The Next King of This Kingdom

"Is he handsome?"

I rolled my eyes upon Oly as she kept asking me about the rider after they finished their prayers. As usual Miss Entely took them to sleep in their dorms, and per our recent habit they sneaked after she slept and arrived at my room.

"He is… fine," I lied as I didn't really think he was that bad. He was good, and strangely I felt some pain when she asked repeatedly about him like he was hers.

"I'm sure he is handsome," she totally ignored my words as she was in her own dream world it seemed.

"Don't talk," I said while turning around as our little group just passed the lower floor and were just meters away from the door.

"Yawn, I don't know why but I feel so sleepy now."

The little Punny yawned and I was about to reprimand her before noticing something weird; they were all yawning and their eyelids were dropped half way over their eyes.

"What's wrong with you?" I couldn't help but feel weird about this, "is this some kind of joke?"

They walked for a couple of steps before they couldn't continue. "Yawn, we need to sleep," Emmie said and I just stood there without any clue about what to do.

"Then go back to your beds," I waved my hands while whispering, "don't make a sound and tomorrow you'll visit him."

"Yawn… I just wanted… Yawn… to see him," Oly said before suddenly her eyelids were tight shut and her body went weak.

"Hey," I moved fast and supported her before patting her cheeks to awaken her, "support each other and go to your rooms safely, understand?"

The good thing was they weren't far off their rooms. I watched the three leaning on each other while staggering right and left as if they were helpless leaves in the wind.

"Kids," and I only sighed while watching them reach their room and vanish inside. "One moment they are awake and lively, and the other they are about to fall to the ground," I muttered to myself while running to the barn in the middle of the night.

The cold breeze welcomed my face and made my hair dance. "Will he be awake by now?" I was wondering about this, and more worried about the trouble that lay behind him.

"He can't be a simple man at all," that was what I reached as a conclusion after a long day of thinking about him. Despite not exchanging a single word with him, I couldn't wipe away his face from my memories at all.

The barn looked as calm and peaceful as ever. I glanced at the wall before I went there and touched it, next the wall shone in bright sunlight that defied the laws of the world at this hour.

And next I passed through the rays of the sun while feeling dazzled for a moment.

"Who are you?"

Just as I went inside, I felt a strong grip holding my body while my entire balance went off all of sudden. I screamed while glancing at those faint blue eyes with a face that looked so serious.

"Damn you! Let me off!!" I shouted in deep anger while he kept his gaze upon me. He was awakened and the first thing he did was to seize me by force.

No one ever had done such a thing to me! Not even my dear father!

"Let me down… NOW!" this time I met his gaze with another defying one while coldly adding, "is this how you express your thanks to the one who saved you?"

"Neigh!"

And that ungrateful horse suddenly decided to speak up for me and I pointed my head towards it. the man looked hesitant before he muttered without moving his gaze off me or hands off my body: "Is that true?"

"Neigh!"

"As if you can speak to that stubborn horse," I said before adding, "I found you, deeply hurt and was on the verge of death. I brought you here and healed you. How can you treat your savior in this rudeness?"

He slowly put me down and at this moment I realized he was just holding my entire body in the air with his strong arms.

I wasn't in any danger, away from his mesmerizing eyes that seemed so lethal to me.

I looked away and retreated a couple of steps backward, trying not to look frightened or nervous. "How do you feel now?"

"Thud!"

The next moment I heard his body slamming heavily on the ground and I screamed again and even jumped off the ground while my heart leaped inside my chest.

And there he lay motionless while his breathing seemed irregular to me.

"Damn! You are this wounded and still scared the sh*t of me… What's wrong with your head?" I was mad at this reckless man while the horse moved towards his body and licked his face.

"I… just felt dizzy," his tone came so weak and that wasn't a good sign.

"You need to rest and not move for a couple of days," I turned to the horse and it finally showed a sign of cooperation and understanding for the first time.

"Can you push your body over your horse?" I said while the horse sat on bent knees just beside him.

"There is no time for that," I thought I heard him panting for a second there, "the king… the next king of this kingdom is going to be killed tonight!"

"Hahaha, you are really funny," I couldn't help but laugh.

"I'm not… joking," he was really panting, "the next king is hiding here… I need to reach him… I must warn him to run away as far as possible… or else that young prince won't live to see another day."

And his words made my heart clench, like a tight hand gripped it and wanted to crush it deep inside my chest.

And it was my turn for my chest to heave up and down, racing in breathing as if I was panting. I weakly whispered:

"Tell me everything you know."