A knock on the door interrupted their conversation. Ron went to open the door and was greeted by a brooding Ludiciel. His long silver hair was packed into a low bun and he was wearing a black and white again. Ron wondered why they all liked wearing such boring colours. As if there weren't any other type of clothing. Look at him for example. He was wearing deep red clothes, studded with shiny blue jewels. Red! The colour of love. Ron looked dashing. Zedekiel definitely has to be affected.Rose was no different. Her yellow gown was form fitting and it cascaded down her body in froths of white and pale blue. Her aurburn curls were packed and decorated with white flowers. Ron's confidence was actually shaky."Time for breakfast" Ludiciel said. The siblings followed Ludiciel to the dining hall. Ron was excited to see King Zedekiel again. After admitting he was lost last night, Zedekiel personally took him to his room. On the way, he had chatted about so many things but Zedekiel only gave
Queen mother just nodded. She was enjoying the little drama. King Zedekiel also watched with great interest. This was the guy that convinced him to court his sister, stole berries, got chased by guards, sought refuge in his room, and then got lost. What else was he going to do now?"You see, I told you I'm a prince," Ron said but when he saw the two boys looking conflicted, he sighed and swallowed his food. "Still, don't go around using your title as the prince to bully people. If you had spoken to me nicely, I would have left the seat so you can stay next to mother but since you didn't, you'll have to sit somewhere else today"The one who shouted first pouted slightly. The chair has always been his own. He sits next to his mother every single day and now, this guy just came from nowhere and took it but seeing as no one in the family supported him, he didn't know what to do. "But..." Ron continued. "If you apologize to me, I might reconsider..." Everyone waited to see what the twins
Prince Ron was restless all day. After breakfast, Tariel, Sariel and Princess Mariel went for their daily studies while Ludiciel went with King Zedekiel to attend to court matters. Queen mother went back to her room. So did Rose while Ron decided to take a stroll with Leo.As he walked, he kept wondering what to do about the berry stealing situation. If any of the guards that saw him could describe him enough, then he would be done for. He needed to do something. And that King! Instead of covering up for him, he added fuel to the fire. Ron felt like strangling him. After walking for about half an hour, he decided to rest and think of something later. While sitting in the courtyard, Ron was unusually quiet which made Leo worry. The prince normally likes to talk even if it was about utter rubbish so seeing him so silent was quite scary. He endured and endured and when he couldn't endure any longer, he asked; "Prince Ron? Is something the matter?"Ron just sighed but didn't answer. L
Prince Ron, think. What can you do best?"The Prince went silent for a while, thinking seriously then he said; "My mother always tells me that I eat fast..."Ludiciel chuckled and said; "Prince Ron, you do not have to participate. It's not like there's anyone you need to impress. The person that should do all the work is your sister. Besides, she said she's going to sing"Ron gasped. His sister knew about it before him?! Unacceptable! She already has the upper hand!!And nobody to impress? What about that insufferable king who saved his life and stole his heart? His beloved King who nearly choked him to death? The King with the heart that's as cold as ice.He has to impress him and find a way to get rid of those terrible mood swings he gets. They were getting in the way of him stealing his beloved's heart! "Rose is going to sing? What song?" he asked. Ludiciel shrugged. "How would I know? She just told me to provide her with a lot of things that improves the voice, like honey and ra
The great hall was packed full with people. It was decorated beautifully with more than a hundred candles and ribbons of different colors. It was filled with aroma of food and wine and wonderful slow music flowed in the air, creating a serene and cheerful atmosphere.Ron has never seen anything so magical. The candle lights made the ice blue walls glow, increasing the beauty of the hall. The thick curtains seemed to have been spun from gold. It made him really excited.He was sitting at the high table together with Ludiciel, Mariel, Tariel and Sariel who were all looking radiant. The Queen mother, Princess Rose and the King weren't present yet. They were the only ones left. As soon as they arrive, the feast would begin.The Prince couldn't wait. He was practically vibrating on his seat as his eyes swept over the large long table piled with different kinds of food."Prince Ron, calm down. The food won't run away" Leo, who was standing behind him said, placing a hand on his shoulder.Ro
Zedekiel sat in the biggest tallest chair. As he took his seat, everyone else also sat down. The chair by his right was meant for the Queen mother but she quickly pushed Ron in that direction."Sit there for tonight my dear. I want to sit next to my darling Ludiciel"Ron paled. Sitting next to the King?! If Zedekiel hadn't blatantly displayed his hatred for him, he would have been happy to sit there but... he peeked at the King to find him already glaring.He gulped. "Uh...m-mother...I uh, I don't think it's a really good idea. Th-""Nonsense! I order you to sit there!" She said. "Or do you want to deprive me of sitting with my second son?"The poor prince paled even more. "N-No Mother. That's not what I meant..."Good" she huffed then plopped on Ron's former seat, leaving the prince to sit next to the King.What the hell was wrong with the Queen mother?!Ron reluctantly plopped his ass in the chair. He could feel the King's heated gaze on him and he tried his best not to be affected.
Ron stood up immediately and dragged Leo down to taste all the sweet delicacies.Normally, when they have feasts in Ashenmore, Ron usually mingles with their subjects. He eats, laughs and plays with them just like his grandfather. Ron is the kind of outgoing person who finds even the littlest things fascinating. Imagine that kind of person in a foreign land. He'd want to explore!Rose facepalmed as she watched her dearest brother drag Leo through the crowd to the long tables full of food. Why does he embarrass her so?The Queen mother had a smile on her face as she stared at Ron conversing with some people as he tasted the dishes. He's such a pure soul.King Zedekiel on the other hand, felt that this human was very cunning. He must be up to no good. Every royal figure waits for food to be served on the table but he goes around on the pretext of tasting food to get information about the North. How cunning indeed. Well, he trusted his people to not reveal a single thing.Ron didn't know
"Wipe that stupid smile off your face"The Prince's smile froze. His ears twitched. Did he hear wrong?"You think you can fool me, Prince Ron?" Zedekiel continued, his voice low enough for only Ron to hear. "I am the King of this Kingdom. My people might fall for your dirty tricks but I won't. I won't let you succeed in whatever you're planning so you better stay in line. I'm watching you"Ron was stunned. All this while, he thought the King had finally noticed him. It turned out that he was suspecting him of something. The Prince's appetite was now non existent. The King had ruined it all for him.Ron wondered just what the Ashenmores did to make the King hate them so much. It couldn't be mood swings as Prince Ludiciel had said. No. It had to be something greater and he was determined to find out.With that in mind, Ron faced the king with an even brighter smile. "It's a joyous occasion, Your Majesty. How can I not smile?"He then turned his attention to his food and continued to eat
The urgency in the guard's voice echoed through the halls as they burst into the room, their breaths heavy with adrenaline. As the guard's words pierced the air, the throne room was engulfed in a sudden eruption of emotion. Gasps and murmurs swept through the gathered courtiers like a gust of wind. The Officials rose from their seats, their voices overlapping in a cacophony of concern and urgency. Servants scurried to relay the news throughout the castle.Zedekiel’s younger self, seated upon the throne, stood swiftly, a mixture of emotions flickering across his face: worry, relief and determination. “Is he alive?” he asked as the guards gently laid Prince Kayziel’s body on the floor. The body was motionless, skin wet, matted with blood and dirt.The current Zedekiel watched quietly for he could remember everything that had happened concerning his betrayer of an uncle. If he had known everything his uncle had planned, he would have made sure he died right on the floor.The air hummed w
In the end, he sighed and stood up. “Fine. You’re right. You’re your own person. I have no right to dictate what you should and not do. I don’t want you to ever feel like that’s what I’m doing. You’re my baby brother Ral, and you mean the world to me so I’m just trying to protect you. I’m sorry if I came off as a dictator. You don’t have to come back with me. You can stay here and wait for him. I’ll figure out what to tell mum and dad.” Not expecting his headstrong brother to agree with him and even apologise, Ron was stunned. He stood up and gazed at his brother with a kind of look that was a mixture of shock and joy. “Really? You mean that?” “Of course.” Alaric nodded, smiling. “Would I ever lie to you?” Ron knew his brother always meant what he says and always kept his word so he broke into a large grin and engulfed his brother in a big hug. “Thank you thank you thank you thank you! Gosh brother you’re the best!” Zedekiel couldn’t help but smile at the entire scene. He was g
Older brother? Zedekiel was stunned. Alaric was Ron's older brother?Ron pouted cutely and turned his back to Alaric. "Go away. I don't want to talk to you.""Oh I'm not here to talk." Alaric said. He stomped forward and grabbed Ron by the back of his collar and yanked. "I'm here to drag your naughty ass back home."Alarmed, Ron scurried to his knees and stretched out his hands. "Maelda!"Maelda immediately responded, sending her vines out to Ron. He grabbed them and pulled himself back. "I'm not going home! Not now!"Alaric groaned still tugging on his collar. "Ugh, why do you have to be so stubborn?""Let go!" Ron shouted, holding on to the vines of the Mother Tree. "I'm not going home! Not until I see him!"Alaric huffed angrily; "Come on, Ral. We have to go back! Mum and dad are worried sick. You've been here since yesterday.""Go back and tell them to not worry." Ron said, hugging the tree tighter. "I'm fine, Alaric. I just need to see him."Zedekiel watched the entire exchange,
He gazed down at himself and realized he was in a ghost-like form, ethereal and weightless, allowing him to glide silently through the dimly lit space. It was at that moment his memories flooded back to him—Ron being taken, him trespassing into the Witches Coven and drinking Alaric's potion, a concoction meant to unveil his forgotten past. He gazed around once more, wondering, was this his past? When did this happen? Why was his room in such a mess?His ears caught a faint sound of crying. He immediately followed the sorrowful echoes and found himself floating before his bathroom. He raised a hand to turn the handle but his ghostlike form went through it. He then realised that he could not touch anything in his past. He was just meant to see what he had begged the Mother Tree to erase.On one hand, he was dreading what he would find in the bathroom and on the other, he was curious to know. He could rememberbhis Mother begging him to leave his past in the past and not try to remember.
To say Zedekiel was shocked from the information was an understatement. He was completely flabbergasted. He couldn't even bear to see Ron hurt in any way. How could he kill him with his own hands? What the hell was Alaric talking about?"You coward." Alaric grumbled, adding a few more ingredients to his pot. "I've been so mad about it for years now. I even had half the mind to curse you in an endless limbo of emotional torture. For you to find true love but never have it but then, you helped me with Talon so I decided not to interfere with your fate. Besides, cursing you would be like cursing Ron since his fate is intertwined with yours and I can't do that to him.""You talk like you knew him." Zedekiel said, still confused. He didn't understand a single thing. "What exactly are you trying to tell me? I can never hurt Ron. I love him.""Yet you ended his life with your own hands." Alaric said, adding his final ingredient to the pot. A drop of water from the lake of memories. The green
In the middle of the room sat a large black pot with thin white smoke emanating from it. The crow on Alaric's shoulder flew to it's small black cage while Alaric went to the pot, adding a few sprinkles of what seemed to be seeds. "So, how exactly am I supposed to help you?" He asked."I want you to find him." Zedekiel stated. "We have a feeling he might be at the Echoing Isle but we need you to confirm it."Alaric hummed, thinking about Zedekiel's request as he stirred the bubbling liquid in the pot. "By him, you mean your human lover right?" He didn't wait for Zedekiel to answer and continued; "I don't know why you're going through all this trouble for one tiny powerless human. I mean, you're the King of the Elves. An extremely powerful creature. Why not be with someone on your level? Someone worthy of you."Zedekiel's eyes blazed with fury especially after hearing the last sentence. The intensity of his anger seemed to fill the room with an electric charge. His jaw clenched tightly,
As Zedekiel dared to step further into the village, a booming voice reverberated through the forest, causing the very trees to tremble."Who dares to trespass into the witches' coven?"In response to the commanding voice, the witches emerged one by one, encircling the Elf Brothers with an ominous presence that sent chills down Ludiciel's spine.Zedekiel on the other hand, kept walking. As if he didn't see or hear anything."Hey! I'm talking to you!" The witch who had spoken earlier shouted at Zedekiel. "Stop! Come back here!""Brother don't leave me!" Prince Ludiciel exclaimed, running after Zedekiel."I said stop!" The witch shouted once more but it fell on deaf ears for Zedekiel just kept on walking. Furious, she commanded her fellow witches. "Stop him!"They sprung to action, wands in hands as they all moved to attack Zedekiel at the same time.Zedekiel, already seething with pent-up anger, unleashed a torrent of raw power that surged forth like a tidal wave, crashing into the witc
"Haven't you noticed? She's in love with him." Zedekiel said. "I think it all started the day he saved her during the feast but let's talk about this some other time. We have to find Ron."He was going crazy just by not having Ron by his side. In a way, he felt Mariel was right. It was due to his incompetence that Prince Ron was taken by Fredrick. He didn't protect him like he promised to. His heart hurt at the thought of what Prince Ron might be going through. Especially after the things Fredrick said to him the first time. If Frederick dared to hurt Ron in any way, he would give him the worst kind of death imaginable."What are we going to do?" Prince Ludiciel asked. "I have men combing through every inch of this Kingdom and the neighbouring ones. Should we wait for their feedback?"Zedekiel shook his head immediately. He was restless. "I can't wait that long. It has already been a day. If he was anywhere close, we would have found him by now. Fredrick knows that so he wouldn't keep
Memories flooded his mind like a torrential downpour, each one a bittersweet reminder of the happiness he had once known. He missed their conversations, filled with laughter and whispered confessions. He missed their kisses and intimate moments and he longed to see Zedekiel's smile, a radiant beacon of joy that never failed to brighten his darkest days. He missed Zedekiel with an ache that seemed to penetrate his very soul. Being away from him hurt so much that he wanted to cry. Tears brimmed in his eyes, threatening to fall but he bit his lip, sniffling, trying to hold them back. With each passing moment, the ache of separation grew more unbearable, and Prince Ron found himself yearning with every fiber of his being to be reunited with his beloved who had captured his heart completely. He never knew he could miss Zedekiel so much. It was at that moment that he realised the depth of his feelings for Zedekiel. He wished he had answered quickly back at the bridge. He wished he had po