chapter 5

Water started rushing in from every corner that I turned to. Running through the hallway, I was looking for the ones I’m currently with. Everyone was screaming, running for their very lives. All I could do was follow the direction where everyone was going.

“Robert!” someone shouted my name behind me.

I turned around to see who it was, only to be carried suddenly by a man.

“Hold onto me, son,” the man said, pulling my head closer to his shoulder. “I got you,” it was my father. He was running in the same direction I was already running to.

“Darling, hurry!” the woman in front of us shouted briefly, turning her head towards us. It was Mother, holding the hand of my sister as we all ran.

My father was about to catch up with them when he suddenly slipped. His grip on me got loose and I was submerged in water on our left.

“Robert! Hold on!” My father screamed as I tried with all my might to stay afloat.

“Robert!” Mother screamed my name as well.

After a few seconds, I was fully underwater.

I jolted awake, gasping for air. My shirt was drenched from sweat, my eyes wide open as I frantically looked around my well-lit room. What a nightmare that I just had. It felt like… it was real. It felt like… it did happen to me.

Did it really happen?

I looked at the window and saw the sun was already up in the sky. It was already in the late morning and I’m already behind in time with my reports. Without wasting any more time, I ran to my bathroom and began my preparations for the day.

Sprinting through the halls of the castle, a voice stopped me from my tracks, “Your Highness?”

My left foot swung up in the air as I came onto a sudden halt. I turned to see Gonzalo, carrying a tray with a tea set. “Yes, Gonzalo?” I asked.

Your mother has a message for you,” he said, walking towards me.

“Please make it quick, Gonzalo. I have a lot of things to do.”

“She has spoken to Her Royal Majesty Marta, the mother of Princess Lorain,” Gonzalo started. “According to the queen, you and your mother will be having a meeting with her in the kingdom of Middle Earth. You are to leave early tomorrow morning.”

I’ll be leaving tomorrow and Laura hasn’t answered my letter yet. It’s been a week and still, I’ve received no word from her.

“Thank you for letting me know, Gonzalo,” I replied. “Is my mother home?” I asked.

“Yes, she’s currently in the library with your sister. They just finished their tea together,” Gonzalo gave the tray a bit of a lift. “His Majesty also has something to tell you. Shall I continue?”

Ugh! I wonder what he has for me this very morning. “If you must,” I said after a long sigh.

“His Majesty is currently in his study right now. He was wondering if you have some time to spare in your schedule today,” Gonzalo continued with his report. “He said he would like to go fishing with you, preferably this afternoon.”

Fishing? Really? This is an attempt to connect with me?

“Well, I currently have my whole day planned but if something changes,  tell him that I’ll reach out to him personally,” I responded.

Understood, young prince,” he nodded. “Do you have any other questions? Is there anything that I could get you?”

“Kindly bring my breakfast to my study, Gonzalo,” I answered. “Also, has Princess Lorain replied to my last letter?”

“I’ll ask the messenger, Your Highness. If  there’s a reply, I’ll deliver it alone with your meal,” he responded.

“Thank you. I’ll be in my study if you need me,” I bowed, excusing myself from the conversation and proceeded to my study.

Carefully scanning through documents, Laura has been in my mind for the past hour and I can’t get her out of my mind. Her smile, her eyes, her hair… everything is just… it’s distracting me. I’ve been shaking my head to snap out of it but somehow, her image kept appearing.

I also kept an eye on the open window on my left. I never closed it ever since I sent her a letter. If she would follow the instructions properly, the smoke from the letter enclosed in the leaf with it will directly head straight here to my study.

I made sure that the spell on that leaf will bring the letter directly where it was originally written. And I’ve been waiting for seven days now and still, no reply.

Could this be a sign that she doesn’t want to see me? Even talk to me? Have I wounded her that much? Was I that rude for her to completely avoid me?

A knock came upon my door.

“Enter,” I put the reports aside, giving space to the food that I asked Gonzalo to bring.

The door opened wide and it was my page, carrying the tray of my meal. “Your Highness,” he greeted, preparing my food for me.

“Where’s Gonzalo?” I enquired.

“He said His Majesty requested his presence in his study immediately. A maid handed your meal over to me, saying that you requested for it,” he explained. “And here, Your Highness,” he handed over a letter after he finished preparing.

“Who’s this from?”

“The maid said it was the letter that you requested from Gonzalo,” my page said. “Gonzalo never mentioned who it was from. He only said you requested for it.”

Ah, this may be Princess Lorain’s response to my letter.

“Thank you, young man. You may go,” I smiled firmly.

He bowed and walked away, gently closing the door on his way out.

I carefully opened the letter, smelling the paper as I always do. Princess Lorain has this sort of way of sending her letters to me. Her papers always smell like roses and I appreciate that from her. Her letter reads:

Hello, Robert!

I understand that your relationship with your father has not improved. It’s the same with my mother and I. It has become a frustration of mine. And I understand how you feel about them expecting too much from us.

It’s hard to be the perfect child when you know deep inside, you’re far from perfect. And even if you already told them you’re nothing close to perfection, they still try to shove the foot of perfection down our throats.

But enough about me and all of my woes. Let’s talk about you. I would like to know more about your thoughts as it distracts me from my mother’s leash. A strange sort of comfort for me, I know. But your words keep me filled with hope that one day, I will be gone from her grip and will be able to breathe again.

Hope to receive a swift reply from you soon! This castle is going to be the death of me.

Your friend, Lorain.

I’m not going to lie, I was smiling the whole time as I read her letter. She never hid the truth from me which is something you deeply appreciate in a person. People rarely give you honesty and when someone like this comes along, you’ll have a deep sense of appreciation for them.

And the best thing about us is that we understand each other because of our troubled relationship with one parent. She lost her father so her mother, as queen regent, has all the powers and has put all the pressure on her, not her two brothers. Her brothers always take her side but of course, they have no power against their mother.

I grabbed a blank paper and pulled my pen closer as I began to write my response,

To the lovely Princess Lorain,

Like you, I don’t really understand why they have such unrealistic expectations of us. My nana did tell me that even immortals make mistakes. Why can’t they have that same belief for themselves and their children? Nothing is about being perfect, it’s about having the ability to learn from our mistakes.

I also received news that I will be visiting your kingdom. I hope to finally meet you in person and get to know each other more.

Your dear friend, Robert.

Putting the quill down, I folded the paper in three and stamped a royal seal on it. I put it on the side and started eating my breakfast. My stomach has been grumbling for the longest time and I feel like I’m close to fainting if I continue to skip my meal any longer.

A few minutes later, my meal was done and I got half of the reports done as well. Looking at the pile that was already reviewed, approved and denied, I think they’re ready to be sent to James’ study. “Page?” I called out.

The door opened and my page rushed towards me, bowing as he arrived right in front of me.

“Would you be so kind as to ring the service bell for me as I prepare my soiled plate and utensils as well as my finished reports?” I requested, standing up from my chair. “I need Gonzalo for this task.”

He nodded and quickly headed to the corner. As he rang the service bell, I began putting all my soiled items on the tray and secured the finished pile of reports as well. But in the back of my mind, I’m still waiting for Laura’s reply.

I can’t stop myself from thinking about her and what she must’ve felt when I acted the way I did. I do hope I would be given a second chance to prove myself to her; that I’m not that bad of a person, to begin with.

Moments later, Gonzalo finally arrived. “You called for me, young prince?” he bowed in front of me.

“Yes, Gonzalo. I’m finished with my breakfast,” I started, handing over the tray. “Here are the reports that I’ve finished. You may send them to James’ study,” I walked to the pile, putting my hand on top of it. “And here,” I then grabbed my letter, handing it to Gonzalo. “This is my response to Princess Lorain. Have this sent out as soon as possible, please.”

“As you wish, Your Highness,” Gonzalo nodded. “I’ll have some of His Majesty’s servants fetch the reports for you.” He bowed and left my room.

I sighed, walking towards the window. Looking out, I could see the servants by the garden. As the usual sight, all of them are smiling. It’s as if they’re already content with the life they have. I wish I could have that kind of genuine happiness in my life.

Out of nowhere, the wind began to whistle. I looked at the window that I left open and the curtains on the side began to swing a bit violently. Moments later, a gust of glistening dust entered my room, landing on the table by the window.

It’s Laura! She has responded!

I rushed over to the table, closing the window to prevent any of the particles from being blown away. With a simple spell, the dust instantly turned into the leaf that I included with my letter to Laura. Inside of it was a piece of paper.

With great care, I opened the leaf, the letter next. It reads,

Robert,

I don’t understand your instructions and why you specifically asked me to follow them in sending you a reply. But I guess I have to trust you on this one since you’re the one who first sent a letter.

For what happened on that day, on the day that we met, I don’t think it’s worth it to talk about anymore. I guess I’ll brush it under the rug. Maybe something crossed your mind that made you act in such a way and I forgive you for it. We all have our moments where our mood suddenly shifts to a different angle.

I’m sorry if I took so long to reply. I thought that maybe you could use some space to get some stuff out of your mind.

I would love to see you again, robert. I feel comfortable around you and I’m happy to have met a person like you who I can consider as a friend.

Laura.

She’s not angry. She wasn’t offended. And she even thought I was going through something that may have caused my sudden outburst. She forgave me too easily.

I have no words for this woman. How come she has this big of a heart to understand and think of different scenarios for everything?

I quickly slid her letter into my pocket, rushing out to the door and headed to the stables.

On my way there, I bumped into James.

“James!” I exclaimed, stopping.

“Robert,” he greeted back, looking at me with a baffled expression. “Why are you running in the hallway? You know how I feel about that.”

“I’m sorry, I just need to get to the stables as quick as possible,” I replied.

“Stables?” he asked. “Why? Are you going somewhere?”

Oh, great! It slipped. I have to think of a reason, something that’s acceptable. I’m quite late for my time with Lady. I’ve taken the responsibility of giving her baths and everything else that she needs for the day.”

“Didn’t you assign that to one of the servants?” he continued to ask questions. “Why the sudden interest in taking care of Lady?”

I tried my best to calm my nerves. I can’t show him that I’m panicking because if he finds out I’ve been frolicking in the Mortal Realm, he will make sure that I won’t step foot out of the castle. I’ve realized that Lady is my horse and as such, she should be my responsibility,” I started making up an excuse. “As the future king, I must learn to take care of the ones under my wing, am I correct?”

He looked at me in silence for a few seconds, nodding after. “You’re quite right about that. I’m glad that you’re finally understanding what it means to have someone or something under your care.”

I nodded calmly but all of my organs on the inside relaxed after being in such a panic. It’s like they all took a deep sigh of relief.

“Anyways, now that you’re here, did Gonzalo give you my message?”

“Yes, he told me this morning right when I woke up,” I replied, putting my hands behind me.

“Very good,” he answered, heading towards the other side, behind me. “So, do you have any space for your schedule today for a quick fishing trip?” he asked, turning around to face me.

“I’m still juggling my schedule as of the moment,” I said. “Don’t worry, if I find some time during the afternoon, I will let you know.”

“I understand,” he put his hand on my shoulder. “I know what it feels like to have a lot of things to do. It gets tiresome sometimes and like what your mother always says: we all need time to rest,” he continued.

Throughout this conversation we’re having, it’s like I don’t even know James right now. He seems so calm, collected and speaks to me like a father: something that I’ve been asking for my whole life.

Has he finally realized that now? Is he finally changing for the better?

“Well,” he pulled back his hands. “I will not keep you from your activities any longer. If you need me, I’ll be in my study. Or the library. Your mother has been in there with your sister almost all morning and I do fancy a read myself.”

I nodded, giving a light smile.

“I’ll see you later, Robert,” he walked away, smiling at me before turning around. His sudden smile left me in shock. It’s been a long time since he smiled because of me or smiled after we had a conversation. Most of the time, our conversations would end in him, scowling and snarling at me.

Now, it seems like he’s currently in a good mood, better than any day that I’ve encountered him so far. I shrugged off my thoughts and quickly headed to the stables. I don’t want to keep Laura waiting for me.

Arriving at the stables, I just gave Lady a bucket of water so I could brush her without any distractions when Mallory walked up to me. “Good morning, Robert.”

I sighed at the sight of her.

“Is that how you greet me now? A sigh?” she asked with an attitude.

“Please, Mallory, I don’t have time for this,” I said, raising my eyebrow at her. I went to the wall and grabbed the saddle, checking its state as I walked back to Lady.

“What a nice morning to you, too,” she replied sarcastically.

I put the saddle down on the ground. “What do you want, Mallory?”

“I just came here to see you. Is  that a crime?” she asked.

“No, you didn’t come here just to see me,” I quickly answered, stopping her from talking.

She looked at me, standing silent for a few seconds. She sighed as she shrugged, “Fine. It seems like there’s no point in lying to you.” She crossed her arms, “Where are you going this time?”

“Why do you need to know?” I grabbed the saddle again, putting it on Lady.

“Because, Robert, we’re a couple, remember?” she started to follow my every move in preparing Lady.

I turned back at her with an unimpressed look on my face. “Mallory, what did I tell you about this matter? Can’t you get it through your head? Do I have to repeat myself over and over again?”

“Robert, why does it matter if our relationship is real or not?” she complained. “You always remind me of that. Can’t we just pretend that for the time that we have each other, it’s real?”

“Mallory, I only agreed to have a relationship with you so you won’t bother me all the time,” I walked forward to her, causing her to step back. “I did not promise you that I will pretend that everything is real between the two of us. I can lie to you but I can never lie to myself.”

“You’re being unfair to me, Robert!” Mallory responded, stomping her feet. “You said you’re doing this for me! Why can’t you at least pretend for me?”

“What did I say when I agreed to this relationship? Would you be so kind as to remember and tell me again,” I crossed my arms, raising an eyebrow.

Her eyes suddenly moved from side to side. She was frantic, in a panic t o remember what I told her, I think. But also, I guess she’s trying to find another loophole from the deal. “I don’t care what you said. This relationship is real to me so you have to honor that!”

I sighed and turned back to Lady. I began to lock the saddle without saying anything else to Mallory. This constant bickering with her is just exhausting. And I thought I was going to have a bit of peace if I agreed to be in a relationship with her.

“Robert,” she suddenly put her arms around me, locking me with her hands.

I removed her hands, gripping her right hand with my left. “Don’t you ever do that again, Mallory.”

She shook my hand off hers. “Why? Why can’t I hold you? Why can’t I touch you? Why can’t I have the privilege of feeling that even just for once in my life, you truly love me?”

I moved my face closer to hers, “Because I don’t and I never will.” After putting apples in the saddlebag, I hopped on Lady and went on my way.