Chapter 10: Farewell of the Prince

"Colin, let's go." said Leif.

Colin just simply nodded. Whilst they were about to go, some caretakers spotted them. They bowed at them the moment they saw them.

"No need. I do have an order though. I wish to visit all the animals here." said Leif.

"Yes, Your Highness. Shall us peasants be fateful enough to offer you something to eat?"

"With pleasure."

The first place Leif went to was the farm of the orphanage. The caretakers welcomed him to the orphanage with pleasure.

"Wow...what are these creatures. Look Colin, it's a little white fat phoenix!" Leif pointed at a chicken.

"Your Highness, it is called a chicken." said one of the caretakers.

"Oh...what is that called? Is that a swan?"

"It is called a duck."

"Hm...they look the same though."

"Your Highness, here are some stew we usually make. I'm afraid we mortals don't have such-"

"It's great! What is it made of?" Leif took a bite out of the garlic chicken.

"It is made of chicken."

Leif's face became gloomy. He tried his best to hold his tears because he knew that the consequences for the mortals would be greater than anything. He took a deep breath and said,

"You killed Mr. Chicken's relative..."

"Your Highness, we kill them for the sake of us! The meat you dine on in the palace are killed as well."

Colin gave the caretaker a death stare.

"It's fine...they get to go to the heaven. Kill them without pain you get it?" Leif yelled out.

"Yes, Your Highness." said the caretaker.

Meanwhile, the news of the prince became spread across the orphanage. Many stayed inside out of fear. Not in the fear of the prince but in the fear of his servant. Among them, three curious children came out to meet him.

"So cute...We didn't notice it when we came here, right Erland?" said Frode who was with a girl and Erland, in the doorway about to head to the prince.

"Get away from my baby." said the girl who was with them on the way to meet the Prince of Alfheim. She had two pigtails braided on her dark red hair. Her attire was of a normal girl who lives in an orphanage.

"It's your baby? That's adorable." said Erland.

"It's a 'she' you get it?"

"Okay I get it. Should we take the kitty there too?"

The girl nodded enthusiastically.

They both headed to the farm alongside with the kitten. Seeing some kids coming from afar, Colin greeted them with a smile, or perhaps he greeted Erland only.

"Erland! Why are you here? You don't have a family?!??!" said Leif and rushed to Erland.

"I have an awesome family! I came here to give the other kids some snacks." said Erland.

"How kind of you. You shall get more snacks to distribute if you become my servant."

"Why do you want me to be your servant?" Erland replied with a confused smile.

"You see this failure? He is a total menace! He scares me all the time. Besides he is old. He is no fun to hang around with."

Colin gave him a death stare.

"Sorry Leif but I want to stay with my family. You can come and play with me!"

"Er-Erland...You-You know the Prince of Alfheim?" said Frode.

"Yeah!" Erland put on a big smile.

"Oh...I see. So what does a prince do?" said the girl.

"Uhm...I can do many things...Like...I own many things! I have a hundred big castles, three thousand servants-"

"These are the things you got from your father."

"Eh...*sigh* Little girl, you underestimate me. You are nothing to my knowledge and strength. I even have one of the most gracious powers of all."

"Oh...cool...Okay..." The girl seemed disinterested.

"(How is she not impressed yet?)"

"Should we stop them?" said Frode.

"Nah let's enjoy it for a bit more. It's kinda funny." said Erland.

"Do you have horses?" said the girl.

"Of course I do. I have a thousand horses and three hundred Pegasus." said the Prince.

"Oh? Really? Do you know how to ride them?" the girl's eyes became sparkly. She didn't even care about the face Colin made. Colin grabbed her from the back and lifted her up.

"Oy, put her DOWN!" said Leif.

Colin had no choice but to put her down. She stood away from him.

"Ah, yes I can. Colin don't you dare come here!" said Leif, as he saw Colin trying to grab the girl once again with a troubled face.

"Leif, Uh...How about I ride with you as well?" said Erland, feeling a need to help him.

"You want to ride with me?"

"Yeah!"

"Hey this is not fair, I wanna ride too!" said the girl."

"No, Tove, we are going to ride a little pony. My father once told me that a horse and a rider has to be compatible for both." said Erland with a smug face.

"Oh...okay. Guess I will watch then."

They both headed to a little pony and got on it.

"Hey Erland, are we safe?" said Leif.

"Maybe...I will try. Don't tell anyone about the things I'm about to say." said Erland.

"Oh Ok-"

Tove slapped on the horse's back. It started going here and there as if it has gone mad. It almost threw Leif away but Erland held him tight with the horse. Colin's face was helpless, since he was ordered to remain further from Leif.

"Tove! Why did you do it?!?" said Frode.

"The men who I used to live with slapped on the back of a horse when the rider was on the back of it! I helped, didn't I?!"

"Uh..."

All the caretakers rushed towards them to save them as the horse was running around in pain.

But the little pony was enhanced into a beast who was illuminating light from it's body and has overgrown into something else. Even Erland's horse riding training in his other life went almost in vein.

"Did this happen because of you?" said Erland.

"I don't know...this is my power but I HAVE NO IDEA HOW THIS HAPPENED!!!" Leif became frustrated.

"(I'm gonna be the one in trouble if my power awakens...)"

There was a bush in sight. Erland held Leif and jumped on it with him. They both got injured by the thorns as they both let out grunts of pain. 

The pony fell on the ground. It wasn't injured but it was scared as its glow was fading. It rushed off far away and hid somewhere as its powers started to wear off.

"What the heck. WHY DID YOU- Ughh...forget it. At least we are saved." said Leif and slowly got up.

"Yeah...Are you hurt too?" said Erland.

Tove rushed towards them with tears almost falling from her eyes. "Leif...I'm so sorry. I was just acting cool *sobs* ...I'm a big dummy..."

"It's fine. I am rather gentle towards ladies so, I shall not give you any punishment for such heinous deed." Leif brushed his shoulder like a gentleman, leaving Erland in awe of this world's people's 'maturity'.

"You did well!" Tove smiled.

"I know." said Leif, smugly.

"Uh...Leif, aren't you too young to say these? It sounds cweepy when you say it like that." Erland made the face of a child.

"Shut up!" Leif yelled.

Colin got close to Leif and took his gloves off. He rubbed his hand slowly on Leif's injured spots. It was like a fast time-lapse of natural healing. The process left the others in awe of what a celestial being can do.

"Oy Colin. Did father do this? I grant you the permission to speak for once." said Leif.

"Yours and your father's power are the same. It's critical for a mere servant like me to have a conclusion or prediction of such thing." said Colin.

"(My power isn't as cool as father's. Father must have done this. I swear by my mother, I'll never live with this fart or obey his words nor live the life he wants me to live.)"

Colin could sense what the prince was thinking. He has realized that the order from the headquarters of royal Alfheim was just to find an excuse to keep the prince away from the mortal world.

"W-wait..." Leif looked closely towards the ground.

"Huh? Why are you staring at my shoes-" Tove couldn't finish her words.

"Is this a cat!? Even mortals are blessed with them! I have fifty cats in my palace. My father doesn't allow those to enter our rooms because of their fur...Shame..."

"Yeah. Her name is Heba."

"(That doesn't quiet sound like a name from around here. Did she name it after someone close to her?)" Erland looked at Tove.

"Hey Leif, how about we play?" said Erland.

"Yeah! What do we play?" said Leif, completely forgetting about what has happened, without holding a single bit of grudge.

"Let's play...hide and seek."

Leif looked more excited than before. But in a second, his face became filled with gloominess which he was trying to hide. "My mom and I used to play it." 

"Leif, where is your mom?" said Frode.

Colin held Leif's mouth and moved his own head left and right. Leif took a hint and stayed silent.

"That-that's not necessary to know. Colin, you go hang around somewhere else. It's time for me to hang around with my friends with some privacy. Go!" Leif ordered with a frowned face.

Colin slowly left the place giving all of them a death stare.

"Does he always look like this?" said Tove.

"Yeah..." Leif nodded.

They both got in the middle of a garden in the orphanage. The flowers weren't blooming well. So Leif used some of his powers on them so they could grow well. It didn't make them grow well but it enhanced their appearance.

"(So light magic can't really enhance plants...Since he's an elf he might have light magic.)" Erland pondered.

Tove cleared her throat "Since we've just met we couldn't tell stuffs about ourselves well. Ahem, I'm Tove, four years old. I was raised by some men who used to sell pretty aunties. The director of the orphanage bought me and gifted me a cat, Heba!" said Tove.

Erland looked at her with pity. Others on the other hand, Frode couldn't even understand the meaning of 'pretty aunties'.

"Well then, me next. I am Erland Hephaestus, three years old. I have a wonderful family. I live with mommy, daddy, Randi and my big sis Hilda. I have always been with them and will always be with them. I'm planning on getting a puppy soon." said Erland.

"You're such a baby." said Tove with a sigh.

"I'm Frode, two years old-"

"Two years!?!" said both Tove and Leif.

"Yeah, I want to be the biggest scholar one day."

"Judging by your smartness you indeed will, my friend. I know that you all already know about me but still I shall reintroduce myself. I am Leif Avery. I'm the fourth prince of Alfheim who is now currently known as the one and only Prince of Alfheim. I wish to lead my nation into a bright future even though it is about light itself. I also wish to lead a prosperous life with royalty. These are what the old fart says. In reality I would like to quit all these and live somewhere happily with my mother and do what I want. I hope you guys understand me."

Everyone stared at him without any expression. "O-Oh..."

Then they picked the roles to play hide and seek. Erland was told to count to ten three times since he cannot count from one to thirty. Leif hid in the coop, Tove hid on top of the largest tree and Frode hid behind it. Erland easily found Tove and Frode but Leif was no where to be found.

He checked the farm where the coop was in but he still didn't find him there. Their deal was not to hide indoors. They got suspicious and looked in the house.

Leif, with his legs crossed, sitting in comfort, spoke highly of himself and his kingdom to the orphans. The orphans open mindedly talked with him since his servant wasn't around anymore.

"Leif Avery...You were supposed to hide outside, yes?" said Tove.

"Oh was that it? Give me a moment my subjects, I shall talk to my other friends." Leif looked at Tove. "So what, I just wanted to talk with others." said Leif.

Tove and him had a heated argument afterwards while Frode and Erland, both are just staring. The director came and told them that it is getting dark, they should soon go home.

"It's dark? I wanna see, I wanna see..." Leif rushed outside. There was a crescent moon shining in the dark sky full of stars. Leif looked at it as if it was the most pleasurable moment in his entire life.

"So this is night...It's beautiful...It's always day in Alfheim. I never knew that darkness can be so...pretty..." Leif's face became radiant with pleasure.

"It's not night yet, actually, Your Highness." the director came from behind.

"It gets prettier?"

"Yes. Even the moonless night has it's beauty."

"It must be amazing to live here..."

"We are thankful with what we have. But it would be better if we were seen the same way. It's a pipe dream, I apologize Your Highness."

Leif didn't answer her words. He could slowly see the sun setting and the sky being filled with more and more stars. He couldn't take his eyes off it.

Colin approached him from behind and smiled at him. He hinted him that it is time to go.

Leif thanked everyone for the beautiful moments. Colin hit the ground with his cane and a small carriage appeared. The coachman was Colin himself. The carriage was black and had blue lights as lamps. Colin got on the seat of the coachman and hit the carriage with his cane again. It vanished. The last thing everyone could see was Leif's teary eyes.

"(Goodbye, friend. I hope we meet again.)" Erland smiled as he waved.

"I'll send a dove now. Children, please go inside." said the director.

After a moment, Svend came and took them to their home. The children in the orphanage had two farewells in one day. One is forever and another is for a certain amount of time.

"(I wish that being friends was this easy in my world...No, this is my world now.)" Erland took a glimpse at the night sky.

Like every night, Erland stared outside the window, stargazing.

"(My mind still feels empty even after remembering so many things...*yawn*I should get myself a dog...alright...tomorrow will be the day.)"