A/N: for those of you who are still confused, this chapter takes place the same exact time the last one did, except it's in Jack's point of view this time. Got it?

:Chapter 4: Jack:

There. I said it. Father is dead.

"Oh, Jack. . ." Hope started as she stared up at me. I could her eyes starting to water as she spoke. "I-I'm so sorry. . ."

Don't be sorry, I wanted to say. But I couldn't speak. I couldn't move. I couldn't even blink. I just stood there, frozen, with my hand on the doorknob opposite of the one she was holding.

"C-Can I come in?" she whispered.

I tried to open the door for her, but strangely, it was as though I had lost any trace of power. I tried to concentrate on her face, to give her the message that yes, I didn't mind if she came in, but I couldn't concentrate. On anything. My mind was blank.

Suddenly, she gently pushed the door open, and it was then I was finally able to move out of the way.

She stepped inside and said something else, but I was not able to comprehend what she said.
Tears flooded out of her eyes as I heard her slowly whisper to me. ". . .lost. . . father, too. . ." were the only words I could catch.

And then I understood. She lost her father too. How selfish was I to get worked up over something like this when she had gone through so much more at such a young age?

I reached out and wrapped my fingers around her small wrist, startling her. She bit her lip as I gripped tighter and tighter. As I did that it's as though I can almost feel her pain. . . share her pain. . .

She quickly pulled away, giving me a shocked look.

"I-It's okay to cry, Jack."

Startled, I peered at her, and it was then I realized I was whimpering like a child. I felt my cheeks flush with embarrassment. I couldn't cry, not in front of her. I couldn't burden her with any of my problems. The last time she had seen me cry was about ten years ago, when Evan had pushed me when we played 'Ogres in the Forest.' I wasn't a little boy anymore.

Within a few moments I finally found my voice again. I stared as she slowly stroked her arm where I had grasped her.

"I'm sorry," I manage to say in a croaky voice.

She hesitated for a few moments before speaking. "I'll leave you to yourself now." She forced a sympathetic smile.

I shrugged, then nodded. I reached for the door and led her out.

You can stay if you want, I'm sorry for how I acted, I said. Or I thought I said. I'm not even sure if I had spoken aloud. Apparently I hadn't, for she didn't respond. She left without another word.

I sighed, then closed the door behind me.

I lied in bed for what felt like hours, though barely half an hour has gone by since Evan had come home. Finally I got up. I needed to talk to him.

I walked into the silent hallway. I headed towards the stairs when I heard a strange noise from inside one of the rooms. Was someone. . . crying?

I stopped and stared. The sound was coming from. . . an open door?

". . .no one loves me. . . no one loves me. . ." a familiar voice sobbed.

I peered into the room in a cautious manner. "Are you al-"

I stopped, startled at what I saw. I had been expecting it to be one of the younger servants. . . NOT a grown woman, least of all. . . the tutor?

". . . no one loves me. . . no one loves me. . ." She was sitting on the floor in the middle of the room, slowly rocking herself with her arms wrapped around her knees like a little girl.

"Excuse me, Ma'am. . ." I said nervously.

Suddenly she stopped, and staredup at me with wide eyes as though she had just acknowledged my presence.

"You're highness!"

I never realized how much she resembled Hope. I mean, of course I wasaware that they share the same hair color and complexion, but at this moment, with her looking so vulnerable. . . she looked just like Hope.

She quickly stood up and stumbled into a curtsey. "I-I'm so sorry you have to see me like this. . . I'm quite alright, really. . . I'm sorry for wasting you're time. . ."

"Are you alright?" I asked, beginning to get a little worried.

"Oh. . . o-oh yes, I'm fine. . . j-just. . . I just heard the news about the great king. . . o-oh, I am so sor-"

I felt a pang of pain in my stomach. Father. I had forgotten about him for a moment.

"Yes. . . well I've got to be going now, Ma'am," I said with a slight bow.

"Y-Yes, of course. . ."

I backed out of the room and headed down the stairs. Immediately the scent of delicious food invaded my nostrils. Evan and the men must be eating the dinner Mandy prepared.

I stepped down the stairs, resisting the temptation of sliding down the banister as I had done many times when I was younger. I walked over into the dining hall, spotting Evan and the soldiers gnawing on plump chicken legs silently.

I cleared my throat.

Evan looked up. He set his eyes upon me and set the chicken leg on the porcelain plate in front of him.

"Would you care for a bite to eat, Jack?"

I shook my head. "Can I uh. . . see you for a moment?" He looked older, somehow, sitting with all of the knights, and powerful too. He looked like Father.

He paused for a moment, then nodded. "Certainly."

He rose from the table and followed me out to the courtyard, where we stood silently for a few moments.

Evan was the one who finally broke the awkward silence by clearing his throat. "Ahem. Well."

"Hello," I mumbled, staring at the floor.

"Hello."

Silence.

"So. . . what did you want to see me for?"

More silence on my part.

"Oh. . . alright then. So. . .er. . .oh! I spoke to Hope today. It'd been a while."

Suddenly, a bout of anger stirred up inside me. "Why?"

He quirked an eyebrow. "Why? Why did I talk to her? We're old friends, of course."

I eyed him suspiciously. "You two were never friends."

I watched him scrunch his forehead questioningly. "Pardon? Don't you remember the times when we-"

"A friend would never leave you without reason."

"Jack, what are you-"

"You know what I'm talking about. That one day when we were just children. We were getting ready for our little ogre game when you told her that you didn't want to be seen with her anymore."

Evan sighed in frustration. "That was ten years ago! I was eight or nine years old tops!"

"You never even spoke a single word to her again."

"There was a reason for that, Jack. You don't understand. You're the younger one. . . I was under a lot of pressure-"

"You were eight."

He sighed again, now looking as though he were thinking back upon a painful memory. "I know, but- why are you getting so worked up over this anyway?" He smoothed out his curly brown hair.

I paused. He had point. Why were we talking about Hope anyway?

"That isn't what you wanted to talk to me about," he said softly.

"Yes it is," I lied, studying the ground.

"No it wasn't."

"Yes- just stop it, okay?" I scowled, looking up at him.

"You were the one who wanted to talk to me."

I paused again. He had another good a point.

"I know why you wanted to see me. You want to know about what happened to Father."

My heart jumped at the mention of Father. "No."

"Yes, it is, Jack. It's alright. You can't keep avoiding it like this."

"I'm NOT trying to avoid anything! And don't tell me that you know what I'm feeling. I'm fine. See? I'm FINE!" I had to resist the urge to smack him.

He gazed at me sympathetically. "Jack, calm down. I'm sorry. But sooner or later you're just going to have to accept the fact that-"

"I DON'T GIVE A DAMN HE'S DEAD!"

There is quite a long silence following that.

"Jack. . ." I felt a hand on my shoulder.

"D-Don't touch me!" I snapped, slapping the hand away.

"You're crying."

My felt my stomach flip. Slowly, I reached my fingers to my face and felt a strange wetness. I couldn't believe it. "I-Is this crying?" I said in a hoarse whisper.

"I believe so."

I immediately rubbed the tears away, though new ones quickly replaced the old.

"Jack, it's okay to cry."

I shook my head furiously, though warm tears continued to roll down my cheeks. "W-Why!" I sobbed. "Why him!" I felt like my heart was going to beat out of my chest.

Evan stared at me with what seemed to be a mixture of a look of guilt and sorrow.

"Was he really. . . eaten. . . by a. . ."

"He was. I saw it happen." He said in an eerily calm voice.

I felt like I was going to vomit. That had to be the most disgusting thing I have ever heard in my entire life. It is absolutely sickening. . . the thought of a human. . . my FATHER. . . being eaten.

I turned towards the palace and ran.

"Jack! Wait!"

I spun around, and realized that Evan had caught up to me. "Jack, I should've told you this years ago, but whatever you do, don't speak a word to Hope anymore."

My eyes widened in disbelief. "You can't tell me who I can or cannot speak to." I glared at him.

"I'm serious," he replied with a straight face. "Please. . . if you're really her friend, you would listen to me. Just stay away from her. Trust me on this one."

I walked away from him, furious. Who did he think he was, telling me not to talk to Hope anymore? I thought of that day many years ago when Hope had ran up to me, tears streaming her cheek, telling me that Evan wouldn't speak to her.

"Jack!" she had cried. "Evan hates me."

It was after one of my lessons, and we were out in the courtyard, behind some thick bushes, where we usually played. "No he doesn't," my six-year- old self replied. "Why do you think that?"

As if right on cue, Evan happened to walk by. "Jack, get over here right now. Come inside."

"But we want to play ogres in-"

"No. We can't play that anymore."

"But me and Hope-"

"Just leave her. Come on."

I sighed. I don't remember exactly what happened next, but all I remember is that since that day, Evan had not spoke a single word to her. Until today, that was.

I felt my stomach grumble. I headed over to the kitchen, hoping Mandy has some leftovers I could eat. Then I stopped. The thought of eating didn't exactly appeal to me right now.

I was about to retreat back to my bedchamber when I heard it. There was the sound of glass breaking. Then there was shouting.

"I HATE YOU!"

A/N: Hope you enjoyed this chapter! PLEASE REVIEW!