Inkway to Albreton

Chapter Five

The sun rose behind the icy mountains with the same vibrant aurora as dusk the previous night. Jasmine awoke to find Prince Albert missing. Stretching her stiff back and shoulders, Jasmine tiptoed to the door and peeked around the corner.

Prince Albert wasn't missing; he was around the bend talking to a kingly man with a beard as yellow as the prince's hair. Their tone was in rushed hushing whispers and the air of urgency seeping off of them made Jasmine feel incredibly uncomfortable. She couldn't hear much of what they were saying, but what she did hear disturbed her.

"Father, I will not give this up. My princess must have her memory restored and I am the one who promised to do so. My quest is not yet complete," Prince Albert was insisting in the most polite and proper voice he could muster.

Prince Albert's father, the king, stroked his yellow beard. There was anger in his green-eyed gaze when he told the prince, "No. Your place is with your king, your father. This quest of yours is nonsense."

"Father-"

"You shall prepare. Tonight we ride."

Jasmine ducked back into the white-furnished room as the king brushed past Prince Albert and stalked down the hall, his royal blue robe swishing back and forth with every step. The prince stood with his head low and his fists clenched and Jasmine could hear his teeth grinding even from a yard away. When the prince returned to the white-furnished room, she didn't know what to tell him.

She settled for, "Um. Good morning."

"Good morning," Prince Albert said to Jasmine with a tiny smile, "I trust you slept well?" He leaned past her to pluck his fedora off the bedpost. Jasmine watched as he twiddled the feather under his thumb, a nervous motion to accompany his shaky, anxious breathing. He was getting ready to say something but couldn't get up the nerve.

"What is it?" Jasmine asked. She decided she probably shouldn't mention that she had been eavesdropping.

Prince Albert gave his feather one final twiddle and placed the fedora on his head. He took a breath. "My father doesn't wish to meet you; he is very busy with the kingdom."

Jasmine shifted her weight. The prince sighed. Jasmine couldn't stand the suspense. She pressed, "And?"

Having been found out, Prince Albert blurted, "He wants me to ride into battle and leave you here and I don't know if I can convince him he's being unreasonable and I fear this war is getting to him."

Jasmine blinked.

"I just don't know what to do," The prince's fedora hid his eyes and he dropped his arms to his side in defeat.

Jasmine took a breath. A long pause suffocated the room before she opened her mouth to say, "Go on. I'll be fine here until you get back. Okay?"

The prince's expression pleaded forgiveness. "I'm sorry," he said, "I wish this were different. I wish my father were reasonable. I wish you had your memory."

"Relax," Jasmine insisted, "It'll be fine. Just don't get yourself killed out there, okay?"

That seemed to perk him up a bit. Prince Albert straightened, put his fedora atop his head and smiled down at Jasmine like she was his paradise. Before he could say or do anything forward, Jasmine gave the prince a soft punch in the shoulder. He looked utterly confused.

Jasmine giggled. "Go get 'em, Mister Prince. Ride off to battle and save the kingdom!"

With a giant grin Prince Albert nodded and marched off with the determination of someone who clearly didn't grasp the sarcastic humor in Jasmine's words. Nonetheless, Jasmine found herself waving him goodbye with a goofy smile plastered on her face. Even so deep in the castle (as far as she knew, anyway) Jasmine could clearly hear Swift's pattering hoof beats coming closer. The sound halted momentarily as the prince ran out to meet his stallion, and then returned louder than ever as they galloped away to a place Jasmine could only imagine.