The Raven

Twenty-Six

It is not long before the raven grows tired of being cooped up in his dreary tower after finally having a slight taste of freedom; the solitude of the barren room could never compare to the insurmountable joy he feels while in Prince Henry's company. Courage stirs within him, his overwhelming desire to be close to the prince igniting a spark of brave rebellion he could never have imagined he would feel before. As the adrenaline surges through his veins, Caleb decides to sneak out to see the boy who has recently been consuming his every thought; nothing could sate the hunger inside him quite like the mere sight of his prince.

Once again, he finds it easy to slip through the West Wing without being noticed, which only further fuels the thrill tingling down his spine. As the raven meanders through the main halls of the castle in his shadow form, he is careful not to be caught by any patrolling guards or wandering palace staff. He is not even the slightest bit sure about how people would react upon seeing a shadow moving so freely, and he would prefer not to find out at this moment. Instead, he would much prefer to keep his focus attuned to seeking out his prince.

The sudden sound of melodious laughter lures him in, drawing him down one of the many winding hallways. Following the entrancing sound, the darkened form of the raven hopes it will lead him to his destination. To his beloved Prince Henry. As he gets closer to the source and the joyful noise grows louder, Caleb can tell that it is definitely Henry's voice he is hearing. The prince is happy, laughing heartily; the cheerfulness in his voice is unmistakable. This brings a smile to the raven's face and a radiating warmth in his chest, for he loves seeing his prince undeniably happy. Closer and closer, the black-haired boy's steps take him until he reaches a room that looks similar to what he would imagine the prince's bedroom to look like.

This must be it... he is about to enter Henry's room. His heartbeat quickens, the warmth within him spreading through his body as excitement entangles him within its grasp. He approaches the door cautiously, his slow steps allowing the anticipation to build within him until he feels he might explode.

Halting just outside the door, Caleb can now hear a second voice floating from within the room. A feminine voice. The realization that there is a woman inside Henry's bedroom hits Caleb like a ton of bricks, stealing the air from his lungs as his mind whirls with possible scenarios of what could be happening just mere feet away from him. Does this voice belong to Princess Elaina? Why would Henry allow her into his bedroom? Panic begins to overtake Caleb's entire body, his pulse racing and his breathing becoming labored and erratic as his heart swells and throbs with fear and a pain he has never before known.

Has Henry changed his mind, or worse, did he not mean the words he said? Does he not love Caleb? Has he decided to marry the princess instead?

"Oh, Henry! You are so funny!" the female's voice giggles dramatically, the sheer volume of her high-pitched and squeaky tone causing another crack in the raven's already damaged heart.

As Caleb's mind spirals out of control, jumping to conclusions and imagining all of the worst-case possibilities that could come of this precise situation, he finds he has difficulty breathing altogether. His previously strained attempts to force oxygen into his lungs have somehow become even more challenging, and the raven is left gasping for air that seems to no longer exist. This is an entirely new occurrence for him; what is this? Hyperventilating is not something that Caleb has ever experienced before. It must come with whatever raging emotions the boy is feeling right now. Whatever it is, he really needs to calm down before his somewhat noisy failures to fill his airways draw attention and lead him to be caught skulking around the palace. Closing his eyes, the raven takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly, convincing his mind to hold onto that panic for later when he is alone; it is far too unsafe to show his weaknesses out in the open like this.

Right now, Caleb must decide what to do. He had intended to visit Henry, but the prince is not alone; should he risk being found out and sneak into his bedroom? He cannot even be sure that Henry wants to see him right now; he may very well be far too preoccupied with his current visitor to even notice Caleb's unexpected appearance. Perhaps he should simply return to the tower, where he can deal with this new onslaught of feelings and wait for his prince to come to him; Henry could not possibly be through with him altogether, not after the immense feelings they have shared. Could he?

The raven dislikes that he has been put in this predicament with every fiber of his being, but he knows he cannot blame Henry for it. The prince did not even know that he was going to visit him; he could not possibly have been prepared for his sudden arrival. Letting out a sigh, Caleb decides to return to his own room, leaving his prince behind to continue with whatever it is he is currently doing alone in his bedroom with the princess. Caleb does not realize that he is so overwhelmed with emotion that tears are streaming steadily down his shadowy cheeks until he suddenly sniffles. The sound startles him, having echoed more loudly through the empty corridor than he could have anticipated; luckily, there seems to be no one around to hear his humiliation. The raven can feel his face flush with heat, his eyes likely beginning to glow their luminous red as embarrassment overcomes him. As quickly as he can, he moves his shadow form along the wall with haste, doing his best to remain unnoticed should someone suddenly appear within the hallway to investigate the noise.

The faint sound of a sniffle draws Prince Henry's attention away from his guest, his eyes darting toward the doorway of his room. His brows furrow in confusion as he tries to decipher the goings-on in the corridor. What was that sound? Is someone crying out there? His heart pounds heavily against his ribs as his face suddenly drops in defeat; could it be Caleb? It would undoubtedly be a pleasant surprise if his little raven had ventured out of his tower and sought him out of his own accord. However, the prince's chest feels weighted down at the mental image of tears dampening that lovely pale face and glistening in those enchanting ruby orbs; the severity of the thought has his ribcage practically crushing his heart.

Removing himself from his seat, the prince makes his way to the partially open bedroom door and peers into the seemingly deserted hallway. "Caleb?" he whispers, his voice both hopeful and full of sorrow simultaneously.