White Roses Bloom

Chapter Twenty

     Anna ran up the stairs, through the empty guest bedroom, and onto the castle balcony. She could hear a male voice humming from the roof and frowned. She lifted herself up onto the fencing around the balcony. The wind blew, making her wobble precariously on the edge of the high up fencing. Anna reached for the roof and struggled to lift her own body weight up onto it. Her eyes darted up to see Vidro sat on the roof.
     “Vidro. We need to talk. Ever since that night with the lich, you've been avoiding me. We were close...I don't know...if I did something wrong. If I did, please just tell me. Please. So I can fix this. You're one of my best friends Vidro. I can't lose you. Please. Please just talk to me,” Anna begged desperately. Vidro glanced up at her and sighed. It was obvious to him that from way up here, there was no way for him to get out of this. “Look….Anna, you're my friend. I care about you, but what you did with that lich was stupid. You could have been killed! Hell, if Lydia hadn’t been there, you would have died. You should have just let the lightning hit me!” Vidro yelled, obviously over emotional as his voice was shaking.
     Anna sighed and sat down next to Vidro. Her eyes studied the kingdom of Risedo and the sun setting over the horizon. The sky was lit up in a beautiful arrays of oranges, pinks, yellows, and pale blues. “Vidro, I did that because I care about you. I'd rather die than see you killed. You're strong, you're brave, you're kind, you're clever, you're perfect. If anyone could save us, it would be you. I'd also rather not live without you,” Anna whispered, squinting as she stared up at the sun.
     Vidro stared over at Anna, pain in his eyes. “I would hate myself for every moment of every day for the rest of my life, if I knew that you died because of trash like me,” Vidro muttered. Anna’s eyes widened in concern upon hearing Vidro insult himself. “You're not trash. You are amazing, and if anyone can't see that,then they are blind. Really Vidro, I'd rather die than live without you!” Anna retorted, her voice shaking with emotion.
     Vidro stared down at the roofing tiles and frowned. He hesitated and reached into his pocket, pulling out a small piece of paper. Vidro held the piece of paper out to Anna and waited for her to take it. Anna reached out carefully and took the delicate piece of paper. Her eyes widened as she studied it. It was a portrait painting of her birth family. There was her parents, them holding onto her when she was no older than two years old. Though there was one thing that confused Anna. In front of Anna’s father's legs, there was a boy around the age of six years old. Anna looked up, eyes wide in recognition. The little boy in the family portrait was Vidro.
     “This was a week before I was kidnapped. After I was taken, I was beaten and used as a slave. My abductors told me everyday of how little my self worth was, and I believed every word of what they said. One day, they left me alone, forgot to chain me up or lock me away. I ran, as far as I could, as fast as I could. As I arrived in Mather, I found out they were planning to do to the princess. I couldn't let them, I couldn’t let them hurt her. I knew exactly what they would do to her, and I couldn't let it happen. As they tried to kidnap her, I fought them and killed them. That was when the king approached me, found out I was a little boy, lost, far away from home, and completely oblivious to who he was and where he was. He took me in, raised me as his own. All this time, I never knew my real family was in Idris. I never knew you, Anna,” Vidro explained, almost sounding heartbroken.
     Anna's heart sank as she listened to the young prince’s story. She had never expected any of this to come from him. She never expected the young, rough, handsome prince to be her older brother. She never even knew she had a brother, even with the full extent of her memory. Anna sighed and smiled. “Well then, brother. All the more reason for me to fight to keep you alive. You're my family and the last of it. I can't let anything happen to you brother,” Anna said with a grin. Vidro sighed and draped an arm over Anna’s shoulders, pulling Anna close. Anna smiled and nuzzled into her brother.
      The two siblings sat in silence, watching the sunset, almost in fear that speaking would end both their lives instantaneously. Once the sun had set and the moon had rose high into the darkened sky, Anna broke the silence that had been cast upon the two royal orphan siblings for far too long. "Let's get inside, warm up, and find the others," Anna ordered, standing up and holding out her hand for Vidro to grab onto.