Runaway Prince -- DNF

Never Again

George's POV

I was working another boring day in the bakery, when James came in. His stupid cloak and dumb round glasses taunted me as I walked around the corner to take his order. He smiled stupidly at me.

"Hey George. Where's your friend?" He sneers.

"Not here today. Why?"

"Oh, just wanted to make sure you were by yourself. I hated having him interrupt."

I roll my eyes. "That's too bad. I'll have to bring him in tomorrow so you wont bug me."

He clasps a hang over his heart dramatically. "You don't really think I bug you, do you Georgie?" He pouts.

"Don't call me that."

"Oh sure. And I doubt I'll see your friend around here any time soon will I?"

I look into his eyes as he smiles wickedly.

"What was his name again?" He questions fakely. "It was Dream wasn't it?"

I clench my teeth. How does he know?

"What are you talking about?" I hiss.

His smile never waivers. "It was Prince Dream you were hiding away wasn't it? Or, wait... you didn't know?"

My hands squeeze into fists.

"I visited him the other day. You should've seen his face when he realized I had reported him to the guards. Good thing I saved you from his thievery. What a leech."

"Shut up." I bang my hand on the counter.

James' eyes squint at me. "What? Don't tell me you actually... No way. You like him don't you? Of course you do. It's a good thing I sent him back when I did. I want you all to myself Georgie. Can't have you falling in love with royalty."

"I said, shut up." I grit my teeth.

James sneers at me. "Oh boy. Well, you'll never see him again. I made sure of it. Maybe you can change your mind about me."

And with that, he twists on his heel to leave.

I stand in shock at the realization. He knew Dream was the prince and he made him go back to the castle that Dream had purposely left, I assume.

I watch James through the bakery windows. A guard approaches him and asks him a question or two. A letter is passed between hands. James laughs and hands it back to the guard. The man looks confused, but shoves the letter into his bag and turns away from the bakery.

I shrug the interaction off. First, I need to see Dream as soon as possible. I need to figure out what happened.

Why did he lie?

* * *

My whole house was dark. I couldn't hear anything except the crickets. I climb out of my bed and stuff pillows under the covers to make it look like I was in bed in case my father checked on me.

I climb down the stairs slowly, trying not to wake my father. I make it to the door, pull a coat on, and step outside. I breathe out and watch my breath billow into the cold night air. I trudge down the same path I had the night Dream had left. This time I was going to succeed, and my father was not going to stop me. I needed answers.

I walk along the trees as I step closer and closer to my destination. The longer I walked, the more I thought about what I would say to Dream.  I was going to stay calm. I promise myself that I will stay calm. I need to understand why he lied, I need him to understand that he broke my heart, but most of all, I wanted to tell him everything my heart held. All those days and nights spent with him, he took a piece of it when he left. I wanted him to know that.

I approach the castle slowly. I stand in the shadow of the trees and peer at the six or seven guards along the castle walls. They were really fortified.

If I want to get in, I might have to ask nicely.

I sit myself on the ground and watch the guards patrol the area. Commotion to my left startles me. Someone grabs my shoulder and shoves me to the ground. I gasp in fear as they climb on me with a knife to my throat.

It's James.

"W-what are you doing?" I choke out.

He grins. "Took the words right out of my mouth."

"Can you get off? Or are you trying to kill me?"

He tilts his head. "Hmm. Depends. If you answer my question then I'll decide."

I clench my teeth. "I'm- sight seeing."

He smirks. "Really? At the castle? In the middle of the night?"

"I got lost."

He rolls his eyes and climbs off of me, helping me up.

"What are you doing here?" I ask him in annoyance.

He shrugs. "I was just coming to visit my friend."

"What friend?"

"The king of course. He thinks I'm the best man alive for returning his son to the kingdom without a scratch. I'm practically his savior."

"Yeah. I'm sure." I look back towards the castle. It towers above the walls surrounding it. All the rooms are dark except one on the very left. I wonder if that's where Dream is...

"Well..." I interrupt the quiet. "Are you going to leave me in peace or do I have to shoo you?"

James smirks. "I'm not leaving you here. I know exactly why you're here."

I sigh. "You are not going to stop me. I will do whatever it takes to set things right."

James looks at me evilly. "I'll tell you right now what's 'right'. Dream ran away from home. He was trying to escape his duty of being heir to the throne. How juvenile, and disrespectful. He came to play games with you. He lied to you." He stabs his fingers at my shoulder in emphasis. I step back. "He ran from the guards too. And now he's locked in his castle, where he belongs, forgetting about a plain peasant boy he flirted with and played with for fun. You do know he's the prince right? You don't think he actually cared about you, did you? He was just using you."

"No," my voice waivers. "You- you're lying."

James gives a look of fake sympathy. "Believe me or suffer the consequences."

Tears threaten to spill down my cheeks.

"Can you just- leave me alone. Please."

He turns his back to me. "I'll be over here. I'll take you home. Don't try anything George. I don't want you to get more hurt than you already are."

He leaves me in silence.

I collapse on the ground in a pile. He has to be lying. Dream wouldn't... he couldn't... I sniffle as a single tear runs down my cheek. I pull my jacket closer to me. My eyes scan the castle wall once more. I can see the sun's morning rays about to peek out from behind the castle. The sky has turned into a dark blue.

I get up from where I stand and wait. I wait for the rays of sun to shine through the sky, turning it into dark purples and pinks before I march towards the guards at the front gate.

I was on a mission. I'm going to see the king, whether James likes it or not.

Thanks for reading folks! You guys are all the best and make me want to keep writing. Don't forget to stay hydrated. :D

1248 words