The other Kingdoms

Chapter 3

      I pulled my hair into a bun and put on my helmet so no one would notice the obvious change in length but then my mind went to Marina 'Did she see my hair like this?' I shook my head at the thought, I knew she wasn't one to keep quiet about such things, so I felt relieved to know she was ignorant about it, I was going to tell her eventually but not now, not when I didn't understand anything yet.
        I walked down the hall hoping to find Don. He usually arrives by now, but he couldn't go home because of the ball that happened last night, so he should be here. However, I remembered that my father might be waiting for me in his study, so I decided to go there instead.
         Upon entering I saw my father looking through some documents "Father ", he was looking very serious but as soon as he heard me call he looked up, his face immediately softened and he smiled "Lacia" he said with the warm tone he only used for my mother and me, he stood up from behind his desk and walked to the front with hands open wide, I immediately hugged him and I soon felt at ease knowing he'll be there to protect me from whatever was happening adult or not, and that alone made me feel safe and happy, 'maybe I should tell him after all'.
          He pulled back and stared at me with a concerned look in his warm blue eyes "I knew you were tired from yesterday's ball but I didn't think you were that tired" I gave a short laugh "Me neither, but I am fine now" he hummed in a tone that inquired he didn't believe me so I turned back and did a  quick cartwheel raising my hands as I stood "see?"
         "Okay I can see you're fine now but are you sure you can go riding today, I really don't want you to hurt yourself" I smiled at him "I am sure Father, you don't have to worry about me I am a grown-up now," I said placing my hands on my hips and with that he smiled "No you're still my little girl," he said with a gentle pat on my helmet covered head "Now go before I change my mind," he said in his kingly voice which made me laugh a bit before I left his office.
         As I closed the door, I was about to search for Don when someone snuck up and roared behind me wearing a horrifying mask. Without even looking, I punched out of instinct and let out a loud shriek. Don pulled off his mask, laughing uncontrollably, "Ow, Eleven years, it has been eleven years and you're still scared of the same mask." I muttered, "You never let me get a close look." Don paused and replied, "For someone who just turned eighteen, you're still a big scaredy-cat," and continued his infectious laughter. "Then maybe I should have punched you harder," I said, raising my fist to his face. He was a little taller than me, well, maybe not a little, my head barely reached his shoulder, but I had ways of bringing him down to my size. Our friendly banter continued, and we both knew that no matter how old we were, some things never changed.
     "Okay okay, I'm sorry," he said raising his hands in surrender and trying to pull a straight face, I could tell he was trying to hold back his laughter but then he couldn't hold it anymore and started laughing again "I'm sorry... it's just... funny," he said between laughs.
      He started playing this prank when I turned seven, he came to my room the day after my birthday and I woke up to see a scary monster looking at me after that, he has done it every year since and it gets funnier for him the older I get, I had asked him countless times why he did it but his answer is always the same "it's funny" sometimes he'd even add the fact that he felt like doing it on my birthday but he wouldn't want to leave me in a bad mood for the party. I gave up asking eventually and started planning my counterattacks unlike his, mine was different every year and this year was going to be the biggest yet even though I had nothing planned, and for some weird reason he always looked forward to it.
      I let him laugh his heart out and I also couldn't help but smile, he was my best friend and even though we were growing older now, we still acted like kids around each other and I couldn't imagine life without him. " Earth to Goldie" he called snapping his fingers in front of my face. Goldie is his nickname for me because of my hair and he only calls me Cia or Lacia when he is being serious or in front of other people since we always had to be strict and formal in public "Let get going we are already late" he said walking ahead of me "says the donkey that was cackling a few second ago" I said walking towards him and pulling his cheeks, with this he took my hand and gave a short smirk before running, I could barely even catch up.
     When we got to the stables, I immediately leaned on one of the stalls to catch my breath "Why did you have to run that fast" I said panting "Because I didn't want to get punished" he said barely out of breath, 'how am I the only one affected?', I thought staring at him in disbelief. "What" he looked at me like he was confused "How come you're not out of breath" I asked "Probably because I've always been a better runner than you," he said with a grin, showing off his dimples, his green eyes twinkled with a little mischief in them and his straight blond hair which is usually combed back with one strand in front was now slightly tousled by the wind giving him some kind of boyish look.
     Everyone around us thought that Don and I would make a great couple. I had to admit that the thought had crossed my mind too. However, there was something that Don didn't know about me, and it was my darkest secret. I had a huge crush on him for as long as I could remember.

The truth was, I was afraid to tell him how I felt because I didn't want to ruin our friendship. Even if he didn't feel the same way, I knew he would try to act indifferent about it, and that would be unbearable for me. I might even decide to avoid him altogether, hoping my feelings would fade away, but I knew deep down that it would never happen.

I cherished our friendship, and I didn't want to lose it. So, I decided to keep quiet and keep my feelings to myself. I was content that he liked me as a friend, and I didn't want to risk it all. Every day, my feelings for him grew stronger and deeper, and it was hard to keep them hidden. However, I knew that it was the right thing to do, and I was willing to sacrifice my own happiness for the sake of our friendship. "Well at least I'm a better swimmer than you" I took off my helmet so I could splash some water on my face, but I hadn't realized that some were also splashed on my hair as well until I saw Don staring at me with a confused look on his face "What" I asked also confused as to why he was staring at me that way.
      He walked over to me and with one hand untied the bun I made my hair into leaving it to fall on my shoulder and the rest down to my waist, then he pulled a few strands and brought it to my face "Lacia, what happened to your hair?" he asked looking at me seriously and at the same time confused. I looked and realized he was showing me the blue strands, I had completely forgotten about that, I suddenly remembered everything I wanted to tell him but just as I opened my mouth to speak Don suddenly turned me around and kissed me, on the lips.