He quietly slipped into the Prince's room and closed the door. The sight that greeted him was breathtaking and it had him frozen in place...Prince Ron had woken up at some part of the night due to the pain in his arm and he couldn't go back to sleep so he decided to take a bath. The little Prince knew he most likely wouldn't find a servant to get him some hot water so he troubled his bodyguard, Leo, who's room was opposite Ron's.It was at times like this that Leo desperately wanted to quit his job. He had turned into a personal maid! Since when did an esteemed bodyguard of his calibre run to the kitchen to heat water for the Prince? This was completely degrading!Mind you, these all happened while the King was still searching. And so, the big gruff bodyguard was forced to get hot water for the little Prince. Ron was delighted and promised Leo a raise. He also gave a heartfelt speech, stating his undying love and respect for Leo and also declaring them as best friends for life. Afte
Ron's lungs burned for air and he grabbed Zedekiel's hand, exuding all his strength to free his neck but it was impossible. Zedekiel's hand was immovable. Like a mountain.The Prince screamed in his heart. 'It wasn't a dream!'Zedekiel was furious. He couldn't understand why the masked dancer's scent filled Ron's room. In fact, at that very moment, it was stronger than ever! And with Ron before him, with his nose right near Ron's neck, he knew... he definitely knew that Ron was the masked dancer but he didn't want to believe it.How? How could it be this annoying Prince? How did the Prince know their sacred dance? Just how?But deep down, deep deep down, the question King Zedekiel burned to ask, was, Why did Ron ask to dance with him?He could have asked for any other wish.Why dance? And with him?Zedekiel felt the neck in his hold go limp and he panicked. He quickly released Ron and Ron started to cough violently. He grabbed the sheets and covered his body tightly then scurried to t
But once the thought of harming Ron came to his mind, he remembered the masked dancer. His gentleness and graceful moves when dancing. He remembered when the Prince protecting his sister from the knife. He remembered the beautiful picture of the half naked Prince under the moonlight and the unmistakable tightening in his lower area. He couldn't bear to hurt the Prince. It was only after he had finished fixing the injury that he looked at Ron just to find Ron already staring at him. His heart shuddered. Those bright green eyes, that fair smooth skin, those bright red lips...He sharply averted his gaze. He couldn't understand what was happening. The King knew he needed to sort out his thoughts. That night, Ron didn't get an answer to his questions. After the wound was taken care of, Zedekiel gently placed him on the bed then left the room without a single word. Ron sighed, staring at the door. After what the Queen Mother had told him, he was sure that his family had done something v
Ron smiled brightly. From the corner of his eye, he could see that the King and Rose had already noticed their presence. He side hugged Prince Ludiciel with his good arm. "I am just fine. Can't you see?""I'm glad" Prince Ludiciel replied, not taking offence at being touched by Ron. He really liked the beautiful Prince and also felt comfortable around him. "I was worried when you didn't come out for breakfast. I would have paid you a visit earlier but I had to attend court matters and also see to that berry thief's case"Ron "!!!!"He had completely forgotten about the berries in chase for his love! Sweat dropped down his forehead. "T-The berry thief?" he stuttered. "I-Is there any progress?". He prayed in his heart that there was none. If Ludiciel should know he was the thief, he would never trust Ron again. Fortunately for Ron, Prince Ludiciel shook his head and sighed. "No. None of the guards saw his face so we can't draw his potrait. I have no idea what to do now. These days, I d
"Your highness! I've found you!" the servant said, quickly bowing. It was one of the Netheridge servants. Prince Ron frowned deeply. "You've what?"The servant excitedly repeated his words. "I've found you, your highness. I've won the game" Ron was very displeased. His own servants knew how to read his expressions but this Netheridge servant didn't so he'd have to teach him. The servant raised his head to find Prince Ron glaring at him and he paled. He started to sweat and panic. Was this the beautiful nice Prince he knew? This one looked so scary! Of course Prince Ron would look scary. He was furious. He felt like a wife whose husband was cheating on with another woman. And the woman was his own sister! "What did you say just now? You've found me? You've won the game?" The servant "!!!" His brain quickly deciphered the hidden message. He quickly turned around and continued to search quietly, as if he never saw the Prince at all. His acting skills were really commendable. To be
Meanwhile...The said Prince of Ashenmore just woke up to find himself in a very dark pit. The only light came from the hole above from which he fell into. He was terribly scared. The place smelled like damp soil and it was so cold he could feel it in his bones. To top it all, the poor Prince was hungry and his stomach was crying loudly. Suddenly, he heard someone scoff. "You humans are so weak. You've slept for two whole days. Do you know that?" Ron was frightened. The voice sounded sharp and crisp. "W-Who are you? Why can't I see you?" The Prince heard the snapping of fingers and the dark pit became illuminated by pearls. Countless pearls were inside the walls of the pit, emitting a silvery glow. With the light, came the figure of the person that talked. Ron was shocked to see a transparent looking man in white robes staring at him. The man looked quite young, like he was in his late twenties. His silver hair was gelled back and his eyes were violet, like the King's. But there w
The death of his brother and first son? Ron wondered. Could that be Zedekiel's father and brother? The ones Queen mother told him about?"I was not a traitor, Ron" Kayziel continued. "I never betrayed my own people. I only wanted peace but those filthy Ashenmores used me. They tricked me and successfully trapped my brother, his son, and all the guards that escorted them"His voice was now filled with so much anger and resentment that Ron couldn't help but shiver in fear. He unconsciously moved away from the Elf spirit. "We were supposed to be at peace. My brother trusted me to take care of all the proceedings. The King of Ashenmore, King Rafael, had signed on the treaty and taken an oath of peace between our species but little did I know that they would betray us"Ron was shocked. King Rafael? That was his great great great grandfather! The fiercest King Ashenmore ever had. He had heard so much about his great great great grandfather but he never heard anything about him having a war
Kayziel smiled. "Not at all Your Majesty. You're misunderstanding me. I brought only one person to show my sincerity. We really want peace" Prince Ron decided at that point that he didn't like his great great great grandfather at all. Why bully his future husband's uncle?They continued their discussion and Ron saw that Kayziel was really good at negotiating. He had brought up a good plan that would benefit both parties. He spoke so eloquently and with such smartness that King Rafael was stunned. There were no loopholes or any chance for cheating. King Rafael couldn't help but agree. In no less than three hours, the treaty was signed by King Rafael as King Fayziel had already signed on it. When everything was done, King Rafael left without a word and Prince Kayziel was happy, There would be peace between his people and the humans now. No more suffering or bloodshed. Only peace. Some months later...Things were going fine. The Elves were rebuilding their villages and towns that got
Frustrated, Prince Kayziel grabbed one of them. "You're just a bunch of cowards! The boy is not even a 100 years old! If you do not fight-" he directly slit the throat of the soldier he grabbed. "You die!"Upon witnessing the scene, the soldiers pivoted their attention to Zedekiel, brandishing their swords. Knowing Prince Kayziel's prowess as a fighter far exceeded Zedekiel's, they speculated that confronting the boy might afford them a chance of survival, albeit slim. However, facing Prince Kayziel spelled certain death for all. Besides, Zedekiel was injured and had lost a significant amount of blood. Putting him down should not be difficult. And so, they collectively surged toward him.Young Zedekiel strived. He fought with all his might, killing some soldiers while fatally injuring some. He fought like a mad man, swinging his sword with reckless abandon yet maintaining an unparalleled level of precision at the same time for he drew blood with each swing. The vale was quickly litter
He sighed, placing on a hand on Zedekiel's cheek, stroking the cold skin gently. "You know, I wanted to spare your life but when I saw the way you took hold of everything in the castle, I just couldn’t. You're still so young, yet you were already ruling the Kingdom like a proper King. When your Father died, I thought the entire Kingdom would be in a state of disarray and I would return and take charge like a grand hero but I was surprised to find that everything was under control. Even when I commanded the Officials to do something, they would say that they had to run it through you first so I knew that I had to get rid of you.""If you desired the throne, you could have just said so." Young Zedekiel gritted. "I haven't even been crowned King yet. I could have willingly abdicated in your favour.""Yes, you could have." Prince Kayziel nodded. "But would you have let me marry your Mother?"Young Zedekiel fell silent but the answer was evident in the intense glare that emanated from his
He had tried to go beyond the garden but he found that he couldn't. He was bound to his younger self and could only go where his younger self went or the places he had been to before. Which meant that if Ron didn't go back to the garden, he wouldn't be able to see him again. He just hoped that Ron would not give up on his stupid self and come back or is stupid self would stop being so stupid and go find Ron.Prince Kayziel had gone to his younger self in the middle of the night and convinced him to join them in their journey to Ashenmore so they could start their revenge. At first, Young Zedekiel didn’t want to go for he had already agreed to wait as his mother had instructed but Prince Kayziel managed to convince him by reminding him of the things the humans had done to his father and brother. He then told him that if they waited too long, the humans might fully prepare themselves for what was to come and they would lose the element of surprise.Hearing this, Young Zedekiel put on hi
“This should be the last time we meet.” Young Zedekiel said. “Normally I would kill you for being a witch and lying to me but since we have been together, I will spare your life. Never make the mistake of coming before me in the future because I will kill you.”With that, Young Zedekiel turned and continued on his way, leaving Ron kneeling there, completely and utterly heartbroken.**********Zedekiel wanted to stay and see what Ron would do but something told him to follow his younger self and so he did. He followed even as his younger self sprinted away from the garden, his movements a blur of speed, almost as if he were a shadow racing across the earth. The wind whipped around him, tousling his silver hair. His dark robes billowing behind him like the wings of a dark angel.He dashed past the castle, his supernatural speed carrying him effortlessly, propelling him forward with a sense of urgency that mirrored the turmoil within his heart.Finally, he arrived at the labyrinth, a pla
"I'm not deceiving you," he insisted, locking eyes with Zedekiel, “I swear it. My true identity is Raldore Nightshade, a witch—the youngest child of Malik and Yara Nightshade, leaders of the esteemed Nightshade Coven."Young Zedekiel's shock was palpable, his features frozen in disbelief as Ron's words washed over him like a tidal wave. He shook his head, taking a few steps backwards. “No. No you’re lying. You cannot be a witch. You smell different. You smell human.”“That’s because my magic is extremely weak.” Ron explained. “I am the weakest Nightshade to ever exist. Look, this is the only thing that I can do.”He crouched down on the grass, closed his eyes and muttered some words. Slowly a small plant germinated from the ground and gradually grew a single red juicy looking apple on its branch. But Ron already knew that the apples he grew were not tasty at all. He plucked the fruit, stood up and held it out to Zedekiel. “See, I’m a witch.”To say Young Zedekiel was shocked was an un
He ran and hugged Young Zedekiel tight from behind. “I’m sorry okay? Please talk to me. Tell me what I did wrong and I promise never to it again. I love you Zedekiel. I can’t live without you.”“Lies!” Young Zedekiel snarled, yanking Ron’s arms away from his body. He turned around, his eyes blazing with fury. “Lies lies lies! All you humans know are lies, deceit and betrayal. You do not love. You can never love. All of you are too selfish for that!”Ron stared at Zedekiel, unable to understand what he was talking about. “What are you saying?” he asked. “What do you mean?”“You know exactly what I mean.” Young Zedekiel replied. “Stop acting like you’re innocent. You humans are all the same.”“No we’re not.” Ron argued. “I don’t know what you’re talking about but we’re not. I have done none of what you mentioned. I love you wholeheartedly, Zedekiel. I have been waiting here for weeks, at this same spot where we both first met. I have been waiting for you like you asked me to but not onc
“Good. You will rest for two full weeks and heal properly. Only then will I allow you to take my children into war with the humans. I get that you’re all angry. I too am brimming with rage and there’s nothing I wish more than to see those humans dead but we all have to wait. We have to be patient and strike when they least expect it. We have to be at our best so we can avenge the lives they took from us. Understand?”Prince Kayziel nodded instantly.She turned to Young Zedekiel and although he didn’t want to agree, he could not go against her. Especially after his uncle had agreed. “Yes, Mother.”Zedekiel, who was watching, closed his eyes and sighed for he knew what came next and he wished he had listened to his Mother. His stubbornness and impatience had cost them the lives of more Elves and had nearly cost that of his Mother and siblings as well.********After listening to Prince Kayziel's side of the story, Young Zedekiel was walking back to his room when a guard frantically appr
Without hesitation, Alaric closed the distance between them, enfolding Ron in a gentle yet firm embrace. His arms wrapped around his younger brother, offering a comforting anchor amidst the storm of emotions. He pressed Ron close, as if trying to shield him from the pain and disappointment that threatened to overwhelm him.Zedekiel floated into the shadows, his heart hurting as he silently watched Ron cry. He couldn’t believe that in the past, he hurt Ron so much and made him cry. He felt like total jerk. A complete asshole. He was the one who had approached Ron first and declared him his wife but here he was, abandoning the person he claimed to love. This must be why Alaric had been so mad at him back in the coven.The Elf King had no idea that he had seen nothing yet.That night, Alaric succeeded in convincing Ron to go home, rest, and eat some good food then come back the next day and wait again. Zedekiel on the other hand, floated back to the castle. On getting there, he noticed t
“My brother is yours?” Alaric chuckled coldly. “What an introduction.”“Brother, he’s the one we saved some months ago.” Ron informed Alaric.“That drowning smelly Elf?” Alaric asked.Ron nodded. “He’s the one. I’ve told him many times that I cannot return his feelings for me but he just won’t leave me alone. He said he’d rather see me dead than with someone else.”Hearing that, Alaric's anger ignited like a roaring inferno. “You want to see my brother dead? My brother?" Alaric's queried, his voice rumbling like thunder, laced with a dangerous edge that sent chills down the spine of anyone who heard. Even the neighbouring leaves, bushes, flowers, and animals were not spared. They trembled at the sound of his voice and the intensity of his magic.His chest tightened, and muscles tensed as if coiling to strike. The mere thought of someone wishing harm upon his beloved sibling was enough to send his emotions spiraling out of control. He shielded Ron behind him and held out his hand as he