Quest | A Fantasy TMF AU ~ Paused

Chapter 2

Alexander's POV

The Queen had been kidnapped. I was asleep when it happened, so I don't remember anything except Father waking me up with tears in his eyes.

It felt natural to blame the princess, Gabriela. She was always irresponsible and getting into trouble. Maybe if she hadn't sneaked out of her room and stopped Father, he could have gotten to Mother in time. Then again, she was the one who foolishly climbed out on the turret of the tallest tower and seen which direction the Queen had been taken.

There was to be a meeting between all the major figures to discuss what was to be done. I obviously had to attend; I am the future king, after all. What I didn't understand was why she had to be there as well.

The meeting room was a place I felt comfort; it was a place of order and discussion. No sudden bursts of impulsiveness, no pesky children, and most importantly, it was a place that the princess despised. She would take detours around the entire palace if it meant not passing by the meeting room. I didn't see what there was to hate about it. Then again, me and my younger sister were polar opposites.

I walked into the room right on time. About three fourths of the people that were supposed to be there were in their seats. A few were standing up and making small talk, and some were just a little late. I strode across the room and took my usual seat next to the king's chair at the head of the table. I straightened my few papers and folded my hands into my lap, prepared to wait about five minutes for the meeting to start.

I stole glances at the people and noted that most of them had bags under their eyes and were looking miserable. One particular figure stood out to me, though. I sighed and stood up from my chair, walking over the slickly dressed man.

I placed a hand on his shoulder and he flinched, looking up at me. His expression softened, "Oh, it's just you. I thought you were another person coming to comfort me over the loss of my step-sister."

I gave a half-hearted chuckle, "I actually wanted to talk to you about that, Uncle Zander. How are you and Luke holding up with this?"

He was silent for a moment, and then spoke up, "We're honestly not doing the best at the moment. We were very close with Hailey, and when we learned that she was kidnapped, it hit us hard. Though we are most likely doing better than your father. I'm positive he's devastated right now."

I nodded my head, looking away. For some reason, I didn't feel much of anything right now. I thought back to last night. Father had come into my room with tears in his eyes. He was babbling incoherently, so I got out of bed and tried to comfort him enough for him to talk like a normal person. A figure passed by my open door, and I jumped up and confronted them, wanting to know what was going on. Too late I recognized my sister's short peach hair and curved body. She was wearing tight black clothing that stretched across her chest and clung to her thighs. I grabbed her limp arm and turned her to face me. I was taken aback by her empty expression. "Gabi... what's going on? Why is Father... like this?" I gestured to the broken down figure in my room. My question seemed to slowly register in her mind. She spoke up, "Mom's-" her voice cracked. I raised an eyebrow, "What about Mom?" she took a deep breath, "Mom's been kidnapped. I saw the whole thing. I went out on the roof and saw her being taken away," she snatched her arm back and walked down the hall towards her room. Before she disappeared around a corner, though, I glimpsed her friend Logan running up to her and putting an arm around her shoulders. She was so oblivious. It was obvious he liked her. Whatever, she could deal with her own love issues. I turned back to my Father and groaned. He was deeply in love with the Queen, and now that she wasn't here, he was bound to become a mess. I analyzed my options. I could take him back to his room, but he'd feel lonely without his wife by his side. I considered letting him stay in my room, but the idea quickly disappeared. I decided to take him back to his bed. What else could I do? We eventually got to his room, and I pulled the covers over him like he was a child. He certainly was acting like one. I left the room, hearing him whisper "Hailey," over and over again. I walked back to my room and went to sleep like nothing had happened.