Vanished time

Chapter six

Lily
Where is he?
Where?
My hair falls out of the bun, but I don't care. I need to find Dylan.
I open the door to the bathroom: nothing.
The library: nothing.
Eden's room? Nothing.
Maybe he went to his room. Or maybe he is a part of this. I wouldn't be surprised. It seems like everyone is connected to this.
I take a deep breath, tears still flowing down as I storm into his room.

I can't breathe anymore. I ran through the whole castle just to find him here, looking at me amused. His wet hair is in his face, and he doesn't wear a shirt. On any other day, I would've fantasized about a moment like this.
But not anymore. Zenobia is gone, and I feel like I lost my mother for the second time again.

"They killed her" is all I manage to say. I fall to the ground. I can't breathe. I only feel tears flowing down, and everything is blurry.

"Girly, what do you mean? Who killed who?" Dylan helped me up to his bed.
"Zenobia. They killed her.”
He held up my chin, brushing the tears away.
"Who?"
”My..my father. Your father. They killed her."
I closed my eyes. Dylan's hands fell down.
"You're lying. He wouldn't."
Of course he doesn't believe me. I hate this. I hate how the words don't come out of my mouth.
"They know where all the devices are, and.. Zenobia knows too. I mean, knew. And she said that this was a bad idea, called them out and they shot her and-"
I take a deep breath again, opening my eyes.
"My mother didn't die at my birth. My father killed her."
Dylan stands up. I can feel the energy in the room, and it isn't good. "You are lying. My father always says how he wishes those weird devices would exist. And your father killing your mother? That's nonsense. Lily, what's up with you?"
He didn't call me girly anymore. This was it. He would tell his father and they would all decide to kill me.

I slowly stand up from the bed, going to Dylan, I place my hand on his left arm, looking into his eyes.

"Dylan. Please, believe me. Just this once. You don't have to ever again, but you need to right now, because I need to get away from here somehow. I don't want to stay."
Dylan looked into my eyes. For a second, I think he looked at my lips. I wasn't sure, my eyes were still covered in tears. He nods.

"Okay, girly. I'll try to believe you. Let's make a plan." I sigh in relief as the tears start to go away.

I step away from Dylan, sitting down on the ground. I look at his chest again. I really shouldn't, but I feel like this might be the only opportunity. I wonder how it would feel to kiss him and-
He clears his throat and I turn red. He looks at him shirtless and then back to me, turning slightly red too.
He puts on a shirt and sits down next to me, still red.
"Okay, girly. You could come with me when the sun goes up again. We could tell your father and stepmother we are engaged or something. Maybe they would let us go if that's the case."
I laugh. Me and Dylan engaged? He might be handsome, but I wouldn't. I really wouldn't.
Never.
Okay, maybe I would.
I shake my head
”Unbelievable. But if we don't have any other choices, let's do it."
"We could also just tell them that you want to go on a business trip." I nod.
"Okay. Well, my kingdom is big. You could ask people there about time, find out something if you still want to. Or do you want to focus on the other thing?" He didn't dare to say it, probably because he didn't want me to cry again.
"I don't think I can do anything about this right now. If I told the civilians, my father would hear about it. Maybe I would be beheaded.”
He gasps, but then laughs. "He wouldn't kill you." But then he looks at me and my serious face. He nods slowly. "Nevermind."
I slowly stand up, heading to my room as I stop. I am scared to go alone. I don't want to.
"Please Dylan, come with me. I'm scared." He smiles wide, following me to my room.
Me and Dylan are really close, his hands on my back. "I really don't want to stay here anymore. '' I whisper, but he leans close to me, assuring me I didn't have to.
He slowly tucked me into the bed, and in this moment I really wished he'd be mine. Kissing him like this would have been a dream.
"Do you want to hear a night story?" He said jokingly. But I did. And most importantly, I wanted him to stay. I nod as I grinned.
"Okay, hmm. Many nights ago, in a village, there lived a young couple named Iseul and William. Iseul was a beautiful and kind-hearted maiden, while William was a brave and noble prince. They were deeply in love and planned to marry."
The names were really similar until it hit me. "Your grandparents." I whispered, and he nodded as he took my hand.
“Yes. However, their love story took a dark turn when Iseuls jealous ex-lover, Reginald, discovered their plans. Consumed by rage and obsession, Reginald made a pact with a powerful sorceress to curse their love. On their wedding day, as Iseul and William exchanged vows, a mysterious mist enveloped the church. The guests watched as Iseuls skin turned pale and her eyes glowed with an otherworldly light. William, determined to save his beloved, drew his
sword and confronted Reginald. A fierce battle ensued, with William fighting against Reginald's dark magic. As they clashed, the curse began to take its toll on Iseul. She started to transform into a creature of the night, her body becoming ethereal and her touch deadly. With every swing of his sword, William's love for Iseul grew stronger. He fought valiantly, refusing to let the curse claim her. In a final, desperate move, he plunged his sword into Reginald's heart, breaking the sorceress' spell."

He stopped for a second. "You're tired. Maybe you should sleep, girly." I shook my head, gripping his hands tightly onto me.

He laughed as he continued talking. "As Reginald fell, the curse lifted, and Iseul returned to her human form. Weakened and exhausted, William held Iseul in his arms, their love triumphing over the darkness that had threatened to tear them apart. From that there, Iseul and William vowed to cherish each other, knowing that their love had conquered even the darkest of forces. And so, their love story became a legend, whispered in the halls of villages.”

"Wow." I look into his eyes.
"That's a beautiful story"" He slowly gets up from the bed, going to the door. "Goodnight" he whispers.
"Don't. Please." I grab his hand.
“Stay.”

***

Well, Prince Dylan sleeping next to me definitely wasn't on my bingo list. But now here he was, staring at the ceiling.

"Do you think your parents hired someone to kill you?" He whispered and I couldn't believe it. He might be right. What if my father tried to get rid of me? I was in big danger.
"I hope not. But if that's the case, I know you will protect me."
He chuckled.
"You remind me of one of my friends back in the Kingdom. Her name is Evelyn. But you need to call her Lady Evelyn, or she will be really mad. You both have a big passion."

I look at him.

"We do? I hope I can meet her, then."

He nods. His eyes are hard not to notice, glowing like a beautiful forest in the night.

"We can visit them on our way to my kingdom. There is also my best friend, Rowan. He is kind of awkward at first but then really cool. Also Saffron. She is really chill, so you don't have to worry. She will love you."
He kept talking.
Talking and talking about these 3 people. I wonder if they are really so special. Does he feel something for one of those girls? I hope not. I bet they're pretty. I can't keep my eyes open.

Goodnight.