The Mushroom Prince // DNF

21/The Final Visit

Three weeks passed without any sign of Clay; no notes, no flowers, not even a glimpse of him in town.

George was restless but exhausted; spending nights wandering dark corridors on his own, his mind constantly reeling with what was to come next.

Most days, he felt useless, like he should be preparing for something, but he had no idea what.

Now, there were only a few days until the wedding; his wedding.

Rue and Lilyana were constantly busy, throwing themselves into planning and organizing. So rather than spend time under the scrutinizing, disgusted glare of his father, George chose to spend most days outside of the castle.

On that very morning, George woke up early and headed out to the clearing in the woods.

He had returned for the first time just days after Clay had visited him, and it had felt like nothing more than a painful reminder of everything he had lost. The minute he had stepped into the clearing, his mind was flooded with memories; days spent practicing with swords, watching clouds, or simply talking about their lives.

And although it was painful, George kept returning.

Every morning, he would wake at sunrise, gather his things, and follow the familiar path through the shady woods. He would spend the better part of his morning there; collecting flowers, drawing, or simply listening to the sounds of nature that surrounded him.

Deep down, George knew the reason why he returned everyday. A small part of him held out hope that one of those days, Clay would come to spend the morning there with him, just like they had always done together.

And although every day thus far had brought with it disappointment, George kept returning.

But today, he felt different. The feeling of hope that usually sat low in his stomach was bubbling in his chest, his whole body light as he emerged through the thick stand of trees and into the grassy green clearing.

The clearing was empty, same as every morning, but George still felt light and airy as he sat down below his favorite tree. He could almost describe the feeling as happy, something he hadn't felt in weeks.

He leaned back against the rough bark, closing his eyes with a smile as he listened to the rustling of leaves above him, the sounds of birds chirping happily in the distance. He opened his eyes, reaching into his pocket and pulling out his notebook, opening to a clean page.

He dragged the tip of a pencil across the page, his eyes cast down as he bit his lower lip, focusing on the image as it slowly appeared on the page before him. He became completely transfixed, so consumed by his art that he didn't even register the nearby sound of someone drawing closer.

It wasn't until he heard a tree branch snap underneath someone's foot that his eyes finally lifted, scanning the tree line for the source as he called out, "hello? Is someone there?"

Instinctively, his fingers curled around the hilt of his dagger, his heart pounding in his chest, a mixture of hope and fear bursting through his body.

He was just about to call out again when he saw a figure moving in the shadows, his eyes narrowing as he tried to make out who it was.

His heart was in his throat by the time the man finally emerged into the clearing, a smile on his face as he raised his hands in mock surrender and said, "woah, put away the dagger, your majesty. I come in peace."

George exhaled, securing his dagger as he rolled his eyes and said, "Sapnap, you idiot. Don't scare me like that."

Sapnap laughed, mumbling an apology as he strode over to George, dropping down in the grass beside him. He stretched his legs out, turning his face up towards the sun as he closed his eyes with a content sigh.