Nora wept upon the remembrance of that memory. She felt so happy during those times, but luck was not on her side ever since. She wondered why neighbouring countries would ever attack the Land of Vales. They didn't do anything to provoke them into war. Or were they after something else? Her mind was going numb with multiple thoughts spiraling through her.
She believed she had been there for longer than she expected to be, underneath that tree. And yet, she waited for something, anything. She didn't blame the Prince for not appearing, but she couldn't help with feeling like she had been neglected by his actions. Here she was, all this time, underneath a giant tree while it was pouring rain, and there was no one in sight. Her dress was still a little moist, but it had dried up with consistent amounts of time. She knew she was already going to have a cold by the time it was tomorrow morning. It was growing darker with every ten minutes worth of waiting, which meant that the sun was truly setting into the horizon. The rain really didn't show any signs of slowing as she came to realization that she might spend the night under this tree's protection. She curled herself back up into a ball and prepared herself, mentally, for the inevitable.
(Meanwhile)
Prince Baron entered through the enormous doors that welcomed him inside the castle's courtyard. The carriage that he rode in stopped by the entry that led into the castle's interior. Servants, lined up along the staircase, bowed before the Prince as he exited the carriage. Waving them off to return inside, he raised his hand and an invisible barrier covered him from being drenched in the storm that was pouring down upon the Kingdom of the Vale. Entering the castle, the Prince mentally chanted a spell that would dry him off instantly as he strode along the hallway that led him towards the Royal Chambers of the King and Queen.
He had just returned from a journey to Gladevale, with a letter for the Head of the Vale. His "brothers" were on similar journeys, but they returned shortly considering they used portals whereas Prince Baron prefers the old-fashioned way of travel. As for traveling attire, he simply went for his favorite white suit complete with matching pants, brown shoes, white gloves, crimson vest, blue bowtie, and tophat other than his royal uniform.
Standing before the Royal Chamber, a booming voice beckoned him entrance. Two guards before the Prince turned the handles and allowed him in. He took a couple of steps inside before he kneeled in the presence of the King. The Royal Chamber wasn't as glamorous as the ballroom and throne room, but it was enough for any stranger to be in awe. The Queen loved its simplicity, therefore kept everything as elegant as simplicity could offer. Although it was two levels, their private quarters were upstairs behind a curtain, while formalities and meetings and any other paraphernalia were dealt with on the ground level. King William smiled from his desk, which was settled underneath the base of the staircase and lit up with lamps.
"Rise, Prince Baron. There is no need for formality tonight." the King instructed. The Prince raised from his kneeling and stood proud before the King.
"My journey is complete, your Majesty. The letter has been delivered to the Head of Gladevale without intrusion." the Prince informed. The King just continued to smile.
"Well done, my Prince. Your brothers have returned from their journeys to Watervale and Solvale as well. You may now rest until the next assignment. I shall ask for your presence if I require it." the King told him. Prince Baron bowed before him and turned to leave through which he entered.
The King sighed as the doors closed behind the Prince.
"Is everything alright, dear." a voice asked. The King turned to look at his Queen coming down the stairs and towards him.
"I just wish Baron would smile more. He's too stern for his age. I hope this event was worth it." the King admitted. Queen Maria wrapped her arms around her husband as she kissed his cheek.
"I'm sure he'll find someone amongst our guests that could make him happy. After all, this event was how we found each other." the Queen stated. King William couldn't help but smile.
"That is very true, my dear. But the Princes will be taking over in a short amount of time, and I want them to find loves that will love them for who they are. Even if they were commoners at one point. But, in good news, Auron has already told me that he might have found someone amongst the guests that he will wish to court." the King informed. This put a smile upon the Queen's face.
"That's wonderful. If Auron can find someone, then our other two Princes can certainly find love as well." the Queen said.
"I do hope you are correct."
Prince Baron walked down the hallway that led to his own personal chamber. He was exhausted from the journey and having to sit in one place for countless hours with nothing to entertain him except his magic. He felt like a little boy being escorted to a village while along the journey playing with the help. He cast multiple spells along the journey, even though no one could see him do it. Shooing away the thoughts of the journey, Prince Baron entered his chamber and closed the door behind him with the wave of his hand. He rubbed his brows in annoyance as he gracelessly plopped onto the bed at the other side of the room. His room was as big as the library, considering there was a secret door that led into the library itself. He didn't care for all the decor that surrounded his room, he'd rather prefer the simplistics that Queen Maria was known for. True to words, Prince Baron was not like any other prince known. The same detail went for Auron and Daron also. Many thought that the Princes were completely different, yet they never knew how much the three shared in common.
Breathing heavily, Prince Baron let his mind wander off into its own territory for a few seconds before having it interrupted by someone appearing in his room out of thin air. Two someones to be exact. He didn't need to look up to know who it was that entered into his room.
"Is there something that you two need?" he asked into the open air. With his cat ears, he could easily hear sighing from the edge of the enormous bed.
"Always perceptive, Baron." a voice stated, to which he recognized as Prince Auron. Unwillingly, he raised himself into a sitting position as he looked over the figures that stood before him. He propped his head in his left hand while balancing it on his knee.
"The King told us that you had returned, so we decided to pay you a visit." Prince Daron explained. Prince Baron let out a huge sigh as he prepared himself for anything they had to say. He loved his "brothers", but sometimes they would just ramble on about almost anything. The two Princes were dressed almost identical to him, although Prince Auron preferred a black suit, and Prince Daron preferred a beige suit.
"Are you about to ramble on useless information?" he questioned them. They both looked offended, but Prince Baron knew they were faking it.
"I resent that. We do not ramble." Prince Auron said sarcastically. Prince Daron just chuckled at the remark. Prince Baron couldn't help but let a small smile creep into his features.
"You are lucky I can't hear you inner thoughts, otherwise I'd be using that against you." Prince Daron said playfully. The Princes knew there was no way of using their powers upon the other, since their powers didn't work on each other to begin with.
"And you're lucky that I can't see through your emotions." he retorted. They looked defeated by Baron's remarks, but they went ahead and sat themselves on the edge of the bed.
Baron just looked bored at their antics, considering he let out a three-second yawn to show how tired he was. The Princes just sat there in momentary a silence, acknowledging each other's presence, and wandered through subconscious thoughts. Neither of them knew of topics to spark up a conversation filled with interest, so they kept to themselves. When it looked like one of them was about to say something, a bright light shone from outside and disappeared in an instant. The loud boom that was heard next was enough to gain the attention of the Princes and to look out the window where the source resonated.
"Such frightful weather we having this evening, aren't we?" Prince Daron asked to the open air, not sure if either of his "brothers" would respond to the question that seemed to be rhetorical in his mindset. At least they acknowledged with a flick of their cat ears.
"It makes me wonder why Mother Nature has chosen this evening to 'grace' us with her presence." Prince Auron said, continuing to stare outside.
"It is said that when rain falls, someone is feeling sadness within the vicinity, and that Mother Nature is showing her sympathy with the light showers. But, to bring about this storm is an entirely different matter at hand." Prince Baron explained. The other two Princes looked at his backside as he continued to look outside. The Prince, as of this moment, was using his eyes to see throughout the raindrops as to why they were falling with such rapid fury. That is, until he heard a groan.
Prince Baron and Prince Auron turned to look at their "brother" as he clutched his chest in agony. His eyes were pinched shut and his hands were gripping with light pain. Sharing a quick look with each other, the two Princes made their way closer to their suffering "brother."
"Is everything alright, Daron?" Prince Baron asked, strict worry showing in his features. He clutched at his "brother's" shoulder as he looked on. Prince Daron opened one eye with a small amount of force.
"Don't worry. It's not me. My power just seemed to have picked up on someone else's emotion… More like two at the same time." he explained. The other two shared another look before heading to the door with their "brother" around their shoulders. Outside the chamber, they were met with odd senses of behaviour.
Many of the guests were outside of their rooms and while some were leaning/sitting against the walls, lined up against the hallway, a few others were pacing around and practically panicking for no particular reasons. Although once the three Princes stepped out of the chamber, everyone turned their eyes to the "newcomers" and immediately stopped whatever it was they were doing.
The Princes were just stared at with a certain awkwardness looming around the space they were in. A few seconds of silence led the guests to stare at the figure in two of the Princes' arms.
"Is he alright?" a voice asked. They rotated to see a certain, and very familiar, girl standing before them. The same girl who happened to be the Aura Sensor they were talking to last night. Looking between Prince Daron and the girl, they processed the entire scenario happening before them.
"Yes… he is. He just happens to be linked to someone's emotions at this moment." Prince Auron explained. This allowed the girl to raise an eyebrow in confusion.
"Is Prince Daron an Empath?" she asked. They were awestruck by how she happened to reach that conclusion in such a short amount of time.
"Yes he is. How did you…" the grey cat led off. She picked up what he was about to say.
"My sister's an Empath, so I'm familiar with the effects." she explained. Prince Baron looked mesmerized by her words.
"The same sister who you share a mental link with? That also… happens… to be…" Prince Baron started before something dawned upon him in realization.
(Flashback)
"What happened after?" she asked. The Prince sighed at her.
"Meet me back here a few minutes before noon. I'll tell you the rest tomorrow." he said to her. With that, he stood up and waved his left hand in front of his face until snapping it to the side. He dissolved into a flurry and disappeared into thin air.
(End of Flashback)
"Oh please do not tell me she's…" he left off as he ran (literally ran) down the hallway and towards the nearest exit, leaving everyone surprised in confusion from his sudden departure.
"What has gotten into him?" Prince Auron muttered to himself, as he laid down his "brother" on the carpeted floor beneath them, not knowing that Concordia had heard him.
"I think he just realized something about someone. But who he was thinking of is the one thing that escapes me." she explained. Concordia hadn't had time to peek into the Prince's mind before he ran off. So, in the meantime, she knelt to the ground and put her hands over Prince Daron's mind. Her healing abilities may not do much, but the least she could do was put the Prince's mental state at ease while he was linked towards the source of the flurrying emotions. Prince Auron looked on with mild surprise. He didn't know this girl was also a healer.
In his mind, he was thinking of just how lucky someone would be to court this young girl. Even though he had his heart set on another witch, this girl completely mesmerized him with her kind heart. He just hope that his "brother" could find someone to complement his life before the coming of the Grand Festival.
