27 The Next Step

Raz stopped when Lily emerged on the back porch. Cleon slumped to the ground. Sweat covered his entire back and pain cloaked his arms. His basket-hilted sword had never felt more heavy. His legs had molded into lead. Nothing could convince him to move from this spot.

\"My mother wants to inform you that breakfast is ready,\" Lily told Raz. She nodded her head politely before heading back inside. Sheathing her butterfly swords, Raz glanced over at the Prince. She nudged her head in Lily's direction—a reminder about his unfinished business.

Tylen walked up to the pair while Raz stared down at the pitiful blue-haired pirate. Maia also decided to join them. She saw her leader's line of sight and peeked.

\"Muscle cramps again?\" She greeted Cleon, resting her elbows on the railing. He redirected his glare at her. Maia merely grinned, \"Keep that up and we'd leave you right here.\"

\"No, you wouldn't\" the blue-haired pirate snorted.

Raz placed a bent arm over the Prince's shoulder, \"Hungry, Nyt? We can go inside. No need to wait for Cleon.\"

\"Hey!\"

Bluntly ignoring the protest, she led the Prince up the porch stairs and through the backdoor. The owners had prepared various meat-filled dishes for the pirates such as sausages and bacon. They also had bread and butter set aside at the edge of the table, a few servings of both scrambled and sunny-side eggs—as well as various choices of drinks, some hot and some cold.

Raz grabbed a glass and filled it with cold water, passing it to Tylen. For a while, the Prince felt startled but accepted it gratefully. The pirate smirked at this. Then, she poured one for herself and two others for her crew.

A screech echoed from outside. It sounded ridiculous that Raz choked on her water. Even after all this time, Cleon still screamed like a girl whenever Maia healed his cramps. She pulled back a chair and took a seat. She prepared one plate with Maia's favorites before the boys could get their hands on them. She placed it in front of the chair next to her.

On the other hand, the Prince eyed the dining room. Lily and her parents couldn't be found. Since they cooked the meal, they should have the first pick of the food.

A lopsided smile creeped up Raz's lips, \"It's alright. Take a seat. I've already informed them to eat before we do last night.\"

Tylen snapped his head in her direction. How could she tell that he'd been thinking about the farm owners? He got a wink in reply. Shrugging, he sat at the head of the table and helped himself. The sausages tasted tender and savory. Spices and sweetness bursted in his mouth. Even the eggs tasted delicious.

He cut a piece of bread, offering it to Raz. She shook her head. She sliced the sausages evenly on her plate and lined up around two sunny-side eggs. With each bite, she made sure she had a chunk of meat and a piece of egg soaked in the runny yolk. Her mannerism seemed well-established. The Prince figured it was due to her swordsmanship. If the pirate tried tremendously, she could infiltrate a knights' headquarters as a member of it.

\"Have you talked to Lily?\" The pirate asked Tylen. She kept her eyes on her plate while she waited for him to answer.

The Prince sighed, setting down a fork, \"She said that the owners adopted her when she was 10.\"

A crease appeared between Raz's eyebrows. She reached for an orange juice, \"A little bit older than when Ariene disappeared.\"

Tylen nodded, \"She also doesn't remember anything from her life before the orphanage. She only lived there for a couple of months before she got adopted.\"

The Prince exhaled sharply. Since Lily had been adopted at a later age, it didn't completely rule out that she wasn't his Princess. The lost memories were of little help. It made him think more.

\"Do you…\" he hesitated, \"Do you perhaps think it would be better to leave Ariene alone?\"

Raz stopped drinking the juice and finally faced Tylen. The Prince gripped the knife and fork tightly, eyes on the center part of the table. The wrinkle on his forehead appeared much deeper than Raz's.

\"What do you think?\" She asked softly. Tylen clearly seemed troubled by the idea. She gave him her full attention.

\"I… I don't know\" the Prince stammered, \"I'd always stayed hopeful that she was alive. Now, I wonder if she even wants that life back. Wouldn't it only bring trouble to force someone into something they don't want?\"

Did she even want to see me?

Raz pondered the idea. What Tylen said held the truth. It would be troublesome to bring someone who wouldn't want to come. She watched the Prince's expression change every few seconds, \"All that aside, do you want to find her?\"

Tylen blinked out of his daze, \"Yes. Yes, I do.\"

\"Is it really to bring her back?\" The pirate raised an eyebrow, \"Why not just keep in contact with her?\"

The Prince's answer came out without hesitation. He said it with as much being as he did when he told his parents that he wanted to marry her, \"I love her. I want her to be by my side.\"

Raz sighed. Tylen needed to sort out his priorities or he might meet disappointment, \"Only if she accepts. Like you said, it wouldn't be good to force her to come back. It would be her choice. As for you, if you came this far, that means you're still troubled because of the lack of answers. What this journey will bring is uncertain but you need a clear goal.\"

The Prince absorbed her words. She had a point. The journey contained factors that he wouldn't be able to control, Ariene being the most of it.

Still, he shook his head, \"I want to see her again. Just to know—to be sure—that she is alive and well… I'd take that more than anything else. I wouldn't blame her if she doesn't want this life anymore after what happened.\"

Raz offered him a smile, \"Then, that's what we'll aim for. Now, what's the orphanage's name?\"

\"Children's Nest.\"

\"That closed down years ago\" the pirate glared at the table. It was also located at one of the crowdest parts of the kingdom.

\"It did?\"

\"Yes, the owner's daughter ran away to elope. Since then, she hadn't been able to keep it running and had to shut down\" Raz explained. She finished off the remaining food on her plate and gulped down the rest of the orange juice.

\"Can't we track the owner down?\"

The pirate pursed her lips, \"We can but I think we should avoid towns and cities for a while.\"

\"Why?\"

When Tylen noticed that she finished her meal, he scraped off the egg on his plate, topping it on top of a piece of bread. He took another piece and sandwiched it together.

\"Word had spread in the underground about your lack of presence in the Royal entourage to Aurae Kingdom\" she explained, \"We're being followed. That was also the reason Maia was kidnapped. They saw her with you and thought of using her to lure you.\"

\"That's—\"

\"Is there any place Ariene could have gone when she escaped?\" Raz cut off, \"Somewhere she'd go to shelter? If no one had seen her all this time, it might be a secluded location. Not a town or a village. She also wouldn't have gone far. It would be near the Sol Palace.\"

The Prince bit off the last of his sandwich and chewed slowly. Ariene loved adventure. She couldn't sit still in one place. She mentioned several places she'd like to visit. At the moment, she could be in any of them… but the pirate meant a place she could have immediately gone to after the fire. She could have gone to the mountains. It had a small village. It could be possible… if she didn't get lost. The same could be said about the docks. The only place she could probably go would be...

\"The tower\" Tylen breathed out. Of course. The Prime Minister mentioned that she'd gone to the forest. She must have headed for the tower.

\"What tower?\"

A surge of energy elevated the Prince's mood, \"She used to go to this tower in the Ahana Forest. She saw it as an adventure even when the elders told her to stop. The first time, she disappeared long enough for her father to warrant a search.\"

The pirate rubbed her chin with her thumb, looking up at the ceiling, \"A tower in a forest… Do you know where it is? There are a lot of towers in that forest.\"

At this, Tylen shook his head, \"I'm not sure. I've never been there…\"

Raz continued to think out loud, \"It might not be far from the Sol Palace but that could be dangerous if we were spotted.\"

Of all places, Aurae Kingdom's royal palace should be the last on their list but… it couldn't be helped that their mission involved a missing princess from it. It also happened to be the last time she'd been seen, dead or not.

\"It could turn out to be a different tower\" the Prince added, \"I think we should scout it out. It may have any clue. Something others would miss because they didn't know her well enough.\"

The pirate let go of her chin and met his eyes, \"Alright, we'll head over to the Ahana Forest after breakfast.\"