“So why did you brought him with you?”, Ferrol brought up as he struggled to walk with his fat legs and round belly.
“Why you say?”, Nathaniel wondered why he asked.
“Well we both know that he’s still too young for meetings and all”, Ferrol explained.
“I have just been thinking about what you said, and Cynthia would not like your proposal, she’ll get angry with me if she knew why I’ve brought our son with me”, Nathaniel replied.
“I’ve brought him here so that in such a young age he can get the chance to get close with the princess”, he added.
“You brought him so that they can have an easier time establishing a relationship in the future?… despite doing your duties first among everything you still think of him do you?”, Ferrol said in amazement.
“I guess you can say that”, Nathaniel replied looking down as they walked but still something runs in his mind. ‘But I cannot really say if he’s my son’, he thought.
“It’s nice that you still pay attention to your family my friend, even though you’re going too hard on them someti…. Ahem… most of the time”. Ferrol said as he put his hand on Nathaniel’s shoulder then laughed. Nathaniel felt Ferrol’s hands are heavy but still tried to laughed despite of it.
“Are you all right, your majesty?”, both the King heard from a far. It was coming from the garden as they both know. The two King’s rushed to see what happened.
“What is happening?”, Nathaniel yelled seeing Nicolas lying on the ground and startled.
“Your majesty”, Anton said as he saw the King, “I’m truly sorry your majesty, it is all my fault”, he quickly apologized as Nathaniel got close.
Nathaniel glanced at him for a moment but then got back to Nicolas. Dusting him as he help him stand, “What the hell did you do?”, he yelled.
“My fault?, Really?”, Nicolas yelled back as he reached for his head. “All I did was walk”, he added.
“It’s my fault your majesty…”, Anton kept insisting but Nathaniel does not seem to be listening, he was fixated to his son.
“Don’t you dare raise your voice at me young man. You should have been more careful!”, he again yelled before noticing the arrow just inches away next to where Nicolas was lying a moment ago.
“I almost died you know, but I guess scolding me is more important than comforting a distressed child”, Nicolas thought as he apologized.
“Enough with that Nathaniel”, Ferrol said grasping for air. All that running must have been hard for him. “It’s probably my fault, you see, I’m the one who suggested to my knights that whenever there is an urgent message they should just shot it here through an arrow. Saves more time than a knight riding the horses”, he guiltily explained while laughing.
“It… might have been flown by the wind… again”, Elizalina came. She took the arrow from the ground, examined it then handed a small paper to her father. “Just like what happened to Daniel a year ago”, she added spanking the tail of the arrow to his father’s round bouncy belly.
“Boy did that made Herina furious”, Ferrol said in agreement. “Now let’s head inside before another arrow gets a chance to hit us”, he said while reading the paper. “And besides, the one’s we are waiting for is already here”, he added as he waved the paper.
“Finally”, Nicolas whispered in relief cause he’s starting to feel dizzy.
Looking pass Elizalina’s shoulder he saw scratches and marks on some of the statues and even the plant boxes. “So this really happens very often then”, Nicolas thought while having a smug face as his mind went wandering somewhere.
Unknowingly, he was looking directly at Elizalina and by the time he got back to his senses the Princess is already smiling right back at him. He quickly looked away upon realization, Elizalina giggled faintly while Nicolas turned red.
Walking inside, King Nathaniel took a moment to speak with Nicolas.
“I’ll be there, I just need to talk with my son for a bit”, he said to Ferrol. The Fat King nodded back before walking away with Elizalina.
“Listen, we will be conducting the meeting now, turns out the arrow beard the message that the merchants have just arrived so…”, Nathaniel explained.
“So I will sit by, listen, and learn”, Nicolas eagerly cut his father off.
“Can’t you wait until I’m finished talking?”, the King sighed. “No, you’ll accompany the princess”
“Why?, you brought me here because of this right?”, Nicolas protested.
“I changed my mind”, Nathaniel replied with a period.
“What would I even do with the princess?”
“I don’t know?, play with her? Just like any normal kid would do?”, Nathaniel sarcastically replied but it sounded angrier than sarcastic. He slightly opened the door and is prepared to set foot inside the room for the meeting. “Just don’t do anything stupid”, he whispered.
“There he goes again getting angry without a reason”, Nicolas uttered as he turned around and started walking towards the room where the princess went.
“I heard that”, Nathaniel raised his voice peeking out the door. He looked like he’s going to shower Nicolas with fire. “Don’t even get me started”, he added before finally closing the door.
“We…”, Anton cleared his throat, “ Should get going now your majesty”. Nicolas followed without a word.
As they entered, Elizalina was already sitting on a table at the center of the room, prepared with tea and cookies.
“What’s this, a 4 year old tea party?”, Nicolas thought.
Accompanying the Princess was her maid who was standing at the side with a smile. When Nicolas searched for what she was looking at, he found himself looking at Anton who was also smiling.
“Come in Prince Nicolas”, Elizalina welcomingly said without any stutter. Nicolas thought that she might have already became familiar with him and is not shy anymore.
“Now this would be a pain in if what I’m thinking is right”, he again thought.
Since the prince is not much of a talker, he preferred silence than small talks. Back then, he only speaks out loud if he’s either talking to Logan and Alisa. And he only prefers to talk only with others if truly needed.
Elizalina offered her a cup of tea which Nicolas declined. “Do you want to play instead?”, she politely asked trying again for a connection.
“I don’t have time for child’s play”, he said. Anton eyed him with the gaze insisting he should.
“Go and play with her, the King might get angry if you didn’t”, Anton finally whispered to him as the last resort to make the Prince act before pushing him forward then gave him a wink.
“Fine…”, Nicolas sighed. “What do you want to play your majesty?”, he painfully asked. He just does not like being scolded so he did.
“Let’s play tag”, the Princess excitedly said.
Through the whole game he felt like babysitting a four year old, sigh here sigh there, he ran back and forth not even making any effort to try and escape the princess. Once he got tagged he’ll just pretend chasing the princess but in his mind he had enough. He easily tagged the princess back without a sweat.
“Can we have a break?”, he said which the princess agreed upon.
It was break time but Elizalina does not seem to be the type that gets tired easily. Throughout the break, which to Nicolas seemed an eternity, she just kept babbling. So he just decided to think about what he had uncovered under his bed instead.
“Why would my grandfather have a secret room?”, he thought while disregarding Elizalina’s unending chatter.
“Do you have monsters under your bed too?”, she asked after a long story about the allegedly monster under her bed that only appears when she stays awake pass her bedtime.
“Hmmm”, Nicolas mindlessly replied sounding uninterested as he ate the 10th cookie from the plate. The princess did not even felt the uninterested tone that Nicolas gave. She just continued talking but this time it is about her doll.
Nicolas is already pissed off when he decided to walk around and examine the displays at the shelves and table. Some are also inside the cupboard of large cabinets. The princess is still on his tail.
“For goodness sake”, he whispered to himself.
He looked for Anton to try and ask for help when the princess started to really get in to his nerves but his personal guard does not seem to notice them. He is busy flirting with the princess’s maid, Nicolas can even see them giggling.
“Ew”, he whispered.
He remembered the scene from the book he read once. The title sounded promising and interesting but then he decided to stop when he noticed that the characters are getting clingy, “Pathetic romance”, he again uttered.
“Hey Eliza?”, Nicolas asked while gently pushing the princess while also distancing himself backwards. This made Elizalina stopped.
“Thank goodness she finally stopped talking”, Nicolas sighed in relief.
Maybe the sound of her name made the princess stopped talking, but now she’s just looking straight at Nicolas with her smile and cherry colored face.
“What is up with her?”, Nicolas thought upon realizing it.
He again glanced at Anton but as he suspected he’s still on his own business.
“Do you want to play a game again?”, he asked the princess which did not hesitate to say yes. “Have you heard about Hide and Seek?”.
“Yes, my brothers, we usually play together with the noble’s kids, well that before they got busy looking for a fiancé…”
“Okay enough with that, do want to play it now?”, cut Nicolas.
“Fine but you’ll be the seeker first”, Eliza agreed.
“Fine… Deal”, Nicolas smiled as he gestured to shake Elizalinas’ hands. Although fake, he smiled, as he’s mind was filled with an idea.
“Hide and seek, the moon is bright”, Nicolas began chanting as he faced the wall. The princess on the other hand started to hide.
“No peeking at the back”, she said before moving on.
Nicolas did not pay any attention to what she said, he just continued the chant. “No one in the front, No one in the back… when I count to three to seek you will be… one”.
Elizalina already had tried several cabinets that she might fit but so far failed.
“Two…”, she rushed inside as she found a space which almost caused the figurines to stumble.
“Three… ready or not here I come”, and she was settled.
Nicolas with a wide smile started walking slowly towards where the princess is hiding. Despite mindlessly surveying the surroundings earlier he had notice that only one has a free space in it.
“The cabinet near the door”, he whispered still bearing his smile while knocking every cabinet and table on his way bringing tense to the simple game they called hide and seek.
The cabinet where Elizalina chose to hide is a bit small for her so she needed to maintain her awkward position even though she’s already sweaty and nervous. Each time she heard the knocks it made her heart beat faster and faster. It even got to the point where she’s already feeling her heart beat in her head.
Thud*, a loud knock finally came to her hiding spot; she almost peed herself as she got startled but then everything went silent. The knocks suddenly turned to locks getting hitched then the sound of the door opening followed by rushing footsteps that faded as it grew farther and farther.
“Did he leave?”, she whispered.
She waited a minute before deciding to get out. “Did he seriously left me here?”, she added as she tried opening the cabinet from inside but it did not budge. She suddenly felt panic down her spine. She tried kicking but the cramp space she was in prevented her from exerting her full force.
Thud*, she kept kicking with the small force she can exert. “Help!”, she finally screamed but little can be heard from the outside.
“Help!”, she repeated and repeated as she kicked and kicked before finally breaking free. She gasped for air as she finally saw the bright surroundings. She also saw the lock of the cabinet near the door which is now open.
“He locked me, then left?”, she complained as tears finally materialize on her eyes. She walked towards the door and scanned outside from left to right but no one was there.
“Not fair!, it should be given that we are not suppose to leave the room!”, she continued sobbing.
“Found you!”, a familiar voice came shouting at her back.
Nicolas came walking towards her with a cup of tea in his hand before placing it on top of the still sobbing princess’s head. Elizalina slowly turned and Nicolas finally got the full view of her red face and her eyes that’s almost swelling from crying.
“I thought you left me!”, she said while sobbing.
“Why would I?”, Nicolas replied while taking a sip from his tea.
“Why did you even lock me in there?”
“Locked you?”, Nicolas replied trying to figure out what she was saying.
“Forget it!”, Elizalina replied in tearfully.
“Oh, the latch, it might have closed when you hid yourself”, Nicolas picked up the lock as he again took a sip from his cup. “Well, that aside it’s your turn now to be the seeker”.
It took Elizalina a minute before she finally stopped her sobbing and calmed down.
“Fine”, she said as she finally got over the misunderstanding.
Without further ado she started singing the games’ chant. Nicolas again with his smile started opening and closing all the cabinets while slowly making his way to the door.
“One…”, He’s already beside the last cabinet.
“Two…”, he’s already at the door.
“Three…”.
When Elizalina finally turned around he’s already outside.
“Out and free”, he sighed as he started running towards his given room, pass the hall, through the garden, and finally back. He locked the door then jumped to his bed.
“Silence and peace”, he celebrated, “Away from that talkative princess”.
He pulled out a book from one of his belongings entitled, “The Adventure of Beth”, he wanted to bring the journal he found but he’s worried that he’ll be in the hot seat if he did.
“The Adventures of Beth” is a collection of experiences of Beth, an adventurous woman who once traveled the world.
“I wish I could also travel around the world or be to some place I’ve never been before, not like this. I might be in a new place but movements are restricted”, he muttered as he experienced a day dream.
It is his favorite book which he might have already read a thousand times but his amazement does not seem to fade even though he already knows what will happen with every page and chapter.
When he’s reading, it’s the only thing that occupies his mind, away from reality and the bitter sweet experience called life. For all the times he reads the book, he forgets the deep hole that his heart has. For that moment, all there is, is a normal child with bright eyes, hopeful smile, and genuine amazement, no worries, no bitter experience, just a curious normal boy.
Nicolas spent the remaining hours of the day reading in his room, “These stories don’t get old!”, he sighed stretching his arms out before falling asleep, another hour of peace for the prince.
“Nicolas!”, a man came shouting at the door. It was like thunder bombarding him up from his sleep. “Nicolas!”, the man continued again and again until he finally opened his eyes.
His eyes squinted as he lucidly stood and reached for the door while still groggy. To his surprise King Nathaniel is at the door, Anton is outside looking sorry together with Elizalina who is crying accompanied by her maid.
“What did you do!”, the King angrily said as a slap on the prince’s face woke up his spirit.
“I did nothing”, he replied weakly as the pain finally synced in.
“Nothing?, you left the princess. For hours she thought you’re just hidingbut you already left the vicinity!”, Nathaniel shouted even louder.
“I just needed to take a rest…”, another hand tried to kiss his face but Nicolas shielded it with his hands. Because of it his dear father got more furious.
The King raised his hand up and his eyebrows almost becoming one. He’s about to blow up like a lit up Molotov not even taking to consideration how much force he had put in his punishing hand as it headed straight to Nicolas’s face again.
“That’s enough your majesty”, Anton blurted grabbing the King’s hand that’s only inches away from reaching the boy, holding it tightly to make sure it’ll not cut loose.
“It’s my fault from not doing my job right Your Majesty. I’ll take any punishment for it”, he said before letting go and bowed.
The King gave no reply. He was a bit startled by what Anton did but after a minute of silence, his hand answered to Anton’s face with full force. Anton did not move from his bow not minding the pain.
Nonetheless, Nathaniel left the room together with the princess who’s still sobbing. The King’s sharp and furious gaze can still be felt through the walls as Nicolas sat on his bed. The prince is now fully awake trying to contemplate what happened.