The king, Silas Callisto, and his wife, the queen, Felicia sat in their chambers when a knock interrupts the silence.
The couple rose and dressed in their nightwear. The man is frowning as he strides towards the door. The thought that someone dared to interrupt his night was infuriating as well as made him anxious about what possibly could have happened to be such urgency.
A guard out of breath is seen through the door opened at a few degrees. The king looks at his wife and gets out of the room.
"What happens?" Silas observed the man's face as he tried to sweeten the truth in his mind. He knew the old guard too well. "Tell me the truth, Filip!" He raised his voice a little.
The guard around forty is splitting the tea knowing that even if he sweetens it, the truth will still taste bitter.
"Your Majesty, your son, Prince Victor is gone. We can't find him. He vanished after the hunting was over. "His voice was full of sadness as if Victor was his son.
The king didn't rise any questions but instead, he lifted his hand supporting his chin. His eyes focus and the corner of his lip rises as if he had already deciphered the mister.
"Let me sleep. We will talk tomorrow." The king left the guard and entered his royal bedroom.
Poor Filip was confused and wondered if the king wasn't a little too indifferent.
The next day after the talk with the king, Filip went at the king's orders to the royal cabin in Windsor village which was a relative one-day road from the capital where the Golden castle resides.
Victor is leaning on the fresh hay. The talk with Ilona reminds him of the time they met in the forest when they were fifteen. She is still as fierce.
The girl didn't let him approach the horse even though he explained to her that he just wanted to heal the conservator still remembers her glares and her trembling shouts as she hugged the horse as if it was the single thing that mattered.
What if he were the horse? Would she still protect him like that? Will she love him the same? That was the first time he ever fell for a girl and the single time. Her passionate and fiery personality made his heart skip multiple beats.
He chuckles as he touches the wound on the left side of his face. His fingertips trace down to his neck and he brushed the second wound the girl gave him in one day, not to forget the way she slammed his head.
He moans as the sharp pain of the open wounds is electrifying his whole body. The corners of his mouth are up. Is he really in pain?
To think he left the palace undercover without telling his parents just to meet her. He doesn't regret his decision. He just wishes that the girl would have treated him better than this. Well, she probably doesn't even remember him.
He is no longer a gentle kid. His cold eyes, his height, and his muscular body yet lean are nothing alike his past self. Just his curly hair is the same. His curls intertwined with Ilona's red hair as she hugged him after the horse was better.
'She became colder than before …I wonder what made her like this …' His train of thought is slowly interrupted by the dreams that take him to a world he wished to be real.
Ilona smiles and hugs him. She drags him by the hand in the forest. Her face is lighted up by her chuckle horse is near the stable and she yells at the horse to come. The beautiful, healthy horse is hugged by her and she looks back at Victor with playfulness. Ilona asks him to ride together with him. Victor lifts her and she kisses him.
He puts her on the horse and he mounts behind her with a jump. His hands are around her waist as she leads the horse at a slow pace between the threes. Her hair smells like flowers and he buries his nose in as he hugs her tighter. She turns her head and asks him if he likes her hair. He drags her in a short peck and puts his head on her shoulder. They are fifteen. His height is similar to hers.
A cloud covers the entire forest and an awful feeling fills his heart. Just like when he needed to run from war with his mom. He sees a light. An ominous red aura is engulfing them. Just like how that witch almost killed him as his mother saved him. He feels his heart racing and he hugs the girl. Ilona fades as he feels that his hands are hugging air. He feels suffocated as his body shrinks smaller.
"No! "He opens his eyes and wants to lift himself but he can't. He feels a cold wet thing on his forehead. He glances and sees Ilona's back. She is crunched down not too far away.
"You woke up …. Finally …The wounds are infected. Stay still!" Ilona comes closer having a wet cloth in her hands. The dark circles under her eyes are a sign that she probably stood up next to him for a long time. The morning light is peeking through the barn's cracks.
'It is morning …'
"Have you put something on my injuries?" He looks at the girl that puts gently the cloth on his forehead after she tossed the previous one. His lips are dry and his words come up sloppy.
"I just disinfected them. That's all I know." She frowns. Ilona feels a little guilty for knowing so little about medicine. She can't call a doctor for two reasons. One, she didn't have money to waste and the second was that Victor can't be seen by no one as long as he is injured in her barn, which will make her life shatter into pieces.
"Do you have cinnamon?" He whispers to her.
"Yes." She rises to take a glass of water as she sees that his lips are dry. Maybe he is thirsty." What am I supposed to do with it? … Are you thirsty?"
"I will tell you … after I will drink some water…" His feels like dried fruit. The way he sweated brought out all the water he had in his body. Of course, he was thirsty!
Ilona's face is serious. He doesn't see a once of remorse but she takes care of him so well not to mention she probably didn't even sleep the night.
'She is so twisted …'
"Here … try to raise your head. "She kneels next to him and her right hand is prepared to be put under his head to help him not strain his neck too much.
Victor tries to lift his head, but no result. Ilona sights. Only one way is possible in this kind of situation. She takes a mouthful of water and leans over. Her eyes glare at the boy as a sign that she is not pleased at all. She opens his mouth with her left hand and presses her lips on his. She lets the water liger little by little so that he would not choke. Her tongue helps his as the water touches his throat satisfying his thirst for water as well as for the girl.
Victor blames himself for his thought a little but who wouldn't enjoy this situation? I mean imagine your crush seductively feeding you water! This is how Victor feels right now.
Ilona wipes her mouth and gets from Victor a frown.
'Is not nice to wipe your mouth after kissing someone!" He raises his mouth as much as he can and expresses his discontent as he is reminded that the girl doesn't reciprocate his feelings.
Ilona scoffs.
"Did you get your voice back? What do I need to do with the cinnamon? I have work today. Be quick."
She is serious and shows that she doesn't have time to joke or lose time. He should just be thankful that he drank water and that's all.
'Disrespectful brat … after I walked on my pride to give you water, this is what I get? A lecture?'
Victor shuts his mouth and decides to let go of his anger since the wounds are hurting more.
"Mix honey with cinnamon. You will put the mixture directly on the wounds."
Ilona stands up and goes in a hurry to the kitchen.
She glances at the wall. The clock is telling her that she has half hour till she will need to be in the bread shop.
"Fuck! I knew he is a bad omen! "
As she gathers the ingredients in a bowl she mixes them with a little spoon. Anise opens the door and stretches her back.
"Sister, what are you doing there? Is it breakfast? You didn't make one since I started cooking." The girl startles Ilona who was too focused on the mixture.
"God …" Ilona stops her swearing to continue it in her mind.
'God damn! '
"You scared me, Anise! This is not breakfast." She turns to the little sister that is sitting on a chair at the table. Her nightwear is a nice wight dress that is bigger than her frame. It was their mother's. Ilona smiles. Her sister is indeed beautiful. The blonde hair complimented perfectly her soft feminine features.
"Then what is it?" Anise smiles back as she tilts her head.
"It is a … medicine … for growing taller." That's the best excuse she could come up with.