Gone

It had been two days since Fayan told Lela they were going to get married soon, two days since she'd seen him, two days since her heart banged against her rib cage in fear of being close to him. Lela didn't like being anywhere close to Fayan, but she couldn't lie, she was bored. She didn't have any activities and no one cared about her anymore as long as they knew she was okay and healthy.

"Can we sneak out of the palace and to the market?" Lela turned to Kimi who was busy pouring hot water into a teacup for her. Kimi raised her head, the look in her eyes saying the words before her lips could say it; No.

Lela sighed.

"Well I'm bored, and if you're not willing to do something fun with me, I'll find something fun to do on my own," Lela threatened. She knew Kimi was still scarred by the events of the princess's death, and how much she blamed herself for letting the princess go on and about on her own. Lela knew Kimi would never let her go anywhere alone, so as Kimi sighed, dropping the small teapot on the coffee brown table with defeat written all over her face, Lela smiled.

"Have your tea at least," Kimi carried the tea to Lela on the bed.

"Where are we going to? Hmm? Where are you taking me?" Lela asked, she was too happy, too excited to go out, Kimi feared. The princess was going to be the death of her.

"The stable," was all Kimi said and Lela was in the princess's closet, looking for clothes to wear which Kimi stopped her from doing, taking out a dress for Lela herself.

Lela was very grateful for and to Kimi. She understood that Kimi had loyalty to the princess, but Kimi was more of a friend to her than a maid and that made her feel bad. She felt bad that she was deceiving the one person that she had little trust, and anytime Kimi called her, "princess", her heart would break, piece by piece. This was why as they started on their way to the stable, Lela placed her hand on Kimi's shoulders and asked her to call her Lela.

"I cannot call you by your name," Kimi cried. The princess was truly going to be the death of her. How did she expect her to call a royal by her name? She didn't like telling people the princess's name talk more of calling her by her name, and not just her name, a nickname. The princess was trying to dig Kimi's grave, Kimi thought.

"If anyone hears me, they will have my head," Kimi's hands traveled up to her neck, remembering a certain threat by a certain King, who happens to be the princess's father. Kimi shook her head. She didn't want to imagine it, the possibility of death by the sword.

"I know, I know," Lela didn't know. She didn't know at all.

"Okay fine, you can call me Lela, but only when we're alone," Lela tried to convince her, but Kimi was not having it. How was she going to do it? What was she going to say if someone mistakenly heard her?

"Princess please, I cannot do such a thing. It is but a crime," Kimi shook her head. Lela pressed her lips and dropped her hands from Kimi's shoulders, she wasn't going to force Kimi to do what she didn't want to do, although it would have been nice since Kimi was her only friend.

Lela and Kimi arrived at the stables after five minutes of walking and Lela was awed at how big and spacious the stable was. She also noticed three children playing around with a horse, one of which she recognized to be Rhydian, The fourth prince.

Lela didn't want to disturb the children playing but she couldn't help it when Rhydian ran up to her, a boyish smile playing on his lips. He looked like a younger version of the first prince, she'd noticed. The other kids, two girls, one older and one younger, ran up to her too and she was shocked when the younger one hugged her legs.

"Princess, I have missed you so much. I told mother to bring me to you countless times but she would not listen, she said you were sleeping. I told her you promised you would play with me but she said you would not respond. That was a long sleep, thank the dragons you are here now, we can play," the younger girl cried. Lela had no idea who this girl was so she looked at Kimi, confusion etched on her face.

Who was this girl and why didn't Kimi say anything about her?

Kimi closed the distance between the Princess and her, then whispered in her ears telling her who the girls were. Lela's eyes widened at the realization that these girls were princesses, she should have known they were related to the fourth Prince Rhydian as they were playing together but it didn't occur to her at the time.

Lela smiled down at the little princess hugging her legs. Patting her head, she said, "I'm here now I'll play with you."

The older Princess also hugged Lela, saying she was glad Lela woke up and is all right. Lela couldn't help but notice that all three children looked more like the Queen than the king including the first Prince, Teagan, and that got her thinking about the Second Prince, Fayan.

The second prince was the exact copy of his father, the king. But while Fayan looked menacing, the king looked friendly; not that the king smiled all the time but he had a cherry feel to him that Fayan lacked.

As if conjuring Fayan, the second Prince arrived at the stable with a tall dark man beside him both dressed in black trousers and black cloaks. When the little princesses and the prince saw their older brother they ran up to him for a hug and Lela noticed how nonchalant Fayan was about them, because as they ran to him, Fayan moved to the side, escaping them, and pushing them towards the other man he was with. She shook her head.

Fayan didn't look at Lela or maybe he pretended not to see her because she was standing right there where the kids had been standing before they ran to him and he had seen them so why was he acting like he didn't see her? Why didn't he say anything to her? Not that she wanted him to talk to her or anything. but it felt weird because all the times she'd met him, he talked to her, or at least looked at her.

The man that had appeared with Fayan, walked up to Lela with a smile on his face, offering her a curt bow.

"Princess, I am so glad I finally got to meet you. My name is Gage," the man said with his right hand on his chest, that smile still on his face. Lela noticed a few things about him; she noticed he had a different accent and facial features from everyone else in the kingdom. His deep brown skin glistened under the sun, reminding Lela of chocolate.

Lela smiled at him and give him a simple nod. The man had introduced himself to her which meant she had never seen him before. It was her first time meeting the man, but despite his mean-looking face, he looked friendlier than the scowling man behind him to whom she was supposed to get married to.

"You have a different accent," Lela couldn't help but point out. She wanted to know where he was from and how he got to be with Fayan since she hadn't seen any black people around. She couldn't help her curiosity.

"That is because I'm not from here Princess, I am from Marus, just below Cazeta, your Kingdom," Lela stared at the man wondering what incantation he was speaking, she didn't even notice he had said "your kingdom," which meant the kingdom the princess was from, the kingdom she was supposed to be from.

"I am not supposed to be here but the man behind me took me hostage and forced me to work for him with no pay," Gage complained which earned him a slap upside his head from the man in question, Fayan.

Lela didn't even notice him walk towards them, she hadn't heard his footsteps or even seen him, he just appeared. Gage, the little princesses, and the prince laughed, while Lela stood there wondering how these people weren't scared of this man, this murderer-

Lela's thoughts got lost in the clouds in her head when Fayan turned to her, A smirk playing on his lips as his eyes traveled up and down her body, making her feel small despite being taller than Kimi, and the little princesses.

"Get the horses," Fayan commanded without looking away from Lela. Lela looked confused and almost started moving but Gage beat her to it. Lela was lost in this man's deep red eyes, she was scared of him but she could stand him. Maybe it was because he wasn't with his sword and didn't have bloodstains on his clothes that Lela didn't feel as scared of him as she usually would.

Fayan took a few steps towards Lela, her huge irises digging a hole in his mind. She looked up at him like she was expecting him to do something to scare her, but he didn't have the time, he had to leave right away if he wanted to get to where he was going in time. So instead of doing what she was expecting, Fayan picked up her right hand, drawing circles on the back of her palm. Lela stood there in shock.

Was he trying to play pretend? Why was he touching her? She had so many questions and thoughts running through her mind, but nothing prepared her for what was to come.

While keeping eye contact, Fayan raised her hand to his face then pressed his lips on the back of her palm and dropped it then he turned around and started walking. Lela was even more confused. What was this man trying to pull? Was he trying to get in her good graces for killing the princess? Surely he wouldn't do a thing like that if it were the princess, right?

"I'll be gone for a few days," was all he said, still walking away, and on cue, Gage brought out two black horses and she watched as both men got on each of the horses and ran with the wind, leaving a dangerous throbbing in her heart.