The Siren

Part two: Prince Leopold of Brennia ~One~

Sia knew the way back to the capital of Brennia, because he knew the land. He was dressed in sturdy clothes and William had given him a horse. He looked like any other traveler. He had made his way out with a group of merchants and he had stuck with them for a few hours. The farther they rode away from the castle the more scarred by war the land became. They had peace for only a few months now and Sia understood that William didn't want to risk it for anything, but he also knew that the old king of Brennia wasn't going to let this go. Sia was only one ploy, he was sure there would be others to murder king William. And Sia had grown quite fond of the young king.

Sia left the group of merchants and left them the horse too. He would be faster by foot, after all the land knew him and helped him out, because he wanted to steer clear of the main streets and cities. He wanted to stay undetected and out of trouble as long as possible.
Sometimes at night when he was looking up at the trees or patches of dark sky between them, he wondered what William was doing. If he already told everyone that the Siren was gone, or if he still pretended that Sia was living in his chambers.

~+~
It was easy to get into the city, but it was a lot harder to gain access to the castle. He had to wait for another three days until an opportunity presented itself. Once he was inside, he hid until it was dark and most of the people living there were asleep. He didn't know where Leopold's chambers were but that wasn't a problem. He put his hand on the old stone the walls were made of and let it whisper to him. He just had to follow directions after that.
Leopold wasn't sleeping, he was reading a book, curled up in a big leather armchair as Sia slipped inside the chamber, he watched the prince for a while until he made his presence known. Leopold had grown. His unruly golden hair was tamed. He wore it long like it was the fashion in Brennia. It was brushed back and tied at the back of his neck with a green ribbon. He looked young to Sia, but then he had always looked young to Sia.

"I see, your nose is still buried in a book," he said gently stepping out of the shadows and into the light of the candles.

Leopold startled, blinked and then blinked again. He rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I'm dreaming."

"You're not. I'm really here."

Leopold laughed. "You're not here, because you're not real."

"You remember me," Sia said pleased.

"You look the same," Leopold said. He was still sitting in the chair: his book on his knees and he was looking at Sia. Taking him in. He could feel Leopold's gaze like a caress on his body.
Sia let him. He needed Leopold to trust him. He needed Leopold on his side, needed to convince him to help him, like he had convinced William to help him.

"I am the same, well, mostly," Sia said. He stayed where he was, because he feared getting closer to Leopold would spook the young man.

"My father told me you were a figment of my imagination," Leopold said.

"I'm quite real, I assure you," Sia replied and smiled.

Leopold stood and came closer. He stopped a few feet away from Sia. His fingers were twitching like he wanted to reach out, but dared not.

"You left," Leopold said.

"I had no choice in that matter," Sia replied. He could still see traces of the child he used to be in Leopold, but he was no boy anymore. He was in fact a bit bigger than Sia.

"I need to make sure," Leopold whispered.

Sia reached out carefully and slowly and curled his fingers around Leopold's wrist. "I would pinch you, but I don't want to hurt you," Sia said quietly.