My prince

14. Luca

The ship with its golden sails was nothing but a black dot in the distance now. But Luca couldn't look away. His whole life was aboard that ship.
He never thought love could hurt like this.

Days past in to weeks and Luca focused on anything he could grasp a hold on, to not think about Cihan. He trained until his body gave out. He did all his duties. Went to every meeting. He even secretly prepared some things for cihans return.

It was three week when the first letter came.
It was short. Written in a curly and hardly readable handwriting and he read it so many times he knew the letters by heart.

My dearest,

We have arrived. It's truly beautiful here. I wish you could see. The sand of the beach is white as a pearl and the sea is as teal as the Burdeck I wore to your fathers ball. The city of Raemic is an attack on every sense in the best possible way.  I have started my search. I miss you. And I love you.
Yours,

Cihan.

But that was months  ago.
Luca knew, rationally, that sending letters would take at least three weeks to a full month. But he had the very least expected something by now.

"It will be alright." Isaac tried. Luca was pacing the dinner chambers of his father. He was a little early which meant no one would see him lose his mind.
Isaac tried. He really did. So did Aspen. But they weren't Cihan. Nor  were they Elliot.
Elliot always had been the calm in his storm.
And Aspen was really bad at hiding his own worries.

Elliot had been his friend ever since they where kids. They lived in the same orphanage. Luca got adopted by the king and Elliot got adopted by one of the royal guard members who escorted his father to the orphanage. Apparently the story went that Luca kicked his father in the chin and Elliot just looked at his father and said.
"If you take him away, you better take me to." They where like three years old. But their fathers loved talking about it.
Elliot and Luca had been friends for so long. They just knew how to make each other feel better. Elliot knew what to say to make Luca forgot his worries. To make him remember what it was that really mattered.

"Maybe the storming season hit early and they can't send anything out." Isaac said.
Very good point indeed.

Maybe Cihan was dead.
Maybe he fell out of love.
Or maybe... he found his parents or whatever family member was still there and they decided he wasn't fit to marry Cihan and talked him out of it.

"Luca." The stern voice of his father ripped him out of thought. He didn't hear him come in. His father walked up to him in silence and Luca nodded even though he didn't ask a question.
"I just..,"
"I know." He said. Gripping his shoulder and looking him in the eye.
Luca sighed.
It was like all the air flowed out of him. Like the weight of the world came crumbling down and he didn't have to carry it alone anymore.

"It's been three months." He whispered.
His father nodded and then lifted a letter.

For a second Luca couldn't breath.

Then he saw the sunset orange Seal.
"The medireans send us a message."
"Their king want to personally set up the treaty with us. They will arrive in one month."
"The king?" Luca asked.
That was unusual. Why would a king travel all the way here. To make a treaty. Well this king obviously was different. The medireans didn't make treadies with anyone, they had everything they needed on their islands. Luca understood, the Duran took many of their children in raids, before the islands came together and built one of the strongest armies this world had ever seen. They didn't trust anyone.
So for them to be open about the negotiations between their kingdoms was something special indeed.

"Any word from..."
His father shook his head.

"It does say that his decision was heavily inspired by the guest who arrived with the royal delegation. "
Luca perked up and ripped the letter out of his fathers hand. Earning himself a chuckle.
He read it over four times.
Only one sentence. But it was a prove of life anyway.
Perhaps it was harder for Cihan to write. Perhaps he was on his way back and wanted to surprise him. Perhaps he just didn't have to time to write.
Perhaps... he found out that his family... was gone. And was grieving.

"I'm going to the medirean islands!" Crown prince Luca Dereck of Fornamn declared in front of the king.

Yellow, another little chapter! Hope you like it. Almost over. Just two or three more chapters! The first one made 16k! And the second one is nearing its ending. I can't wait for you to read the third one, it's gonna be soooo cool!

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