Abscond

ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ᴏɴᴇ

               THE ALARM WENT off just as I was pulled into a dreamless sleep, its resounding tune penetrating my hazy state and pulling me back to reality. I let out a sigh before rolling onto my back, my left hand reaching over to the alarm on the drawers by my bed to silence its screeching.

                I opened one eye before the other to face the symbol of a spear that was carved onto the ceiling; three stars carved onto its head. It was a habit to study the art that filled my senses for most parts of the day before anything else in the morning.

               I soundlessly slipped out of bed before catching a glimpse of the alarm clock's display. My heart threatened to kill me as it momentarily stopped beating in my chest. I had less than five minutes to shower and get dressed before Oliath came looking for me to personally drag me to the undiscovered depths of hell.

               I scrambled about the room like a headless chicken; picking out a pale blue dress shirt with a grey vest and black trousers before scampering into the bathroom when I realised that minutes were going by like seconds. At this rate, it seemed as if I was dressing up for my own funeral.

               I was out of my room and into the hallways in a flash. Passing numerous doors per minute, I barely had the luxury to stop and study the alluring details that clothed the walls. Even as time passed and I grew older, the beauty of my surroundings never seemed to be anything but enthralling.

               The sun's rays were streaming into the open space and lighting the paintings on the walls with a golden hue, making them almost glow in broad daylight. The uneven texture of the paint reflected different intensities of sunlight, the sight making me momentarily forget that I was mere seconds away from being buried alive by my best friend.

               As the thought came up, I picked up my pace; swerving at corners left and right before finding myself in front of a large wooden door. I barely had a minute to catch my breath before the doors were swung open, Oliath standing in the middle of the doorway with a deprecating look on his face. Given that he rarely ever bore any other emotion on his face, this barely fazed me.

               I quickly wiped my face clean of any lingering weariness from the long walk before plastering on a smirk as I walked into the room nonchalantly. Seeing my indifference towards the look he was giving me, his eyes narrowed at my figure as I walked to stand next to him.

               "Oh loosen up, Oli. I'm only five minutes late," I said as my eyes roamed around the room to see if everyone had already arrived.

               "These men have been in here for ten minutes to discuss the weekly logistics with the Crown Prince of Aldorra, but instead he comes waltzing into the meeting late without even a shred of remorse. God save us all if you're going to be king in the future," said Oliath with a grave voice, as he lead me to my seat at the head of the table.