The Boy in the Witches Tower

Episode 7: Serendipity?

A/N: Long Chapter warning 🙂

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Phillip's PoV

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More months go by, and they can not seem to find a clue to who I might be,
 
  I am devastated because not only am I just here in the palace doing nothing,
 
  I am constantly reminded that I am a nobody without a future or a past, so at present, I am suffering,
 
  only internally, however, because on the bright side, I have also gotten to know the King more,
 
  Privately, shhh...,
 
  recently being able to meet with him on premise of 'observing the training', I have spent a lot of time with the King and I am able to see more sides to him outside of the crown,
 
  he is caring, stern, mischievous, amusing and secretive, I have watched him help the injured soldiers, reprimand the young arrogant soldiers, plant traps around the field 'literally', chuckle at some failed attempts and secretly praise their hard work,
 
  but it seems only I am able to see these sides of him,
 
  whenever I have the opportunity to dine with him, he is stoic and expressionless in the face of his family,
 
  I wonder why?
 
  right now, they have moved training indoors due to heavy weather, and the King is sparing with Maxime for a demonstration,
 
  I hear the loud grating of metal colliding before I see sparks, I flintch a little, I have never seen a fight quite as intense as this before,
 
  for the last two weeks, I have watched some sparing between the Captains and soldiers, but this is the first time I get to see the King battle with anyone,
 
  Maxime seems to have the upper hand, not wasting anytime or giving his father any chance to reciprocate any blows, this was a no magic fight, they can only use manna to lighten the impact of blows and help with healing,
 
  with no room to fight back the King uses every ounce of energy to push back relentlessly causing Maxime to falter and take a step back, taking this opportunity, King Leon rushes forward and strikes him square in the face with the hilt of his sword and kick his son in the gut sending him flying to the other end of the arina,
 
  the place erupts in cheers, and the King helps up a tossed Maxime who crouches down a little while walking,
 
  I rush down towards them laughing,
 
  "Wow! I have never seen you battle before your highness. It was very invigorating to watch you fight,"
 
  he only smiles a little before addressing me,
 
  "Well, thank you, Maxime put up a good fight, I was almost destroyed down there,"
 
  Maxime breathes out and scoffs at him
 
  "destroyed? You went easy on me, Phillip. You should see him battle with magic, a very terrifying sight I tell you,"
 
  laughing at his expense, I glance back over to see the King staring at me. Before I could say anything, an exhausted Meryl makes an appearance,
 
  "Well, hello there, short stuff, I didn't expect to see you here,"
 
  smirking, he pats my head and ruffles my uncontrolable locks before continuing on,
 
  "Don't!, you know how hard it is to deal with my hair!, and you also know I don't like to!"
 
  trying to fix it best I can, I glare at him while he assesses Maxime and the King
 
  "Then cut it, simple," he applies some cream to Maximes bruises,
 
  "But I don't want to, I love my hair,"
 
  I stroke my long blonde braid that reaches just below my back, I have been growing out my hair for as long as I can remember, I only cut it once when I woke up to grey gunk stuck to it, I was devastated, that was right before they found me,
 
  "Well, if you love it so much, take care of it."
 
  after he finished looking over the two men, he turned to me and chuckled while I pouted,
 
  "I do take care of my hair. It just takes a lot of time, I want it to grow so long. It almost touches the floor. It would be so beautiful,"
 
  I continue to carress my mane, smiling only to hear a snort from behind,
 
  "For a young man, you are too feminine. Do you not see how wrong you look?"
 
  I turn and bow to the queen as she walks past me to Maxime, Marcus is not far behind with his mother's personal maid, Ellyse, who hatefully glances at me,
 
  I have no idea why...oh!, and I also learned that she was the red-haired girl with Marcus!, the drama,
 
  "Mother, that is just the way he is. We can't change that."
 
  I frown at Marcus... Why is he going against his mother! ...I am grateful for the help, but every time he does, the Queen gets more angry and attacks me more!,...pleae be quiet!
 
  and just as I thought her hackles rise,
 
  "Oh please!, can you not see how disgusting he looks when he PURPOSEFULLY acts all girly and innocent? I would not have a problem if he wasn't so...frivolous with his behavior!"
 
  me?, frivolous?, when?,
 
  I took a step back and kept my head down to avoid angering her more,
 
  but who am I kidding? Of course, Marcus HAD to say something!,
 
  "Mother, please!, why are you being unreasonable?, he-"
 
  before he could finish my life-saving straw hunk of a man speaks,
 
  "Marcus, Jasmine, can both of you stop it?"
 
  the King addresses both of them before walking away, but not before calling me,
 
  "Phillip, I have new information that could lead us to your origins. Please follow me... alone"
 
  I breathe a sigh of relief and bow to the others before scampering down the hall with the king,
 
  I really don't know why, but every time I am with those two, my happy moments disappear,
 
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  King Leon's PoV
 
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  I walk ahead of Phillip, and I hear him breathe a sigh of relief again after we quietly make our way to my study,
 
  I don't know why, but Jasmines usual temper tantrums have become really hostile, especially towards Phillip,
 
  I can see how sincere Marcus's attempts to assuade his mother are, but it just makes things worse, and I don't think he sees that,
 
  as I open the door to my study and turn to Phillip, his pale ears turn red when we make eye contact,
 
  he is absolutely adorable in his attempts to hide his feelings,
 
  I know this because for the past months, he has been following me like a little puppy in his journey to 'learning combat',
 
  every time I think about him straining to grasp a sword in his shakey little white hands, I want to tease and fawn over him,
 
  Phillip has been nothing but a breath of fresh air for me,
 
  my horrid past and current facade are no match for his beautiful presence,
 
  smiling and feeling my face relax, I gently guide him to sit in the chair in front of my desk,
 
  I don't sit immediately, I collect the letter I received two days ago and handed it to him,
 
  I can sense how important knowing his identity is, so I try my hardest to collect every piece of his puzzle and put them together for him,
 
  I want to put them together on a golden platter and present it to him,
 
  these past months besides him following along during training once in a while when we are alone he becomes more expressive and lively,
 
  I know he is probably like that all the time, but I can tell when he looks at me, his ears redden, and his clear voice trembles a little,
 
  he is very good at masking his feelings in front of others. He might seem naive and oblivious to things, but he is not,
 
  he has a sly way of hiding his awareness but also hiding his confusion,
 
  the witch might have kept him in that tower away from the world, but he seemed to be able to grasp it better than many,
 
  I always felt a yearning to protect him and give him everything he desired, even if it meant I had to kill for him,
 
  I have truly tried to suppress my unreasonable thoughts and focus on helping him to appease it,
 
  but being alone with him now is proving quite hard for me to do so,
 
  "Is it really true! I might be an orphaned Celestial! But how so? I have no powers,"
 
  he frowns and reads over the letter for the tenth time, and I gently take it from his dainty hands,
 
  "I know, but it is as best we can do at the moment. Please bear with me, I will try harder,"
 
  without realising it, I sat directly in front of him rubbing away his frown,
 
  his breath staggers for a moment before he relaxes and gazes up at me,
 
  "Your Highness..."
 
  his soft, breathy voice woke me up, I quickly pulled away my hand,
 
  "Sorry, I got carried away,"
 
  that has been happening a lot recently. He was still looking at me,
 
  "Your majesty, why do you pretend?"
 
  I freeze in my seat and look everywhere, but his eyes
 
  "I don't understand what you mean, Phillip."
 
  finally gazing into his shining emerald eyes I falter, he sees this and smiles slightly,
 
  "you are a completely different person than what everyone else thinks, I notice a lot of different things about you, but if I were to express these thoughts to Harella and the others, they would think I've gone insane"
 
  he giggles, and it is the most amazing sound I've ever heard, but yes, he is right,
 
  "There are certain things a King must do to run his country, even if it means to hide ones true self."
 
  after saying those words, my past memories resurface,
 
  "I hadn't always been this way, but many things took place that warranted for me to be so different,
  I am not going into details, but let's just say I was forced to grow up at a very young age. "
 
  tears almost leave his eyes. Why is he crying?
 
  "Your majesty, somehow what you just said made my chest hurt, I don't know why, I feel... so hurt. "
 
  he clutches his chest, and I hurry to his side,
 
  "What do you mean? Look at me, Phillip."
 
  when he does, my world stops, those eyes...,
 
  they reminded me of a young Prince Leon questioning himself,
 
  the hurt, betrayal, and torture intensify in those shining emeralds, causing me to grip Phillip in a crushing hug,
 
  "shhh...it will go away, just hold on to me, it will soon be over,"
 
  I have wished someone would say those words to me at the time, but saying it to this boy makes it even better,
 
  "Your Highness -"
 
  "Leon, just call me Leon, but only when there is only the two of us."
 
  "L-Leon, I really don't know why I felt those feelings."
 
  he pulls away from me and stares at me with those curious eyes I love so much,
 
  rubbing away the stray tears on his lashes, I smile
 
  "I can't say I know any better, but maybe it's a clue to who you really are."
 
  he smiles and grasps at my shirt collar,
 
  "Really!?, but what species has the ability to feel others feelings?, was that what it was?"
 
  he tilts his head, and I can see the wheels turning,
 
  "Yes, I think that was what it was, but maybe you share pain and memories with others, I can't say right now,"
 
  it was strange that he would be able to do so now after months of assessment, but who knows,
 
  "I don't think it's memories but maybe just emotions, and it feels amplified like I was about to suffocate,"
 
  he grips his shirt and crumples it as if he was reliving the moment,
 
  I hold grab his hand and flatten his palm in mine,
 
  " I was feeling that exact way when I spoke to you, I was thinking about many things,"
 
  he entertwined my large hand in his and squeezed,
 
  "Are you okay with telling me you seem so aggrieved?"    
 
  "I was - am, and since you felt it, I don't see why not."
 
  going to my chair again, I sit with my head in my hands, breathing in and out for a second,
 
  not many know the true story behind my aloofness, but... when I saw my sadness reflected in his eyes, I knew that I could tell him,
 
  he knew my pain,
 
  "I never wanted to marry Jasmine. She was a Celestial princess my mother wished for me to marry, my aunt and others in the court disagreed at first,
 
  I just turned fifteen at the time and Jasmine was twenty, no one wanted me to be defiled by that marriage, however it was discovered that my mother was ill with an incurable illness, not even the physicians of higher power could help her, she was cursed to die within five years, knowing this the royal cort eventually agreed to have me married within the month after my fifteenth birthday"
 
  I took a deep breath,
 
  "On our wedding night, as a young boy, I had no idea what to do, I plead with her to leave me be..."
  '[m t
  my hands were now shaking,
 
  "I was powerless, I was taught from the very beginning what it means to be a King to rule and protect my people, I was taught how to be a powerful MAN!,
  a MAN that would conqure kingdoms, ...but that night I was a scared trembling boy, I couldn't fight her. She was my wife, the new queen,...
  she drugged me as a last resort, I felt nothing for her and had no interest in...that!, but I had to allow it..."
 
  so many feelings, so many horrible emotions ran through me,
 
  "IT WAS MY DUTY AS THE KING!"
 
  I never realized I was being held until I felt a wet sensation on my shoulder, Phillip was sobbing so hard his body shook as he clutched my shirt in his hands as tight as he could,
 
  I held him closer to me as I calmed my breaths as best I could,
 
  "I- I am so, s-so sorry"
 
  I don't know why he was apologizing for, but that finally brought forward the tears I have been holding for the past nineteen years,
 
  I have never cried like this before, not even on my wedding night. My body shook along with Phillips as we both silently sobbed clutching onto each other,
 
  " Phillip, I don't know why I have told you these dark secrets, but I don't regret meeting you...i- it's almost as if we were meant to meet each other."
 
  I was now face to face with Phillip. Our noses were almost touching,
 
  "Me too, your highness - I mean Leon, me too,"
 
  he was tearily smiling at me, and I mirrored his,
 
  a knock at the door startles us, and Phillip scrambles back into his seat as I wipe away any trace of me crying,
 
  "ahem!, come in!"
 
  Maxime and Marcus enter with Harella and Bane. They bow to me and then look to Phillip,
 
  "Oh my, why were you crying!?"
 
  I had already gotten out of my seat to stand over by the floor to ceiling windows,
 
  I can feel their accusing eyes on me,
 
  "The King showed me a letter that says that I may be Celestian, but that is unlikely, so I got a little emotional."
 
  after collecting myself more, I turn towards them,
 
  "they reported that that was where Amiira last resided before she disappeared, and that is also where she was born, so after digging more into her past, they deduced that she was a Celestian witch maiden, she practiced healing light magic"
 
  they all nodded in understanding as I briefed them,
 
  "so therefore Phillip is most likely of Celestian blood and..., he must go to the Solar plain"
 
  Phillip's eyes widened,
 
  "What!?"
 
 
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A/N: Hope the long read wasn't too much, I had to pull this one out of my ass. Writers' block is no joke, folks.