triplets’ cribs in the hospital while Beth and her mates were asleep. I watched my little namesake sleep peacefully. I’ve had millions of boys named after me over the millennia, but none ever hit my so-called heartstrings like this little guy. He will make a fine Alpha wolf when he grows up. I placed my blessing upon the children. Dimitri I blessed with finesse in battle, Esmerelda I blessed with strength and cunning befitting a future queen, and Ares my little namesake I blessed with brute strength and battle prowess. He will be an ultimate fighter. He has the ability now to win any battle he will be a part of. He still has to use his other abilities, but I gave him the added boost to make it possible with hard work and determination.
These children’s destinies have already been written in the cosmos, but I have faith they will cross any hurdle that comes their way. Little Esmerelda has the most crucial destiny to uphold. I feel bad that she will literally have the weight of a species on her shoulders like her mother does, but if she is anything like her mother she will do it and make it look easy. I feel my chest puff out with pride at that.
A small whimper brought me out of my inner thoughts. I looked down to see that little Esmerelda was awake and just watching me. “Such an observant little one aren’t you little princess.” I whisper to her as I pick her up and cradle her in my arms. I carry her over to the rocking chair in the corner of the room. I sit down and begin to rock her hoping to get her to go back to sleep. I can see that this won’t be enough after rocking her quietly for a few minutes so I start to tell her a story. “Once upon a time in a far away land there was a little prince. He was a kind young boy with a heart of gold. He would stop and help even the lowest of citizens in his kingdom if he could or he would find them help. Everyone loved him and were excited to see how the kingdom would be when he became king one day. You see, in this faraway kingdom peace had reigned for generations. They knew nothing of war or hardships. It was the safest kingdom in all the realms where everyone could live in peace and harmony. All species were allowed to live and thrive as long as they gave their loyalty. You see this was the kingdom of Gaia. The goddess Gaia was its patron God. She blessed everyone in the kingdom and would continue to do so as long as peace remained.” I took a brief pause to readjust the little pup in my arms and began to tell the tale again. “The young prince soon grew to be a handsome young man. He was anxious for his 18th birthday when he would be blessed with a mate of his own. He had waited patiently unlike his male peers and saved himself for the day his mate would come. When his birthday finally arrived the young prince was devastated that his mate was not a member of their kingdom or of age yet. So he waited patiently a little longer. On the eve of his 20th birthday he was beginning to lose faith that his mate would appear to him. His parents thought to help the prince so they hosted a huge ball on the prince’s behalf to celebrate his birthday. All kingdoms sent their most eligible maidens in hopes that the prince would find his mate among them. Alas the poor prince would not meet his mate on this night. You see there were people who did not like how prosperous the Kingdom of Gaia was and wanted to sabotage them so that they could be the better kingdom.
When they learned of the prince’s ball they decided to enact a plan to ensure the fall of the kingdom from Gaia’s grace. They found a witch to place an enchantment on a young maiden. Unbeknownst to them the young maiden had a plan of her own. Her heart was as black as her raven colored hair. She didn’t want to just take the kingdom down a notch or two. She wanted to destroy them, and what better way than to taint the golden heart of their young prince with hatred and vengeance.
So on the eve of the princes’ birthday the ball was held. The young prince was eager to see if this year his luck would be different and he hoped he would find his mate. All his peers were now settled down with their own mates and starting families. The prince felt lonely and wanted to give all his heart to his mate wherever she was.
As he arrived at his party the prince felt a strange pull inside. He was excited because he thought it was the mate pull so he set off in search of the one who called to his soul. As he made his way through the partygoers he finally spotted the most beautiful creature he had ever laid his eyes upon. Her hair was as dark as a raven’s wings, her skin was as pale as snow, and her eyes held a man’s attention; they were the color of a shiny emerald. The green swirled as their eyes met. The prince felt it was love at first sight. He was elated to finally have found his mate. He quickly introduced her to his parents, and they planned to hold a wedding in the coming week. The evening and following week went by in a blur for the prince. Though he wanted to seal their bond on that first night, the young maiden managed to hold him off by telling him she wanted to wait until they were married first to make it special.
The day before the wedding the prince and the young maiden were to stay separated per tradition. The maiden was to spend the day with the queen getting pampered while the prince was to be with his father. It was during his time his father and he chose to spend the day on the training field. Though the kingdom was peaceful they still stayed vigilant in case of an attack. During their sparring match his father dropped to his knees screaming in agony holding his chest. The prince rushed to his father trying to help him when he heard his father whisper his mother’s name made his blood run cold.
The prince and King rushed to where his mother was supposed to be with his mate. When they made it into the room what they saw was horrific. The young maiden was standing over the queen with a silver blade in her hand. Before either man could register what was happening the young maiden launched herself to the king. He was weakened from the death of his mate so he could not fight her off and soon the struggle was over and the king had the silver blade sticking out of his chest.
The prince fell to his knees and looked up to his mate and he croaked out, “why”. The maiden laughed and laughed and told him that she was never his mate and that her plan was to always kill the king and queen. She let the prince know that she was never his mate and she crushed his heart with her words. The prince felt a rage so strong in his heart that he charged at the maiden and before she could defend herself ripped her heart out of her chest and watched the light leave her eyes. He thought that if he killed the person who killed his parents he would feel better, but he just felt the same unending rage that consumed his heart and soul.
Soon his kingdom fell because the gifts Gaia had blessed upon them disappeared as soon as his rage appeared. The people of the kingdom all dispersed and blended into the other kingdoms leaving the prince alone in his castle. Where the goddess Gaia found him. Gaia’s heart broke seeing one of her children so broken and in pain. It was then that Gaia decided that the prince would remain as he was. She placed a spell on him granting him eternal life in hopes that his true mate would come and save him from himself.
The young prince left his kingdom and roamed the earth searching for his mate and till this day he is still roaming still searching. He was forever known as The Fallen. One day he will meet his mate and she will be the most beautiful princess in the world. She will be able to mend his broken heart and bring peace once more to the kingdom of Gaia. That princess little one, is you Esmerelda. You will bring peace to his heart and in turn save the world as we know it.
I know it is a lot for such little shoulders to carry, but if anyone can do it princess it’s you. You have your mother’s heart and quiet strength. You will be able to do anything you set your little heart to.” I finished by placing a small kiss onto her forehead. She was finally back asleep after the story. She will find her mate one day, but it won’t be easy for her. She will have to battle his demons and after milenia he will have many many demons to battle.
I placed the pup back in the crib with her brothers. I looked around the room to make sure that the adults were still sleeping and quietly made my exit. I will come back in the morning to give Beth her next task. No need to interrupt what little sleep she will be able to get with the pups.