Worlds Apart

Betrayal

The two boys made their way back into the castle undetected, the cover of night shrouding their entrance. They reached Theodore's room and threw off their commoner clothing, stuffing it back into his closet, and changed back to their regular clothes. Oliver flung himself back on Theodore's bed, arms outstretched.

"Wow, " he said, "Maybe it's because I've grown up in a castle where everyone is so prim and proper, but those girls are the coolest people I think I've ever met."

Theodore just walked over to his large window and leaned against the sill, "Yea, she is" he said longingly. He felt an ache in his heart.

"Huh?" Oliver said quizzically, sitting up.

Theodore just turned away from the window and shook his head, "Nothing, never mind." He mumbled.

"No no no I heard what you said. You like Aella, don't you?" Oliver spoke with a snide grin on his face.

Theodore just huffed, "What does it matter, she's her and I'm me. It could never work. Besides, I just met her," he said defeated. The grin fell from Oliver's face as he felt for his friend.

"Well what matters is how you feel and what will make you happy, regardless of what could or couldn't work, " Oliver said sympathetically. He could see the turmoil boiling in Theodores mind as he began to pace around the room.

"That's the thing, " Theodore exclaimed, "She does make me happy. She's not like any girl I've ever met. She's strong, and brave, unafraid of anything..." his voice trailed off "and beautiful." Oliver just pressed his lips together.

"Hm, " he said, "you're really in knots over this huh?"

"Understatement of the year," Theodore replied tiredly.

Oliver stood from the bed and walked over to his friend, "Look," he said, "Nothing will be getting solved tonight alright? Best thing to do now would be to just go to bed and sleep off some of this confusion." Theodore smiled at his friend, thankful for his counsel.

"Thanks Oliver, sometimes you being my royal advisor comes in handy."

"Well it is my job." They both chuckled and Theodore embraced him before Oliver headed out. Theodore shut the door behind him and sighed deeply. The moonlight shined through his large windows, casting bright shadows on the ground and on his bed. He turned to his empty room and hesitated, lost in thought, before putting on his pajamas and crawling into bed. He faced away from the windows, laying on his side, and thought about her until he fell asleep.

...

Theodore slept deeply but a small sound managed to wake him. He lied in his bed silently as he heard his door click open. Theodore stayed absolutely still, a wave of frigid chills running through his body. He hoped it was just Oliver coming in for some reason, but he knew that was unlikely. He couldn't hear any footsteps but detected the shift in the person's presence, they were coming towards him. It was becoming harder for him to stay still. He was rattled with fear but tried to stay strong and ready for a fight. He felt the figure walk around to the side of the bed his back was turned to. The breathe in his lungs was turning to stone and his blood was ice in his veins. Theodore barely opened his eyes, just enough to see the shadow casted on his bed by the moonlight. His heart was slamming in and out of his chest as he waited for something to happen. He pinched his eyes shut in focus but when he opened them he saw the figures illuminated shadow holding their arm up high. He could just barely make out the silhouette of a knife. His eyes went wide with horror before he whipped around and grabbed the arm that held the blade. Theodore bravely faced the figure who was dressed all in black, the only thing visible were their emerald green eyes. He raised himself up into the rays of the moonlight, and the air stood still around the two of them. He noticed their eyes go wide as the intruder looked at him, dropping their blade and letting it fall and clatter on the floor. They stared at each other for what felt like hours until the figure in black ripped their arm from his grasp and bolted out of the room. Theodore flung himself and out of bed, his heart still racing, and found the knife lying on the ground. He knew those eyes seemed familiar and Theodore looked like he had just seen a ghost instead of an assailant as he stared at the dagger lying coldly on the floor. The dagger with with a golden hilt, adorned with a single large sapphire.