Charm's POV
As soon as we entered the palace, the very first thing that caught my attention are the expensive-looking antiques that were displayed in every corner of this grand lobby which we are currently in.
"Welcome to the palace. Let's go find your boy-"
"Again, he is not my boyfriend." Johanne was about to tease me again with that again but I quickly cut him off. He raises both his hands in mock surrender. I chose to ignore his chuckle as I silently followed him from behind.
While we are walking passed this long, grand hallway, I can't help but to notice the different picture frames that were hanged on the wall, from the oldest black and white picture of an old man wearing a crown on his head, to the newest colored picture added of a well-built man who's also wearing a golden crown.
Well, all of the guys in these picture frames are wearing crowns.
"Those were the kings of the Gilead Empire."
I bet Johanne noticed me looking at these large portraits hanged on the wall that he decided to explain them to me. I just replied with an "Aaahhh" while I continue to walk with him here.
After a few more walks, I finally heard him say "We're here" and so we stopped in front of an enormous well-carved double door.
"This is the queen's room. And I bet Lance is here right now to look after his mother." Johanne added.
When I didn't respond, he started to knock three times, before he decides to grab for the doorknob and twitched it to the right.
"Bro? Are you there? You have a visitor here." he tried to call out for his friend but no one answered. So then we decided to let ourselves in inside the room, since the door was not locked after all.
The moment we entered, I saw Lance who is currently sitting on a chair just beside her mother's royal bed. When he noticed our presence, he decides to turn around to look at us. I saw his mouth slightly gaped the moment he sees my presence.
"Charm? W-what are you doing here?" he asked in disbelief.
I noticed that he always asked me this very same question every time he sees me.
"Uh... hi. I am here, to... uh... see how's your mother doing now." I said in an awkward tone, rubbing the back of my neck. I can't even look him directly in his eyes right now, it also feels awkward for me to do so.
"Well, I'll leave you two alone here because I have a meeting to attend. Adios." Johanne suddenly spoke and quickly left the room, closing the door behind him as well, leaving me and Lance here.
I tried to pull myself together and took a few steps towards his mother's chamber and silently complimented his mother on how beautiful she is in her sleep. What more if she's awake?
"I don't get it. I have the Soul Stone here with me, but why is it that my mother is still unconscious?" Lance said in his low and frustrated tone, tilting his head downwards. His hazel brown eyes are now looking at his mother with so much sadness in it.
While I look at him right now, I also can't help but to feel sad for him as well. I know that he loves his mother so much, so I know that he's now suffering to see his mother like this.
I'm so used to see him happy and full of energy.
Silence then starts to prevail in this room as I search for ways how to activate the Soul Stone's power without him noticing.
"Do you have the Soul Stone with you right now?" I suddenly asked.
I saw him putting his right hand inside the pocket of his black slacks and afterwards showed to me the emerald colored stone.
"Good thing you still have it. Now, let's try again to bring it closer to your mother." I gently instructed him while bringing myself closer to him to reach for the stone as well.
He didn't asked any questions and he gladly obliged. He brought the stone closer to his mother's right hand, and closed her palm with the stone inside.
"Then let's close our eyes and offer our prayers to the powerful deities above to hear our prayers to cure your sick mother." I instructed once more.
When I saw him closing his eyes, I quickly grabbed for the queen's hand where the Soul Stone was placed. It immediately glowed into green, and the next thing I saw is his mother's entire body was all covered into an emerald-green light.
The light was extremely bright that Lance hastily shoots his eyes open once more and was somehow shocked to witness what is currently happening.
"What is happening?" he cautiously asked.
"Don't worry, the deities have heard our plea and are now starting to cure your mother. So just wait for it." I answered.
The glowing green light that covers his mother's body lasted for a while. Few moments later, it's now slowly starting to fade in front of us. And when it eventually disappeared, the stone from her mother's palm also disappeared along with it.
We then witnessed the queen's eyes slowly opens,which has the same set of hazel brown eyes as that with Lance's.
"Mother!" Lance happily called out for her mother who is now entirely awake. He decides to move closer to her and threw his hands on a wide and tight embrace.
"My son!" I heard his mother called out for him as well and hugged him back.
I secretly smiled as I saw this beautiful scenario of a mother and a son in front of me...who wasn't able to be together for a long time but are now tightly hugging each other.
Well... I guess my work here is done. It's time for me to go back to the temple.
And so I decided to turn my back and was about to take a step away from here but then I suddenly heard Lance called out for me.
"Charm, wait!" he called, so once again I turned to look at them.
"Where are you going?" he asked quite confused.
"Uh... going back home?" I answered in a questionning manner.
I was then surprised to see him hold my wrist and pulled me towards her mother.
"Mother, I'd like you to meet my friend Charm. She was the one who helped me find the Soul Stone and also helped me to cure you from your illness." I suddenly blushed the moment Lance introduced me to his mother.
"It was nice meeting you Charm. Thank you so much for all your help." the queen said while smiling gorgeously at me and is now sitting on her bed.
Wow, she is indeed beautiful when awake.
"I-I'm glad I could help." I nervously said. I also noticed she also has the same smile as Lance's. They are indeed look-a-like.
""
Few moments passed I decided to bid farewell to the queen while Lance insisted on accompanying me back home. But instead of going to the main palace doors, I was a bit curious to see him take me to his room instead.
"Few months ago, I discovered a secret passageway on my room that will lead us straight to the back portion of the palace. So that's why I was able to go in and out of the palace without anyone here noticing, and that's also the reason why I brought you here." he smilingly said when he saw the curiousity in my eyes and was quite amused.
I'm kinda happy and relieved now to hear his energetic voice once again.
As what he have said, as we entered his room, I saw him walked towards a wooden bookshelf placed at the left corner of his room then afterwards I saw him pulling out a book. I was just about to ask him what the heck he think he is doing when I noticed something opened on the floor.
"Tadah! This is the secret passageway that I was talking about earlier." he proudly said.
He lead the way and together we entered that secret passageway he just proudly showed to me. To my surprise, it automatically closed the moment we stepped inside.
After a few walks, we arrived to our destination in no time. As we reached the back portion of the palace, he suddenly stopped midway and turned to looked at me, so I immediately halted as well.
"Charm, I'm really sorry that I've kept my identity as a prince hidden from you. And I wanted to thank you again for all the help you've done for me. I don't have any idea how the Soul Stone worked, but I know that if it weren't for you, my mother would not be awake." he thanked me wholeheartedly.
I just awkwardly stood here, having no idea what to say.
Me too Lance... I'm also keeping my identity hidden from you.
"I feel that I'm really in debt with you and I don't know how to repay you for all of your kindness." he added while awkwardly stroking the back part of his neck.
"No need for that." I quickly responded.
"Ah! I know! May I know where you are currently residing?" he asked all of a sudden while ignoring what I just said earlier at the same time.
I paused for a second.
Should I tell him .... or not?
"I mean, don't get me wrong! I am planning to organize a royal ball to celebrate for this day that my mother is finally awake. And I want you to be part of it, so I'm thinking to pick you up from your house. You know, so that you wouldn't undergo the hassle of palace guards checking you and such?" he immediately explained himself.
I still wasn't able to respond.
"I really do hope you can come to this event." he added, his round eyes silently pleading for me to come.
To be honest, a part of me says that I should not go to this event and is telling me how dangerous it will be for me to come, just like what Baal usually warns me.
However...
There's also a part of me that wants to see him again. His smile... his hazel brown eyes... his golden hair... and his stature. I want to see all of it even if it's the last thing I'll do.
"Misty Forest... that's where you'll find me. See you at the entrance." I finally answered despite of the warnings that my other self is giving me right now.
Oh my gosh, what am I even doing?
"Okay! Be sure to come, alright? I'll see you then." his eyes flashed as his lips curved again into a grin. He's like a kid who wants to reassure his parents that they'll be buying him a toy once they got home.
I silently laughed to that.
"Don't worry, when I say I'll come, I really mean it." I reassured him. His grin got even wider.
After that conversation with him, he then lead the way again towards a shortcut in which will lead us straight to the entrance of Misty Forest. Oh, so that is why he can just easily go there without any of his guards noticing.
He's like the master of secret routes!
***
Third Person's POV
"Welcome back, King Tiberius." greeted by a tall-looking soldier, who serves as the captain, to the king as soon as he enters the main gates of Citadel.
Him and the rest of his troops bowed down simultaneously as the king approached them.
King Tiberius, by the way, just came from his royal trip in Sodor and just arrived here in Citadel from that 3-day trip. As he climbs down from his chariot, you can notice him looking a bit frantic as he moves his head to and fro, as if he is searching for something... or someone.
In a blink of an eye, the king's facial expression darkened as he give each of the soldiers in front of him his sharpest look he could ever give to a person.
"YOU IMBECILES!" he suddenly shouted. The soldiers chose to lower their heads and to became silent as they each take the king's wrath with them.
"How could you let a witch enter Citadel?!" he furiously asked. The soldiers secretly exchanged confused looks to each other upon hearing this.
"What do you mean, your highness?" It was the captain who chose to answer. " As far as we all know, our magic detectors didn't trace any magic to every person who enters and leaves the main gates of Citadel."
"This powerful magic... I am certain that I am feeling a witch's presence here! So you better start to search in the entire city and don't you ever stop until you capture that witch! NOW!" the king shouted at them.
These soldiers willingly did as what they are commanded to do and so they started to separate into groups and went to their designated places to search for that witch that the king is pertaining to.
"Whoever you are, I will capture you no matter what it takes... witch." The king whispered to himself, letting out an evil smirk.