Lost Eternity // Killian Jones

A Bittersweet Travel

1 years later

"Rose, wake up, it's already 9 o'clock," I vaguely hear someone talking to me. "Rose, you need to hurry." This voice is too insistent; I can't sleep. "Rose!"

"Haaaaa," I scream more or less as I wake up with a start. I look around and see Jenny's face. She's looking at me as if to say: are you serious.

"I've been trying to wake you up for a good 10 minutes," she says annoyed. So that was the voice I heard in my dream.

"Sorry, Jenny, I had trouble falling asleep last night," I say.

"Come on, hurry up now, your class starts in 10 minutes. You don't even have time to eat, sleepyhead." I sigh and quickly get out of bed. I get ready with Jenny's help and soon head to the classroom. I know Madame Lagardelle hates it when I'm late, she's a witch after all. The last time I was late, she made me come an hour earlier to her classes for over a month! She's really a witch. Luckily, I arrive just in time. I walk into the room and sit down quickly. At that same moment, I see Madame Lagardelle enter and look at me sternly.

"Well, young lady, you almost arrived late," she says somewhat condescendingly. I don't respond and let her continue talking.

"Well, today we are going to work on the different types of plants that grow in the kingdom," she says, starting to write on the board.

Another class that's going to bore me to death. Luckily, it's Wednesday today. And like every Wednesday for a year now, I'll get to see Killian. It's our little tradition, every Wednesday evening around 10 o'clock, once the sun has set, we meet on the beach. I can't help but smile at the thought of seeing my friend, and no one can take away my good mood, not even Madame Lagardelle and her class on plants.

In the evening:

The day passed relatively quickly, and it's now time for me to take the plunge, so to speak. The sun has just set, and the guards have finished their rounds; I think I know them by heart now. It's a miracle I haven't been caught sneaking out of the castle yet.

Enough talk, I hoist myself onto the balcony and descend using the ivy. I reach the ground with agility, I must say I have quite a bit of experience now. I start walking the path that I know all too well, and in less time than it takes to say "Poof," I arrive at our meeting point. After a few minutes of waiting, I startle when hands cover my eyes.

"Guess who," I smile and remove the hands covering my eyes.

"You're silly, Killian, who else could it be but you?" I say joyfully, happy to see him. "How are you?" I ask as he settles on the sand in front of me.

"Great! And I have some good news," he says happily. It's rare to see him like this.

"Really? Tell me! I want to know everything!" I ask eagerly. He looks at me seriously. He almost scares me.

"I hope you're ready. Tomorrow, my father is taking Liam and me out to sea! Isn't that great news? I'll finally get to go on a ship," he says excitedly.

"Oh wow, Killian, that's wonderful! You've been dreaming of this for so long," I say happily for him. It warms my heart to see him slowly getting closer to his dream.

"But tell me, aren't you scared?" I ask curiously. Indeed, while I dream of travel and leaving, it's true that it scares me a bit, especially since my father told me there could be storms that could overturn an entire ship, or even creatures that devour sailors' souls.

"Of course not! There will be a captain, my father and my brother, there's no reason for anything to go wrong," he tries to reassure me, but I can hear in the tone of his voice that he's trying to reassure himself too. "You're worried about me, aren't you?" he adds with a smirk.

I blush furiously and playfully hit his arm to try to hide my embarrassment. "Of course not! I don't see why I would worry," I respond, stuttering slightly.

"Haha, I'm just teasing, Rose, don't react like that," he laughs at my behavior.

"It's not funny, Killian, stop laughing right now!" I say annoyed. I stand up, and he quickly understands that he'd better start running now if he doesn't want his mouth filled with sand. That's how the evening ended in an endless chase on the beach. And as expected, we ended up in the water having a splash battle, soaking wet. Once we calmed down, we returned to dry land and lay down on the sand, side by side, to watch the stars. Even though our clothes were wet and covered in sand, we didn't care; nothing could spoil a moment like this.

"I can't wait to see you next week; I'll have so much to tell you! I'll tell you everything that happened at sea," he says, turning his head towards me. I do the same and reply, "Of course, you'll tell me everything. I'm counting on you."

That's how our evening ends. I always feel a little pang at the thought of returning to the castle and my princess life, but I have no other choice. Killian still doesn't know that I'm a princess. Maybe I could tell him next week? I don't want to hide it from him anymore, and I think I'm close enough to him to tell him without fearing that he'll want to use me for my title or see me differently.

A few days later:

As I'm walking in the castle gardens, I can't help but wonder if Killian is at sea. How is he? Is he afraid? I'm so lost in my thoughts that I don't even watch where I'm going. And as fate would have it, I collide with something hard. "Ouch!" Surprised, I whimper and hold my nose where the impact was most painful.

"Rose, come on! Pay attention to where you're walking," a familiar voice reaches my ears.

"Father?" I exclaim, slightly surprised to see him here. He doesn't usually stroll around.

"What are you doing here?" I ask curiously.

"I came to talk to you," he says happily. "I have excellent news to tell you. I'm sure you'll be pleased!" he adds.

"Really? What is it?" I ask excitedly.

"We're going on a trip! It won't be very far, but I know you dream of traveling," he tells me, happy to share this news with me.

"Is it true? Your the best dad ever !" I reply, tears in my eyes. I waste no time and hug him tightly. It's too good to be true. "Where are we going?" I ask excitedly.

"Well... We're going to stay at the castle of one of my friends," he answers vaguely. I furrow my brow; I feel like he's hiding something from me.

"At which friend's?" I ask, and judging by his reaction, that's what he wanted to omit telling me.

"We'll be staying for a week at Lubin and his parents' place," he finally admits. I lose my smile in an instant, and it's for two different reasons. Firstly, because I'll have to spend time with Lubin, and secondly, the one that saddens me the most, I'll miss my meeting with Killian on Wednesday.

"Do I have to come?" I ask, hoping for a negative answer.

"Come on, darling, of course you have to come. Besides, we're going to do some work at the castle, so you can't stay," he says very seriously. "I don't understand, Rose, you were so excited about traveling, and I'm sure you can bear Lubin for a week," he says, confused by my reaction. Unfortunately, I can't tell him the reason why I'm so un pleased by this trip.

That's how I find myself a few hours later, in a carriage heading towards Lubin's father's castle. I have a knot in my stomach, a bad feeling, and above all, I hope Killian won't be too mad at me.