King of the North

Chapter 7

Aleia

Blase had locked me in my room.

When I was a teen, I would sneak out and steal liquor from the bar, so my parents had to put the lock on the outside of my door. "God, Blase! Let me out!" I knew he would be gone by then, but I still screamed as if he was there. "That idiot!"

When my parents would lock me in my room, I found another way to get out.

I rushed to look outside my window. I still had the bricks popped out from when I used to climb up and down them. I went through my closet to grab a jacket and a pair of shoes, I didn't have time to change my dress, and swung my leg over the windowsill, finding the first brick.

I slowly descended the length of the building with shaking legs. Just because I used to do that all the time, doesn't make it any less scary, but I had to get to Blase quick.

I couldn't let him get killed.

Sebastian

The king had found me crying outside of the palace gates. He kneeled down and placed a hand on my shoulder. "What happened?" He asked.

"Blase is gone. He left. And he's probably not coming back." I looked at King Henry. He seemed like such a kind king, I supposed all human kings were kind kings, but he was also very professional, his dark brown hair slicked back and royal clothes always ironed. "It's all my fault!" I wailed.

"It's alright, Prince Sebastian, take a deep breath. We'll find him, okay?"

"No! He won't come back unless I'm gone," I stood up. "I'll leave."

Henry stood up after me, worry on his face. "Sebastian, you don't have to leave, we can work this out."

I grabbed the king by his shoulders, which I knew was very improper, and said, "Just tell the others to find Blase, I'll be on my way. Thank you for looking after me."

The king let me go.

On the carriage ride back to the Western Kingdom, I had many regrets. Too many to count.

The most relevant regret: going back to the West. I was going to get absolutely pulverized by my father.

I hesitated for too long outside the palace gates, one of the guards called to another, "He's back! The prince is back!" And servants came to usher me into the palace.

I could hear my heart beating, could feel it. I'm about to die.

I was presented before my father and he didn't say a word to me until the servants left, then he slapped me across the face so hard I fell to my hands and knees.

"Carlisle!" My mother yelled and rushed to my side, taking my face with both her hands. "Oh, baby, I'm so sorry."

"Take your hands off of him." My father said, grabbing my mother's wrist and pulling her off me. She tried to yank free but he had an iron-solid grip. "He is not our son. He is a disgrace. It's a shame he's the only child we have, or I would've killed him a long time ago. Leave, Victoria, I need to have a private conversation with Sebastian."

"No." My mother said.

He slapped her.

"Stop!" I screeched. "Mum, I'll be fine, just go."

She stalled, but eventually left.

My father turned back to me and grabbed me by the shirt collar. "I have given you 21 years to be a fairy, now it's time for you to be a real man. You are going to be watched 24/7 in this palace, I will keep you here until I find you a wife. If I ever hear talk about this witch boy again, I will hunt him down and burn him on a stake and make you watch. Do you understand me, Sebastian?"