This is Halloween.
Chapter Three:
"The King Has Returned"
The cawing of a crow woke Blaine up from his forced unconsciousness. He was surrounded by dead, brown grass and broken, crisp leaves, some of which were covering his clothed deathly pale body. He realised he had been there quite a while since the terrifyingly happy Jack 'o Lantern sun was rising from its slumber and its beams were breaking through the stumps and the long trunks of the twisting, black trees. Grunting, he raised his hands to his face and rubbed his eyes, trying to make himself more alert. Still holding onto his face, he lifted his back off of the ground and sat with his legs splayed across the floor. Dropping his hands carelessly to the ground, he looked around. Realising he was still in the forest, he picked himself up and started groggily walking back to civilisation. The loud cracks and snaps of the twigs on the ground cancelled out the silence, something Blaine was both thankful for and cursing. He needed something to focus on since he didn't want the thoughts of the boy from the previous night to cloud his vision because once he gets back, he has to be the King his people know and love, not a lovesick idiot. He cursed the noise because he didn't want to attract any attention to him in this part of the woods, people would think that their ruler was up to something.
Roughly half an hour or so later, Blaine neared the edge of the forest. He could see some of the people bustling around and even the tip of his castle. It was just as he remembered unfortunately. He was reminded of why he set out in the first place. To find something different. He willingly came back to the most boring place in existence - Great decision, Blaine!
He walked through the small amount of people at this end of the kingdom, each of them bowing their heads as a sign of respect and muttering to each other something about him. Mothers instantly pushed their daughters who accompanied them in front of them to put them into his view, obviously to see of their beauty would take to the King's liking. He silently chuckled to himself at the thought. His people really didn't know him that well at all... "Maybe that's a good thing," he thought to himself, continuing to move through the crowd as they parted like the red sea after seeing him approach.
As he drove deeper into the kingdom, the people's reactions became more different. He wasn't quite sure why, but they gasped and stared at him in shock. He didn't understand considering these people saw him almost every day.
Nearing the castle, the reactions continued to differ. He soon found out why after the mayor charged towards him and slid to a halt just a few centimetres in front of him, his head turning around to reveal the worried face that was opposite his normal-happy one.
"Your majesty! Where in the name of the devil have you been, sir?" he inquired, his voice taking on a both desperate and worried tone.
"Out and about." The royal replied, walking around the porcelain man and onwards on his quest to reach his home.
"We were worried sick! No one knew where you had gone! You didn't mention any appointments or meetings and they're not recorded in your schedule so I knew it wasn't that. You didn't tell anyone. Did I mention we were worried, your majesty?! We thought you were dead or something, or had been kidnapped or-" the hollow man's rant was cut off by a now annoyed Blaine.
"Mayor, please be quiet!" He yelled. Many turned their attention to the situation and the mayor recoiled in fear slightly. Blaine felt a pang of guilt shoot through his body, one that he had to ignore and continue. "I know. I had to be somewhere, that's all. I needed to get away. I do appreciate your concern though." He fake smiled and the Mayor stood up taller again, his head spinning around to now portray a smile.
"Though, where were you, your majesty?" Blaine panicked then. He didn't know what to say. Lie! No. I can't do that. They won't trust me... Hang on, these people are all about being evil, mean and dishonest, how else would they be here or do their job? How else am I supposed to do mine? Yes, I'll lie.
"I was... At a different kingdom... Nearby... Discussing.. Things." He blurted out, his voice nearly shaking on every word. He cleared his throat as the smaller man eyed him suspiciously.
"What things, sir?" Damn, more questions.
"Well... I was proposing an allegiance... Maybe, joining the kingdoms up in the future?" After that, his mind blanked. He was rusty at lying. It wasn't his job, he was just the onlooker, the overseer. He missed the next question that slipped past the lips of the mayor.
"You mean... Like a marriage, sir?" As Blaine's mind was now blank and he was scrambling to piece together sentences to shake this man off of his tail, he replied with the only word that would surface in his sham of a brain. "Sure." It was at the last moment he actually realised what he said and he regretted it. "Wait, what?" His second reply was unheard by the Mayor as he had taken off on a rant of his own. "Oh, sire, this is magnificent. We have all been waiting for the day for you to grow up and choose a hand to take in marriage. Your father would have been so pleased. We must think about the preparations-" Blaine had walked off. He was now entering his castle and he slammed the main door. He stormed up the stairs.
Way to go, Skellington! Get yourself out of this one!
