The Raven

Seven

"Raven, you are not even paying attention," his mother says, her voice filled with evident frustration. "You are dreaming again, are you not? I really wish that I did not have to keep repeating myself," she grumbles, closing her eyes and pinching the bridge of her nose with her thumb and forefinger.

"Sorry, Mother," the raven replies; while his tone sounds sincere, he is not actually remorseful for his inattention. He cannot get the handsome stranger from the garden out of his head for some reason. No matter how hard he tries to concentrate, to think of literally anything else, the young man seems to creep right back into his mind, consuming his every thought.

"This is serious, Raven," his mother scolds him, her brows furrowing into a deep frown. "This is a matter of life and death. Do you want to be responsible for someone's life simply because you neglected to properly train your magic?"

"No, Mother," he admits with a quiet sigh. "I apologize. I will do better," he adds, a tinge of guilt in his tone as he thinks over his mother's words. He certainly would not want to accidentally be the cause of someone's untimely demise; he likely would not be able to live with himself should that happen. Taking a deep breath, he pushes the stranger from his thoughts once more, focusing all his energy on practicing his magic. As the red and black from his magic swirl through the air before him, the raven is once again distracted. This time, however, it is due to a loud clatter coming from outside of his tower room in the hallway that usually stands stark empty.

"Stay here, Raven," his mother instructs, making her way to the door. "I will go see what is going on."

In a matter of seconds, the raven is left alone in his room. While he knows it is likely in his best interests to obey his mother, he decides that he would very much like to find out what is causing the commotion within the typically quiet tower. He is quite curious, the overwhelming emotion leading him to do things he would never dare before, such as blatantly ignoring his mother's wishes. He has never heard anyone in the tower before other than his mother and himself in all his years. The urge to not only understand what is happening but to temporarily escape the confines of his room sets the raven's heart aflame with a renewed passion. Closing his eyes and concentrating on his shadow, the raven quickly takes its form. As his shadowy self slips out of his room unnoticed, he makes sure to stay in the darker, unlit spaces to avoid being seen.

While he cannot see his mother within the corridor, the woman having disappeared entirely from view, the raven does stumble upon a couple of palace guards, who happen to be talking to a young man. Raven's eyes widen in surprise as he takes in the sight of the boy from the garden, his handsome stranger that has been so prominently occupying his thoughts. The raven's gaze sweeps over him briefly, admiring the stunning features of his face that he had not previously had the chance to appreciate from the window. The boy's jaw is strong, his cheekbones high, and his face filled out in a masculine and attractive way. He has a sharp nose, an almost unnoticeable bump in the bridge that one could easily overlook if they were not paying such close attention. His blond eyebrows match his golden hair and long lashes perfectly, the somewhat bushy arches framing his blue eyes. Those incredibly clear blue eyes sparkle with a sort of magic that causes the raven's breath to hitch in an inaudible gasp as he gets lost in the sheer beauty of the young man's appearance. He had not been mistaken; the boy before him is definitely a sight to behold.

"I am sorry, Your Highness," one of the guards speaks, drawing the raven's attention and returning him from his fantasies about the handsome stranger. "But we cannot allow you to enter. I am not really sure how you even managed to get this far into the tower, as it is strictly forbidden," the guard explains, his gaze lowered and head slightly bowed as he refuses to make eye contact with the young man before him.

Your Highness? The boy from the garden is the prince? How stupid the raven feels, allowing himself to fantasize that this boy could ever love him--he is the Prince, for Heaven's sake! The realization stings Raven's heart, intense disappointment suddenly filling his chest. Although he had already known he was doomed to remain forever alone, the understanding that the object of his affections is none other than the prince hurts him more than he would like to admit.

"Is there any reason why I am not allowed in the tower?" the prince asks suspiciously, raising an eyebrow at the two men before him. He is wholly aware that something is amiss; something about this situation simply is not adding up. "My mother stated that it is only being used for storage; surely, there is nothing important hiding within. It could not possibly cause any harm to just let me in."

"Forgive me, Your Highness," the second guard apologizes embarrassedly. "But the king has asked us to guard this tower; we are not allowed to let anyone enter or leave."

"Not let anyone leave?" repeats the prince questioningly, crossing his arms over his chest as he realizes the guard's slip up. "Is there someone living in the tower?"

The two guards look at each other nervously, unsure how to answer the prince's question; being honest would mean going against the king's orders, but lying to the prince would also be unacceptable. The raven wonders whether these men and the other castle guards could possibly know of his existence, asking himself why he has never before thought to ask his mother such a seemingly important question.

"I apologize, Your Highness, but I am afraid that we are not allowed to answer that question," one of the guards replies, fidgeting with the hem of his uniform.

Feeling his eyes beginning to glow red, the raven quickly closes them before he can be caught. Unbeknownst to him, however, it is not before Prince Henry catches sight of the brilliant red orbs that he has entered the tower in search of. Henry has finally found the beautiful red eyes that have haunted his mind since he first saw them. Now, he simply has to discover to whom they belong.