(Italics are for dialogues spoken in Prajan language.)

.·。.·゜·༺♥༻ ·゜·。.

Cal Junior paced Inferno deep into the woods as they galloped away from the palace. Tears of betrayal trickled down the sides of his face, pain throbbing in his chest.

He was upset, angry and betrayed. At his father, and at Gigi too.

First, why did his father have to leave him without a word? Why wouldn't he take him along? Why didn't Gigi wake him when she received the telephone call? Why did she get to talk to his father and leave Junior out of it? It was unfair.

Honestly, he just wanted to see Papa. To hear just a single word from him. He didn't know when he would be back, or if he'd be back at all. The fact that he could do nothing about it crushed him from the inside out.

He wasn't used to not getting his way.

So he left. Not that he knew where to go— To find his father if he could. But although he couldn't, he just had to go. Escape! From this reality, from this trap; wishing he could just wake up from it like a bad dream.

But, another voice from his conscience said, it was cruel to throw those words at Gigi. He had said it out of spite and frustration, unable to find a good cause of his father leaving and needed to put the blame on something. Cal felt that he had been wronged, thus he wanted to get even. It wasn't right to direct his anger at her.

Cal sighed between his ragged breathing and pulled Inferno to a halt. He reached down the coal-black stallion, patting the side of his neck. "I am sorry, Inferno. Let's go back."

As he turned Inferno back to the way home, he was suddenly blocked by an unfamiliar figure. Tall and caped, they slowly pushed back their hood, revealing the face of a middle-aged man. He looked rather well-dressed, though his choice of clothing was somewhat out of time.

A peasant?

"There you are, dear. We meet at last..." A sly smile grew across his lips, his blue eyes widening with interest as if he'd just discovered something.

Cal squeezed the reins tight in hands as Inferno snorted, ears perked up, alert. "Who are you? What do you want?!"

The man's eyes lit up at that, but he didn't do much more than tilt his head and continued to smile at him. "Look at me, boy. You look at me and tell me who I am."

"I do not know you! Move now, and you shall be unharmed!" ordered Cal, getting agitated. He wasn't in the mood to play games, let alone with this stranger. "Didn't you hear, I command you! I am Cal Velius—"

"Velius." The stranger cackled, his cold blue eyes fixed on him as he marched toward him. "That is my name, boy."

Cal's eyes widened. "I warned you. If you don't step aside... I will have to forcibly remove you!" He raised his hand, ready to strike. Although it would be risky to reveal his powers, this mugger had given him no choice. Being the heir of an empire made him a fine target for a bunch of enemies. He could be kidnapped or worse, killed.

"Very well, then." The man stretched his arms open, drawing his attention to the star constellation embroidered on his chest. Two of the five starts were burnt. "Hit me."

Having little time to think, Cal gathered every bit of magic within him and blasted the man, attempting to shove him out of the way, but the stranger swung his hand and blocked it as if it was nothing.

Cal froze. He was too stunned to see that the man not only possessed his powers but was also able to dodge them. He did not realize when Inferno whinnied, ears pinned to his skull as he took a few steps back.

"Not very strong are you, boy?" He smirked. "You're coming with me."

That was when he heard the sound of galloping horses behind him, the distressed voice of a woman calling his name. No, it can't be.

"Junior!" Gigi's voice was heard from behind the trees before she appeared on horseback. "Junior, your father's on his way home! I promise you this time!"

"No! Stay away, don't come near me!" exclaimed Cal with his hand outstretched. If this stranger could out-power him, he was more than capable of hurting Gigi.

"I'm sorry, Junior. Come home, I—"

She emerged through the trees, and it was too late. He heard the sound of a terrified horse cry and saw Gigi knocked off her saddle, falling flat on the rocky ground, unconscious.

"No!" Cal screamed. He rushed Inferno to Gigi's side, glaring back at the stranger. "How dare you! I'll kill you for that!"

He shot another attack at him, and then another. Both were blocked easily.

"You don't deserve to live among these... ordinary beings." For the first time, the stranger's smile faltered as the edge of his lips curled up with disgust. "Come with me, and confront your destiny."

Cal clenched his teeth. "Never!"

Fortunately, he could hear the sounds of footsteps approaching, voices of men storming their way. Gigi must have brought the guards with her.

"You'll change your mind," the stranger said before disappearing.

When the guards reached their spot, they were shocked to see the state the Empress and Prince were in. Cal quickly asked one of them to help him down, as the others helped Gigi.

One of the guards carefully picked her up in his arms. There was blood flowing down Gigi's head from where it had hit the ground. One of her arms hung down limply.

"She's hurt! Bring her to the palace and summon a doctor!" Cal ordered. "Now!"

They rushed her back to the palace, but it felt like an hour before the doctor finally arrived. Cal had to endure the look on the servants' faces as they arrived at the palace gate. Aravin had cried and screamed at the sight of his sister being carried over to her bedroom, battered and bloodied.

She fell off her horse, the guards told him. It was a terrible accident.

Cal silently admitted it wasn't true. He knew Gigi's accident was all his fault. It was all on him. If he hadn't been so angry, none of this would've happened. If he had been tongue tied for a minute—if he had gotten ahold of himself—he wouldn't have been in the woods. He would have never met that stranger, and she wouldn't be there to chase after him.

And if she dies, although the gods knew he wished she wouldn't, it would be on him.

He sat near her bed across from Aravin as the doctor checked up on her. The other prince was bawling his eyes out. Cal thought him stupid, and yet he was the one bringing harm on Gigi.

"What happened to her? Will she be okay?" The boys barraged the doctor with all sorts of questions as he conducted his examination.

The old man adjusted his glasses. "She has a gash on her head from hitting the ground and a sprained arm. It seems like she was trying to support her weight on her hand when she fell. She should regain consciousness in one or two days, but the sprain will take a couple of weeks to heal. The good thing is that it didn't tear her ligaments."

"So nothing bad will happen to her, right?" pressed Cal. He just had to make sure she would be alright.

"Well, I recommend bed rest and that she avoid any activity until she's fully healed. You should also change her bandages and compress the sprained area with ice. I have also prescribed pain-killers and antibiotics for her, please see to it that her maids receive this note." He handed over a small note of prescriptions to Junior. "But yes, the Empress will be fine."

Cal turned to Gigi, a small smile of relief at hearing she was going to be okay. "Thank you. I will see to it that her maids and my father be informed of her condition."

Both the boys stayed by Gigi's bedside throughout the day. They didn't want to go out of her room, even for a meal, so the butler had their lunches delivered to them.

Since Gigi had gotten hurt simply by his stupid decision to leave, Cal was determined to stand guard at her side, at least until his father arrived.

He looked upon Gigi's face, appearing so peaceful, as if in sleep. Would she be upset at him when she woke up? No, even then, she had come after him only to apologize, for something that was never her fault.

His heart sank as he recalled his words to her.

Not only had he blamed Gigi for his father's absence, but he had also accused her of causing them to drift apart. He had forgotten that it was on his own accord that Gigi started to look after him. Because he himself had agreed to it.

Gigi was the first person, if not the only person apart from his father, who understood him. His liking for fairy tales, his ever-growing interest for the unknown world. Not even once had she ridiculed him.

She had given him the love that he never had a chance to experience before. The type of love that he had not allowed himself to wish for his whole life. Seeing her in this state made him fear that he would have to endure life without her.

Never again.

A single tear rolled down his cheek as he reached out to hold her uninjured hand, but he blinked it back as he heard Aravin shrieked.

"This never happened in Praja!"

"I assure you this had never happened here before either! My father would never—"

"But where is your father now? Was he even there when she fell from that horse? Did he rush over to help her when she got hurt? He gave his words to my father that he'd protect her!" He fumed around the room. "When she recovers, I'm gonna ask her to return to Praja."

That sent surges of panic through Cal's body. "No!"

"Why not? It's not like any of you actually cares about her!"

"Of course we do! You can't take her from me! I will not let you!"

"She's my sister!" barked Aravin. "What is she to you?"

"She's my..." Cal blinked his eyes rapidly, trying to prevent the tears that were threatening to fall. "My..."

"Gigi?" Cal was on the verge of crying as he heard a familiar voice. Soon his father stormed into the room, looking a little sunburned; panic and confusion plastered on his face, but he was otherwise fine. His eyes travelled to the bed, at Gigi who laid there motionless, then to him and Aravin before returning back to him. "Goodness! Junior, what happened?"

"Papa!" It didn't take too long before Cal Junior fell into his father's arms, all the tears that he'd been holding back during the week of his absence pouring forth. "I'm sorry, Papa. I'm so sorry..."

.·。.·゜·༺♥༻ ·゜·。.

Okay, so is anyone relieved or did I only heighten the suspense here? 😂

Just out of curiosity, I always italicize the Prajan dialogues, but is anybody here interested how would it really sound/written in Prajan language? XD