Once Upon a Lost Prince

Chapter 6

The king's trip was a lengthy one and Irwin's state was worsening with each passing day. His beard grew and his strong, built frame turned lanky and weak with time because the scraps of food he got on daily basis didn’t suffice to give him power to move around the closed place like he did on the first days.

Faye meanwhile was still with her grandfather in-law and one would see her everyday waking up early, helping the old man with his routines then going to sit beside the castle's gate begging the guards to set her husband free or at least take her to see him, but it was all fruitless. The guards would simply ignore her in order not bring her or her child any harm, for if they were treated badly and harm befell on any of them, the people of the town would go hand in hand against the law and take out the castle. A child would rise hell or bring heaven, depending on how it’s treated.

Over the days, Faye was feeling her hope seeping through her veins with every minute passing without seeing her husband that she grew to love over the months they were together, the one that swore to protect her just the way he did when they first met. The oracle, even when she begged him for help too, told her that he can do nothing. Just like her, he's helpless. He may influence the king, but not his guards, and he can't use his magic for it takes so much energy now that he’d grown older.

Regarding her brothers' death, she didn't get the time to ponder when so many things occurred over the days, but one time when she was feeling the most lost and afraid, her thoughts trailed back to them. Her mind was filled with them, of the times they were young when they'd foul around together. That was what caused her to grant them forgiveness, the happy, innocent memories when their beliefs and souls were still untainted and pure.

Coming for the king’s trip, the man had been away for quite a while and everyone was questioning it. It had been three months since he left and was yet to return. However the wait didn't take any longer than that. On the first morning of the fourth month, celebrating bells and trumps were heard all around Peteonia. The king returned after a long time, and when he entered through the gate of the town, he most surely wasn't alone. It looked like the king finally felt the need to have an heir, so he found a wife, word said she was the princess of the kingdom to the north where war was about to start. It was a win-win situation, the king would have a wife and his wife's kingdom would have an ally and war shall never rise ever again between the two kingdoms.

Through their ride to the castle, the king on his horse and his new wife in a carriage just behind, everyone was standing on each side of the road waiting to congratulate their king as he passed by. Only one woman caught his attention. She was standing between the crowd near the gate, but she was detached from them in some way. A look of anger marring her delicate features with tears streaming down her face. The king followed the movement of her hands and was caught eyeing her surely round belly now looking like she'll give birth any second.

The king was fast to right his eyes away from her after one last look to her face. His confusion showing clearly when he thought about that woman, angry and crying in the middle of a huge celebratory air. It wasn't until he was passing her that he stopped in his tracks.

"Your son is waiting for you." She said lowly for only his ears to hear. And he did hear them loud and clear; those words haunted him. What would the woman be talking about? Was she one of his mistresses? But it didn't make any sense when he knew that he had never seen her before. The pained look in her eyes was trying to tell him something. Some truth or maybe it was all an act, but no, her eyes expressed raw emotions that were so true. No one has the ability to feign or hide such emotions. He of all people should know.

He'd been standing in one place now, unmoving on the top of his horse, looking right ahead. Not looking into the woman's eyes anymore.

"Is there something amiss your majesty?" Alvin, the royal guard, approached from the caravan ahead to see to his king's needs as whispers were starting to rise between the bowing crowd, now fully standing, and questioning the events unfolding in front of them.