It Was Enchanting To Meet You. || DNF

79. The cat's out of the bag.

"Dad."

The word rang throughout the crowd, a deafening silence following right after as the people immediately died down from their cheering and shouting.

George stood his ground, looking at his father dead in the eyes, to which he shifted uncomfortably on his feet, seemingly cornered with the sudden approach of his son. Dream eyed the Brit though he was still in a headlock, his eyes wide and his mouth slightly agape. It went unknown to everyone in the kingdom that Philza was the father of George, and the king had made a careless mistake by stashing all of his records in the vicinity of the library which was just one search away from anyone in the palace.

George, having pushed himself up from his chair, stood tall and brave, confidence soon welling up in his chest as he caught several guards moving toward him in an attempt to restrain him. Again, the king stopped them, though he had the assumption that if he didn't halt George's actions now, at this very moment, things could get dirty very quickly. The brunette stepped onto the podium, locking eyes with Dream for a split second before turning away. He faced the crowd who was watching him curiously, and as expected, some were scowls of hatred and irritation.

He inhaled sharply, his nerves bubbling beneath the thin layer of his pale skin as he recalled fragments of the moment Eret had let him in on the bit of intel.

"This is going to sound crazy and totally out of this world, but you're going to have to believe me when I say it," Eret had said, and George could remember how anxious he had felt in the moment, but after he discovered the truth, time slowed down before freezing, and suddenly he felt as though his world wasn't crashing down on him anymore. In fact, he felt a sense of hope, because he knew that he could use this against the king, or in other words his father, in many different ways to rebuild the life he once had.

"King Philza is your dad, George. You're his son."

George scanned the crowds before he began speaking, and he caught the eyes of familiar brown ones, and it made him feel ten times better than he already was when he saw that Wilbur was watching him with an expression that stood out entirely from the rest of the mob. He watched George with his features etched with faith and bittersweet happiness.

"Yes, it's true. I am Philza's son," George began, glaring at the king who suddenly had a concerned look on his face, even if he knew that this is what the Brit wanted to say to anyone, he never thought that he would have the guts to do it, especially after his given status. "Yes, my mother was Kristina Davidson Hail and yes, my father had my family killed by his own men," the mocha coloured eyed boy said, and he saw the disgusting looks he was receiving morph into one of conflict and confusion, but most of all, the blooming of betrayal to the fact that Philza wasn't who they thought he was.

"Alright, that's enough. Get him off this stage now," the king ordered, reaching an aggressive hand toward George but one of his men was quicker, grabbing his wrist which forced him to halt his movements. "Don't touch him. Until we have solid evidence that he isn't your son, he's allowed to talk. However, if this information is true," the guard trailed off, his eyes flickering between Philza and George. "then that makes you the prince of this kingdom, George. And, again, until all of this is proven otherwise, Philza, you have no authority to lay a hand on this boy or command others to do so. I am kindly asking you to back down," the tall, broad-chested man spoke, and he carried himself in such an admirable way.

The people among the scene gasped in surprise, and this is the part where the king started to panic. "Are you kidding me?! He may be the prince but I am the king, therefore my position does outrank his in any way imaginable!" Philza muttered, his forehead creasing unpleasantly. The guard cocked an eyebrow at this, his hold on the older still firm. "Oh? So you're confirming that he is your son?" he spoke, pushing every button the king had. George was incapable of doing anything, and instead, he just stood there and watched, his eyes completely blown wide.

"Here! I have proof!" a voice sounded somewhere in the crowd and interrupted them, and George felt his hope growing more as he saw Eret charging forward with a few old papers in his hand, enough to tell someone that they had been around for quite some time due to its wrinkles and brown stains. The guard that was once previously talking to the King turned his attention away from the latter, taking the papers from the other boy to examine them. "This is ridiculous!" the King's voice boomed through the ceremony, yet again reaching a hand out to snatch the papers away. The guard nudged him backward, ordering one of his colleagues to keep him away for the time being.

It wasn't like he couldn't take on the King, especially with all of his hard-core training, it's just that he would prefer to do whatever he was doing without any distractions.

The taller knight's eyes narrowed at darkened as he read the file, and which every word that was processed into his mind he inhaled sharply, giving the King and George a look that could only mean one thing. "You're so stupid, George! I hid those files away for a reason, you were a mistake! I pushed you away and removed all existence of you connecting to me and yet you still find a way to mess things up!" Philza cried, shouting at George. The brunette boy let out a shaky breath, his mouth agape slightly because, even though he knew that the king was indeed his father, hearing it from the latter himself, along with some other harmful words, really affected him differently.

"All right, that's enough!" the guard said, handing the paper back to Eret as he turned to Philza. "King Philza, you are under watch for the murder of the Hails Family, manslaughter, and false accusations. You're not allowed to speak at this time," said the guard, allowing the other hunters to take him away to the dungeons until further notice. King Philza swore and spat disgusting remarks at his employee as the other guards began closing down the ceremony, ushering them to leave the premises of the castle.

When the majority of the people were gone, the guard pat George on the shoulder, a silent apology before letting Dream go. The second the boy was set free, he dashed towards George, his eyes brimming with tears. The brit buried his head in his chest, the corner of his eyes stinging with sadness and relief, but, somehow, he knew that if he had Dream by his side, everything would be okay.

~

HiII SORRY EVERYONE!! SCHOOLS BEEN KEEPING ME AND WHAT NOT, I APOLOGIZE

ANYWAY WE'RE COMING DOWN TO THE END OF THIS STORY QUICKLY, HOW ARE WE FEELING??