I reached my right foot lower, feeling for a piece of rock that stood out. Once I had felt a slight edge I shifted some of my weight onto it. I took a breath, relieved to have made more progress and get closer to the bottom.
Suddenly, the rock collapsed beneath me, causing me to nearly loose the grip on the rocks that I had with my hands. My foot moved a mile a minute, looking for a place to rest. My heart beat sped up. Before I could regain my composure the rock beneath my other foot broke as well. The only thing that kept me from pummeling to the ground were my hands, carrying my entire body weight.
"Jump!"He shouted at me. I know that I can trust him. He wouldn't hurt me. He needs me just as much as I need him.
I pushed as hard as I could against the wall with my hands and feet. I felt my stomach drop as I began to fall backwards, unaware of what I was falling into.
And then I hit the surface.
"What do you mean, 'Prince Asher is sick'?"I asked the doctor to specify, considering she was being as vague as ever. Now is not the time, especially since she has me worried over here.
"He has an illness that will one day cause him to go loose his hearing. When babies develop it at a young age they are most likely to loose their hearing around 5 years of age but sometimes it will take as long at until he's a teenager or young adult. It varies for everyone."she explained to me, calmly.
How could she be so calm? She's just explained that the boy that should be king after me will loose his hearing. That my baby boy will grow up in a world without the wonder of music, hearing other people's voice, and any beautiful sound such as waves against rock or birds chirping. She's telling me he may have all of that, only for it to be stripped away from him. A mere child having to suffer the pain of loosing the ability to comprehend that aspect of the world around him. I would change places with him in a heartbeat but I can't.
"Is there any medicine? Any cure?"I asked, using all of the power in me to keep my composure and not scream in her face. It's not her fault that this is happening. I shouldn't take it out on her.
"As of right now, no. There's not. The best thing you can do for him is teach him sign language."
Arabella started bawling her eyes out, using her hands to cover her face. I could tell she was trying not to breath so hard but that only made her chest heave up and down even more. Her voice was so scraggly, her breathing sounding like a monster.
"Thank you. If you don't mind, we would like to be alone."I kicked the doctor out of our house, kindly. I could hardly stand to look at her, by no fault of her own. It's just that every time I look at her I'm reminded of my child's fate and I want to lash out at her but I can't. Not only is that rude of me but it would ruin my reputation as king.
I looked back at Arabella. Her cries have gotten no better. It pained me so deeply to see her this distraught. I had to be strong and take care of her and Asher from now on, like a good king and husband does. As she mourns for our son I will pay for a private tutor for the whole family so we could learn sign language.
For now, I just wrapped my arms around her body. She trembled underneath me. I rubbed my right hand up and down her back, trying to soothe her. It slowly started to work. She stopped shaking and her breathing was back to normal. Only a few tears were escaping her eyes now.
"It's ok, my love. Sleep."
I knew whenever she cried this much she got tired. Her sleep was an escape from all her pain, she once told me. I never understood it, considering when I was this uneasy I had nightmares. I did eventually understand, once I realized adventures were my escape from sadness and reality in general.
Finally, her breathing slowed and she was no longer crying, the only thing I could hear was her light snores. She had fallen asleep.
I carried her in my arms and took her to our bedroom. I took off the dress she had been wearing and put her in her pajamas. I wrapped her in the covers, watching her snuggle into them. I kissed her forehead before leaving her to sleep.
I walked out, careful not to disturb her when I closed the door. Asher would never experience a door slamming or he would, only to never hear it again.
I shook my head free of those thoughts. I can't let myself get down or everyone else will feel discouraged. If I am confident and keep my head held high, soon enough, everyone will follow in my foot steps. As a family, we will get through this strongly. I have no doubt of that in my mind.
I picked up Asher from his crib in the living room, balancing him on my right hip. He was so happy to see me, completely unaware of what we were talking about. Completely ignorant to his fate of going deaf.
I gave him the best smile I could but I knew he could see right through it. He stopped smiling and began to frown a little, making me sad. I kissed his forehead and he layed his head on my shoulder, falling asleep.
I took out my phone and called the doctor to ask for a number for a sign language tutor. She kindly gave me a number and apologized if she came off rude. I told her that's absurd, that she did no such thing and that it was just hard for me to swallow.
I called the number she gave me and set up tutoring to start tomorrow and we would attend everyday for an hour. I figured we could at least do that much, I know Arabella and I will. Now I just need to talk to my parents.
"No. Not possible."
Is all my father had to say. Of course, he was in denial.
"Oliver! Don't say such a thing!"my mother told him, making him roll his eyes.
"Why shouldn't I? This is the royal baby we're talking about, there's no way he'd have an illness. He's perfect."he explained. It made sense by the kingdom's rules. The more royal, the better the human but the doctor has facts. Not just some myth, a myth I don't even believe to be true.
"Father, you can't just ignore science and the doctor. They have factual information. Trust me, I don't want to believe it either but we can't just ignore it."I told him.
He finally nodded, giving into reasoning for once. I have them both a sad smile, one in which they returned to me. I tried not to look too depth into their eyes, in fear of breaking down crying. I was determined to stay strong and I could tell my parents were too. I know that if I can, they can too. They're two of the strongest people I've ever known.
"Dada."I heard a tiny voice say. I snapped my head in the direction I heard it, right beside me in a high chair.
Asher just said his first word.
I looked at my parents and they were looking at me, all of us shocked and happy. I looked back at Asher and he just gave us an oblivious look, not knowing why we were so excited.
I got out of my chair and picked him up from his. I held him at arms length, swinging him in circles. We both giggled and smiled, joyfully.
It was in that moment that I knew everything was gonna be ok.
Even though I had received bad news that morning, the world continued spinning. This meaning my lessons were still going on. Now, more than ever, I wanted to ditch my training and go on an adventure to take my mind off of things. Perhaps an adventure with Prince Sam. The only thing that kept me from skipping was the thought of going on an adventure tonight.
"Good afternoon, Prince Remiul."the trainer greeted me, shaking my hand as always.
"Good afternoon to you too."I said back to him, acting like today is just like any other day.
"Today is the day we finally learn what you've been dying to practice."he announced, making me excited. I knew exactly what he was talking about.
"Dual?"
"Dual."
As soon as he confirmed my thoughts I felt myself smile and began to feel excited, like a teenage girl meeting her idol. I knew that I made a good decision about coming to my lesson.
It was finally 7 o'clock, right after dinner and Arabella was already fast asleep. Probably because of all the stress and sadness due to Asher. It works in my favor because I don't have to make up an excuse on why I'm leaving so late at night and she doesn't have me to worry about me cheating on her, even though I never would.
I decided not to dress in my usual royal suit that I wear everyday. There's no need to get dressed up, I'm just going to be seeing Prince Sam. I don't believe he will hold me to such high standards.
I just threw on a simple t-shirt with jeans and sneakers. Just enough to be casual but also prepared for anything he has planned for us to do tonight.
I stayed as quiet as possible as I left my room and ventured down the stairs. I knew that my mom and dad were in their room, I'd seen them go in after dinner. Luckily, their room wasn't near the back door, so I basically had a clear path from there.
I went to go get Sally from her stable. All the horses were asleep already and I felt kind of guilty that I was gonna wake her up and mess with her beauty sleep. I decided that I'd give her extra time to rest tomorrow and give her a treat.
"Sally, woke up darling. I'm so sorry but I need you."I whispered to her. She fluttered her eyes open lightly, making my heart melt. She's the most amazing horse in the world.
She stretched out a little bit. She yawned lightly, which was the cutest thing ever. Then she turned to me and scowled.
I opened the gate, leading her out and towards the woods. I put the saddle on her and hoisted myself up.
Once I was on she rode into the woods, following the usual trail to the lake. As we got closer the familiar sound of the violin could be heard playing. I closed my eyes as I reminisced in the first time I heard the beautiful notes.
The sound of the music notes filled my ears along with the fresh smell of trees and wild flowers. The wind rushed through my hair, tousling it ever which way. The cool breeze felt good against my skin soothingly.
The we stopped and I opened my eyes to see Prince Sam on his own horse. He was looking out toward the lake and playing his instrument, like when we first met. I could tell he was really focused on something, either his music or thoughts, so I didn't interrupt him. I just observed the way his shoulders move to the beat and his body sways, as if he weren't even trying. His eyes were closed and he was biting his lip lightly. He wasn't the snarky little boy anymore, he was a talented young man.
The music faded out and Prince Sam put the violin in its satchel that hung on his horses side, never taking his eyes off the water.
"Fancy seeing you here."he said all of a sudden, startling me. He turned around to give me a better look. His eyes traveled deathly slow as he examined me from my boots then up to my face. I felt myself get chills. "Nice to see that you got all dressed up for me."I could tell he was being sarcastic. He always has something to say.
"I could say the same thing about you."I told him. He was wearing a black and white striped shirt with blue jeans and sneakers. I did notice, however, that he wore a necklace around his neck. It was a black band with a simple silver sun.
"You're the one who's gonna be the future king, not me."he pointed out, making me roll my eyes. He chuckled in response, his eyes sparking from the reflection of the water. They're different to anything I've seen before.
"Then you should show me more respect."I told him. Now he was the one rolling his eyes and I smirked, not being able to seriously say that. "Where did you get that necklace?"I asked, changing the subject.
"Someone made it for me."he said, unconsciously touching it.
"Who?
Prince Sam's jaw noticeably clenched. I don't believe it was out of anger. The way his eyes shifted looked like he was on the verge of crying. His hand fell away from the necklace and he turned his back to me, looking back at the lake.
"I think it's time for us to start our exploration."his voice was deep but frail. I felt bad for bringing up a sore subject. I decided against saying sorry and bringing it up again. That would only upset him more so instead I decided to act like I didn't notice and avoid bring it up again.
"You lead the way."
He didn't say anything as he rode his horse, me following close behind him.
We went around the lake, even deeper into the woods then we already were. It got more eerie and quiet the further away we were from the lake. I wondered where he was taking me.
"We're about to ride where the wolves are most active, the first step in our adventure."
Adrenaline began to pump through me once he made that announcement. I had never rode here. I've only heard the warnings from my parents and the town's kooky elders. From what I gathered, they were merely myths.
"If Sally gets hurt I'm gonna kill you."I warned him.
"She won't get hurt. I've done this loads of times and nothing bad has ever happened to me."he reassured me, making me feel better about my beloved horse.
The once quiet woods were now loud, filled with the howls of wolves. A chill ran up my spine and my legs were temporarily numb. I felt Sally hesitate forward. I gently stroked her face to indicate that I'll protect her. After I did that she went and caught up with Prince Sam.
"Prince Sam-"
"Just call me Sam."he cut me off.
"Sam,"I started, feeling odd. I've never called a male by their name. The only person I've ever just called by their name is Arabella and she's my wife. That's normal. This is not. "Where are we going?"I asked.
"Just follow me and you'll see."
Tension arose in the air as a loud growl was heard. From the loudness, I could tell it was only a few feet away. Sally and Pri- Sam's horse both bolted, sprinting like their life depended on it.
I clutched onto Sally's straps, holding on as tight as possible. We caught up to Sam and his horse, running side by side. The wolf was close behind us but not close enough. We kept the lead and even began to gain more distance the longer we ran.
Finally we escaped all the wolves. We successfully ran through wild territory and they couldn't attack us anymore.
"WOOO!"Sam screamed beside me, gleefully. Any negative emotions we felt before were gone and so were mine. All I could feel was pure bliss. Energy shot through me in hot waves.
"Come on, Prince Daddy. Let loose, no one will hear you."Sam encouraged me. His breathing was hard, as was mine, and his smile was wide. He looked like such a young and innocent boy, pure happiness radiating through him. I couldn't help but love being around it.
He looked at me expectingly. I couldn't say no to him. He looked like a kid in a candy shop and I didn't want to be the one to ruin that.
I threw my hands up and screamed. Loud. I let out every ounce of frustration, happiness, sadness, every emotion I've suppressed all my life to make everyone around me happy or keep up my good boy reputation.
After I did I inhaled as much air as I could, trying to catch my breathe.
"You don't play around, do you?"Sam said, slightly shocked. I'm sure he was surprised that I had all of that inside me because I'm usually more composed. I looked at his face to see him holding in his laughs.
"If you want to laugh, laugh little one."I told him and he bursted out laughing. He put his hands over his mouth and his eyes began to water. "I don't know why you think this is so funny."
"I have all your attention."