The Impact of Her

A kingdom was covered by dark, heavy clouds that carried a millennium’s amount of rain. Along with the loudest thunder, the strongest bolts of lightning stretched across the dim sky.

All because of a king and his heir—his only son—lying in bed, currently in a deep sleep.

The time for them to regain consciousness? Nobody could say for sure.

All the members of the court could do was to bargain with the ancient gods to spare one of them.

The queen had been running the kingdom while worrying about the state of her family. She knew she was close to losing her sanity, but she would remind herself to hold onto it a bit longer.

“The kingdom cannot afford to lose another appointed ruler,” she would often tell herself. Her husband and son were already at the brink of death. She couldn’t be swept away by this diplomatic crisis.

It was in the middle of the day—in springtime, to be exact—and it had rained continuously for weeks. People lost track of time because they’d been submerged in wet weather for the longest time. And though water continued to fall from the heavens, they went with their usual activities without complaints; something that the queen praised her people for.

She now sat beside her almost lifeless husband, holding his hand at his side. Depressed yet alert, she hoped that he would awaken today. It had been her wish since he and their son were trapped in an endless cycle of sleep. And she held onto this almost unrealistic wish not because of his duties, but because she missed her husband too much already.

He was her rock, her guide, the person who complemented everything about her. His protection and love allowed her to reveal her strengths and weaknesses without shame.

“Is it too much?” she thought to herself. “Is it too much to ask that either you or our son would wake up today? To ease my worries for just a moment?” she continued as her tears fell.

Her daughter watched helplessly from the side as her mother wept silently. The princess walked towards the queen, her hands folded in front of her. She reached out to her mother’s shoulders, giving them a light squeeze, an assurance that she wasn’t alone.

The queen held her daughter’s hand, not letting go of her husband’s. She didn’t remove her stare from her husband. She even tried not to blink.

After a moment of silence, the king coughed. His cough persisted as he continued to gain consciousness.

The queen’s eyes widened. “Your Majesty?” she called out to him. “Dearest,” she turned to her daughter in a panic, “Fetch the Medicine King as quickly as possible.”

The princess nodded and rushed off.

“Your Majesty, are you awake?” the queen called out to him again. Her gentle grip tightened, praying that this wasn’t a dream, that he was truly alive.

The king slowly opened his eyes as he adjusted to his environment. The light in the room was faint, but it was blinding to a man who was under the curse of unending sleep. As his sight became clearer, he was pleasantly surprised to see the face of his beloved. Slowly, he reached out to touch her face.

“Thank heavens!” she closed her eyes as she whispered. His hand cupped her cheek, and she buried her face in his touch. “Thank heavens you’re awake,” she sniffled as tears of joy ran down her cheeks.

He smiled, relieved that it was all over. But their brief moment of happiness was replaced with horror when something came across the king’s mind: their son.

“Where’s our son?” he asked his wife, eyes widened. “Where is he?”

She froze as she received his question. She stood still, eyes wide open as she feared how he would react to their son’s state.

The king held onto her arms and repeated his question, not wanting to let go without an answer.

With a deep breath, the queen pointed to the bed beside the king’s… and there he was, the prince of the kingdom, still trapped in his own slumber.

Not waiting for another minute, he rushed towards his son. He stumbled along the way, but he didn’t pay any mind to it. All he wanted was to be beside his heir.

His son was breathing as if he were taking a nap. His little hands were laid on his stomach. His head was raised by a velvet pillow.

Gut-wrenched, the king held the boy’s hand, doing his very best to fight the tears. He wanted to cry but as king, he didn’t want to show any signs of weakness. However, he was breaking deep inside. The sight of his young child in a deep sleep was too much for him to bear. He’d prefer to be in his position, knowing that the kingdom would be better with the younger, future monarch.

“How long will he be asleep?” he asked his queen, not tearing his stare away from his child.

“The Medicine King said the day of his reawakening is unknown. The same was said for you, my love,” she explained gently, her hands on his shoulders. It was her husband who needed the comfort now.

“Tell him to do everything, to try anything, just to bring back my son.”

“As you wish, Your Majesty,” she whispered, slowly sitting beside him.

And with that, the king finally succumbed to his tears, weeping in the arms of his queen.

When you have everything in life, what more could you ask for?

There is one thing I have in mind: freedom.

The freedom of speech, of expression. To be able to enjoy life as it is. To meet interesting people. Most importantly, the freedom to love. The freedom of finding someone you want to be with for the rest of your life and being able to marry the one you desire.

Unfortunately, the hope of finding love is considered a luxury.

As the sole heir to the kingdom of the Western Wind, I had everything a person could possibly ask for. Yet, my life was my own prison, and one of the things that kept me shackled was my marriage arrangement. Somehow, I'd learned to accept the standards of living the kind of life I was given. However, not a single day had passed that I wished I could marry the person I was supposed to fall in love with.

The reason why I was in an arranged marriage was for an alliance with the kingdom of Middle Earth. My marriage to their princess was considered the best way to show the world that our kingdom was growing.

Marrying an absolute stranger wasn't the worst part of it all. Although we were arranged to be wed, we had yet to meet. Our traditional parents agreed not to let us see each other until the official announcement of our highly anticipated engagement. They said it was to challenge our patience and loyalty to one another.

We’d been sending both friendly and formal letters to each other and through her words, she seemed to be sweet, kind, and a gentle soul. Despite all that, I couldn’t stop asking and thinking: could her beautiful tone be the same as her face?

I was not the type of person who based another’s true colors through their physical attributes, especially in one's way of writing a letter. But as a future king, marrying a hideous queen would be embarrassing, don't you think? Most especially when the realm of Immortals would be expecting an heir.

Finally, at the age of twenty thousand years, marriage hadn't crossed my mind.

My ocean of thoughts was disturbed when someone knocked on my door.

"Who is it?" I asked as I sat up on my humongous bed.

My page entered and bowed. "It's Sir Gonzalo, Your Highness."

"Let him in."

My page nodded and fetched for Gonzalo. I wasn’t not quite sure what Gonzalo's role is in the castle. He did almost everything from entertaining guests to handling my needs. My father had instructed him to focus on me for reasons unknown.

Gonzalo finally entered my well-lit yet silent room and walked directly towards me. My room was never in a mess because I made it a rule to myself and to the servants that having an unruly room wasn’t pleasing to anyone. An untidy room didn’t help me think clearly as well, and I needed to have a clear mind all the time. He stood by the foot of my bed, bowing as he greeted, "Good morning, Your Highness."

"Good morning to you too, Gonzalo," I nodded slowly.

"Your breakfast is ready, young prince."

"I would like to have my food brought up here as we usually do." I stood up from my bed. "I have a lot of reports to go through, and I need to do, somehow, half of them today."

Gonzalo replied, "Forgive me, Your Highness, but I'm not allowed to do that."

"What do you mean?" my brows furrowed.

"Her Royal Majesty has requested your presence," Gonzalo answered. "She said she wants you to join them for a family breakfast. She has forbidden us to deliver food outside the kitchen and dining hall."

"Gonzalo, you do know you can always use the dumbwaiters in the kitchen to bring food up to my room. My mother wouldn't even concern herself with them," I smirked.

"Unfortunately, His Majesty has guards placed by every dumbwaiter for Her Majesty's request,” Gonzalo explained with care.

I let out a sigh as I shook my head. "They're forcing me to go downstairs, aren't they?" My mood shifted.

“Please don't be mad at me, Your Highness," Gonzalo immediately bowed his head, his hands stiff by his sides. "I am only following orders."

"I'm not angry with you, Gonzalo," I reassured him as I settled myself on my lounge chair. "Please tell them that I'll be joining them in a while."

"Of course, Your Highness." He bowed.

"Thank you. You may go.”

He bowed once more and went on his way.

Most of the time, my parents left me alone since His Majesty implemented independence in the castle. However, once my mother got involved, they expertly got on my nerves. As much as possible, I didn't want to see them when I wasn’t in a good place, both physically and emotionally, for I fear that I could lose my sense of respect for them.

I arose with a sigh and started to prepare for breakfast.

♔♔♔

"Elizabeth, I'd like for you to go with your mother to her activities today. After all, it's her responsibilities that you should be learning," I heard His Majesty speak to my sister as I put an ear at the wooden door of the dining hall. This habit of eavesdropping was something that I often did to gauge the kind of atmosphere that I was about to get myself into.

"I'd be more than happy to do that, Your Majesty," my sister replied with her usual cheerful, soft voice. "It would be wonderful if we could spend more time together."

"Focus on what you can learn, not on the pleasures involved," his tone became firmer, immediately dismissing her tone of delight.

Mother inserted herself into the conversation. "James, let's not overwhelm them with matters of the crown. They're still young, after all. There's plenty of time for them to learn."

"Amelia, sooner or later, they’ll be stepping into our shoes as ruling monarchs in their own right," His Majesty contradicted Mother's statement. "They need to learn how to handle their future obligations."

I stepped away from the door as I'd heard quite enough to know what kind of mood would be welcoming me this morning. I turned to face the guard on my right. "I would like to be announced."

He nodded and began after clearing his throat, "His Royal Highness, Prince Robert Edward Dex."

The doors swiftly swung open as my name was announced. As I made my less than grand entrance into the room, the delicious aroma of food greeted me, and the sun radiated through the tall windows. The heavy, red curtains were moved to the side, giving way for the natural light to brighten the dining hall. Even if King James were in this room, the dining hall gave off a happy ambiance. The reason could be because of my mother's gentle soul. She always seemed to carry kindness and gentleness.

"Good morning, Robert," Mother greeted me with her radiant smile as I dragged my feet approaching her.

"Good morning, Mother." I placed a gentle kiss on her forehead when I reached her.

I then promptly addressed my sister who was sitting one chair apart from her. "Hello and good morning, little brother." I pecked her cheek.

"A lovely morning to you, my Elizabeth," I replied as I sat in between Mother and her.

"You're late, Robert. I wonder what the reason is," James entered our lighthearted conversation with an icy approach. This was the reason I always hated being in the same space as him. Peace became some sort of myth whenever we were near one another.

"Good morning to you as well, James," I retorted as I started to dig into my plate, ignoring his rhetorical question. Calling James by his name was part of the norm within our family dynamic. He instructed my sister and I never to call him by any salutation that can label him as a father figure. He explained that he would be gone someday, and he wanted us to be independent at all times.

Isn't that just the best example of being a father?

"A future king shouldn't take long in preparing himself for any kind of meal or celebration," he continued as his tone got firmer. "What took you so long to look decent for a simple family breakfast?"

"James, dear. It's breakfast..." Mother intervened with caution.

"What does that have to do with everything?" he answered Mother, sarcasm in his delivery.

"Darling, why don't we have a peaceful feast together?" she responded, still being the gracious woman that she was.

"Not after I discipline your son," he answered, looking directly at me.

I threw my utensils down on the velvet-covered table. "Mother," I stood up as I wiped my face with my napkin, frustrated on how everything turned out. "I'm not finishing my food." I then settled the napkin on my plate that still contained the remaining food from my meal.

"Sit down, Robert," James ordered.

"You're not my father," I said as I looked directly into his eyes. "You never were, and you never will be." I stormed away from my chair and started to make my way to the door.

"How dare you disrespect me!" he shouted with blazing fury as I heard another chair move, which was probably his. "I'm the head of this family! I am your father!" he shouted.

"When were you a father to me? To Elizabeth?" I asked, not even bothering to turn around.

"I'm a Dex and so are you. Thus, you should start acting like one," he replied, frustration in his tone.

"I'll start acting like a part of this family if you start treating us like your family," I answered. "We're not your servants that you can just give orders to and expect a specific outcome whenever you want."

Silence fell in the dining hall, and James didn't say another word. I let out a deep sigh and left the room, heading back to my room.

♔♔♔

The slow, gentle morning breeze always soothed me when it caressed my face. This was why I loved spending time on my balcony. Its space was wide enough for me to walk around and think clearly. Beautiful vases with fragrant flowers added color to its bland, gray cement. It calmed my mind and helped me forget about stressful matters... such as James.

A soft knock came upon my door. "Who is it?" I asked, without turning around.

When the door creaked open, fast-paced footsteps approached me. "Your Highness," my page spoke from behind. "Princess Elizabeth is here to see you."

I faced him as I heard my sister's name. "Please send her in."

He bowed and rushed to the door. My sister was always welcome in my room or my study. No matter what kind of concern she had, I never closed my door on her. A few moments later, Elizabeth appeared before me.

"Is this a bad time to visit, young brother?" she asked as she walked towards me, her hands folded in front of her elaborate skirt. Elizabeth never failed to dazzle and catch the attention of various men in the court. She never shied away from the glamour of the court either.

I, on the other hand, had always been content on how I presented myself. Usually, I let my brown, wavy hair free as a contrast to a slicked hair whenever a ball was held in the castle. I would prefer to wear loose shirts that my mother made over the posh and overdone suits that were needed for festivities.

"There’s no such thing as a bad time for my beloved sister," I walked towards her, giving her a kiss on the cheek as I reached her. "Would you like to join me on the balcony?" I held out my hand.

She nodded as she clung onto my arm and held my hand with her other hand.

"How are you feeling?" she asked as we reached the balcony.

I sighed as we stood beside each other. "If you don't include that disastrous breakfast scenario, then yes, I am fine."

"James isn't that hard to get along with if you ask me," Elizabeth started the topic as carefully as she could. "If you do what he wants, you two will get along quite well."

"And that's where all our problems start, Elizabeth. I can't do what he wants," I said. "And I don't want that kind of life."

"I don't understand why you find that so hard to do. Look at me. I've been doing it for years," she encouraged.

"Well, I'm not as perfect as you, Elizabeth. But, I do wonder," I turned my head to her, "how come you do all that James wants and never show any sign of resistance?"

She smiled as she looked out to the view of the garden. "I do it for Mother." She looked back at me.

"For Mother?"

Elizabeth let out a deep sigh and continued. "Long before you were born, she almost left James. She felt he never loved her in the first place. They got engaged when she was sixteen, and she went along with everything until I reached the age of three thousand years." Elizabeth then held my hand. "The only thing that stopped her from leaving is that she knew her children needed a home... a father."

I slowly pulled my hand back. "We don't have a father," I said as I reverted my attention back to the view.

She then put her hand on my shoulder. "Give him a chance, little one. You'll see he's more than what you think of him." She messed with my hair, always a sign of affection from her.

"Your Highness?" a voice called out into the room.

Our heads turned to see Gonzalo enter the room.

"Yes, Gonzalo?" I asked as we started walking towards him.

"Her Majesty is looking for you, Your Highnesses," Gonzalo bowed. "She said it's time for you to go and visit the school Her Majesty is supporting."

"Is that so?" Elizabeth asked as we finally reached Gonzalo. "Where's Mother?"

"She's currently waiting with His Majesty at the entrance," Gonzalo replied.

After what happened during breakfast, I couldn't believe that James would expect me to go with them on today's visit. I wasn’t sure if he’d already made his peace on the matter, or he was being insensitive towards how I currently felt.

"Kindly tell Her Majesty that we'll be right down," Elizabeth smiled.

"Of course, Your Highness," Gonzalo bowed. "Is there anything I can do for your preparations?"

"Have some maids prepare my things for the trip. That would be enough," Elizabeth answered.

"As you wish, my lady." Gonzalo then turned to me. "And you, young master?"

"Have all the unfinished reports delivered here to my room," I instructed. "I won't be joining my family today. Please tell our mother that I have a lot of matters to take care of."

Gonzalo bowed once more. "I'll take my leave, then." And with that, he left Elizabeth and me to ourselves.

"Are you certain that you're not coming with us?" Elizabeth asked as soon as the door closed behind Gonzalo.

"Dearest sister," I started as we walked towards the door. "James and I made quite a wonderful scene during breakfast. Frankly, I don't want another one, especially in front of the townspeople."

She giggled at my remark. "I understand completely." I opened the door, and we walked out of my room with her right in front of me. "I'll go ahead and prepare. I'll explain to them about the reports that you have to sort."

"Thank you, Elizabeth," I smiled as I planted a light kiss on her cheek. "I pray that you have a safe trip." For the longest time, Elizabeth looked out for me, and I always appreciated how she always had my back. To be able to have a strong bond with my sibling was something that the other kingdoms were impressed with. And we're proud of showing our love for each other in public.

Without her, my life as a prince, imprisoned in this castle, wouldn’t be bearable.

"I will see you when we return, young one," she said as she laid a peck on my forehead.

I nodded in response.

She began her walk to her room, and after watching her for a few seconds, I went back inside my bedroom, waiting for the reports to be delivered.

♔♔♔

A long while had passed, and in the middle of my reports, the trumpets’ fanfare played outside. As I took a quick look through my window, the royal carriage had left the castle grounds, followed closely by the royal guards.

A knock then came upon the door which caused me to turn in its direction. The door opened and Gonzalo entered. “Your Highness,” he bowed. “Your family has left. Her Majesty wanted me to inform you of their departure.”

“She didn’t have to,” I returned to my desk. “I heard the fanfare from here, so I was well-aware when they left. But thank you for letting me know.” I sat down and resumed reading the report that I was taking care of before I got distracted.

From the corner of my eye, I saw that Gonzalo nodded. “Is there anything you would like to do after your work, young master?” he asked as he stood beside me. “After all, you have so much spare time today.”

Gonzalo’s question indeed caught my attention, making me put the report that was currently in my hands down. I knew that I had a lot of work to do, but truth be told, I didn’t want to spend the whole day stuck in my office with nothing but papers in front of me. And seeing that James wasn’t here to meddle with my affairs, I had the freedom to do whatever I wanted.

I stood up from my chair. “I would like to have a quick stroll outside the castle grounds.” I walked back to the window. “A quick visit to the Mortal Realm could help me refresh my mind.”

“How many guards would you like to accompany you, Your Highness?”

My brows furrowed as I turned around to look at him. “I didn’t say I wanted any guards to come, Gonzalo.”

“But Your Highness.” He began to walk towards me. “A being from our realm should never go to the Mortal Realm alone, especially a prince such as yourself,” he explained. “You are, after all, the heir to this kingdom.”

“Gonzalo, ever since I was born, I never got the chance to do anything on my own.” I started sorting the reports, separating the finished reports from the unfinished ones. They began to pile up as I did so. “Guards always surround me, reminding me that my father would be furious if I did something against his orders.”

“Your Highness, you must understand that it is for your safety,” he continued to protest.

After all the reports had been sorted, I took a deep breath and turned to Gonzalo. “Gonzalo, I don’t want any guards with me to the Mortal Realm.” I walked towards him. As soon as I reached him, I added, “I’m simply going on a quick stroll with Lady. Bringing the guards can cause a commotion, which is something I’m trying to avoid.”

“But Your Highness—” he tried insisting on the rules, but I continued to stare at him.

“Gonzalo, do we really have to argue about this?”

His eyes started to look around the room in a panic as he tried to find another reason to go against what I wanted. But when he saw that there was no way to persuade me, he bowed his head in defeat. “No, Your Highness.” He then looked up to me once again. “What would you like me to do?”

“Kindly have a few servants prepare Lady,” I instructed. “Tell them that I will put the saddle on Lady myself.”

Gonzalo took another bow and left me alone.

After I took one final glance around my study, I walked out of the door with my page right behind me.

“Page?” I called out to him as we made our way to my room.

“Yes, Your Highness?”

“Have some of the maids prepare a bath for me while I choose something to wear,” I said.

“Certainly, Your Highness.” Without a moment to lose, he rushed off to fetch the maids for me. I just hoped that my family wouldn't return home early.

♔♔♔

Making my way to the kitchen, which was located in the basement, I greeted every servant that came across my path. More and more servants greeted me as I got closer to the kitchen. The kitchen had a direct, almost secret, passage to the stables. So, I thought that it would be nice to pay someone a visit in the kitchen today.

“Good morning, everybody,” I greeted as I entered the kitchen with a smile on my face.

“Good morning, Your Highness,” they all greeted with their usual cheerful tone.

As I continued to smile at everyone in the room, I headed straight to Nana Olsa. “Good morning, Nana,” I hugged her from behind without any sort of warning.

“Oh!” she exclaimed out of shock; her hand landed on her chest as she calmed herself. “Oh, my dear boy, it’s good to see you,” she giggled as she turned around to hug me. “You gave me such a fright.”

Nana Olsa was my nanny when I was little, but she was removed by James when I reached the age of twelve thousand years. He said I was old enough to be transferred into the care of my tutors. Although she was removed as my nanny, she was welcome to stay as a servant and so she did. She stayed as the head cook so she could continue to look after me from afar.

“It’s good to see you as well, Nana,” I slowly pulled away from her and gave her a gentle peck on the cheek.

“Oh, my dear boy, you’re still as sweet as when you were a child.” She giggled. “What brings you to my lair?” She then turned around and continued to stir the soup she was cooking.

“I was on my way to the stables, so I stopped by to get my water container and a few apples for Lady,” I explained. “Also, I thought it would be nice to pay you a visit as well.”

“The stables?” She stopped stirring as she asked. She then turned her head to my direction. “Are you going out on your own? Isn’t today the day for your visit to the village with your family? Were you left behind?” She then returned to stirring the pot after letting out all of her questions.

I stayed quiet for a few seconds as I tried to think of an excuse. “I wasn’t left behind. I didn’t go with them. I’m not…” I hesitated as I continued to think of a neutral way to say what I wanted to say. “I wasn’t in the mood to join them today. There are some days where I don’t enjoy doing those visits.”

She, once again, turned her head towards me. “Is it because of your father?”

My eyes widened when she knew the answer, but a smile crept up to my face right after. “How did you know?”

“My dear one, we live in the same castle.” She put her spatula down and walked over to the sink beside her, washing her hands. “Everything that happens inside the castle is reported to me,” she continued as she wiped her hands dry with her white apron. She then walked towards me. “And besides,” she gently cupped my face with her soft hands, “I know that you and your father don’t have the best relationship at the moment.”

“You know me too well, Nana,” I held her hands tightly as I looked directly in her eyes. “And I’m very grateful to have you as my guardian.”

She then giggled as she gave me a light pat on the head. “Now, there are crates of freshly delivered apples in the stables. And here.” She let go of my face and reached for something from the cupboard above her. “Here is your water container.” In her hands, she revealed my leather water container that had already been cleaned.

“This is already clean,” I replied as I received the leather container in my hands. My brows furrowed in confusion. The last time I used this, I didn’t have the time to clean it. “Did you clean this, Nana?” I looked up at her.

“For some reason, I found that thing in the garden yesterday. I knew it was yours, so I took the liberty of cleaning it for you.” She approached the pot once more and added a few more ingredients to the boiling soup. “I know you never like to clean your containers unless you find it absolutely necessary.”

After I checked the leather container, I gently kissed Nana on her cheek. “Thank you very much, Nana. I’ll be back from my stroll before lunch is served,” I began walking to the entrance to the stables.

“Be safe, little one,” I heard her speak from behind me.

“I will,” I answered, not bothering to look.

♔♔♔

When I arrived at the stables, three servants were taking care of Lady as I instructed. One was brushing her hair, one was making sure her hooves are secured, and one of them grabbed her saddle off the wall, something I made specifically clear with Gonzalo that I would be doing myself.

“Good morning, gentlemen,” I entered the stables without any form of announcement.

As soon as they heard my voice, they dropped whatever they were doing and rushed towards me. “Good morning, Your Highness.” They bowed as they ran up to me, their right hands currently on their chest with their heads down.

“Thank you for preparing Lady for me. I will take it from here,” I smiled.

They all took a second bow and left me alone with Lady.

I grabbed the saddle and approached Lady. “Hello there, my Lady,” I gave her a hug which was answered by a whinny. I began to check the kind of brushing that was done on her. I had to make sure that it was done just right. “I think you need a few more strokes.” I settled the saddle on the side, grabbed the brush that was left on the floor, and started to give her a few more brushes.

Lady had been a loyal companion of mine ever since I was a little boy. When I reached the age of seven thousand years, I became fascinated by how majestic horses were. James took notice of it and decided to give Lady to me as a gift. From that moment on, Lady and I had been on multiple rides, mostly when my family held their summer progresses across the kingdom.

In the midst of silence, I heard faint footsteps approaching the open entrance of the stables. I turned my head to look and saw Mallory enter.

“Hello, Robert,” she smiled as she walked towards me, her hands in front of her skirt.

“Good morning, Mallory,” I greeted as I put my focus back on Lady.

Mallory is Nana Olsa’s granddaughter, and I considered her my childhood friend. We were very close as children, but as time went by, we became distant because of how James was raising me as his heir. We still managed to talk every now and then, but most of the time, I didn’t really get to see her. With my royal duties and daily reports, I was always in my study or in my room.

“What are you doing?” she asked as she stood beside me.

“Giving Lady a few more brushes before saddling her up,” I replied, not even bothering to look at her.

“Are you going somewhere?”

“Yes,” I then put the brush in the bucket by the wooden pole beside me. “It’s still early, so I’ve decided to go to the Mortal Realm to free my mind from my royal duties.”

“Well, the Mortal Realm does have the best operas, so it is the best place to unwind,” she said, giving out a nervous giggle at the end.

Throughout that short exchange, Mallory’s voice was… shaky, to say the least. I could sense that she was tense. She never acted that way when she was around me.

I turned to her and held the sides of her arms. “Mallory, is something wrong? You seem to be… shaking. Are you sick?”

“Oh no, I’m fine,” she smiled, but I could easily tell that she was lying. Mallory was never a good liar. I didn’t think she had the heart to lie about anything.

“Mallory, we’re practically siblings, which means there’s nothing that you can hide from me.” I moved closer to her and caressed her arms in an attempt to calm her down. “You know I’ll never judge you, no matter what you tell me.”

She then let out a sigh as I let go of her arms. “Robert, for the longest time, you’ve been the only person I could call as a friend. But I need to tell you something.” She kept her head low as she began to play with her hands.

“Well then, go ahead,” I answered as I tidied up everything that was used to prepare Lady.

She took a deep breath before continuing. “There’s no other way of saying this, but you see,” she stopped briefly to control her stutter, “I like you, Robert.”

Her admission stopped me in my tracks. Questions started to run through my mind. She likes me? In what way? If she likes me more than a friend, what should I say? Should I pretend that I agree with her in order not to break her heart? Or should I simply acknowledge it but tell her to stop? Mallory was like a sister to me. Breaking her heart would be unthinkable.

“Well, I would say that I like you as well, Mallory,” I said, hoping that it wouldn’t sound like it had a different meaning.

“You do?” her tone showed a bit of hope.

I took a deep breath in and turned to her, “Of course. We’ve been friends ever since we were children. I know who you truly are, and you’re a good person.” I continued, “Everyone and anyone would like to have you as their friend.”

Her brows furrowed as I finished my answer. “Robert, that’s not what I meant.” She walked closer to me as her frustration began to show. “What I truly meant was… I am in love with you.” She held my hands as she looked directly into my eyes. “As a young girl, I’d always admired you, and as we grew older, my feelings for you only grew, You’re the only one I’ve ever loved.”

My eyes widened upon hearing her confession. As far as I knew, I’d never given her any reason to feel this way about me. If she was going to use the excuse that I was always kind to her and never abandoned her, those reasons weren’t enough to justify her feelings. I only did those things because I regarded her as a sister.

Slowly, I released my hands from her grip and kept my distance from her. “You don’t mean that, Mallory.” I then grabbed the saddle and walked back to Lady.

“Robert, I do. I’ve been thinking about this for a long time.” She was quick to answer. “I thought it was just a simple admiration, a sister looking up to her brother. But now, I can truly say that I love you,” she explained as she followed my every action.

Not paying any more attention to her, I quickly put the saddle on Lady. I had to leave this stable and get out of this conversation before it turned into something ugly.

“Well?” she asked as she tried to catch my attention.

“You need to stop whatever it is you’re feeling for me,” I replied as I kept my focus on preparing Lady.

She stayed quiet for a few seconds before asking, “Why?”

“Because it’s not real, and it won’t lead to anything,” I answered as I locked the saddle in place.

“How could you say that? Of course, it’s real!” she continued to protest. “This isn’t just some kind of infatuation, Robert. How could you question my feelings for you?”

“Your profession of love won’t change anything.” I turned to look at her. “You’re still my friend, a sister to me.” I then put water into my container and three apples in the saddlebag.

“Only a friend?” her voice started to crack, something that I’d been trying to avoid. “Don’t you have feelings for me? Even just a little?” she asked once more as her eyes began to water.

I let out a sigh. I love Mallory but only as a sister. I never saw her more than that. “I’m very sorry, Mallory, but… you’re loving the wrong man.” I jumped onto Lady and prepared to ride off.

“Robert.” She suddenly held onto my leg. “I know that deep down inside of you, you love me the way I love you. Why are you denying it?”

“Mallory, there’s nothing to deny, and there’s nothing that’s hiding inside of me,” I explained as I looked directly into her eyes, making sure that she understood. “You’re a sister to me, and that’s all I can offer you. Nothing more, nothing less.”

She stepped back as tears began to fall down her rosy cheeks.

“Come, Lady.” And with one kick on her side, Lady and I headed to the gate.

♔♔♔

When I reached the gate, I found Robin, the gatekeeper, sweeping fallen leaves away from the entrance.

“Good morning, Robin,” I greeted as I approached him.

As I stopped before him, he put his broom to the side and ran towards me. “Your Highness,” he bowed. “Good morning.” He smiled as he looked up to me.

“How’s your day so far?” I asked, returning a smile to him.

He chuckled as he scratched the back of his neck. “The usual, young prince. I open and close the gates for everyone. Except it’s been a bit windier today. More leaves have fallen to the ground,” he replied, his smile never fading. “Other than that, everything is as it is, Your Highness.”

I nodded. “Very good.”

“What can I do for you today, Your Highness?”

“Would you be so kind as to open the gates for me, Robin?”

Robin nodded and quickly turned around. He then stopped after a few steps and returned to me, confused. “I thought you were with your family when they left, young prince.”

“Oh, I didn’t join them today.” My lips created a firm smile. “I wanted to have a stroll somewhere and get some fresh air.”

“If you don’t mind me asking, Your Highness, where are you headed to?” Robin continued to ask unnecessary questions.

Holding back my impatience, I simply answered, “To the Mortal Realm. I plan to return before lunch, so kindly open the gates.”

He then started to look behind me. It looked like he was looking for something. “Where are your guards, Your Highness? You shouldn’t leave the castle alone, especially if you’re heading to the Mortal Realm,” he said. “This must be the fault of the guards. Should I call Master Gonzalo to fetch some guards for you?”

I closed my eyes as I took a deep breath. “Robin, I will not repeat his: open the gate,” I spoke in a firmer manner. I gave him a stare to make him stop asking questions.

“O-of course, Your Highness. As you wish.” He rushed to the gate and opened it as he kept his head down.

“Thank you, Robin,” I said as I reached him. I handed him an apple and added, “Should the royal family return and ask of my whereabouts, you’re not to tell them what you know. If I find out that you spoke of me going to the Mortal Realm, there will be consequences for you. Do I make myself clear?”

Robin knelt to the ground with his right hand on his left chest. “I will do what His Highness tells me to do.”

“Very well. I shall return. Keep the gate ready for me.”

After he nodded, I rode off to the Mortal Realm.