Royally Screwed

Vic was greeted by the sight of his advisor glaring at him and tapping his foot impatiently when he rode back to the palace. He considered riding off again, not wanting to deal with Rian's angry ramblings right now but Rian had guards placed at the exit already in case he tried to run from him. He sighed, getting off Sheepcat, jogging up the palace steps two steps at a time until he was at the top, facing Rian.

"What did I tell you about looking for Mr. Quinn?" Rian asked, clear irritation in his voice as he intently stared down the prince.

"There's absolutely nothing you can do. I'm going to keep trying, I can't just sit in the palace all day when for all I know, he might be dead right now!" Vic said, raising his voice. He balled his hands into a fist and kept them at his sides, tense at what he had just said and fighting the urge to break down right then because of the possibility that Kellin's lifeless body might be lying somewhere and he wouldn't know, wouldn't even be able to know his last words.

"We've had this talk more times than necessary, Your Highness. We're doing the best we can to-"

"Well, considering Kellin's not here, your best isn't good enough!" Vic said loudly, "Just let me look for him!"

Rian sighed, frustrated. "You are so stubborn! I told you time and time again that it's not something you can do! You're busy! You're royalty and it's time you should start to act like it!"

"What if I don't even want to?! What if I don't want to be a prince and marry a girl I don't love and rule a country that I can't handle?!" Vic shouted, glaring at his advisor. He was never cut out for this prince thing anyway! The only reason he kept going now was because Kellin wanted him to and that when he marries Kellin, he could proudly show everyone in the world that Kellin, the beautiful boy he was so in love with was his.

Rian grit his teeth, his fists shaking at his sides. He was breathing heavily before he calmed down all at once. "I'm done. I can't take it anymore. I quit." Rian turned around, walking up the palace steps and shutting the grand doors behind him.

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Vic had to admit that he was somewhat saddened by Rian's departure as his advisor despite all the trouble he had caused him. After all, he'd known Rian for the longest time, since he was a kid. He would have done something about it if Kellin weren't always on his mind.

Since Rian left, Vic had been looking for Kellin with Jaime. They went to various places. Farms and alleys and sometimes going into town to knock on people's doors and look for Kellin in their house. And of course, if a prince and a marquess come to you wanting to go into your house, you'd let them in. They looked anywhere and everywhere. They were in the palace now, sitting by the maze in the garden.

"Jaime, I don't know where he could possibly be," Vic said, shaking his head.

"We've checked everywhere," Jaime said simply.

"Are you sure?"

"It's pretty obvious we've checked everywhere."

"Well. . ." Vic trailed off. He couldn't forget about the feeling he had towards the place he rode off to on his horse. The pulling feeling that something was there beyond that arc with vines. Jaime's land, he knew. They'd checked everywhere but there. "Your land that you found me in when I was on my horse. We haven't checked there."

"Your Highness, I'm pretty sure he's not there. I looked through the place before I found you there cause my father just gave me the land, remember? He wasn't there," Jaime said and Vic just sighed, not knowing what to do at all.

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It was crazy being out at night on his own. But it wasn't the first time.

Vic couldn't sleep, not with the thought of that arc keeping him up. He didn't even know what it was about it. He just knew he had to be there. It would've been on his mind all the time if he weren't thinking of Kellin every hour of every day. It was dumb and he should be using this time to find Kellin. But he had to take the strange feeling away.

He rode on his horse and down the same way he remembered. He couldn't see much if it weren't for the faint glow of moonlight above him. It was much harder to travel there when it was dark and when he finally got there, the sight was truly menacing. It definitely looked like a horror movie and by going through the arc, he reminded himself of the stupid character in the movie who followed the sign that warned of danger.

But when he went through the arc, the beautiful sound he heard felt like he was being saved.