When Worlds Collide

Chapter 32

Normally the Summer Palace in the Magnolia Nation had been the place where Gray had been must happy. It was a beautiful fairytale seacoast estate on a hill jutting down into the ocean, where the sun shone most bright and you could look out over the sea or the town or pretty much the whole nation. The walls of the palace echoed with laughter from the joyful memories of his childhood and there were pictures of him and his parents merrily spending the summer together in almost every room. Being here made him feel like a boy again, and at times he could almost feel the presence of his mother and father.

But this time he was not so happy to be here. Instead of walking on the shore or getting ready to go out sailing like her normally did, he was just sitting forlornly atop a wall, staring at the horizon with a hopeless expression.

"It just pains me to see him withering away like this." Ur said as she and Lahar watched the prince from a distance.

"I know." Lahar said. "I thought being back here again would help. But he's still pining away for some maiden who does not exist."

"So you say." Ur said.

"Oh come now Ur, you don't really believe some girl just swims around, rescuing people, and then flitting off into oblivion?"

"I believe that there's no way Gray could have survived that shipwreck on his own. Someone had to have saved him. Personally, I think it was an angel."

"Oh so he's in love with an angel then?" He said sarcastically. "That's an interesting choice for a queen."

"You know what your problem is? You can't believe in anything that science and logic can't explain."

"That's because things unexplained by logic and science, do not exist."

"Oh? Can science explain how whales sing?"

"Yes. Of course. Whales have are complex structure that join onto special sacs that line its throat."

"But can science explain what they're singing about?"

"Singing about? Ur it's a whale. Whales don't have feelings like people do."

"How do you know? You've never been a whale, you don't know how they feel or think."

"Ur this is a ridiculous conversation. What do whales have to do with Gray?"

"I'm trying to tell you that there are things in this world that logic and science and all your book smarts, can't explain. Like a young man's heart for instance. No matter how many books you read or how many tests you run, you can't figure out what goes on in the heart of another man. You can't figure out how love works through means of science. It's just something you have to learn through faith and feeling."

"I hear what you're trying to say. But I just can't believe in things like a mystery woman from the sea. Now I think it was just a hallucination or something. And I'm certain that once he spends the summer with the Princess of Lazan City, he'll forget all about this non-existent maiden."

"You can't make Gray fall in love Lahar. You can't make him do anything he doesn't want to do. I've been trying to do that for years."

"He just needs to meet and get to know a real girl. To know what real love is instead of a fantasy. You have to admit, this obsession he has with a dream girl is not healthy."

"You're right. But we must be patient with him, give him time."

"I've given him plenty of time."

"True love cannot be rushed. Don't worry, it'll happen when it's the right time. You'll see. He'll probably meet the love of his life when you least expect it."