Princes In Hiding

From A Life To Another

I opened my eyes and see my darkened bedroom. For a strange reason, I was sitting on the floor with my back against the door. "I must've fallen asleep," I thought. I stood up and felt my back sore from the way I slept. What happened? I suddenly remembered the boys and my father. I wondered, "Was that just a dream?" I hear a knock on my door and was taken away from my thought.

The door opened and I saw my father peek in. "Princess, it's time for dinner," he tells me. I looked at the time on my phone and was surprised I didn't miss dinner. I nodded and my father stepped aside, allowing me to go down the stairs before him. I silently wished that the boys were no where to be found. However, no god or fairy could fulfill that wish. When I was in view, the boys were looking at me from the dining table. They looked exhausted but they had simple smiles on their faces except for Florence who looked around the house curiously.

I noticed the dining table was filled with different dishes. I had only expected the fried chicken which my father suggested earlier. There were pasta, steaks, stews and many other expensive looking meals. "Who cooked," I asked them.

"We did," Harold said, "It's the least we could do for suddenly moving in."

Wait. Moving in?

"I don't remember the part where you were going to move in," I said with confusion.

"Well you suddenly disappeared, remember," Florence snapped. I rolled my eyes.

I looked at the table again. I couldn't believe that these idiots cooked all of these. "We did everything," Joseph said, "Well... everything but the fried chicken which your father insisted to cook." I looked at my dad, who just proudly smiled.

"We should start eating," my father said, "I know you boys must be exhausted after suddenly moving and receiving such news." The boys nodded and we all took a seat before digging in. I noticed how differently the boys act. I know Joseph was more loud in school but now he's eating quietly, his back straight, and moves with elegance. He started to look like the prince he claimed to be.

"Is something wrong," I hear Joseph ask. I didn't I was staring at him until my attention was called. I immediately shook my head. I can also feel the temperature rise as I'm filled with embarrassment. Why am I embarrassed? I continue to eat what I have on my plate. I wanted to ask many things, but I feel like now's not the right time to do so. The atmosphere feels cold and gloomy unlike the meals I had before. If it weren't for the hot food, I think I would've froze on my seat.

Vincent was the first to finished. He excused himself immediately and left the room. Soon, the other three left as well, leaving my father and I in the room. I hear my father sigh, "Princess, I'm sorry that this suddenly happened," he said.

"I need to understand what exactly is 'this,'" I tell him, "Why didn't you tell me anything before, about you and mother? Why did you move here? Why are you still connected with the king?" I begin to toss questions that have been screaming in my head during the meal. I took a deep breath, calming myself down a bit. "I can't understand," I tell him.

My father reached out and grabbed my shoulder. He looked at me with his kind eyes and I remember the comforting man who was always there for me. "My dear," he starts, "I know this is confusing, but please don't think that your mother and I did this because we didn't trust you with it." He let go of me and took a deep breath, "If you want, I'll tell you everything. Right now." I nodded my head and I see a small smile on his face. "When your mother and I came to this country, we never planned on living here. It was more of a vacation for us. Your mother was pregnant with you and we planned to get back to Elpis before you're born. We always wanted for your eyes to see the wonderful kingdom," I could almost see sparkles in his eyes as he recalls the scenery of Elpis. I only saw images, but it was enough for me to know about beautiful tropical kingdom.

"We had planned everything, but one day, we received word from the King. He told us not to come back to Elpis. He even arranged for our citizenship to be changed. He told us the circumstances back in the region," he said referring to the threats and rebellion, "I honestly never wanted to go on a vacation, but it was the king's order. That man always looked out for others." My father laughed slightly. Were he and the king friends? This is another question that I must ask.

"I wanted to go back. It was my duty to protect the king. I didn't accept the job even when they sent the boys here," he looked at me, "However, when you were born, I did. You became my life and I was so eager to see you grow that I never wanted to leave you alone. I knew that if I went back, there would be danger everywhere we go. For your sake, I stayed and continued to do my job here." I nodded taking in the information. It was a lot but that was not the end.

"Your job," I asked, "What exactly is your job?"

"To protect the princes until it's safe for them to return or until Joseph can take the throne," he responds, "I didn't think it would last this long. I really hopped that the threats and the rebellion would stop after a few years."

One question, remains for me to ask my father. "Why are the boys here now?"

"The queen, their mother, is dead." That's all my father said before the room became cold silent once again.

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Author's notes:
I'll try to make longer chapter if you want. I just don't find long chapters to be fun to read but if you wish for me to write longer chapters (about 2k words) then write it in the comments and I'll fix the next chapters.
Once again, thank you for reading.