Chapter 13

Sampson had thought he imagined the words and so it took him a moment to realise that the Prince had indeed been the one to speak them. He scoffed and Linshanth cast him an irritable glare. "You really are paranoid Linshanth. Why would the King want to kill me? I took the souls away from Toombak, without me this Kingdom would be nothing but dust now".

"He asked Lord Ferimis to kill you". "The Lord Ferimis? He only came to wish me luck for tomorrow". "He planted the purple hellebore in your room". "The flower? The Hellebore is poisonous but it was hidden in a book. How would it have killed me?". "The flower was laced with dark magic. It was only a spell that my father could have performed".

"The King has no reason to kill me". For this Linshanth didn't answer. It was obvious to Sampson that he was plagued by paranoia. The King had accepted him into the Kingdom and given him a place to stay. Why would he do all that if his intent was to kill him?

"You should be careful Sampson. When I give you an instruction you must follow it?". Sampson muttered inaudible words under his breath, turning his head to the side and rolling his eyes where the Prince couldn't see. He could see clearly what the Prince was trying to achieve. He was trying to make Sampson afraid and so he would have no choice but to stick to the Prince's side for protection. There had already been many people in his life that had tried to kill him, he was no more afraid then as he was now.

"Do not worry Linshanth. I am like a cat, I have nine lives". "You will have none if you continue to be so careless". "I am never careless". The Prince held his tongue. In the short space they had known each other, Sampson had escaped into the dark forest, chased by a night beast and kidnapped by servants.

"If the King was really trying to kill me he would have done so already". "Hmm…enough speaking now. It's time to rest". Sampson closed his eyes. The Prince must have got it wrong. Why ever would the King want to kill him?

*

The Prince woke much before him. He was washed and dressed before Sampson finally stirred. The Prince was studying the purple hellebore when Sampson squinted one eye open. He couldn't recall much of what happened the night before only that his back that always felt somewhat stiff felt loose and like the knots had magically disappeared over night. Normally Sampson woke up with such pain if he didn't get up immediately there would be no way of him getting up at all. He was well rested for once, usually he struggled to sleep but he had slept right through the night.

He pulled back the covers and climbed out of bed, approaching the Prince slowly. The moment he had seen the Prince holding the hellebore he only had one question on his mind. "Why would the Lord Ferimis put the flower in my chambers?". "I don't know yet", Sampson murmured, twirling the flower around in his fingertips. "You said it was laced with magic. What was the flower's purpose?".

"The Purple hellebore when ingested causes instant death. I think he jinxed the flower that it would go into your mouth when you fell asleep". It still didn't make sense to Sampson. If the King wanted to kill him he would need a reason why. Sampson's only purpose was to destroy the souls before they destroyed all the other Kingdoms.

"He will try and kill you again today in front of the other Queens and Kings". Sampson narrowed a brow, assessing the Prince closely. He seemed oddly attached to the flower that he kept turning in his fingertips and his face masked a grave expression. "I will tell my father you are ill". The Prince stood at once. Sampson stopped in front of him before he reached the door.

"Wait, there is no need. Even if the King is trying to kill me it shouldn't let me stop in showing the other Kings and Queens who I am". "You understand if my father is trying to kill you, he will succeed. Taking you to Dormis is a trap and one you'll be willingly walking into".

"Then I will have to be careful. I am going to Dormis". Sampson was resolute in his words. He had to prove that he was the lost son of Vahda, not only to the King's and Queens but to himself. "I cant keep you protected out in the open. Not when I don't know what he's planning". "I don't need you to protect me". Sampson felt that same anger rising in his chest. The Prince looked down on him as did everyone. He had already told Sampson that he thought of him as nothing more than a servant. Sampson felt his skin go hot the more he thought about it.

The Prince flinched the arm that Sampson had been holding. There were large red burns where Sampson's fingers had been. He gasped, looking down at his hands. He had never meant to cause the Prince any harm. "I am sorry". He reached out to touch the Prince's hand but he placed the arm behind his back before he could. "There is no need. If you are insistent on going to Dormis, I won't stop you".

Sampson nodded mournfully, hiding his guilty eyes behind his lashes. It was the second time he had used his magic without meaning too. This was the first time he had ever hurt someone before.

"Thank you". Sampson bowed. "I will get ready in my own chambers". Sampson left shortly after but he kept his head down. He felt a tremendous amount of guilt for having harmed the Prince. Had it have been anyone that had been abusive in the past they would have hurt him ten times worse but the Prince acted as if Sampson barely touched him.

Minnie and Perity stood outside the door with mournful expressions. He looked at them in disbelief and they both charged at him, wrapping their willowy limbs around his frame. "Where have you been?", Minnie spoke breathlessly into the crook of his neck. Sampson could feel the hot wetness of her tears on his neck.

Perity was the first to let go but Minnie stayed stuck to him. She shook against him as her sobs came out in short bursts. Sampson sat down on the bed and smoothed out her hair like he had many times in the past. It was often the only way for her to calm down. As he did so his eyes connected with Perity's. The expression she wore was somewhat angered. She was stand offish as if she felt uncomfortable now having only just hugged him a few moments earlier.

Sampson managed to prise Minnie away from his neck where she had burrowed her face before he looked between them both. "What are you doing here?". "A knight came to get us both. He said we were now the lost son of Vahda's new assistants". It was the promise Linshanth had made to him when he agreed to come back to the Kingdom.

"You haven't come to see us for days. I was worried sick", Perity murmured. "I did come to see you. I saw you both out on the grass laughing. I thought…well, I'm not sure what I thought. I saw you both so happy and I thought you would be better off without me". Perity pinched his arm causing him to hiss out in pain. "What was that for?".

"Has spending time with the royals caused you to lose your brain? Why ever would you think that?". "It's us three against the world remember Sampson", Minnie whispered, finally able to get out her words now that she had stopped crying.

He had forgotten in the little time they had been apart just how important they were to him. He had never felt lonelier in his life then when he wasn't with them. "We weren't laughing because we didn't miss you. We were laughing over the cook".

"The cook?". "Haven't you heard? The Prince came into the kitchen and sacked her in front of all of the servants. He even threatened to beat her with the long brush if she ever dared to hurt another servant". Sampson frowned. The Prince had neglected to tell him anything of that sort.

"When did this happen?". "The day after we were supposed to go and run away with you. The Prince's was wrapped in bandages and he could barely stand and he still made the cook cry". The girls started giggling again whilst Sampson stared at them in shock.

"No one knows why she was sacked though. There's rumours she was having an affair with the King", Minnie murmured. "Of course she wasn't. Why would the King have an affair with someone so old?", Perity answered in response.

"They employed the cook's maiden to be the new cook. She's a lot nicer than her. She even makes us food instead of giving us scraps", Perity said. Sampson felt like rejoicing. He couldn't remember the amount of times he had been beaten with the dreaded long brush. There was nothing worse than the fear that ran through you when she grabbed the dreaded device and threatened to beat you with it. Sampson had received many scars from it, some of which would never heal.

"What's wrong Sampson?". "It's nothing. I'm fine", he answered quickly. He could usually get away with his emotions in front of them both if he tried hard enough. They knew each other well but in the time they had spent together he also knew how to hide things from them. He did not want to tell them about him going down to the mountains. Nor did he want to relay what the Prince had told him.

There was a knock at his door and it was one he recognised. The Prince had a resounding knock like he wanted to mould his fist to the wood of the door. Sampson scooped Minnie off his lap and onto the bed before he hurried to answer the door. He was afraid that the Prince would knock down the door again.

"Linshanth, what can I do for you?", he murmured. The Prince regarded him with an ice cold expression. "It is time to train". "Alright I'll be one second". Sampson left the door open whilst he grabbed his equipment. As he did so the two girls that were sitting on his bed went rigid. The Prince eyed them precariously, his frosty expression only deepening.

"I have to go train. You can come watch if you like". The girls didn't speak a word, neither of them daring to speak in front of the presence of the Prince. "We are training, not performing. People can not watch as they please", Linshanth muttered. Sampson raised a brow. He had seen many Princesses and duchesses come to watch the knights training and they only lapped up the attention.

"Fine", Sampson murmured. "I will be back soon". He followed Linshanth out of his chambers, making faces behind his back. The Prince really was the coldest person he had ever encountered. "Linshanth why is it you haven't picked a princess to marry yet?". The Prince stiffened as if Sampson had asked something despicable.

"There are so many desperately pining for your attention and you pay them no heed". The Prince's face reddened. He was only teasing but seeing how the Prince reacted it only spurred him to go further. He wanted to get him back for the way he treated Minnie and Perity.

"You are despicable". "Me? How so? I am only making conversation. It is not my fault you refuse to answer". "Idiot", the Prince snapped and quickened his pace. Sampson chuckled under his breath as he followed the King out to the courtyard.

His heart instantly sank when he saw two bows and a number of arrows. "Do I really have to learn archery? It seems so tedious". "Shut up", Linshanth snapped. "Grab the bow". Sampson having realised the Prince was at his wits end picked up the bow from where it was placed. It felt light to grip and not heavy like he had expected. But still he had seen the knights practising archery before and found the whole act so dismal it almost put him to sleep.

Even after the lessons were over they would aim their arrows at the servants walking past. Sampson had narrowly dodged one and scampered away before he could get hit again. "What am I supposed to be shooting?". The only thing he could see around him was trees and they were an awkward shot.

The Prince paid him no heed, walking the length of the field and putting up shots for him to shoot at. They were a good 200 yards away from him and too far for Sampson to see exactly where he was supposed to be shooting. "Can't you put them closer? How am I supposed to shoot all the way from here?".

"Stop asking questions", the Prince murmured. His face was still red from Sampson having teased him earlier and being how cold it was it wasn't just his cheeks that had gone red but his nose and neck too.

Sampson made a poor effort of picking up an arrow but as he tried to hold it next to the bow he realised it was a lot trickier than what he first realised. He couldn't even place it next to the bow before it fell from his grip.

"This really is too difficult. Can't we do sword training instead?", Sampson asked. "You are not trying hard enough. Go again", Linshanth barked. Sampson scowled but he picked up the arrow and tried again. He managed to hold the arrow and the bow together but when he let it go it made it a mere couple inches from his feet.

"You are not holding the arrow right". "I have never held an arrow before. How am I supposed to know the right and wrong way of holding an arrow", Sampson spoke in despair. "It is common sense". "For you maybe. You've been training since birth". Sampson knew how to do many things that the Prince couldn't, he knew how to sew and knit until his fingers felt numb. He had assisted the seamstress at making the Kingdom's fine clothes for years. He wasn't afraid of laborious work but he was out of his depth here. They didn't teach servants to fight mainly because it was a waste of time. If they were attacked or killed there were a hundred others that could take their place.

The Prince picked up his own bow, placing the narrow at it side. He pulled the string and the arrow flung through the air, hitting the middle of the board. "You are thinking too much about it". Sampson narrowed his eyes before he picked up the arrow once again. He pulled back the string back as the Prince had done, pulling it so back it hard string cut deep into his fingers almost drawing blood. He let go and the arrow flew through the air. It landed nowhere near his target but it made it a considerable distance across the field.

Sampson felt like jumping for joy but one cold look from the Prince and all the happiness he felt dissipated in an instant. "Why do you look at me like that? I shot the arrow just as you asked". "You don't shoot the floor of your attacker but the attacker", the Prince murmured. His tone was condescending and dripping with poison. Sampson couldn't understand why he was acting so impertinently.

He had no reason to, if anything it should have been Sampson that was acting callously given the treatment he had received from the Prince and his subjects in the past. "I am not good at archery". "You are not good at anything", the Prince spat. Sampson felt like throwing the bow at him but he contested against it. Keeping it tightly in his grip.

"Try again". Sampson picked up another arrow and did the same again, pulling the bow string back until he felt like his fingers were going to burst from the pressure before letting it go. The arrow sailed through the air but like the first time failed to land anywhere near his target.

Sampson let out a tired breath before he flopped on his back. The grass was cold but he really didn't want to do archery anymore. He could hear the heavy footsteps of the Prince striding towards him. The grass crunched with each footstep until he could no longer hear the sound but feel a large figure looming over him.

"What are you doing? Get up". "I am taking a break". "We do not have time for breaks", Linshanth exclaimed incredulously. Sampson peeled open one eye to find exactly what he was expecting. The Prince staring down at him with a mixture of anger and disbelief in his face. When Sampson worked as a servant he often took breaks wherever he could which would involve lying down on the floor and sleeping until he heard that treacherous bell ring again. "You should lie down too". "Nonsense. Get up now". Sampson opened his other eye. "You really are no fun at all". "I do not have time for fun". Sampson couldn't help think back to the small boy he met in the woods. Linshanth acted the same as he did then. Observing like he couldn't bring himself to join in with the fun.

"Get up Sampson". "Fine, I'll help me up". He lifted his arm up into the air, the Prince eyed it precariously. "You have legs, you can get up yourself". "But I'm so tired". "You slept enough last night".

He had forgotten that they had indeed shared a bed last night and the Prince had gotten up several hours before him. "We have been training all morning", Sampson whined, waving his arm about because it was starting to hurt from being held up for so long. "If you don't help me I won't get up". The Prince who still had hesitancy in his face reached over and clasped his hand in Sampson's. The moment he did Sampson pulled him to the ground.

He had intended for the Prince to land next to him but he had tugged too forcefully and the Prince landed on top of him instead. His forehead landed on Sampson's chin and Sampson groaned in pain from having such a heavy weight land on him.

He expected the Prince to scold him continuously but he hadn't spoken a word. Sampson looked down to find the Prince was staring up at him. His eyes were sullen and for a moment Sampson thought he was going to start crying. Sampson's nose was enveloped with the scent of Jasmine and he couldn't help but breath it in. His actions didn't go unnoticed by the Prince who seemed to be drawing himself closer.

"Linshanth?". The Prince rolled over Sampson's body and landed on the ground next to him. It was a long while before any of them spoke. "You were gone for years. Where did you go?". The Prince had been sent away to study abroad and hadn't returned to Toombak for several years. In that time the immaturity he carried around when he was young disappeared and he shaped to act exactly like his father.

"I struggled to control my magic when I was a teenager. My uncle thought it would be best to send me away so I could cultivate. I lived in seclusion for most of that time". "You were gone for seven years. You couldn't have been all alone for that time". "It was what was best for the Kingdom". Sampson sat up. It was no wonder the Prince was often cold and callous, his social interactions were minimal and he kept to himself. He had spent years alone with no one to talk to. It was Sampson's greatest nightmare to experience such loneliness.

He got up and so did Linshanth though Sampson could tell his mind was elsewhere. He picked up the bow once more, holding the arrow next to it. He saw his target but it seemed impossible that he would hit it from so far away. "Your posture is all wrong". His tone was still clipped but he didn't sound as angry now.

Sampson straightened his back, it hurt as he did so because it only stretched out his fresh scars. He bit down the pain, keeping his posture level. "Your arms need to be higher". He raised his arms up squaring his shoulders. "Keep the arrow straight". He had been focusing on keeping his body straight he had forgotten about the arrow that was now aiming downwards.

He brought the arrow up to face his target. "You're slouching again". It was too much for Sampson to remember, something so simple seemed so complicated. "Here". Sampson hadn't realised until he felt the Prince's hot breath on his cheek that he had wrapped his hand over Sampson's holding the bow with him. His other hand came over Sampson's that was holding the arrow.

It was an uncomfortable position given how close they were. If anyone were to see them they would question such aberrant behaviour.

"Stop shaking". He looked down at his hand that Linshanth was holding in his strong grip. He hadn't realised he was shaking until the Prince had pointed it out to him. "Breath in". Sampson felt like he couldn't breath at all. He wanted to tell the Prince to move backwards to give him space but his words kept falling short.

"You need to extend the string further to get the right aim". The Prince moved his arm backwards, dragging Sampson's hand back with him. This only brought him closer, causing the Prince's front to meet Sampson's back. "Do you see the target?". Sampson absentmindedly nodded. He had been focusing on the target for so long now to avoid looking at the Prince, that his eyes were starting to water.

"Ready". The Prince whispered the word into his air and shiver ran down his spine. He dropped the arrow in his grip before he could hit it. "Why did you drop the arrow?". "I was…I wasn't ready", he murmured. The arrow hadn't dropped to the floor since the Prince had managed to grab hold of it. Sampson wrapped his hand over it, which meant his fingers interlaced with the Prince.

He tried to ignore the fact they were practically holding hands and focus on the shot in front of him. He had never held hands with anybody before, he imagined it was as sacred as his first kiss and now it was lost to the Prince. He tried to ignore how uncomfortable that made him feel.

"When I say three let go". Sampson shook his thoughts away, focusing on the target in front of him. "1,2….". With every word the Prince's voice got deeper and that made him feel like he wanted to shrink into his skin.

That and the smell of Jasmine was enough to send his head spinning. "Three". Sampson dropped the arrow and the Prince pulled him back. The arrow sailed through the air and landed in the middle of the board. Sampson let out a laugh.

"It hit the board". "Well done. You only have to hit the target whilst it's moving now". Sampsons smile dropped. "Whilst it's moving. However will I do that". It seemed impossible to hit the target whilst it was stagnant and that was with the Prince's help.

Sampson felt warmth seeping into his left hand and as he looked down he realised their fingers were still interlaced. The Prince was still looking over at the board and hadn't noticed.

He was smiling broadly, it was a smile that Sampson hadn't seen since he was a boy. He hadn't realised until now how much he missed it. The day they spent together in the woods had been one of his greatest memories from his childhood. "Linshanth". He heard Onyx approaching and he yanked his hand out of the Prince's grip. If anyone where to see them together like this they would get the wrong idea that would cause bad repercussions for them both.