Neal had had a lonely childhood. He was confined to his room for the most of it, under the pretence of a sickly constitution.
His father had died in a war when he was only months old. Neal didn't remember his father's face but people often commented on his likeness to him.
The only presence in his life was his mother. She had taught him how to behave and what to say and he had always followed her orders. The empress had taught her son how to lie but he never became as good as her. He could not lie to himself.
Natasha was always happy, no matter what. Her bloody past, testing presence or cloudy future, none could take the smile away for long. Neal tried to copy his mother but his happiness could never become anything more than a mask. He never found a reason to be happy with his life.
As a kid, he was told not to meet anybody else, not to go out of the castle alone and never to tell anybody his secret. When he grew older, King Suffle took pity on him and he was allowed two friends- Dai and Sia. Neal was so shadowed from the outer world, that when he saw those two flying around recklessly, he could not understand what was happening. He could not fly, then why could they? It took him very long to realize that they did not have his power, the power to love. He loved his mother, his friends and even king Suffle, who was like a father to him.
After Neal was allowed friends and after he was deemed old enough to go out, his life got a little better. He and Dai grew up doing the pranks one expects from boys their age. Neal derived his joy from planning the pranks while Dai enjoyed the outcomes. Sia was too virtuous to take part in any of these events and preferred to spend her time in the mountains, away from the "filthy boys", as she called them.
Despite everything, their friendship had lacked the closeness that Neal yearned for. He knew that his secret was acting as an invisible barrier, cutting him off from everybody else. He wanted it to end, but his mother would not allow it.
With age, his blind faith in the empress started to dull. He started asking himself if she was protecting him or herself? According to her, he had no claim on his own life. It belonged to the people. He was the sole heir, just like his father had been. And he was to hide from those very people; just like she had been hiding all her life.
Natasha was a princess from a distant northern empire called Cherijo. She had travelled to Midos to seek asylum after all of her family and friends were brutally murdered by usurpers. This was common knowledge, but the complete truth was hidden from all. Of the people knew what steps the young princess had taken to save herself, they may revolt. They would never understood her terror.
The secrets ran in the royal family like blood coursing through the veins. Neal's father had married Natasha because he had his own skeletons in the cupboard. The secrets bred and multiplied, crushing Neal under their burden since his birth.
Then one day, Neal saw the trio's hope. It was so ugly that it made him hate them all. He was disgusted and had decided that he could never trust anyone. His disgust survived but he was soon cured of the distrust.
He believed that Sia deserved to know everything. He had told her everything and she had promised to not tell anybody how much she knew. It was amazing how shredding that one secret strengthened their friendship. Sia had become dearer than Dai. He finally had a confidant.
Now with both of the twins married, he felt lonely and outraged. There was no one to joke with him, no one to talk, fight or share secrets. In his desperation, he had told his latest secret to Sophia Antofurota. He was hoping that once again, a shared secret would pave way for a new friendship.
"I enjoy the company of starlites more than I enjoy the company of humans," Neal said, "What does that say about me?"
"It just means that Your Highness needs to make new friends," Sophie replied. They both were again in the garden, but this time they were sitting on chairs.
"I would have you know that I have plenty of friends," Neal lied. "And they all happen to be human."
Sophie rolled her eyes. "I have made many nymph friends. Maybe you should try that."
"No thanks. I can think of better ways to die." Neal smiled.
"Really?" Sophie said, "I can't."
"Next time you meet one of your 'friends', ask her a question?" Sophie raised her eyebrows and Neal continued, "A couple is on the beach. Two nymphs spot them. One of them goes for the male and seduces him. The other steals the heart of the female. Who gets the man?"
"That's easy," Sophie waved her hand, "The one who goes first. And I'm guessing because the nymph who stole the heart had to steal it and then call the male, the nymph who seduced him would win."
"Your guess is as good as any."
"Guessing?" Sophie pursed her lips. "It is the exact fact. A man once fallen for a nymph can never love again. Trust me, I know everything about the nymphs." She corrected herself, "Well everything related to my work."
"I don't trust anybody," Neal stated. A sad truth lay behind the humour.
"You trust Sia."
"Who told you that?"
"I know everything," she repeated smugly.
"She is the exception that proves the rule," Neal submitted.
"So Your Highness doesn't trust the king, the empress, even Prince Dai?"
Neal scoffed. "The king and the empress are among the people I mistrust the most. Dai is too naive to be trusted or mistrusted."
Sophie's eyes got so wide that she felt her eyelids would tear.
"They are always making all kinds of stupid plans," Neal continued.
"But the plans do work out, don't they?"
"Which brings me to the reason I've called you here today," Neal said, "They both are planning against you. I wanted to warn you before but then we ended up talking about something else."
Sophie laughed. "Your Highness has serious trust issues."
"You have serious trust issues," Neal replied, "You trust everyone."
"Why would they harm me?" she argued.
"Who said anything about harming you?"
"You just did," Sophie said, "I mean, Your Highness did."
"I said they are planning against you, not planning to kill you," Neal said. "What kind of people do you think they are?" He ran his fingers through his hair."Why would your own father plan to harm you?"
"What would they plot against me?"
"Sometimes parents plot against their children because they believe it to be for their own good."
"Looks like Your Highness is speaking from experience."
"You got me."
"I refuse to believe any of this." She crossed her arms.
"Whatever suits you." He crossed his arms as well.
They stared at each other in silence for a while.
"You'll pay for this," Neal finally said uncrossing his arms.
"Is Your Highness threatening me?" Sophie leaned towards him. She was not shy of him anymore.
"You will find yourself amidst whatever plan they are hatching and you'll pay for it. And then you'll remember my warning." His voice indicated danger.
Sophie was irritated. She remembered what Ia had had about Neal on various occasions. "I wish Sia was here," she blurted out.
"Who doesn't?" Neal rolled his eyes. "I miss Dai."
"I could deliver a message to him," Sophie offered. "Asking him to come here."
"Or you could go and meet him on your own."
"Why should I? I'm not the one missing him."
"I'm angry at him. I haven't met him since his marriage and it's his fault." Neal knew that it wasn't completely Dai's fault. Sia's wedding had immediately succeeded his and then the king had taken a strange liking to the grounds leaving him in charge of everything.
"I hate those siblings, both of them," Sophie said.
"Okay you win." Neal put out his hands in defeat. "Why are you angry at both of them?"
"Like it wasn't enough for them to get married and forget us. As an added bonus, they both got peace," Sophie spat the last word.
"And what is your problem with it? I have worked hard for it."
She stretched her arms. "I haven't used a sword in a long time."
"Five months is not that long."
"I fought one." Sophie gestured with her finger. "One good battle in my entire life and it may turn out to be my only battle."
"We fight battles every day." Neal sighed. "Some are less visible than the others."
"Why do you need to get philosophical on everything?" Sophie was so irritated that for a moment, she forgot she was talking to a prince.
"Why do you need to kill a man every day?"
"Not every day. Once in a while will do. The past generation got to fight so many wars."
"It's one of the reasons that a full family is so rare in our lands. Do you know how lucky Sia and Charlie are to have a sibling?"
"Families would be complete if remarriages were allowed." Sophie whispered, "Not everyone dies on the battlefield. I killed my mother."
Neal was too shocked to voice anything but a mutter. He hadn't known anyone who would take their parent's death so lightly. Saying that her mother died giving birth to her would have been the normal course of action, along with a few words like unfortunately and sorry, added with a sad expression.
"You know what would be great? If we could have battles without the deaths," Sophie said.
"We already have that," Neal said. "It's called sports."
"Do we?" Sophie stared at his face.
"Well we have the concept," he said sheepishly. "Now that we have peace, we can have an inter country tournament or something."
She grinned. "It sounds delightful."
"Now this should turn you into a peace loving creature."
"Your Highness forgets that he is in starlite presence," Sophie said. "A starlite cannot love."
The resulting curve on his lips made Sophie desirous to explore whatever secret he hid behind it. "Make your peace with peace then," he said.
"Why do I feel like he is planning something, every time he smiles?" Sophie thought as she left the castle. She was not wrong.
Although she hadn't found any reason to mistrust Neal yet, she hadn't forgotten Sia's anger from the day of the ball. But Sia had reminded Sophie in her last letter about her promise to be a friend to Neal. Sophie hoped to keep her word.
Prince Neal had some pressing business to take care of and was not seen for the next few days. His plans had been discreet and his path well hidden.
The day after Sophie's conversation with Neal, a starlite messenger arrived for Sia. She would not give the envelope to anyone but the princess. Sia recognised the uniform as belonging to a starlite royal messenger but knew that she was not sent by her family.
The princess chewed the swear words that she wanted to shout. She would not swear in front of her servants. Instead she murmured, "Neal you are a moron and a half. What in the name of Star were you thinking?"
The messenger saluted her with a flutter and handed her the envelope bearing Neal's seal. The princess left her in the waiting chamber telling the servants to take care of her.
"This better be good," she said as she tore open the envelope.
In half an hour the messenger was gone with Sia's reply.
Sia was left to wonder why it was so difficult to say no to Neal. "Because he
always turns out to be right," a little voice in her head reminded her.
"I am indeed curious," Sia said to her mirror. "But first Neal needs to apologise."