I Thought I Lost You (bxk)

Prologue

"When do you reckon he would wake up?" The voice who spoke seemed to have come from a young male, the sound airy and light - resembling all that the fairy race was.

"Have patience, Helbram. He'll open his eyes soon. After all, the great tree had chosen and recognized him as the next fairy king. Once he awakens, I'm assigning you to be his personal guard."

The male scoffed, obviously not too thrilled with that idea, but nonetheless didn't make any other complaints.

"Come on, Harlequin. Everyone is wanting to meet you," the woman then spoke with a kind voice.

Harlequin. Is that my name?

With slight difficulty, the young heir blinked open his eyes. His gaze was bleary at first, but after a short moment, everything seemed to clear and make sense to the young fairy.

Yes, he was Harlequin, prince and future king of the Fairy King's Forest. His light brown eyes then finally caught sight of the two figures in front of him, and the fairy blinked.

The male smiled softly, showing nothing but pure intent. Helbram was his name, and he was nothing but kind. Harlequin could read his heart, and as much as Helbram tried to dismiss his assigned duty as his guard, he could tell that the other male wouldn't want anything else in the world.

Harlequin shifted his gaze to the female in the room and noticed immediately that her aura held some power behind it. She was one of the protectors of the forest, and would willingly die to do so. It was clear that she shouldn't really be messed with, but still, she radiated nothing but kindness as well.

"Hello, Harlequin!" Helbram leaned over and beamed. "You've slept an awful long time."

I have?

With a yawn, the fairy Prince stretched his arms up above his head, sitting up as he did so. His body was a bit stiff, but he figured that he could get over it soon enough.

Helbram offered a hand, and Harlequin took it easily, letting the older fairy help him up. Helbram helped the prince dust himself off, making sure the younger male was looking a bit more presentable for his first public appearance.

"Good morning prince. How are you feeling today?"

Harlequin turned to glance at the fierce woman before him and smiled sheepishly. He was a bit nervous before her, especially since she seemed to be the type to criticize. "I'm okay, thank you."

She smiled back encouragingly. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Harlequin. I'm Gerharde."

The prince nodded in greeting, but was immediately caught off guard when Helbram pulled on his wrist and led Harlequin towards the entrance. "Come on, prince, it's time for you to fly!"

Helbram let go of his wrist only to fly out of the entrance, though the older fairy didn't go too far. He waited just past the threshold, wanting to be there for Harlequin's first flight - especially since any fairy's first flight could be the scariest.

Harlequin stared out of the entrance with intense wonder and amazement. The forest surrounding the area was vast and beautiful, the large tree before him blooming with pink flowers above the treetops of others.

The great tree was the sole life force of the whole forest, and it truly lived up to its name. It was the home and guardian of the fountain of youth, the fairy race's prized possession. Without the fountain of youth or the presence of the fairy king, the forest would die out.

"Come on, Harlequin!"

The prince's gaze locked onto Helbram's, and with an encouraging smile directed his way, Harlequin hesitantly floated out of his home. He didnt necessarily know how he was flying exactly, but at least he wasn't falling to his death at the moment either.

Helbram beamed before flying back to help the prince. "You're still a little unsure, eh? That's quite alright, I'm sure you'll grow to be the best flier around."

The prince giggled then, the joyous sound having a pleasant ring to it. "I don't think I could ever be as good as you are, Helbram."

Helbram chuckled, ruffling the prince's caramel colored hair. "Don't flatter me." The older fairy glanced around real quick before spotting the rest of the fairies. He nudged Harlequin's shoulder before pointing down at them, gesturing for the prince to go introduce himself.

With a hint of nervousness, Harlequin floated down near a clearing just a few yards away from the treeline. The treeline is where the other fairies resided, and the poor prince didn't quite know how he was to greet his fellow people.

A few minutes must have gone by and Harlequin still hadn't moved from his spot. However, the other fairies had to have spotted him by now, and it didn't take much longer for the first few to bravely introduce themselves to their future king. The introductions were a bit awkward at first, but once Harlequin opened up and got used to the idea, he had confidently floated past the treeline to greet all the others.

There were a few whispers going around behind the prince's back, and once Helbram caught wind of them, the older fairy frowned. How dare the other fairies question Harlequin? Yes, the young prince didn't have any wings yet, but he's sure that they'll grow eventually. Plus, just because Harlequin lacked wings didn't mean he still wouldn't make a great king.

With a tsk, Helbram flew up beside Harlequin and stuck by the prince's side for the rest of the day. The young prince was exhausted, but by the end of the day, he knew that he had gained a new best friend.