11.
Richard always hated himself for being too uptight towards obligations. He couldn't just leave and give up on his people. He was the Crown prince, wed to a princess who was loved from the people who desperately needed hope. And that she was. She was the ray of sun to the kingdom, just like her name, she shined. Her warmth soothed people. But it never again was able to soothe the darker part of his heart, where he kept the memories of the woman he never realized that he loved.
"You are looking at the woods again. It is a glorious sight."
Richard turned his head, meeting Starfire's eyes. She held a child in her arms. He smiled.
"They say there is a castle full of mysteries out there."
She would probably be there, locked away safe from his world.
"Is that so? Then perhaps you would like to go on the seeking to this castle of mysteries?"
"If you need me… You know how to find me."
He looked back at the woods again, his mind far beyond his land. No one in the castle ever talked about the emptiness that is reflected in his eyes whenever he gazed out the window like this. The witch was gone and forgotten. He reached out, gave one more look, then closed the windows.
"No. I'd probably get lost and end up wandering there forever."