Zedekiel blinked, surprised by the sudden action. "What are you doing?"Prince Ron was stunned. "W-What am I doing? What are you doing?""Taking off your clothes." The King replied simply. "You're covered in dirt."The Prince gazed down at himself, still holding his clothes tight. He was truly covered in dirt but Zedekiel helping him didn't sit well with him. After seeing the past, he knew Zedekiel didn't have an ounce of good feelings towards him. It might be a ploy to kill him."Ah, there's no need to bother your Majesty with such a trivial thing. I can do it myself." he smiled nervously as he gathered his robes and jumped down the bed then instantly headed for the door. "Thanks for the help though. I'll see myself out."He was halfway to the door but suddenly realised that he couldn't move. Something was holding him back. He turned to find Zedekiel stepping on the edge of his robe, limiting his movements.Prince Ron started to sweat. When did Zedekiel move away from the bed and he
It wasn't possible for now but he had to think of a way for Zedekiel to know the truth, release his uncle and then, find a way to get Zedekiel to forgive his race. Maybe after then, he'll be able to worm his way into his beloved's heart.With that in mind, Prince Ron felt a new found courage. It didn't matter how cold his beloved seemed to be. He would do his best to melt the ice and warm his heart!At that point, the double doors to the King's room opened and the Queen Mother walked in with a line of servants carrying trays of food. She saw Ron standing in the middle of the room and her face brightened like the sun."Ron dear! You're awake!" she exclaimed as she rushed up to him and engulfed him in a big warm hug."Mother," the Prince chuckled, happy to see her again. Her hug reminded him of his mum and tears gathered in his eyes. "Mother I was alone and so scared." he whined pitifully, like a small child. "I didn't think I'd survive. I didn't think I'd see you again.""Oh don't talk
The bathroom was huge, almost double that of the bedroom. It was illuminated by shiny pearls embedded into the walls, making the place glow softly. There were lots of flowers of different colours scattered around the edge of the walls and floor. Blue, violet, green, red, and pink. There was no ceiling. Just an open space with the cresent moon and hundreds of stars glistening in the sky.It was so breathtaking that Ron couldn't help but stare with an open mouth.Zedekiel watched, amused at the undisguised awe in the human's beautiful eyes. The cool wind blew, ruffling the Prince's robes and hair and the Prince giggled, twirling around."Your Majesty, your bathroom is so beautiful," he praised, turning to look at Zedekiel. "Can I have one like this too? This is so pretty."The King felt proud of his father's work. There was no way he would make one for a human. "Only I, the King, is entitled to a place like this."It was a blatant rejection but it didn't hinder Ron's happiness. After al
"Are you okay?" he asked the Prince who was still breathing hard.Prince Ron coughed a bit more then sighed deeply, resting his head against his beloved's strong chest. "I'm better now that you're here."Zedekiel thought he didn't hear right. "What?"The Prince suddenly realised what he said then he raised his head and cleared his throat. "I mean, I'm fine. I'm happy you saved me. Thank you, your Majesty."He peered up at Zedekiel and his breath hitched for Zedekiel was so handsome up close. Ron wondered how he could be so lucky to find such a handsome man. He stared up at him, using the opportunity to admire those deep violet eyes framed by dense wet silver lashes down to that straight nose then thin pink lips. His skin was pale and silvery, like the sheen of a moon. He wished he could touch it, to know what the skin of the Elf King felt like."You're welcome." Zedekiel breathed. His voice was hoarse and sexy, making Ron want to hold him closer. He couldn't believe he was actually cl
The Prince's face was stained with oil and sauce. His cheeks were puffed with food, like a cute little chipmunk. His hair was partly dry, already starting to get back to their natural curly state and his eyes were bright, as if it was his first time eating such delicious food. Zedekiel was actually scared the human would stain his clothes.When he realised his mother didn't arrange clothes for the human, he sent a servant to get some but the servant came back saying the human Prince's room was locked and there were no spare clothes. He had to give the human Prince his own set of sleepwear robes. He didn't want to but he couldn't have a human as beautiful as Ron walk around naked. He didn't want what happened the other night to happen again.Although he wasn't happy, he found the human Prince looking so adorable in his black robes. Of course the sleeves were too long so he had to roll them up and the neckline was too wide so it kept slipping off the human's thin shoulders, revealing hi
"Preposterous!" the Queen Mother snapped. "You and him can't share a room until you're properly married. That's against our culture. In fact, I'm sure it's against every culture.""I agree with Mother." Prince Ludiciel stated, giving Rose a stern look. "Who knows what will happen? A man has desires after all."Especially his stubborn brother who has been celibate since birth. If an Elf like that lets loose, only the Mother Tree knows what will happen."Or are you trying to trap my brother?" Princess Mariel accused, looking at her suspiciously. "Are you afraid he'll refuse to marry you so you want to trap him by becoming pregnant with his child?""That's absurd!" Princess Rose shouted, banging the table as she stood up. "How dare you accuse me of such a disgusting thing?!""Well you just offered to sleep with my brother before marriage!" Princess Mariel retorted, standing up as well as she glared at Rose."I meant to share a room not sleep with him!""And what's the difference?! Anythi
"Ludiciel and Mariel are right you know" the Queen Mother said with a smile. "Regardless of how stong you are, you should rest." She then turned to Zedekiel. "Keep him down. Breakfast is getting cold."The King reluctantly let Prince Ron down then walked away and sat on his chair."We're so glad you're okay" the twins said, peering up at Ron. "We were scared when you went missing and we missed you a lot.""Awww I missed you two a lot too" Prince Ron cooed as he slung his arms over their shoulders then whispered. "Don't worry. We're going to play games later. We'll have tons of fun."The twins got excited when they heard the word 'games'. No one in the Kingdom took their time to play with them. Everyone was busy being an adult. Only Prince Ron liked to play with them so they liked him very much.Everyone settled down for breakfast but Princess Rose was still upset and Prince Ron couldn't bear to see his sister like that. Unlike his beloved who had super hearing, he didn't know what hap
Disrespect to the King was to be punished by 200 hundred lashes. You shall also be stripped of your title and sent to the village on the outskirts of the Kingdom.No one wanted this so they forced down their desire to gossip. They would see the child sooner or later."Rise" King Zedekiel commanded as he sat on the throne.They slowly raised their heads and everyone was shocked to find the human Prince standing beside their King, dressed in their King's robes. The robes were too big for him so he had bunched them up around his waist, revealing his white feet.What shocked the officials the most was the fact that the human Prince's toes were painted red!Why did the human Prince paint his toes???And he was grinning from eat to ear, like a cat that had done something naughty but was very happy."Good morning, your highness" One of the officials said, bowing towards Prince Ron. Seeing this, the others did the same. Some bowed slightly, some bowed deeply. Prince Ron didn't care though. He
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