A Tale of Two Princes

7

~~Hey guys!! So, I'm back with a chapter! Yay? This chapter was honestly supposed to be a little longer and a little more... evil? IDK, I just decided to post it now, but I'm in a writing mood right now, so who knows? Anyways, I'll let you read!~~

Mark's P.O.V.  

I woke up to the bright sun shining through my windows and hitting my face. I still felt tired from last night's events, but I put that behind me as I got up and changed quickly into my simple clothing. I felt a smile fight it's way to my face as I ran down the empty halls, trying to be a quiet as possible. Even though my heart was still filled with sorrow, I couldn't help the happiness I felt as I ran to the stables, on my way to see him. Even the mere thought of him made me feel ten times better. I felt something bubble in my chest, it was a warm feeling and it felt even more impactful whenever I thought of the green haired merman. I quickly opened the stable doors, letting the light stream in and wake up the animals. I heard a distinct whinny from my fine horse, he didn't see that it was I who was coming in and waking him up. I ran to his stall and smiled at him brightly.

"C'mon Tim! It's time to go see him!!" He immediately looked up at the sound of my voice, before his eyes sparkled at me. I quickly opened his stall door and saddled him up.
"Ah, prince Mark! Were you about to go out on your morning ride? Please, let us join you! Were you going to go in your night clothes, prince? That is no attire for one as royal as you to wear, but I shall let it pass for now. Let us go!" Right as I had sat upon Tim, Sir Ken Morrison had come into the stable followed by a small group of men sitting atop their own horses. Ken was the best hunter in the kingdom, and so my parents deemed him the royal huntsmen. He then formed a little group of hunters, all specially trained by him to be the best hunters. I felt the sadness return to my mind, along with a new sense of fear. I couldn't lead them to the cove, then they would find out about Jack, and that was the last thing I wanted them to do. My only hope was to lose them on the journey there, and I'm sure Tim had the same idea. He shifted around in a way that only meant he was angry, and I wasn't going to stop my horse in his angered run.
"If you must... but take this warning, we like to go fast." I called back to Ken as him and his group gathered behind me. Tim kicked at the ground impatiently but listened to every word I said and whinnied as he understood what I was allowing him to do.
"Oh my prince, I'm sure we can handle it. Your horse there isn't as old or skilled as ours are, they have been trained by the best-" Ken nonchalantly replied to my comment, but I didn't let him finish. Yes, he could scoff at me, but never, ever could he make fun of Tim, or how I trained him. With a flick of my wrist, Tim shot straight out of the stables. He was incredibly pissed, and I wasn't gonna stop him. I leaned down close to his back as the wind whipped through my hair. I could hear the faint call from Ken, but I ignored him and let the sound of the early morning fill my ears. I continued to ride around freely, letting Tim go where ever he wanted. I then realized he was heading to the cove, trying to get there before Ken found us, so I could see Jack.
"Tim, we can't let them find Jack! Go somewhere else, it doesn't matter if we are a little late!" I pulled up a little to get closer to Tim's ear as I told him my plan. Immediately, he obeyed and turned down a side path, heading out into the countryside. He continued to whip around, taking sharp turns and then running straight down a line before a gentle curve that led to another corner. Finally, Tim started to slow down, and I then took the reins and lead him over to a small cliff that leads down into the water. I pulled to a stop and hopped off, petting his neck as he stuck his head down. The cliff was small enough so that he could easily drink some of the water below us. I sighed, looking out at the water. We weren't too far from the cove, though, even after all our riding around.
"Alright Tim, I think we can go to-" I heard the sound of hooves behind us and turned just in time to see Ken and his group riding up behind us.
"Like I said, my prince, we are quite capable of keeping up with you!" He gave a hearty smile that I almost scowled at. Luckily, Tim did that for me, letting out a huff of disapproval.
"Now, tell me, prince, were in the world did you take us? I haven't seen this part of the beach before!" He walked up to me and looked around at the scenery before us. It was a beautiful view of the castle, one that I would've appreciated if I wasn't worried about getting Ken off my heels. Suddenly, Tim let out a frightened whinny and backed up, getting everyone's attention. I looked into the water, trying to find what had spooked Tim. I noticed a slight shimmer in the water, and the panic and fear came over my eyes too. At this angle, it looked like I was the only one here, so if Jack was looking for me, he would also stumble upon a small group of the best hunters in the kingdom. I immediately pulled on Tim's reins as I started to lead the troop away, trying to act calm.
"Alright, Tim is done here, time to go!" I ushered Ken away, pulling Tim over to block his view.
"Why, we just got he-"
"MERMAID!!" Someone in the group had a higher vantage point and called out, interrupting Ken's sentence. I immediately turned around to find the same orange haired mermaid that was with my brother. My eyes widened and I almost started to rush over to her, block the path of the troops.
"Protect the prince! And, kill that creature!" Ken called out as he pulled me back, also pulling Tim along with me. My entire face paled as they all quickly pulled out their crossbows and were firing at the mermaid. I felt tears prick my eyes as she looked straight at me, with a mix of anger and pain, because I looked like my brother. That's why she came up, I looked like my brother. I felt an immense amount of guilt as she turned and started to swim. I then noticed something in the corner of my eye- Jack. He was barely above the water- hiding behind a rock some meters away- but it was enough for me to see the pain in his beautiful blue eyes. I suddenly snapped as I tried my best to break free of ken's grip, trying to get to him. He was my last hope, the last person that actually cared about me. I couldn't help the feeling in the pit of my stomache, the absolute pain at the thought of losing his trust that I had to earn all those years ago. I tried to call out to him, trying my best to break free as he swam away, but my voice stopped working. Nothing was working, and eventually, the troop stopped firing. Ken finally released me, and I ran to the edge.
"Do you think we hit her?" Someone called out from the group. I sighed, the hadn't seen Jack then, there was some relief.
"No, if we had, then she would be floating up top. Damn..." Ken turned back to his horse and grabbed the saddle, pulling himself back up.
'Prince Mark, I'm sorry I held you back, I know you wanted to fight, but I must look after your safety. You are very precious to our kingdom." Ken looked at me as I continued to look down at the spot I had seen Jack. I didn't reply as I felt my heart crush into millions of tiny pieces, my whole world broke. I wanted to let tears slip, but I suddenly felt hollow, I felt nothing. Tim suddenly brought his muzzle to my neck. I turned and looked at him before petting him and letting out a forced chuckle.
"It is fine, I didn't have any weapon to use anyways..." I composed myself, before turning back to the group, a small smile on my face as I said the lies without a hint of hesitation.
"Look, Tim is tired now, so I shall be heading back. I will not be coming to breakfast either, so if someone shall need me, I will be in my quarters." I pulled myself up onto Tim as I calmly finished my sentence, pulling on my princely demeanor. I then did a quick tug on Tim's reins and he quickly galloped off. I sighed, wiping the face half smile off my face as it went completely blank. We passed by the cove entrance and I slowed Tim down to a stop.
"He... Jack was there..." I barely whispered before Tim turned his head back to the trail and started to gallop back. I looked down at his mane, as I felt a single tear slip down my face.
'You saw him too... Tim... thank you.." I smiled slightly at him as he pulled me back to the castle, taking me away from the despair. We made it back to the stable and I brought Tim back into his stall, barely even registering what I was doing. I finally closed his stall door and was about to walk away when he let out a sad whinny. I looked up to him to see sadness in his light blue eyes. I had no clue what he was trying to say to me, but I knew he was trying to cheer me up. I put my forehead on his muzzle for a second before giving him my best smile. I brought my hands down from his neck and turned away, walking slowly out of the dark stable. I made it back to my room and shut the door, locking it before I stared at the cold dark wood. I turned and looked out at my room. It was giant, with a master bed sticking out of the other furniture, blocking some of the light from the balcony doors. I sluggishly moved to the corner of the bed staring out into the bright morning as I grabbed the bedpost. The fresh sunlight had lost its warmth, though, it was now sharp and hurtful, trying to enter my room and leave harsh shadows against the delicate wood. I felt my legs give way as I fell onto my knees, letting my hands come to my face. All that had just happened hit me like a punch to the stomache. I felt tears start to overflow my eyes as the pain came full on and I felt myself completely break. I sat there in the silence as I continued to cry my eyes out until there were no tears left. I shakily stood up before crashing onto my bed and pulling the covers over me. I stared blankly at the balcony under my covers as I watched the morning slowly turn into day. I waited for someone to come to my room, pull me out of bed and bring me to my lessons as usual. But no one came, and so I was left to my grief and sadness, internally blaming myself.  

~~"So... How about that Holiday chapter?" is what I was gonna say, but this chapter wasn't too bad, so I'll use that later. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed! I feel like I explain the scenery too much, but I just kinda get lost in the imagery in my head and I feel the need to show it to you. Honestly, the whole story plays out as a movie in my head as it should be, and I', always worried I don't word it correctly. But, I hope you enjoyed this, and I'll see you later!~~