Mysteries & Royalty

Chapter 7

Damien was running through a crowd of people. It was a ball. He was 4. His mother had randomly scheduled a ball without a reason as to why. He was looking around when he glanced outside. There was a boy sitting outside by himself on the balcony. Damien walked out to him, opening the door.

The boy glanced back at him. His bright eyes stood in contrast with the moonlight and his black hair moving with the wind.

"Oh hi!" Damien said

The boy waved. Damien approached, closing the door and sitting next to him. Both their legs dangled off of the balcony.

"Hi, I'm Damien!"

"I know. You're the prince" the boy replied quietly

"Mhm! You are?" Damien asked

"My name is Emilio Schulz"

"Nice to meet you, Emilio!"

The prince smiled but Emilio crossed his arms, looking at the street below. He seemed wary. Damien was always good at reading people, and he wanted his new friend to be comfortable.

"Hey! Let's play something" Damien offered

"I dunno. My mom told me to stay quiet and out of problems." Emilio replied

"It's not a problem! We can stay quiet too!"

Emilio pondered this a moment before replying with a simple "Okay"

~

Ivan stood tall, talking to one of the adults. They were complimenting him. Telling him he'd be a good king. He didn't want to be king. He didn't know what he wanted to do, but he knew being the king was not it. He glanced towards his mother. She had been speaking to a nervous woman throughout the night. She wore different expressions as the conversation continued. A sincere frown, a scowl. Moving throughout the conversation. But now there was a face he had never seen on his mother before. Pure hatred.

"Get out!" his mother shouted "Now!"

Even Ivan flinched, but the woman had to move back a step, but swiftly left her line of sight, quickly seeming to be looking for something, or someone. She must be looking for her child. Suddenly, Damien came running away from another boy, not much younger than himself. The woman looked horrified, my mother was livid. She grabbed Damien and picked him up, pushing the child down.

"Get that bastard child and yourself out! Now!" She screamed

Damien stopped trying to get out of her grasp when she screamed. The child stood there, scared. This wasn't the first time he had been threatened. The adults near Ivan tried to not let him watch, but they couldn't stop him as the woman picked up the child and quickly walked out, she passed by him and he heard a few words. Words that surprised him. Words that most people wouldn't tell a bastard child, even one who's been through hell a million times over.

"I will always be here"

He watched as the woman and child left. He wondered what their life was like. He wondered if her husband would leave her. The only thing he knew is that he'd never know.

~

Emilio sat quietly. He didn't want to be a distraction anymore. He didn't want to be a burden anymore. Was he the reason everyone started hating them? What did the queen call him? A bastard? What did that mean? Emilio continued thinking. He didn't want to be bad. He didn't know how he messed everything up. He didn't mean to. The drive home was silent. The evening was silent. That night when he was laying in bed, both his parents came to tuck him in. They never did that much anymore.

Emilio sat up to face them and his mom sat on the foot of the bed, his father on the floor next to him.

"Hey sweetie, we just wanted to talk a bit. About what happened" his mother started

Emilio laid back down quickly, covering his head with a blanket "I'm sorry, but no thank you"

His father sat him back up. "You can't do that this time. We need to talk. Don't worry, it's nothing bad okay?"

Emilio nodded.

"How'd you end up talking to the prince, what happened?" his mother asked

So Emilio explained the little story to them. They listened carefully.

"He told me we'd be friends forever. That we'd always be together. I liked that." Emilio smiled as he spoke

His mother and father glanced at each other. Emilio looked in between them. He was starting to catch up. He's done that a lot lately.

"I'll never see him again, will I?" he asked

"Odds are, no, honey," his father said softly "but look, a lot is happening. We just need you to trust us. Only us right now, okay?"

"Okay" Emilio agreed

His mother sighed and they both kissed his head and tucked him in. They walked to the door and glanced back in.

"Night, honey," his mother said, closing the light

"Mom? Dad?" Emilio asked quickly

"What's up?" his father asked

"I'm sorry for messing everything up. For being a-" Emilio paused to find the word "a bastard"

His mother ran in, hugging him tightly.

"Never apologize Emilio. Never. This is not your fault it never will be."

"But the queen said-"

"Don't listen to that. Please."

"Okay. Goodnight mom"

"Goodnight"

She kissed his head once more, and she and his father left. Emilio fell asleep, he dreamed of finding Damien again. Of having his friend back. It was a happy dream. One of the last he'd ever have.

~

Damien didn't complain that his friend was gone. He'd never heard his mother scream. He never saw his mother angry. It scared him. After that, he went to his brother and stayed with him.

"Ivan?" he asked

"Yes?" Ivan replied

"Why did mom scream?"

"I don't know"

"We just became friends too" Damien pouted

"What?" Ivan asked

"Emilio and I! I talked to him a bit! We became friends!" Damien said

Ivan looked at him sadly, Damien understood quickly.

"I'm sorry Dami, but you know that's not gonna happen if that happened"

"Yeah. It was worth a try."

Damien had trouble holding a friend. He was forced away sooner or later. Emilio felt more personal though. He'd known him for the least amount of time but got the most attached. He couldn't answer as to why. Another friend gone.

"Can we go get soda?" Damien asked

"It's getting late y'know"

"Pleaseeeeee?"

"Alright, c'mon"

Damien smiled, walking with his brother to go get soda. Damien always looked up to his big brother. He could always make you better. No matter what.