𝑹𝒐𝒚𝒂𝒍 𝑯𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒔 (𝑻.𝑵.)

𝑻𝒉𝒊𝒓𝒕𝒆𝒆𝒏

"THEODORE NIVISON! WE KNOW YOU HAVE THE PRINCESS, COME OUT WITH HER AND THINGS WILL GO SMOOTHLY FOR YOU." The two heard the shouting.

"What do we do?" Thea asked, lowering her voice so she wouldn't be heard.

"You are going to run. Run until your safe and I will find you once they are gone." Ted told her.

"You're not coming?" She asked him as if her were crazy.

"They know I'm here, they'll either wait me out or break down the door. If they wait me out then Charlie, Phil, and Kristin are in danger. If they break down the door then you're in danger. I'd rather protect everyone else by harming only myself. You run until your legs give out, I will find you." He told her.

"How? These woods are nearly impossible to navigate."

"Then my heart will be my compass and it shall guide me to you. Now go." He said and Thea ran. She hesitated as she passed the first tree, thinking of running back, but Ted could talk himself out of anything. He would be fine, right?

Ted collected himself before he walked to the front door. The door that had almost fallen off the hinges from the banging. "Hello, sir. I believe you have the wrong house, the princess is not here, nor has she ever been here." He said, trying to keep his relaxed demeanor.

"Cut the crap. One of our men saw you leaving the theater with her earlier, we know she's here." The guard said before three pushed through Ted to search the house.

"Just be careful with the stuff, this is my mothers house. She'll kill you if you break anything." He joked, slightly.

"You think this is a game." The first guard said grabbing Ted by the collar.

"Isn't that what the costumes are for?" He asked, his confidence and relaxed demeanor deteriorating. 

"She's not here boss." A guard said walking back to the front door.

"That's fine then. I'm sure she'll be back, and searching for him. C'mon I'm sure the king would love to meet you."

"Shit."

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Thea ended up at Niki's shop. She banged frantically on the front door until Niki opened it. She was confused and in her pajamas, but overall, worried. "Thea, are you alright? Come on in." She said pulling the girl inside.

"I- Ted, he's, uh...I can't- I can't breathe. Oh god, am I...dying?!" Thea said as she started to panic.

"Look at me." Niki said before taking Thea's hand and placing it on her heart. "Breathe with me and feel my heartbeat." Niki started to breathe in through her nose and out through her mouth, Thea would do the same. After repeating the breathing pattern for a minute or two, Thea was able to calm down. "Now, you can explain."

"Ted might have been taken by the guards."

"Why?"

"Because we went to a play and a guard saw us, so I ran, he ran after me. Then we got back to the house and he played me a song and I'm pretty sure we were about to kiss and then they banged on the door, he told me to run and so I ran and I came here." She said very quickly.

"Okay but why would the guards take him? What do they want with him?"

"Oh right, you don't know. I am the princess." She said and Niki's eyes went wide.

"Look, it's late. I am gonna have to process that, so let's go to bed and figure this out in the morning. I'll go over to Ted's place in the morning and see if he was taken, if not then I'll bring him back here. If he was then we'll figure out a plan." She said as she guided Thea upstairs.

Thea laid in the guest bed, staring at the ceiling. She replayed the moment in her head over and over again. She felt the ghost feeling of his lips centimeters away from hers. She felt like a piece of herself had been ripped away and stomped on in front of her when she ran. She knew Ted was right and that it was best for her to run, but she couldn't stop thinking of the different outcome if she had stayed. Maybe Ted would've been left alone. Maybe he would've been taken either way. She'll never know.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

"What the hell?" Phil said as they walked into the disheveled home.

"Ted?! Thea?!" Kristin asked frantically as she quickly darted around home looking for the two. "They're not here!"

"They're probably at Ted's spot. You know how he gets, he stays for a while then disappears." Phil said trying to reassure his wife.

"But the house is a mess, why would he leave it so disheveled? Especially after we just cleaned it." Charlie asked.

"He was probably looking for something and didn't realize how bad of a mess it was. Let's go to bed they'll show up in a few days." Phil said and Kristin nodded. Charlie sighed before he picked up a few things and headed to his room.

"He didn't say goodbye though."