The Cista Banquet (Part 3)

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Vorbuk felt as if he could hear his own heart beating within his chest the moment princess Isis entered the room. Her long white hair flipping about as she took quick glances around the room. Many of the noble men were flushed and whispering at the sight of her dressed up in an elegant dress for the banquet.

What's wrong with me? Vorbuk thought as he turned to look elsewhere.

"Can I borrow you for a moment?" Princess Isis asked as she stopped in front of Vorbuk and the prince. Her words were clearly directed at Vorbuk who was still trying to blend in like any other average companion beast. When she spoke the wolf's body flinched.

"Take your time!" Prince Leo winked playfully at Vorbuk as he responded to Isis in Vorbuk's place without giving him a chance to answer for himself.

What?! Vorbuk felt himself beginning to panic as his heart rate picked up.

"We'll be heading to her home kingdom next so just get whatever you need to talk about out of the way now. It's better then delaying the matter and regretting it later." Prince Leo sounded exhausted as he said those words as if he was trying to hide his own discomfort before leaving them both to themselves.

It did not take long after the prince's words before the princess was leading Vorbuk out of the room in a heavy silence. Whatever she was intending to tell him was something he could tell she did not wish others to witness.

"I'm leaving the group now and heading back on my own ahead of you." Isis stated bluntly to him. It was not something she felt like she could drag out any longer.

You're leaving? Vorbuk echoed those words in his mind and felt as if something heavy was in his chest. It felt uncomfortable. A faint growl was beginning to rumble from his throat as he stood there without moving.

"I delayed for this long but I can't anymore.. Theapan is my home but I have no intention of getting in the way of what you plan to do.. However there are matters I must resolve for myself so I must return. This is where we will part ways.. for now at least." The princess continued to ramble on as her voice shook.

BAM!

Vorbuk shifted into his human form. Slamming his fist against the wall beside her as he tried to consider his words carefully. He wanted to ask her to stay but he could not. It was not a choice that he had any right to refuse her decision on.

"I can't do anything to stop you from going can I?" Vorbuk asked that question even though he knew the answer to the question. He was not sure why he felt so desperate to keep her. Nor did he understand why every time she was around him he felt so flustered.

No.. He knew but he didn't want to admit it because he knew the future between the two of them wasn't going to be as beautiful as he'd want for her if he accepted it.

"No matter how ugly things get, Vorbuk, my opinion of you will never change for the worst so don't look so scary." The princess smiled so sweetly that it was almost impossible to see the pain hidden behind her eyes as she spoke to him with a warmth that expressed how much she wanted to part without hurting each other. She wanted to leave him with only happiness left behind until they could meet again.

However, maybe it's okay to be greedy just this once. The princess thought.

Gazing at the man leaning over her against the palace wall her expression softened even more. Her hands swiftly moving upward as she wrapped her arms around his neck in a warm embrace. The moment they were locked around his neck her lips gently placed themselves against Vorbuk's. It was only a brief kiss with a soft and sweet taste.

Ah, she smells.. so sweet like flowers in a summer breeze. Vorbuk almost didn't want to stop but he was so caught off guard that he didn't know how to react to her.

The princess pulled herself back away from Vorbuk without a word and darted off running. She wanted them to part happily. Staying behind after that would only make things awkward and she was afraid he would ask her to stay. There was not enough determination in her heart to say no if he really had so her only choice was to escape the moment while it was perfect.

"Princess?!" Vorbuk shouted for her as she ran down the palace hallways and turned the corner to leave his sight.

After a moment of hesitation when she was no longer in his sight Vorbuk took off after the princess. He was unsure what he would say if he caught her. Only thinking to himself that he did not want to let her go in that moment. When he reached the end of the hallway where she had turned and looked around there was no sign of her. The princess had left on her own and he was not sure when they would be able to see each other again.

"Hah.. hahah... She really know's how to mess with my head." Vorbuk punched the pillar he was standing next to as he listened to footsteps approaching. Turning his head to see the crown prince, Leo.

"I thought you didn't want to use that form tonight?" Leo asked curiously as he came over noticing that something had happened to upset Vorbuk.

I can't help it when that girl destroys all sense of reason I have! Vorbuk wanted to shout but he kept his words to himself.

"Something happened and I had no other choice. We should head back inside.." Vorbuk said as a flicker of light out of the corner of his eye caught his attention.

The sky was dark and the moon was shining brightly. From the kingdom of Cista they both could see hundreds of floating lanterns taking flight from the capital of Cista. Each lantern was meant to symbolize a prayer from the person who'd set the lantern free. The belief behind the floating lanterns in Cista was that they would help guide the prayers of the peoples to the heavens. Though the myth had been around for generations it was unknown if it was true. Simply it was a myth the people of Cista cherished because it was a beautiful.

"Are you not going to light one as well?" Vorbuk asked the prince as he watched the beautiful lights of the lanterns.

"I don't need a lantern to guide my wish because I have you guys with me. How could a lantern be better then us all together?" Prince Leo smirked proudly at his own remark. As much as his words sounded like a joke it was not entirely one.

The prince really did trust their group more then he had ever trusted anyone before. In a royal family trust was something one could not easily have in others. Whether it was family, servants, or others who tried to get close to him. Everyone had their own motives to get close to a royal family member because they simply had something they wanted to gain. While siblings were most often known to fight each other to the death for ownership of the throne among the kingdoms when they had more then one heir.