On The Other Side Of The Castle

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The prince was worried sick. Cathy should have been back by now. He paced recklessly in his room, refusing to eat or rest. Delilah sat on his bed, watching him pace."Alex, stop. Just watching you is making me sick." She complained. He crossed his arms and frowned at her."Nobody's making you stay." He growled at her. She rolled her eyes and shrugged. He sighed and started pacing again. She stared at him and raised and eyebrow suspiciously,"Are you sure you don't know where she went?" She prodded. He paused before shaking his head,"Im sure." No matter how worried he was, he could never tell her where she went. Cathy would hate him. So he kept his mouth shut, silently hoping she would turn up soon. Delilah eyed him for another moment before pushing herself off the bed. She stood and strode over to the door,"Well, you can mope around all you want. But I'm actually going to do something." And with that she walked out, slamming the door behind her. The prince sighed deeply and sat down in his bed, tired of pacing. He looked out his window, wondering where Cathy was. She could be hurt, or lost. Finally, he couldn't take it anymore. No matter what Delilah said, he was going to find her. She should've been back. There was no excuse. He walked out of his room and found Delilah talking to a guard. He walked over and frowned,"What's going on?" He asked. The guard opened his mouth, but Delilah beat him to it,"Snowdrift was found on the forest trail. Alone, and tied up to a tree. She seemed in good condition, which means Cathy should be close by. But the guards were unable to find her." The prince scowled at the guard,"What do we pay you for? To take nature walks?"Delilah shrugged,"It's not their fault." She said. The prince shook his head,"That's no excuse! Did they at least ask any of the villagers close by if they saw her?" This time the guard spoke up."Yes. We saw a boy, around your age, hanging around the area. We asked him if he saw her, but he denied seeing her. He did seem earnest, so we let him go." Delilah snorted and muttered "Of course you let him go, not like he lied or anything. I don't trust him." Alex spoke up,"What's his name? And where does he live?" He asked. Delilah shrugged, but the guard said,"Jack. I think. But I don't know where he lives. It's not my job to know where everyone is. I have a hard time finding all my guards, much less the villagers." Delilah dismissed the guard and turned to Alex,"What are you thinking?" She asked him. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully before replying,"I think I'll pay our mystery Jack a visit." He had that devilish smile on his face so Delilah gave him a stern look before scolding,"Now Alex, remember to be responsible and think before you act." He smirked at her in the way that drove her crazy and murmured,"Don't worry, it's just going to be a............ friendly, visit." Delilah shook her head and rolled her eyes before walking off. The prince grinned after her and muttered,"He better pray he doesn't know about Cathy. For his sake."

       Cathy had been walking with Jack for a few minutes, simply chatting about whatever was in their minds. Cathy didn't bother telling her story of woe, since she assumed he already knew. Jack was surprisingly funny and talkative. He did most of the talking, leaving Cathy to listen to his stories. They were quite entertaining and funny. Every time he finished one, she would beg him for another one. Which he happily obliged. With every story, or fact, she found herself drawing closer to him. Almost as if she had known him for years. Finally, after a few more minutes of walking, Jack stopped the story he was telling and said,"We're almost here." Cathy cocked her head to the side and questioned,"Where?" He wiggled his eyebrows at her and said,"You'll see." Much to Cathy's annoyance, he wouldn't reveal anymore information and continued with his story. Jack was an excellent guide, it was almost as if he knew every tree and stone by heart. He smiled when Cathy mentioned this and said,"I could probably find anyplace here, blindfolded." Cathy chuckled and continued to pester him about the place he spoke of. But he only gave vague answers and that had Cathy begging for more information. But no matter how much she persisted, he wouldn't tell her. Finally, he glanced back at her and gave her a glare,"Stop pestering me!" Cathy was quiet for the rest of the time, until he finally grinned at her and said,"We're here." Cathy gasped and stared ahead. It was beautiful.

      The prince had been riding for more than an hour. Trying to track down Jack wasn't easy. Once he finally figured out where he lived, the sky was already dimming. But what was harder was that the directions to his house was impossible to follow. The directions led him through a forest and the forest was endless. They told him to turn at the tree that was broken in three places. But there were so many trees and some of them were broken in many places. He had to find him soon, before the sun set. Finally, after riding for what seemed like forever, he saw the dim lights of a house. He urged his horse on and skidded to a stop in front of a gorgeous looking house. He eyed it up carefully before tying his horse up and walking up to the door. He took a deep breath before knocking, and setting on his calm, but threatening face. A moment later, the door was opened by a handsome boy, with green eyes and a mop of blond hair. He looked at ease and amused as he leaned against the doorway casually. The prince narrowed his eyes at him. He was a bit taller than the prince and looked older, but still held the same boyish features. The unkept hair, the devilish look in his eye, the proud face. The prince crossed his arms over his chest and asked curtly,"Are you Jack?" The boy's eyes gleamed when he said those words and he smiled slyly."That I am." He said eyeing the prince,"And your Prince Alexander." He noted. The prince nodded and motioned with his hand behind him,"May I have a moment?" Jack shrugged and held open the door with contempt,"It would be an honor." But the way he said it, did not sound like an honor. The prince gave a forced smile and walked in. Jack walked behind him and showed him to the living room. It was a fancy room, with wallpaper decorated beautifully and silk chairs with matching carpets. The prince took a seat and thanked Jack vaguely. Jack took a seat in a chair across from him."So tell me, what did I deserve to have your company tonight." The prince glared at him and said coolly,"I wouldn't call it an honor. What have you heard of a girl called Cathy." He smiled amusingly when he said those words, as if it was a joke. The prince scowled at him, waiting for the fake denial. But Jack stood and stretched,"Would you like something to eat or drink?" He asked the prince. Alex just stared at him, before replying,"No thank you. I would just like to know if you saw her." Jack got a distant look in his eyes before asking thoughtfully,"Who?" The prince clenched his jaw and hissed through his grit teeth,"Cathy." Recollection came to his face as he smiled and said,"Ah, the pretty girl on a white mare," he paused and glanced at the prince to confirm. He glared at him and nodded,"Yes." He continued, not fully answering,"The girl who appeared in the chicken coop."

      "Yes."

     "The girl who was falling for a prince."

Alexander paused, unsure how to reply. But Jack didn't give him a chance to talk.

"The girl who rode out in the woods and took a walk with Jack."

      Before the words barely left his mouth, the prince had already left his seat and lunged at him. His hands curling around his neck,"What have you done to her?!!" He yelled angrily, both of them tossing and turning around on the floor. Jack ripped the hands off his throat and struggled to breathe. The prince stood up and towered over him. Surprisingly Jack seemed at ease, he even managed a chuckle and a smirk before saying,"Well, wouldn't you like to know?" The prince lunged at Jack again, but he easily side-stepped and watched him carefully,"Calm down. She's fine. Sleeping." The prince breathed heavily and snapped,"Where?!" Just as Jack was about to respond a sweet voice came from the hallway. "Jack? Where are you?" A sleepy looking Cathy emerged from the hall. Both boys stared dreamily, then glared at each other. Cathy dropped her jaw and gasped,"Alex?" She breathed.

      Hello everyone! Thank you for reading! Which one do you like better? Jack or Alex? I want to hear your opinions so please comment and vote! Thank you!

              -Author😘