Princes In Hiding

Under The Starlights

My father filled me in on the events that had occurred in Elpis. The queen was killed in the palace, poisoned. The king is alive but now remains under house arrest for his safety. There is no suspect behind bars nor is there any person being interrogated under suspicion. This bits of information made me realize the emotions shown on the faces of the boys. I could empathize with them since I as well lost a mother. However, I was beside my mother when she passed. We managed to say our short goodbyes, but the boys didn't get to do so. When was the last time they saw their mother?

My father volunteered to wash all the dishes left by us and the guests. I cleaned the table, giving my father the plates and silverware that needed to be washed, and placing the leftovers on containers. There we plenty of them to feed us for days. The boys cooked all that; I still couldn't believe it.

As I was cleaning up, I heard a nearly silent shut of our front door. I peeked and saw no one has entered. One of the boys must've left the house. I looked at the clock and noticed how dark and dangerous it might be to be out this late. Considering their circumstance, none of them should be out this late. I quickly finished my task and told my father that I'll be out for a while.

When I stepped out of the house, I felt the cold breeze of the night. I shivered and embraced myself to keep warm. "He better have a coat on," I thought, "That boy shouldn't be out in the first place." I begin to walk looking for a familiar shadow, a footprint, anything that could lead me to a wandering prince.

The lot where my house is built on has a wide field and a small lake. I looked towards the lake and saw a shadow by the old tree. The shadow seems to be looking at the lake. Which prince might this be?

I walked up to him, feeling a bit frustrated. "Oi," I called his attention. When he heard me, he turned his head and I can see who I'm facing at this moment. "Joseph Alderis, you do know you shouldn't be out at this time?"

He gave me a small smile. "A woman like you shouldn't be out at this hour as well," he pointed out.

"We don't treat women like that anymore," I said, "I can get out whenever I like."

"So can I then," Joseph said. He continued to look at the lake while I waited next to him. "I don't need a bodyguard if that's what you're here for," he said, "I'll be back in a few minutes, don't worry."

I rolled my eyes. "If something happens to you, it will be on my father's hands. He doesn't even know you left. That alone can get him into a huge trouble." I continue to stand next to him. He didn't say anything, making the moment slightly awkward. I just followed his gaze and looked at the water. The water reflects the lights from the stars and the moon. A beautiful sight indeed.

"I don't know what to do," I hear Joseph suddenly say, "Everything seems to be suddenly crumbling down on me." I heard him sigh. He picked up a rock and threw it into the water, resulting for it to create a small ripple. I stood there and listened to him. "I am the next in line for the throne. It should be Harold but apparently I was born first. I can't really change that fact," he said.

"You and Harold are twins," I asked. This was new information to me. I did notice the similar smirk and eye color but everything else seemed to be way different. It already seemed impossible for these boys to be siblings, let alone for two of them to be twins.

"Seems impossible, right? We don't look alike" he said, "It's the hair and glasses, right? We totally fooled everyone."

"Yes, you did," I sarcastically said. "Besides that, you two seem to have two different worlds. You are in the varsity team and your brother is in the student government."

"That fact should be another reason why he should be the one next in line instead of me," he said.

"Why don't you want to be the next king?"

"Are you seriously asking me that," he said and I shrugged. I hear him sigh, "It's for the best that my brother be the one in-charge and not me. He's smarter, more logical and he has experience in leading while I'm good at catching a ball and running."

"You're probably right," I simply said and I heard him laugh.

"It's a good thing you said that," he looked at me with a smile, "I was expecting for a lecture. My tutor would've given me one for just being outside."

"Your tutor?" I do not recall my father mentioning a tutor.

"Yeah," he replied, "My brothers and I lived in different houses with our own tutors. We were even named after them as our alias. It makes our disguises seem more realistic. That's why we have different last names." It made sense. If they lived in different homes, had different names, people wouldn't see them as brothers, but as three unrelated people.

"What about Florence," I asked him, "He surely isn't your brother. Why is he here then?" This is a question I forgot to ask my father.

"You can think of him as my personal knight," he said, "Being in line for the throne has another downside. That dude needs to follow me everywhere I go. He even join the football team to follow me." Only he had a personal knight?

A few more minutes passed in silence and the night wind began to blow harder. I'm still freezing so I held myself tighter. Joseph seemed to notice my action and he smiled. "You always want to prove that you're strong," he said.

"What," I questioned his sudden comment.

"'The Lone Wolf,' your title in our school," he replied, "You always did everything on your own. Even the seniors noticed such actions. You tried to prove you're strong, having no weakness both in your academics and in sports." I rolled my eyes and he just looked at me with a smirk. "I have dated plenty of girls and I do know one thing," Joseph said while taking a step closer to me. I didn't step away, proving that I can keep my ground.

He looked at me in slight amusement but his eyes never left mine. I feel like I'm turning into stone with his gaze. "I do know that girls have a weakness that only a guy can see," he said. I looked at him in confusion and he just smiled. He grabbed my shoulders, "C'mon, you're probably freezing out here because of me," he said. I turned around and began to walk away from him. I can hear slow steps following me but I didn't want to wait.

Why do I feel furious after that? I have no weaknesses. I know that. I can prove it.