CHAPTER 21 : The Enchanting Kiss

In the kingdom Golgocory

In the ominous quietude of the council chamber, the elders' faint whispers lingered like a malignant fog. The cauldron, brimming with their creation, radiated an otherworldly aura, casting macabre shadows on the walls.

With one of the most powerful incantations said....a potion was created.

Not just any potion but a potion that would bring success to the wielders of magic.

Smiles appeared on the faces of the elders as they saw their incantations materialized...

One elder smiled "we did it ....and here, our chard thought our magic was not powerful enough to budge the armor of ENCHANCIA forgetting that we are the council of elders and the guardians of magic and our knowledge of magic exceeds all"

The elders laughed and murmured as they left the council...

Yet, in the velvety shroud of darkness, a lone figure emerged. It was chard Roy.

He sighed as he looked at the floating potion "it is not that...I underestimate the power of the elders. Their power is no joke . It is just that, my elders, I cannot leave anything to chance. Nothing must go wrong.

So doubting their incantations possessed the potency to breach ENCHANCIA's legendary armor. The kingdom needed an edge, something more potent, something history has written to be dangerously powerful.

With trembling hands, Roy retrieved the forbidden book of yore from beneath his cloak. Its pages, wrought with an ancient malevolence, seemed to pulse with secrets that whispered to his very soul. Amongst the cryptic text, he found an incantation, a dark hymn that promised unimaginable power. The words slithered off the page, caressing his senses with an icy touch, tempting him with knowledge as old as time.

As he began to chant, the words dripped from his tongue like liquid shadows, filling the chamber with an ominous resonance. The very air crackled with malefic intent, and the cauldron responded. The potion inside quivered, absorbing his incantation like a ravenous beast craving forbidden sustenance.

"**Obsidianis umbra, ater potentia, tenebris vinculum!**"

Roy intoned, his voice a symphony of darkness and command.

With the final word, the chamber seemed to shudder, as if acknowledging the unholy alliance between sorcerer and the forbidden book.. The glow within the cauldron intensified, swirling with hues of midnight and amethyst, and the chamber was bathed in an eerie radiance.

With the radiance fading gradually into the room....

The concoction, now seemed infused with the forbidden incantation, pulsed with a malevolent vitality, promising a power that transcended mortal comprehension.

A wicked smile played upon Roy's lips, his eyes aflame with ambition and ancient wisdom, as he contemplated the pandemonium he was about to unleash upon ENCHANCIA.

"you always rise when you fall...king Ron. Well let's see how fast you can get yourself off the ground after this hits you"

The Golden Afternoon

As the wind sun gave a gentle blow through the royal chamber's curtains, Persian slowly stirred awake, his head throbbing with a relentless ache. Blinking against the light.

"where am i?"

He found himself surrounded by familiar faces – his mother, the queen, and his father, the king, both wearing expressions of concern.

He moved his body and cracked his knuckles.

"You're awake, my dear," the queen said, her voice a soothing melody in the midst of his confusion.

Persian tried to sit up, but his head protested with a sharp pain, forcing him to sink back into the pillows. "What happened?" he mumbled, his voice weak and hoarse.

His father, the king, exchanged a worried glance with the queen before speaking, "We found you unconscious in palace hallways, my son. We've been terribly worried."

The memories of the strange encounter in the tunnels flooded back to him, but they felt distant, like fragments of a dream slipping through his fingers.

"what happened to you?" asked the king.

"I don't remember..." Persian began, his words trailing off as he massaged his temples, attempting to ease the persistent ache.

"You need rest, my love," the queen said gently, brushing a strand of hair away from his forehead. "The royal doctor has examined you, and he believes it might have been a severe migraine. But we'll keep an eye on you, just to be sure."

As his parents exchanged a concerned glance, Persian couldn't shake off the feeling that something more profound had happened, something that eluded his conscious understanding.

The Queen and The king left the chambers so their son could rest...

Later that Day

Amon, bearing a tray of untouched food, quietly approached Persian's chamber, expecting to find him peacefully asleep. Instead, he was met with a heart-wrenching sight.

There, in the corner of the room, Persian sat huddled, his tears staining the fabric of his royal robes. His cries were soft, yet they echoed with a profound sadness that struck Amon to the core.

"P-Persian," Amon stammered, his voice laced with concern. "What's wrong? Why are you crying?"

Persian looked up, his eyes puffy and red, his expression a mixture of despair and longing. "I can't take this anymore, Amon," he whispered, his voice cracking under the weight of his emotions. "This room feels like a prison. I need to get out, even if just for a moment."

Amon's heart ached for the prince, torn between his loyalty to the Queen's orders and his compassion for Persian's suffering. He knew the Queen had instructed that Persian remain confined to his chamber, but the sight of Persian's teary eyes was impossible to ignore.

With a conflicted gaze, Amon hesitated for a moment before setting the tray aside. "Alright," he said gently, extending a hand toward Persian. "Come, I'll take you for a walk in the palace gardens. It's late; no one will notice."

Persian's eyes widened with surprise and gratitude, his tear-streaked face lighting up with a glimmer of hope. He took Amon's hand, his grip desperate yet grateful, as if Amon was his lifeline in that moment.

Silently, they slipped out of the room, their footsteps echoing softly in the dimly lit corridor. The cool dusk air greeted them as they stepped into the palace gardens, the scent of blooming flowers and the soft rustle of leaves embracing them.

Under the vast expanse of the coloured sunset sky, Amon and Persian walked in silence, the weight of Persian's sorrow slowly lifting with each step. The tranquil beauty of the garden seemed to weave a spell around them, offering solace to the troubled prince.

As they walked, Amon stole glances at Persian, his heart swelling with a mix of sadness and admiration for the strength the prince showed, even in his vulnerability.

Amon held persian's hand as he sat...

Persian fixed his robe and sniffed letting out a deep sigh....

Amon cleared his throat "erhh....Percy...ummm, I don't want this be awkward. look, I do not know what is breaking you....but know that I'll always be here for you. A problem shared is a problem half solved.

Prince percy wrapped his arms around his knees " you wouldn't get it, Amon. I'm sorry but you have to let me worry about me"

Amon saw the pain that lingered within Persian...

"I do not know what you're going through but what I do know and I'm so sure of..is that.you are stronger... you are the strongest person I've ever met. And I know you can handle whatever is breaking you"

Persian ruffled his hand into Amon's hair "I wish it was that easy. I feel like I need to come clean to myself....maybe, I'm just not as strong as I thought. Maybe I'm just a prince who has everything done for him. Gets everything on a silver platter.

I'm just nothing without my crown."

Amon took persian's hand " you are everything without your crown"

But persian slid his hands back into his robes...

Persian's voice, normally so steady, now trembled with the raw honesty of his emotions. "Amon," he began, his words fragile as petals in a storm, "I can't breathe. It's like the world is closing in on me, suffocating me with every demand, every expectation. The weight of this power, this crown feels unbearable. I hear voices in my head, echoing with judgments and doubts. I'm drowning, Amon. I just want the noise to stop."

Amon listened in silence, his eyes reflecting the moon's gentle glow as he absorbed Persian's pain. He stood there as a steadfast listener, understanding the magnitude of the struggle within the prince. There were no words he could offer to fix everything, but his unwavering presence spoke volumes.

Persian continued, his voice a thread of vulnerability in the night. "I feel like every decision I make is the wrong one, every step I take leads me deeper into a maze of uncertainties. I'm tired, Amon, tired of pretending that I have it all under control when I'm falling apart inside."

"you don't have to always seem like you have it all under control...you are human" said Amon...

Persian sighed "but do they know that....will they understand that"

The night cradled Persian in its velvety embrace, and beneath the starlit canopy, his voice trembled like a fragile whisper carried away by the wind.

"I am a prince, they say," Persian began, his words hanging in the air like the ghostly remnants of a shattered dream, "but what does that title mean when my heart is a battlefield strewn with the casualties of my own uncertainties? Every smile I offer the world is a feeble attempt to mend the fractures in my soul. I am bound by duty, tangled in a web of expectations that threaten to strangle the very essence of who I am. In this palace, I wear a crown of thorns, each thorn a reminder of the sacrifices I must make, of the person I must pretend to be."

His voice wavered, a reflection of the trembling fragility within him. "I long for the simplicity of a life unburdened by these heavy robes of royalty. I yearn for the freedom to breathe without the weight of the kingdom pressing down on my chest. I am a prisoner, not of stone and iron, but of tradition and obligation. My laughter is drowned in the echoes of my ancestors, and my tears fall silently, absorbed by the very earth upon which this palace stands."

A profound sorrow settled in his eyes, and the moonlight traced the contours of his face, illuminating the depths of his despair. "I've forgotten the taste of genuine happiness, the touch of a moment unmarred by duty. I am lost, Amon, lost in a labyrinth of my own making, where the walls echo with the whispers of my insecurities. I crave a respite from this never-ending battle. I long for the freedom to simply be."

His words, heavy with unshed tears, hung in the air with the essence of his anguish. In that vulnerable moment, Persian's soul laid bare, and the universe itself seemed to weep in response, mourning the pain etched into the very core of his being.

"can I tell you a story" asked Amon

Persian wiped away his tears....

"once upon a time, I used to know how that feels....I still do....felt broken...felt burdened....felt worthless....felt like my existence didn't matter....but then I met someone who brought me happiness from places I never knew it existed...I met you."

Amon approached Persian with a heart heavy with compassion. He looked into Persian's eyes, pools of sadness reflecting the tender glow of the dusk lit sky, and whispered words that carried the weight of unwavering loyalty.

"Persian," Amon's voice was a soothing melody in the darkness, "I can't promise to mend all your wounds or banish the shadows that haunt your heart. But what I can promise is this: I am here. I am here to hold you when the world becomes too much, to listen when the silence becomes deafening, and to stay even when others turn away."

He reached out, his hand finding Persian's trembling one, offering a reassuring squeeze as if to anchor him to reality. "You are not alone in this struggle, my prince. I might be just a guard, but my loyalty to you goes beyond duty. I will be your shield in the storm, your anchor in the chaos. I am not going anywhere. No darkness, no burden, can drive me away. I am here, Persian, and I will stand by your side, for as long as you need me."

Persian's eyes, brimming with tears, met Amon's unwavering gaze. In that moment, he felt the profound weight of Amon's words, a lifeline thrown to him in the tumultuous sea of his emotions. The assurance of Amon's presence, like a flickering flame in the night, offered a glimmer of hope, a sanctuary amidst the storm.

Persian blushed "I bet you say this to everyone"

"no, only to the ones I love" whispered Amon....

Under the dusk lit canopy of the palace garden, Amon and Persian found themselves drawn together, their hearts entwined in a dance of longing and affection. The air was thick with anticipation, charged with the unspoken emotions that had silently blossomed between them. As they leaned in, their lips met in a kiss that felt like the convergence of two powerful forces, each merging to create something utterly magical.

In that moment of union, a radiant glow enveloped them. Their magic, intertwined and harmonious, sparked to life, casting an iridescent aura around their entwined forms. The very essence of their beings seemed to merge, creating a tapestry of ethereal colors that painted the night with shades unseen by mortal eyes.

As their kiss deepened, the garden around them came alive in response. The flowers, once dormant, now stirred with life, their petals unfurling in a symphony of hues. Each bloom glowed with a soft, otherworldly light, illuminating the garden with a surreal beauty. Roses, lilies, and daisies, all kissed by the magic that emanated from the lovers, transformed into blossoms of pure radiance.

Amon's hands gently cradled Persian's face, his touch tender and filled with a love that transcended the ordinary. Persian, in turn, wrapped his arms around Amon, pulling him closer as if trying to merge their very souls. Their kiss was not just a meeting of lips but a fusion of two hearts, two beings, and two realms of magic.

In this enchanted moment, time seemed to stand still. The world faded away, leaving only the two of them and the garden, now aglow with the magic of their love. Every petal, every leaf, and every blade of grass danced in the luminous embrace of their shared enchantment.

When they finally pulled away, breathless and flushed, the magic slowly receded, leaving the garden bathed in the soft, silvery light of the dusk lit sky. They gazed into each other's eyes, their connection now deeper, their love more profound, and their souls forever bound by the enchantment of that magical kiss.

*****

A knock is heard on the door....

"you may come in" said a voice..!!!

"you asked for us...royal doctor"

"yes, my queen and king" answered the royal doc.

"I need to talk to you urgently"

The royal doctor sighed "it's about your son, prince persian"

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