Chapter 5: Waiting For News
1428 Words
-Cole-
“Cole, give it back!”
My sister chased me through the hallways, desperately trying to reclaim her favorite bracelet—the one our mother had given her. With a party later tonight, she was taking ages to get ready, so I thought I’d add a little excitement.
“Sebastian! Catch!” I called out, tossing the bracelet to him.
Sebastian caught it effortlessly, and Liana glared at me before trying to snatch it from him. He held it high above his head, and her attempts to reach it were both futile and amusing.
“You’re so annoying! Give it back, Sebastian!” she shouted.
“And back to Cole!” Sebastian replied, throwing the bracelet back to me.
Just as I was about to catch it, a tall figure leaped in front of me and snagged the bracelet with ease. My father turned to me with a small, amused smile.
“Teasing your sister again?” he inquired.
I shrugged, just as Liana walked over to him. He handed her the bracelet with a grin.
“Thank you, Dad,” she said sweetly, sticking her tongue out at me before walking away.
“Don’t you two have something better to do?” he asked, looking at Sebastian and me.
We exchanged a quick glance before turning our attention to him as he shook his head slightly.
“What about training, Sebastian?” he suggested.
Sebastian caught the hint, nodded respectfully.
“Of course, Your Majesty,” Sebastian said, bowing slightly before walking away.
I watched him go and turned back to my father, who was still shaking his head.
“What? It was just a bracelet,” I said.
“And if you had dropped it somewhere or lost it? Think of how upset your sister would have been,” he replied.
“But I didn’t drop it.”
“Cole, that’s not the point,” he said. “You need to think ahead. You can’t let your impulses control you, or you—or someone else—could end up getting hurt.”
“It was just a bracelet,” I repeated, still not seeing the issue.
He sighed, clearly frustrated by my lack of understanding.
“What if it hadn’t been a bracelet?” he asked.
“But it was.”
“Cole...”
“What?” I inquired, bewildered.
He continued shaking his head for a moment, and I stood there, feeling confused.
“She is your sister. Be kind to her,” he said finally, giving up on the lesson.
“I am!” I protested.
“Just go get ready. This party is important to your mother,” he said.
I sighed in frustration. Why did he have to spoil all the fun? But as I walked away, I couldn’t help but think about his words. What if it hadn’t been a bracelet?
It felt like lightning had struck me, overwhelming my body with pain. I coughed violently, worsening the agony. What had happened to me? My eyes struggled to focus, but it was dark all around me—perhaps it was just my vision that was off.
“W-Water...” I croaked.
My voice sounded strange. I barely recognized it as my own. Suddenly, I felt a cup pressed to my lips, and cool liquid flowed down my throat. I drank eagerly, savoring every drop, even though I couldn’t identify what the liquid was or who had given it to me. It tasted slightly sweet, but as soon as I finished, my world began to spin. I felt myself drifting away.
-Raven-
Nine days had passed. No news—none at all. I walked by Dimar’s tent every day, hoping to catch any sign of activity, but there was nothing.
“Hand me the knife.” I didn’t hear Helena’s words at first. My gaze remained fixed on the healer’s tent. Was the prince dead? Was that why we hadn’t heard anything?
“Raven?” Helena’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts.
“What?” I turned to see her standing beside me. We had been assigned to prepare the meat for tonight’s feast. A large deer had been brought in by the hunters.
“The knife,” Helena said, pointing to the one I was holding.
I had been stabbing and twisting the knife into the ground as I stared at the healer’s tent, hoping to see Dimar emerge with some news.
“Oh,” was all I managed to say as I handed the knife to her.
“What’s going on in that head of yours?” she inquired, smiling.
Helena began removing the outer layer of the deer’s skin, taking off the hair with practiced ease as she spoke. I sighed and leaned back, unable to focus on anything other than the anxious worry gnawing at me. Cutting open a deer and dealing with its entrails was the last thing on my mind.
“Nothing,” I lied.
“I don’t believe you,” she said.
“No?”
“No. Don’t think I haven’t noticed how you keep staring at Dimar’s tent and pacing in front of it every day,” she said. “Didn’t your father tell you to stay away?”
“I am staying away!”
“Pacing in front of the tent is not staying away,” she said. “That’s like a lion waiting to pounce.”
“I’m not going to hurt him!”
She gave me a skeptical look. “Really?”
“Yes! I just want to know if he’s alive. That’s all. Let’s not forget I’m the one who found him and brought everyone to him.”
“Maybe, but perhaps you did that because you were confused by his sudden appearance, or maybe you’ve changed your mind. Remember, Prince Cole is not his grandfather, just as King William was not like the old king,” Helena said.
“Well, the prince is here for a reason,” I said quietly.
Helena sighed and shook her head.
“Yes, and there are a thousand reasons why. He is the prince, after all. If he survives, he will become king,” Helena said, glancing toward the tent.
I turned my gaze to the tent as well. We had only learned a few days ago about King William’s death. While we knew this spelled trouble, we were unsure what the prince’s sudden appearance signified or why he had ended up here. All we knew was that the castle was in mourning and closed off at the moment.
“He will live,” I said firmly.
I turned to Helena, who gave me a reassuring smile.
“Can you see the future now?” she teased.
I rolled my eyes, and we both laughed lightly. But then my gaze shifted to Micah, who was standing a little further away. He had arrived with some hunters. Our eyes met briefly, but then he turned and walked away with them, not even glancing back.
Helena noticed the interaction and turned to me. “What’s going on between the two of you?” she asked.
“I wish I knew,” I replied.
I genuinely did. I couldn’t understand Micah’s behavior on the day I found the prince. His cold and distant attitude since then had been puzzling.
“Maybe you should go talk to him,” Helena suggested.
I shook my head. If I left to find Micah, I wouldn’t be able to keep an eye on the tent.
“No, I don’t think that’s a good idea,” I said.
“Raven...” Helena sighed and shook her head.
“What?”
“The tent isn’t going anywhere. Our healer isn’t going anywhere. The prince isn’t going anywhere. Micah, on the other hand, might be,” Helena said. “You know the girls here are all obsessed with him.”
Helena was already married, so I never worried about her harboring any secret feelings for Micah. But it was no secret that he was popular with the other girls, and for some reason, I had caught his attention.
“We have a job to do,” I said, gesturing to the deer.
“I can handle it. You aren’t really contributing much anyway,” she said with a laugh. “Now go!”
“But—”
“I’ll keep an eye on the tent too. Just go.”
I sighed, knowing she was right.
“Thank you,” I murmured before getting up and heading off to find Micah.
- Writer
