I turned my head and there stood Laura. She wore a white top with long, loosened sleeves. She paired it with a long brown skirt but kept her working boots. Her long, dark brown wavy curls hung freely down her shoulders. This was her. This was Laura. I immediately walked towards her as I stared at her entire being. My grin grew wider as I was unable to contain my joy. “You look radiant, Laura. As you always do,” I complimented her. I leaned in to kiss her on her lips but she softly pushed me away. “Robert, please,” Laura murmured as she looked around in a panic. “People can see us.” I stepped back with a smirk and a raised brow. “I didn’t know that you care so much about what other people will think. Why does it matter if they see?” I asked. Laura sighed as she stepped closer to me. “I think it is only proper that you understand this,” she started, “But unbeknownst to you, you are highly respected here. Ever since you made your presence known in Bullingar, the people here hold you
My eyes widened as I watched everything unfold. The horse had a light brown body. Its mane, legs, tail and snout were a darker shade of brown. A white line traced down from its forehead down to its nose. In the manner that it behaved, the horse came from the mountains. And those horses were not used to other creatures other than their own kind. I looked into its eyes. It was in panic, horrified that a rope held it back. “My deepest apologies for the ruckus, Your Highness,” Lord Cyrus knelt before me. He continued, “This horse still needs more time to be trained.” My eyes reverted back to the horse when I heard a whip. As its tip landed on the horse’s arse, it immediately screamed in pain. It stood and swung its legs in the air and the caretakers ducked for their lives. It didn’t calm down. Its frantic actions only worsened. My heart broke as I saw it all. Laura’s grip on me tightened and I knew we felt the same agony. I lightly squeezed her hand before I broke away from her. “Y
A long while has passed and I was still stuck in Lord Cyrus’ office. I read each document meticulously to avoid complications in the future. I tried to keep my focus here. But something inside of me was being difficult. My mind kept thinking of Laura. I was increasingly uneasy about being away from her. And I shouldn’t be feeling that way because she was accompanied by two servants and Wonder as well. “That would be all for Wonder’s release,” Lord Cyrus said as he sat across from me. He rummaged through everything and anything in his table. He continued, “All that is left is your signature and everything is finished.” His words were muffled to my ears as I continued to be restless. The quill was in my hand. It was only a few inches away from where I should sign. But I couldn’t move. Instead, my eyes were at the door as I hoped for her to enter. “Is something the matter, Your Highness?” Lord Cyrus asked as he tried to get my attention. I returned to him, my brows knitted together.
The room shook as the doors hit the wall upon his entrance. He then created chaos within his quarters. Hand-made vases gifted by his admirers were smashed as he walked past them. Everything that was on top of his table or cupboards, he swept them clean. And all his page and the guards could do was to step back and watch their master as he destroyed his once beautiful room. He has never been humiliated in such a manner. And he was surprised that a woman - a mortal, to be exact - had the courage to refuse his advances. “Leave!” he shouted. But his page and guards did not move a muscle. They were too afraid to take, even the slightest step out of his sight. He turned around, and when he saw that they were still there, he threw an ornament towards them. “Leave! I don’t need you! I don’t need anyone! Leave me alone!” Terrified, they rushed out of the room. His page immediately closed the door. Exhausted and heartbroken, he sat on the foot of his bed. He held onto his hair as he cried h
After Robert disappeared from my sight, the two servants and I headed to the exit with Wonder. They then walked closer with me. One of them remarked, “It is quite amazing how the prince was able to tame the champion.” “I agree. Even our most skilled and experienced trainers were unable to accomplish such a thing,” the other added. The previous servant continued, “He is truly a man of skills.” Our bright and cheerful conversation was suddenly interrupted when a pot broke from behind us. The two servants rushed over to the flower bed that was in front of a window. “What was that?” I asked as they crouched down near the flower bed. One of them reached out to it as I slowly walked towards them. “There is nothing to be worried about, my lady,” he said as he held a piece from the pot. “One of the flower pots just broke.” “How is it possible that it broke? No one threw anything at it,” the other servant asked. My heart pounded harder after that remark. Fear rose from inside of me. My
My jaw clenched as my hands curled into fists. The letter, now but a crumpled ball, encased within my hands. Whoever did this, whoever took Laura by force, they would regret the very day they plotted against me. “Your Highness,” one of the servants groaned. His call pulled me out of my dark thoughts and made me rush back to him. As I arrived before him, he tried to sit properly but his body was too weak from all the beatings that they received. “Please… Your Highness,” his teeth gritted as he tried to speak through his groans, “Forgive me.” “Forgive you? For what?” I asked. He attempted to speak once again. But he stopped as soon as the pain caught up with him. “Good sir,” I put my hand behind his back, my other hand by his arm, “You mustn’t try to stand. You are badly wounded.” “Your Highness… we tried… to protect her,” he continued to struggle as he spoke. “But… before we could get to her… we were… surrounded… by the masked men,” he explained. Masked men? This could only mean
‘The moment has come, Robert,’ I thought to myself. ‘Grandpa Ben must know what happened to her.’ I knew that this was the perfect time for me to explain Laura’s absence. However, for some unknown reason, I couldn’t bring myself to do it. My mind, my lips, my body knew what I should do, what I should say. But, I lost the courage to tell Grandpa Ben the truth. The brave, the honest, the man that I knew that I was - a man of honour - faded away with the wind. It was as if I was helplessly blown into the air. And I could only wait for where the wind would take me. Perhaps, what I felt as of the moment was fear. The fear of disappointing Grandpa Ben. The guilt for knowing that he trusted me with Laura. I also made a promise that nothing bad would happen to his beloved Laura. Now that she was in danger, I couldn’t blame anyone but myself. I knew I made a few enemies but I didn’t do anything to secure Laura. “Robert?” Grandpa Ben brought me back to reality as he called out to me. I
I turned my head as someone called me from downstairs. In the middle of the main hall, Gonzalo stood as he stared at me. Immediately, I sprinted towards him. Gonzalo was just the person that I needed in James’ absence. “Thank goodness you are here, Gonzalo,” I remarked. Gonzalo bowed even before I arrived before him. “What can I do for you, Your Highness?” he asked as he slowly stood properly, with his hands in front of him. “Is His Majesty home?” I asked as I panted. “His Majesty was summoned to the Crystal Palace. He was asked to attend a meeting with the Elder Council,” Gonzalo replied. He then explained, “According to the invitation, they wanted our king to plan for gaining new territories. It seems that there have been bandits in other kingdoms who are trying to exploit your fellow monarchs.” “And as for Mother?” “She accompanied him, Your Highness,” said Gonzalo. I groaned as my hands landed on my face. I sighed desperately as I ran my hands down my face. Why was it that