They didn't have to say it out loud, they all knew what had to be done.
"Why are we running?" The prince panted, trying to keep up with everyone. "I asked, why are we running?!"
"They think I'm a leviathan." Flynn furrowed his eyebrows.
"They wouldn't have if you hadn't said it."
The sirens blared behind the team, who now looked like a bunch of criminals running from the cops at six am in the morning. This place was empty and open, and no buildings in sight to hide.
"To the city, we go." Sheryl announced.
"The city?" Raymond gasped. "It ain't in our backyard!"
"This is a training session." She said.
"Why are WE running?" Denzel was crying, he definitely was, his legs were giving up on him. His muscles were ripping open, and his adrenaline wasn't working. He needed a boost to numb the pain. "Give me a reason, an actual reason."
"Mom, I'm sorry for everything." Andrew's lips quivered.
"We're not dying today, not here." Raymond pursed his lips.
Note, they were all on their best speed and the conversation they held till now wasn't coherent, hence, they sounded bizzare.
The prince tripped, falling face first onto the ground.
There was a drop in expressions on everyone's faces, as silence settled in.
The police cars screeched to a stop, and the dragon prince inches away from the tires, experienced near death already on the first week of Sheryl as a guard.
Well, the lot were arrested.
They rang the dragon king to show up for their release, to which, he did.
The police apologised heartily and everything was fine after that-- was what the prince wanted to say, but he had lost his appetite, his strength and his will to live in the same house as Sheryl.
She wasn't even the reason why they were arrested. But still.
This was the first appearance of the dragon king in the public, in a while. Few months, maybe.
He patted Flynn on the back and laughed, throwing his golden hair back. "You're a funny lad."
Let's say the police here had the same authority that the dragon king held, and so the king was called to the station without a worry.
On the way back home, the tention prevailed in the car that the king arrived in. Except, he talked about everything to nothing, gathered information on every food stall that they passed and I think they stopped by somewhere to have a special double deluxe burger, bought some for the kids too and hopped back into the car.
This story would have been called 'the disastrous life of the dragon prince' but for some reason it sounded like a rip off of some show the dragon prince hadn't heard about before.
Or had he?
"No uni today." The dragon king declared.
Andrew and Raymond's eyes lit up in delight but the young master just looked away. He knew what was coming.
"Is it the ice cream day again?"
Last time the dragon king had said so to the boys was in middle school and they were treated to ice cream however much they wanted.
"Not quite." The king said. "I bought this set of game, I don't quite understand how to play it."
"What game is it?"
"The game of cards."
"C-Cards?" Denzel asked. But the king was a pro in cards.
"Yes, the new cards game. What was it?" The dragon king looked at the one who was driving the car.
The driver's glasses shone in the rising sunlight. "UNO."
For some reason, Sheryl wasn't feeling it being in the same car as the driver. Or to say, the king's chauffeur.
He had those glasses he always pushed back, and something about it made her uncomfortable. She shot a glare at the back of the driver's seat.
The prince's lips parted looking at that expression on her. He quietly sat back in his seat and looked out.
"The UNO, is said to be a masterpiece." the king explained. "I don't quite understand it, though."
"We will help." Raymond beamed. "We will help, sir."
"Yes, as long as we get food. I'm starving." Andrew grinned, displaying his sharp canines hungrily.
"Of course." The king beamed back, it felt like he was a sun on his own in his nation with the golden hair and bright golden eyes. It was a shame Denzel hadn't inherited one bit of that manliness.
For them who didn't know the king's name, well, no one did either. So he might as well just be narrated as the dragon king only. Probably the dragon queen, Delizibis knew not about the king's name too.
Well, whatever, it served no purpose to anyone to know his name.
So, on with the story, the chauffeur drew them all to the palace once again, and they were received well by the maids at the entrance.
"Cole, cook up some buffet for the kids." The king placed his hand on the man's shoulder. "Make it the best you can."
Cole stared for a moment, everyone expecting a nod from the guy, but all he did was dramatically place his own hand on the king's.
"Sire," He said, suddenly sniffling. "I quit."
The maids's heads whipped to let their gaze fall on the chef of the house, and then at the newly hired young master's bodyguard.
It was from earlier, wasn't it? Everyone wondered. When Sheryl criticized Cole's cooking, everyone saw how it affected him.
"Huh," Sheryl scoffed, pushing her glasses back on her nose. "Did one comment from me shake your will? That is weak."
The wind blew leaves past them, and it felt as though the spotlights were suddenly on the chef and the new guard. As if, they had a story of their own to be told and shown, as if they were the protagonists in this universe.
In the far end, the maids struggled to close the door against the strong breeze and called to help clean up the dust that flew in.
"It isn't the will that's been shaken." The chef cried, looking away, biting his lips. "It's the matter that I've been feeding the dragon prince unhealthy food all throughout this time. The wrong amount of salt matters, it matters because that's all I've been devoted to doing till today!"
"Devoted to the amount of salt in food?" Andrew shot a confused look.
"No, to cooking." Raymond told him.
"Oh, I see, I see. Well, what's with the salt?"
"That--" Raymond opened his mouth. "I don't know." He pursed his lips.
The king laughed, "You lot are funnier than I had expected. Should I hang out more with you, than on my throne."
Cole wiped his tears. "Thank you."
"Okay, let's go play UNO."
The king proceeded forward with the three University students, but the new guard and the old chef remained where they were, the wind blowing.
No one knew where the wind was coming from this time.