listen to your heart // dnf // DISCONTINUED

six

Flashback - August 30, 2853:

Prince Clay had remained in his room for two weeks, only having Darryl as his company. Neither Prince George nor King Davidson checked in on him and it was beginning to drive him mad. Clay constantly ranted to Darryl saying things like, 'How am I supposed to be prince if they don't teach me? How am I supposed to learn anything? They probably forgot I was even here! I just want to go home!'

Darryl would always give his two cents, telling Clay that, 'if he wanted it enough, he would man up and seek the Prince and King out and demand they teach him'. Clay would always grunt in response and angrily belly flop onto his bed.

It was late in the evening, Darryl and Clay had just finished eating their supper. Clay was sitting on the window sill, looking out over the expanse of the gardens and the Haetta Sea. He desperately wanted to go outside. Being cooped up in his chambers with Darryl was slowly driving him crazy. He wanted to run free through the tall grasses and climb the trees... like he used to do with Nick back home.

His heart sank when he thought about Nick. He desperately wanted to talk to him... and talk to his mom and his other brothers as well.

Letters. I need to send them letters. Clay looked around the room for the five-hundredth time, trying to find pieces of blank paper. Unsurprisingly, he found none. It's like they don't want me to contact my family. What's so wrong with that?

Clay sighed, walking over to the large bookshelf, grabbing one of the scholarly books that taught the language of the Nalbara Kingdom, a close neighbor to this Kingdom of Vindeniht. He opened up to page 344 and began scanning the pages. Instead of reading the words, his thoughts took over, I could write on top of these pages. Just rip them out and write on them. Super simple. Super easy, and maybe nobody would notice.

Clay shook the thought away, focusing more on learning the language until his brain grew foggy. He looked out the window at the bell tower, reading one twenty-two am. Just as Clay thought about getting ready for bed, his stomach growled. He looked around, finding no scraps of food and sighed.

He looked over at Darryl, peacefully sleeping on the second bed, and darted his eyes to the door. I could sneak out and return before he would even know I left... I think I remember where the kitchen is. First level, to the right of the ballroom? Or was it to the left? I could just figure it out when I get there. Hm... this is a bad idea though isn't it? What if I get caught? What would Darryl do? What would the King do? Hm.. I could also snag paper! Paper! I could get paper to write to Nick!

Clay went back and forth in his head for a while before deciding, I'm going. He tiptoed to the door, peeking outside, before turning to close the door behind him. Luckily the door didn't squeak and he walked down the dark hallway.

For something so bright during the day, it doesn't seem right for it to be this dark. The thoughts he began to have sent shivers up his spine. I don't have a candle. I can't see if anything is lurking in the shadows. Fuck, I should have prepared. Why am I so gods-damned impulsive?

Dream got so lost in his thoughts, he almost missed the turn to the hallway that led to the staircase. He slowly inched down each step, trying to make the least amount of noise possible, which was hard, due to his boots that still needed to be broken in.

At the bottom of the stairs he turned left, hoping it was the right direction and began walking down the narrow hallway. A few clicks came from behind him, similar to the footsteps his own boots made. His heart spiked and pounded inside his chest as he halted and forced his back up against the nearest wall. He held his breath, listening for the clicking. He stayed motionless for two minutes, and when he no longer heard the clicks, he continued walking.