The Fallen Prince: A Prince's Mistake

Found Family

Arguing with Archie about polar bears before getting mauled apart was not a part of the plan.

'What?'

That's all I could say about Archie revealing shocking information. I stared at him, an eyebrow raised, and I was clearly baffled. 'I had a dream. It has to be real. It was like I was there,' he explained in extraordinarily little detail. 'All I know for certain is that we still have to go to Fidt. We'll get information about Vuns there.'

Leo looked at me, the same confused expression. He had a cut on his lip, some blood dripping on the frosty floor. He ran a hand through his hair to get rid of all the rain. 'You guys believe me, right?' he asked.

I turned to him. He had watery eyes. It was like something really had happened there and, whatever it was, was worse than I thought. I smiled and placed a hand on his shoulder. I stared into his eyes. 'Archie Hearne. You really think I don't believe you? Anything you say, I will believe. I love you. I trust you with my life. So, yeah, I believe you.'

He hugged me. I saw Leo awkwardly stand there. 'Yeah, erm, I believe you too, Archie.'

Archie laughed and turned to Leo. 'Thanks, man. It's good to have you with us.'

I cleared my throat to get their attention. 'Can we go now? It's cold and wet.'

We mounted our horses and followed Archie's lead.

We were doing endless sharp turns and adventures. The whole trip, Archie and Leo kept talking about all the girls they had met. Let's just say they had different... adventures with girls. One time we had to go through a swamp. Another time, we went up a mountain. We may as well have been on a rollercoaster considering how steep it was. We basically defied gravity.

Once we reached the mountain, we had an incredible view of a vast part of Highsilver. It was like a blanket of snow had been dropped onto a forest. Leafless coffee-coloured trees stood tall. Snow replaced the leaves and seemed to be about five inches deep on the floor. A majestic frozen lake was in the centre, perfect. There wasn't a single crack, and if I had a family (a real one), I'd skate on it with them every day. Circling the landscape were mountains like the one we were on; sprinkled with snow and barely visible through the clouds.

Above the forest, a cloudy sky was looming above the forest. The Devil's favourite place was only becoming more enjoyable. Beautiful scenery could be seen from a mountain, and a collection of clouds were the only thing preventing it from melting. I could smell various, unique flowers from all the forests filling the atmosphere. The sweet sound of birds singing was elegant. I felt the happiness and relaxation from the forest. I was always more of a winter person.

We had to be getting somewhere. The forest seemed to be reaching its end, Vuns hopefully on the other side. I patted Ace. 'What's your favourite season?'

'Winter,' said Archie.

'Summer,' Leo said at the same time.

'Well, it seems Archie wins,' I announced.

'Shut up,' Leo replied.

'Don't be jealous. You can decide where to go at the next crossroad,' I said.

'Yay,' Archie muttered.

Me and Leo smiled at each other as we brought down our reins and galloped down the mountain.

Once we entered the forest, a crisp sensation engulfed my body. My face became cold, washing away any possibility of being warm. Ace's body felt like an ice bath and the calm wind made me feel relaxed. Like the light at the end of a tunnel, I could just barely see the end of the forest. Surrounding us were an endless number of radiant rabbits; birds happily hopped across long branches. Several winter foxes were dashing around and the sound of frogs croaking from swamps echoed and clashed with the insouciant singing of the birds. The three of us continued to gallop through the forest as squirrels and racoons chased us through the snapping twigs and magnificent trees.