Cost of the Crown (UNREVISED VERSION)

Black

December 3rd,

I did not see their plan of attack. If it was not for the spies we have in Madara and in other kingdoms, I would not have known of their plan. Why did I not see it? Did I just turn a blind eye? Impossible. Only two were shown to me... Maybe it was under the colours in which I did not see. Blue and Pink which was it?

It must not have been Pink, I only saw Cassandra in that... It must be Blue, in where I saw the man in white wearing a crown. I must look into it again.

It is! It is Blue, but what might be the meaning to it? A man in white wearing a crown... What is so strange about it?

The emblem! The emblem on the crown is the Orient's... But why would it be worn by a man in white? Our kingdom waves a violet flag in contrast to Madara's yellow... Must it be the second and third colours of the flags in which ours are gold and blue; theirs are white and red?

That man is from Madara yet he wears our crown... Must it be a symbol of our fall? Or must it be a symbol of an impossible alliance between us? I looked more deeply into it and all I saw was a woman in white with red eyes. If my little sister is the solution to this endless war between Madara and our kingdom, will she succeed?

I must be overthinking this... It all can't be... Unless it is the invetable in which I should not deny. I write this on my journal that my sister shall not know about... She matters so much to me that I cannot let her know the contents of this book I have been writing for the past years of my life ever since I knew of my unique abilities.

But if you do read this, Maria... Make your predecessors more proud of you. Though we are already proud of what you can do, especially me as your brother, you will be a great queen someday. Mom and Dad told me that you will be safe and we are here to guide your every step.

Cedric wrote in his journal as he sweated bullets. He couldn't stop the adrenaline rushing in his veins as he wrote every letter. He was worried, confused and most of all, shook. Not to mention that it was just the afternoon.

"Prince Cedric, you have been locking yourself in there for the whole afternoon. Your sister was worried that you did not eat lunch with her." A maid called from the other side of Cedric's door.

"Uhh... Please tell Maria that I am busy planning a defense for the speculated attack by Madara." Cedric told the maid.

"Certainly, sire." The maid walked to the garden where Maria was playing with the flowers she planted.

"What did Cedric say?" Maria asked the maid as she held the flower by the thorns.

"Your brother said that he is busy with plans, my princess." The maid curtseyed.

"Aww... How unfortunate... He didn't see the flowers bloom." She pouted as her eyes glowed long with the flowers that bloomed around her.

The maid left the princess be on the garden as she sat over the bush of thorns. For some reason, it did not hurt her. Her red eyes glowed more much like the flowers and a group of shadows just appeared before her.

"At your service..." a shadow bowed.

"Oh! What do you do?" Maria asked one of the shadows.

"We do your bidding, my queen." Another shadow replied.

"Goodie! I want to know what my brother is up to... Might you want to check on him?" Maria asked.

Half of the group of shadows left her to check on Cedric and it was a horrible sight.

"Ugh! What is it that I am missing?!" Cedric screamed. He threw his pillows and flipped the tables. It was an internal damnation in his room.

He looked at his journal then he flipped through the pages, the colours were all there. The shadows saw just about everything they could report then they went back to Maria.

Maria was chuckling and giggling with the shadows only she could see as of now due to her limited abilities. The servants were worried that their princess might actually be mad.

While the princess was losing her sanity in the garden, her brother was losing his sanity inside his room as he figured out how to look more into other possibilities aside from the colours that flash before him.

"Aghhhhh! My sister is to be queen when the inevitable comes and I meet my parents again... But why do I see this man wearing the crown that was meant for my sister?!" He yelled as he walked back and forth in his room. "Why don't these things just add up and make sense?!"

He could feel the tension building up inside his head as he unconsciously creates conspiracies for himself.

"Okay, there's the good and the bad in this... Both are in this place I assume." He sat down on his messed up bed as he fidgeted with his fingers. "The good: our kingdoms are united and my sister and that man-who I assume to be either royalty or nobility-have a happily ever after ending. The bad: that was our fall and my sister went complete bonkers after she let her emotions cloud her logic and practicality. Good lore, mother of gravey."

He sighed to himself as he saw himself in the mirror. His hair was just as a mess as his life portrayed by his room, the large bags under his eyes show that he hasn't been sleeping lately, and his clothes are just wrinkled just like his sanity as of now. He is also a bit paranoid.

"Cedric... Just focus and don't let your guard down. You'll be king for goodness sake and you are not handling this very well. Not to mention that you are already stressed and you are still not king." He told his reflection.

"Paranoia, I see, my prince." A lady said by the doorway.

"How did you get in here? The door was obviously locked." Cedric said not even turning to her.

"You forget that I have special abilities like you?" She continued.

Cedric took a deep breath then looked at the lady. He was startled which made him scream for a short amount of time.

"Is that how a prince greets a lady?" The lady crossed her arms.

"Lady Clara! I told you to stop barging in on me every single time!" Cedric told Clara.

"Geez, fine. I'll leave... But do know that your sister is watching you." Clara told Cedric as she left the room, locking the door this time.

Cedric was alone again. He let out a deep sigh as he felt his headache rushing in just to kick him into the gutters.

"How can I prevent the things I can prevent?" He asked himself. "Because one of us must go and see our parents again..."

He saw the sun setting by his window. He closed his eyes then collapsed on the bed.

"Good night..."