the books of hidden worlds

chapter eighteen: Alden

       Thank you again for all your help, Sir Swartz," Kaelion said with a grateful nod.

"My pleasure, Your Majesty," Swartz replied with a respectful bow.

"Please, just call me Kaelion," the prince added with a smile.

"Shall we?" Evander interjected, and as the portal opened to lead them back to the Arcana siblings' home, they stepped inside.

Once through the portal, a heavy silence enveloped the surroundings.

"You need to go, Kael," Evander insisted, his voice barely above a whisper.

"I can’t. I don’t want to go alone," Kaelion responded, shaking his head.

"Hmm... fine. You’re stubborn, but that’s your choice. Just don’t spoil yourself in everything, my loyal highness," Evander teased, flashing a grin.

Kaelion returned the grin and suddenly pulled Evander into a hug.

"That’s twice now," Evander muttered.

"Sorry, I can’t help it. I guess I’m just used to it," Kaelion said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Am I interrupting something?" Lucan’s voice suddenly broke through the moment, making both men freeze.

"How long have you been standing there, Lucan?" Evander asked, startled.

"Long enough. But don’t worry, I didn’t see everything. Just forget it. Carry on," Lucan said with a dismissive wave, turning on his heel and heading into the house.

"Shall we head inside as well?" Evander suggested.

"You go ahead. I’ll follow in a bit."

As soon as they entered the house, Salem rushed over.

"Van! I was worried about you," she said, relief evident in her voice.

Elias, standing nearby, caught sight of Kaelion and spoke up. "Your Majesty, Prince Kaelion."

With a playful grin, Alden added, "Looks like something happened between the two of you that we don’t know about."

"What? No!" Evander exclaimed, flustered.

"Exactly," Kaelion chimed in. "All I did was hug him. Twice. That’s all."

"Sure, sure," Evander teased, laughing softly.
                 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Later that night, Kaelion noticed Evander lying awake.

"Evan, are you still awake?" Kaelion asked, sitting up from his bed.

"Yeah, I can’t sleep," Evander replied with a sigh.

Without another word, Kaelion got up and motioned for Evander to follow him outside.

"What exactly are we doing out here?" Evander asked, as they walked hand in hand.

"Kael," Evander started, hesitating.

"Hmm? What is it?" Kaelion asked, his eyes searching Evander’s face.

"It’s nothing," Evander muttered as they sat down together.

"Do you ever think about how things would have been if we hadn’t left Elyndor?" Kaelion asked after a pause. "I would be back at the palace by now, wouldn’t I?"

"Most likely," Evander replied thoughtfully. "But back then, all I wanted was to make you happy. I didn’t mean for us to get caught up in everything."

"You didn’t do anything wrong. In fact, I should be thanking you," Kaelion said, his voice soft. "Because of you, I’ve experienced things I never thought I would. You made me happy, Evan. I didn’t think I could feel this way again."