A/N
Sorry everything is like completely messed up. I really had no idea how to write everything. I just quickly wrote this and posted it, I haven't really got the time to edit it so, it might be a bit confusing, even I'm confused. I've been just so busy lately since we are currently preparing to move so... well nevermind that, I'll just let you read now.
Chapter 7
They carefully placed James on the coach as everyone got inside also. The coach immediately flew above the forest. Jane started to treat his wound. Everyone was worried and hoping that James will be alright.
"This is all I can do for now." Jane said as she tied the bandage around James's wound. "He's weak right now but he'll recover, though I don't know when he'll wake up."
"Thank you Jane." Amber said
"James, I'm sorry…" Sofia cried as she caressed the blond hair of the man resting on her lap.
"Oh Sofia, it's not your fault and no one blames you so please don't blame yourself." Amber placed her hand on her sister's shoulder
"But- but i-if-" Sofia started to sob loudly
"It's going to be fine Sofia. Don't worry. James is not weak and he won't let that injury stop him." Hugo smiled reassuringly to Sofia. "Still... to think that he was willing to let himself get hurt just to save Sofia. I guess he really cares for her that much. What he said back at the maze still bothered me though… but he couldn't really be…"
James slowly opened his eyes. The whole place was in complete darkness. He began to walk but unsure if he was even moving. Then a bright light suddenly flashed before his eyes. He looked around and realized that he was in a forest. He noticed a woman standing by the river. The prince walked towards this girl and he realized who it was as the girl turned around.
"S-Sofia?!" James started to ran
Then he saw a leopard appeared in front of Sofia.
"No! Sofia run!" James shouted and ran faster to get to her
James kept running and running but it was as if he was getting father and father away from them. The leopard brought out its sharp claws and jumped on Sofia. The leopard began to tear and scratch all over Sofia's body. James widen as he saw what's happening to the person he loves. His eyes became lifeless as he heard her scream and cry in pain. James grabbed her lifeless body in his arms. He cupped her cheeks and pressed their foreheads together. Tears came flowing out of his eyes without stopping.
The leopard growled at James. James raised his head and at the leopard with red lifeless eyes. Without any hesitation the beast charged and attacked James. The last thing James saw was the beast's blood-thirsty eyes and razor sharp claws that were tainted with the fresh red blood of his beloved.
"Urgh…" James groaned
"James?" Sofia called
Then James started rolling and tossing over. He was sweating really hard as he looked like in great pain.
"What's happening to him?" Sofia asked
"Is he having a nightmare? James?!" Amber said
"James, please wake up! James!" Sofia shouted as he held James's hand
James started to calm down as he suddenly opened his eyes.
"Ah! W-what?!" James mumbled as he started to shake
"James!" They all shouted
"What? I- I was- and-" James mumbled
"James, it's alright now. Everything is going to be fine." Sofia said
"Sofia?" James grabbed her and pulled her tightly against him
"It's okay… I'm here…" Sofia smiled as she returned the hug
"James, are you alright now? Does it still hurt?" Amber asked
James pulled away from Sofia and smiled at Amber, "Yeah, don't worry about it. I'm fine already. It still hurts a bit but I'll be okay."
Amber sighed in relief. "Thank goodness…" Amber then smacked James's head
"Ow! What was that for?!" James shouted
"Don't ever do something that dangerous or out of the blue again. You got everyone so worried here." Amber yelled at him with a 'big sister' tone
Everyone started to laugh at the Enchancia twins.
"Okay okay. I promise I won't do something that drastic." James laughed
Seriously, James this is why I'm the older twin between the two of us." Amber said
"Only by seven minutes, Amber." James said
"Hey look, we're almost to at the shore!" Sofia shouted
Ardebit carefully and successfully landed the coach safely to the sand.
"Well, this is as far as I can go. I would give you a ride to Hakalo but we're not allowed to leave this island since we're the guardians of this place." Ardebit said
Sofia shook her head, "No, it's okay. You've done plenty enough. Thank you so much for helping us."
"You're welcome, Princess Sofia." Christopher bowed and went back to the carriage
"Oh, and I almost forgot to give you this." Ardebit took a gem inside his pockets and gave it to Sofia. It was a clear colored and diamond shaped gem with a sort of purple flame glowing inside of it.
"Wow, it's beautiful." Sofia admired the gems beauty
"It's a special king of gem, Sofia. Take care of it, you will need it." Ardebit said as he got on the carriage
"Thank you." Sofia said
They all waved their hands goodbye as they watched the carriage flew away.
"Now what?" Hugo asked
"How are we going to Hakalo? We don't even have a boat." Amber said
"What? Are we going to swim all the way there?" Zandar jokingly said
"Lei-Lani how much father are we from Hakalo anyway?" James asked
"Hmm… we're close, see that island? Lani pointed at a small island, "Hakalo is just behind that island."
"Wow, we really are that close." Hildegard said
"Yeah but how are we going to get there?" Clio asked
"Why don't we just build a boat?" Sofia asked
"What? It'll be really difficult considering we don't even have any materials or the right tools for it." Amber said
"No, we have all the materials right here Amber. It's the jungle after all, we can build it with just a few wood and vines and a few other things."
"Well…"
"Come on, we can do this. We just have to work together."
"Okay… okay… let's do it." Amber smiled
"That's the spirit! And don't worry Tarzan and I will help. Tarzan is sort of an expert on this." Jane chuckled
"Alright, then. We'll have to divide ourselves into groups. One group will gather some wood, another will get the vines, then one group will already start building it. Let's go!"
The princes and princesses began their quest to make a boat with heads held up high. They began to work together as a team, in order to finally reach their destination.
"Put your faith in what you most believe in
Two worlds, one family
Trust your heart
Let fate decide
To guide these lives we see
Softly tread the sand below your feet now
Two worlds, one family
Trust your heart
Let fate decide
To guide these lives we see
Raise your head up
Lift high the load
Take strength from those that need you
Build high the walls
Build strong the beams
A new life is waiting
But danger's no stranger here
Somewhere something is calling for you
Two worlds, one family
Trust your heart
Let fate decide
To guide these lives we see"
Finally, the boat was done. It was a small boat but was big enough for all of them. It contained a small cabin that contained their belongings, such as their clothes, sleeping bags, weapons, emergency kit, and such. It has a large sail made from the cloth of their tent. And for an additional design, they added a hand-made flag with the colors: red, green, and blue and a crown in the middle.
The group lied down on the white sand. And they watched the bright orange sun setting on the beautiful horizon and felt as if a new hope has regained their spirits. They decided to set sail in the morning since it was already late.
Amber then decided it was the right time to start her plan since everyone is exhausted and starting to set up camp. She swiftly went to Hugo and whispered to him about the plan.
"W-wait, now?" Hugo asked
"No, next week, of course it's right now! It's the perfect moment Hugo, no one will notice the two of you gone since they're all busy and even if they noticed, I'll cover for you, alright?" Amber said
"Fine, but you could've warned me earlier before suddenly telling me that I must confess you know. I need to prepare myself, or I might lose my consciousness." Hugo nervously said
"No you won't. Now go and I'll send Sofia there to meet you, okay?" Amber said as he pushed Hugo's back
Hugo nodded and walked away from the camp without anyone noticing.
Amber took a deep breath and approached Sofia, who was talking to Vivian and Lani. "Sofia!" Amber called
"Oh hey Amber, is there something you need?" Sofia turned around and smiled at her sister
"Can you come with me for a moment?" Amber pointed at a secluded area
"Okay…" Sofia turned back to Vivian and Lani, "I'll right be back." She said before going to Amber
"Sure." Vivian said
"That was… odd. What do think Amber wants to say to her that she obviously didn't want anyone else to hear?" Lani asked
"Huh? You think Amber didn't want anyone to hear about it? Are you sure you aren't jumping into conclusions or anything? Maybe she just didn't want to bother our conversation." Vivian said
"Maybe…" Lani said with a bit of suspicion
"So what was it that you wanted Amber?" Sofia asked
"Oh can you help Hugo with something? I was going to do it but I'm just too busy." Amber pleaded
"Wait, that's it? You could've just told me back there instead of pulling me away from Vivian and Lani." Sofia said
"O-oh, w-well I didn't want to interrupt their little discussion so I brought you here." Amber said
"Okay… what do I have to help him with?" Sofia asked
"Just gathering some firewood and stuff. He's over there behind those boulders. I count on you to take care of that, I'll see you later." Amber patted Sofia's shoulder before walking away.
Hugo was walking aimlessly around the beach, thinking of what to say to Sofia. He was so nervous. His hands were all sweaty. His stomach was tied in knots when he thinks about what might happens. His heart was beating so loud, he couldn't even hear his own thoughts.
"Maybe I shouldn't do this… no, I might not have a chance like this again. If I don't act now, it will probably too late in the future. And besides Amber did her best to help me, now I just have to do my best too." Hugo thought. He turned around with a determined and brave face, but was surprised to see Sofia standing behind him, then he felt like all of his courage drained out of him.
"Hey…" Sofia said
"Sofia! Oh- uh… hi." Hugo stuttered. "Damn, that was really pathetic and so embarrassing."
"Amber asked me to help you out. Are you alright?"
"Yes, why wouldn't I be?" Hugo nervously laughed
"Nothing, you just seemed… nevermind. Let's go now." Sofia started wo walk to the forest and pick up some sticks along the way
"Go where?" Hugo asked
"Um, we were supposed to gather some firewood?" Sofia turned around and looked at Hugo confusedly
"O-oh right! Sorry, I guess I'm still a bit tired. It's been a long day after all." Hugo said as he followed Sofia
"Uh huh… are you sure you're okay? Maybe you should go get some rest now." Sofia worriedly said
"No, no I'm fine, really…"
They went to the forest and started to gather some wood. While walking around, Hugo spotted something shine brightly behind the trees and went to check on it.
"Wow…" he said
"Hmm, this should be enough… Hugo?!" Sofia called as she noticed that Hugo wasn't around
"Yeah." Hugo ran back as he heard Sofia calling him
"Oh! There you are. We better head back now."
"Um, Sofia!" Hugo called
"Yes, is something the matter?" Sofia asked
"Can we go someplace first? I want to show you something." Hugo asked
"Well… I guess, but only for a few minutes." Sofia said
"Great." Hugo grabbed Sofia's wrist and pulled her towards the place he saw earlier
"Wow! This place is amazing!" Sofia said
It was a small and beautiful lake. The moon was reflected on the water that made it shine so bright. The water was so pure and clean. The fishes that jumped looked as if they were flying. It was peaceful and the cold breeze that touched their skin made them feel calm.
"I'm glad you liked it…" Hugo said
"It's just like the one in my secret garden…" Sofia said. She remembered the night before they left Enchancia, when she was with James in her secret garden and somehow this time it felt different than before like she felt calmer and safer that time than this one, perhaps it was because they were in an unknown forest.
Hugo stared at Sofia for a while, admiring her beauty as the soft wind blew through her long auburn hair and how the moon's light reflected in her blue eyes made her even more beautiful. He decided that he will finally tell her the feeling that he felt for her for a long time.
"Sofia… there's something that I want to tell you."
Amber looked around feeling uneasy and worried.
"Where could they be? They've been gone for a while…" She said as she fiddled her hair with her fingers. "Maybe I should go check up on them…" she stood up
"Amber, where are you going?" Hildegard asked
"Oh, I'm just going for a walk since my legs seem to be falling asleep." Amber said and walked away in a quick pace.
"Okay… huh?" Hildegard said
"That was weird, what's the matter with her?" Clio asked
James noticed this and decided to follow Amber.
Amber quickly went to where she left them but noticed that they weren't there. She then saw a trail of footprints and followed it that led her to them. Amber spotted the two that were still talking: she immediately hid behind the trees hoping that they wouldn't notice her.
"It's something that I've been meaning to tell you for a while now." Hugo said
"What is it Hugo?" Sofia smiled at him
"Sofia, we've known each other for a long time now and even though we didn't become friends when we first met. I was childish, immature, selfish, and terribly mean to you Sofia. That day at the flying derby tryouts, I made the biggest mistake and I deeply regretted it. But then came the race to the Flying Crown, even though I was stubborn you never gave up on me. You helped me overcome my selfishness and stubbornness. After that you kept on trying to be friends with me, even when no one would even want to come close to me but you did. You showed everyone how much I've changed and I even gain a lot of friends because of you and I am truly grateful for everything you have done for me. And now over the years I have realized I have developed a strong and deep emotion towards you. Sofia, I love you… and I would like you to let me court you." Hugo took Sofia's hand and held it firmly.
"Wha-? Hugo, I… I-I appreciate your feelings for me… b-but…"
Hugo frowned a bit and let go of her hand.
"But I can't accept them. I'm sorry."
"Why? Just give me a chance; I know it's a lot to take in…"
"N-no… I'm sorry, after everything that has happened… the curse… this whole mess… I just can't think of love right now. I'm just not ready to be in a relationship with someone…" Sofia cried. Then James's face suddenly appeared in her mind that made her even more confused.
"There's someone else, isn't there?" Hugo asked
"What?! No, I don't…"Sofia said
Hugo looked deep in Sofia's eyes to find an answer. "Okay…" he sadly said
"I'm sorry." Sofia said as she ran away, leaving Hugo alone.
"Sofia?!" Amber said and tried to catch up with her
"Sofia!" Amber called
"Wha-? Amber?" Sofia stopped running. "What are you doing here, Amber?"
"Sofia, why did you do that to Hugo? You could've given him a chance."
"No, I didn't want to get his hopes up. I just like him as a friend, Amber. I can't think of him as anyone other than that."
"Why? Hugo is great Sofia. He is kind and wonderful. He's obviously changed a lot, and he really likes you Sofia. You're really lucky that you've got someone like Hugo who would do anything for you… why?"
"Amber… could it- you and…"
Amber nodded, "I guess the secret's finally out, huh…"
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"How could I? I mean, Hugo is in love with you, and there's nothing I can do about it…"
"What are you talking about? You haven't even told him…"
"I can't. I just can't. Sofia, please… go back to Hugo and just give him a chance. Please, do it for me."
"No."
"Why?! I'm doing this for you and Hugo and me…"
"Really Amber? Are you sure this will make you happy?
"Yes."
"Then tell me… why are you the one crying?"
"I'm not…" Amber touched her cheek, only now realizing how much tears she had been shedding
"Amber, you really love Hugo right? Then you should be the one who's there for him, you're the one who should be by his side as you have always been."
"Thank you Sofia, but tell me why did you reject him?" Amber asked
"I just couldn't. I felt like it just wasn't meant to be for us or maybe I'm just not ready to have a relationship. And there's also this curse and I just want to focus on this before anything else." Sofia said
"I see… let's head back to the other's now." Amber said as she pulled Sofia's hand
"But what about-"
"We have to leave him alone for a while. He'll come back when he's ready; right now he just needs to be alone."
Amber and Sofia went back to the camp. Sofia tried to calm down and act normal as she went to Vivian. Amber spotted James and walked towards him.
"James, we need to talk." Amber said
"What is it Amber?" James asked
"You know exactly why I wanted to talk to you. You saw everything right? I noticed you hiding behind those trees."
"Okay so I followed you. I was worried because you were all acting weird. And-"
"Then you know about Hugo. Just say what you want to say already."
"I knew even before that, he told me before we ended up in that cave. He even asked me for my consent but I obviously said no, but why the heck did you help him?"
"Because I love him, and I wanted him to be happy even if it means that he won't be with me. You wouldn't understand James…" Amber placed her hand on her forehead
"I do." James whispered
"What?"
"I understand Amber, more than you know. And I'm actually far worse…" James said as he held the back of his head
"Who?" Amber asked
James smiled sadly as he looked into Amber's eyes.
"No way…" Amber covered her mouth with her hand. "Sofia?"
Amber placed both of her hands on James's shoulders.
"It is Sofia, isn't it?! That's why- oh it all makes sense now. Hildegard and Clio were right after all. I knew something was different with the way you treat her from the rest of us. You love her don't you?"
James sighed in defeat. "Yes, Amber… you're right, I am in love with Sofia. I have been for a long time now, longer than you could've imagined."
"Why didn't you tell me about this?"
"How could I tell anyone that I am in love with Sofia? You know how everyone would react."
"I can imagine… being in love with your own stepsister…" Amber sighed "Since when?"
"I don't know exactly when but I started to feel something odd inside me when I first met her, when she came to live with us. Ever since then I tried to help her in any way that I can. I tried my best to help her when she first started at RPA. And I just felt that I needed to protect her. At first I love her as my sister but then when we started to grow up, I just started to feel something weird inside me everytime I get close to her until my feelings for her changed. I kept thinking about her every day. I was confused at first, I kept telling myself to stop because it was weird and it wasn't right but I couldn't. Every moment I'm with her this feeling grew and grew that I couldn't deny it anymore. I'm in love with her. I'm the worst." James covered his face with his hands
"No, you're not. You love her and there was no way that you could've controlled or stop it from happening. That's just how love is." Amber patted James's back
"Ow! Ah! Amber that hurts, you know that I'm injured right?"
"Oops, sorry. Well nevermind that. Now that you've finally admitted it, I'm going to help you."
"What?! No!"
"What? Why not?"
"Because I have no intention of ever telling Sofia."
"But why?"
"It's better that way Amber. If I tell her and she doesn't feel the same everything will change between us… and you know, when we were back at the cave and Ardebit tested us by giving us a choice to grant our wishes, and Sofia's deepest wish was to back to how things were. She wanted to live normally back in Enchancia again, the way things used to be before this whole adventure started. She wanted to be with Mom and Dad again, to be with her friends again, to be with her sister… and brother just like how we used to be. If I confessed to her then everything will change, even after this is all over… things will never be the same again and I don't want to hurt her." James said sadly
"James…" Amber then hit James on his head
"Ow! What was that for?!" James rubbed the part Amber hit
"Oh stop being such a drama queen James, that part is already taken by yours truly. Now stop whining about negative 'what ifs'. Have you even thought of what if Sofia likes you back? Sure, everything will change but maybe it will change for the better. You were willing to risk your life to save her, that's how much you love her. There might be people who will be against it but as long as the both of you truly love each other, then you can overcome anything together, and besides you will always have me to support you. I'm your sister after all."
"Amber…" James sighed
"I'm your twin
You're my twin
We stick together through thick and thin
No matter what I do
I'm always stuck with you"
"Now you're actually singing that?" James chuckled
"And if trouble comes our way
I know my twin will save the day
Wherever you may be
You're always stuck with me
When you're feeling sad and blue
Call my name, and I'll find you
We have a bond that's tried and true
You and me
Me and you
Two by two
James…
I know that you are in love
So please let me help you now
I see it in your eyes, it's love
And It is without a doubt"
"I don't know Amber… what if-" Amber placed a finger over James's mouth to shut him
"When you're feeling sad and blue
Call my name, and I'll find you
We have a bond that's tried and true
You and me"
"Me and you" James sang
"Two by two" They both sang
"James, you've got to at least try otherwise you'll never be happy. If you don't tell her, you will surely regret it."
"I know, but-"
"You have to tell her soon because no matter how hard you try to protect her, there will surely come a time when someone will come in her life and take her away and you won't be able to do anything because at that time it will be her choice. Will you be able to live like that, knowing the person you love the most is in another person's arms?"
James tried to imagine it and it pained him to see that, what more if it really came true. Truth was that moment when he saw Hugo confessed to Sofia, he wanted to jump out there and pull Sofia away. If Sofia hadn't rejected Hugo, he would've done something drastic. "I-I…"
"Think about it… don't make the same mistake that I did." Amber said before walking away
A/N
Okay, I know it was a total cliffhanger. Sorry, I really had no idea how to end chapters. I've been having writer's block so my story hasn't been going well. I guess the stress is getting to me. I'll try to work on this. I really hope you like it so far. See you in the next chapter
