The carriage ride home was tense.
I sat in between Nella and Ana during the ride home. Nella's hand easily found its way to my own, and I smile to her and squeeze it reassuringly. My brothers had been forced into another carriage and followed close behind the one we are in.
Ana would meet my gaze with a questioning one of her own, but would then quickly look away. She stared out the carriage window as if searching for someone in the crowd of people, but her shoulders slumped in defeat.
I wondered if she was worried about the prince's safety, but I knew they would be escorted to the palace with nearly as many guards as we have. Surely they will be a top priority, and since when has Ana cared about them?
Mother and Father whispered fiercely between one another, their eyes kept glancing my way with expressions of disbelief.
I continued to hold Nella's hand in my own, gripping it tightly.
She looks up at me with large violet eyes, and I didn't realize until then that she was trembling. I smile softly, pressing her hand to my lips and kissing it softly. "Don't worry darling, everything will be fine," I whisper, gently running my thumb in small circles on her the back of her hand.
I catch Ana staring at me then, her eyes are hard to read, and she turns away when she notices I have looked back to her. However, she quickly faces me again, opening and closing her mouth as she thoroughly thinks through what she is about to say. "Where have you been?" She asks in a small voice, barley over a whisper.
She seemed to still be in shock at my presence, her eyes kept wondering over my face as if checking to make sure I was still the same James she knew before my disappearance. It hurts my heart to see the distant expression, and I sigh.
"When I battled General Franny, he did more than push me off the cliff. His blade cut into my left ankle and shattered the bone," I gulped at the memory as I revisited the pain of that night.
Ana's expression shifted to one of stunned silence, and she nodded. I continued, "Nella found me in the river and nursed me back to health," I say, my gaze drifts to Nella, and I smile. She blushes, looking up at me under dark lashes.
My whole family was listening now.
"She discovered the blade was poisoned and healed my many cuts and bruises, but my foot was beyond help... it had to go," I say slowly.
The realization dawned on my family's face as my words sank in and they all lean forward to see. They noticed for the first time that I had prosthetic foot now, and I wince as they pull back in reaction.
Ana gasps, her face twisted in one of horror, and Mother begins to cry again. I leaned forward and touched Mother's hand, she sniffs, squeezing it so tightly my fingers hurt. "Mother, I would have died," I begin softly. "But Nella of the Waterwalker kingdom saved my life." Nervously, I wait for a reaction.
My family gasps, and Nella winced. "She's a Waterwalker?" Father's tone is one of a controlled temper, his dark eyes staring at Nella curiously.
I nod, my eyes pleading for him to understand the truth; I love her.
"Your Majesty?" Nella speaks up bravely. She holds her shoulders back proudly, and for a moment I almost thought she was the royal one instead of myself. She has an air of confidence meant for royalty, and I wonder what the future might hold.
"I love your son," she said in a soft voice, her tone polite yet sincere. I blink, facing her with surprise.
Yes, I have heard her say the words to her sister and I have thought them many times myself, but we have never so forwardly confessed our love for each other, much less tell my parents of our love.
Mother's expression softens, and Father's easily melts from one of guarded harshness to a far more familiar smile. His eyes studied Nella intelligently, and I do believe he knows she is a good person at heart.
Nella laughed at my expression. "He causes a lot of trouble, but I am ready to face that with him," she adds with a mischievous grin.
I pull her closed to me, slipping my hand around her waist. "I love you, Nella," I whisper.
Her eyes light up with excitement, and I wanted to kiss her so badly at that moment it almost hurt to hold myself back, but with my family watching I kept a respectful distance.
I smiled at the thought of Nella becoming my wife. Of us living over lives together in the palace and as I stared into her violet eyes I began to wonder if our children would inherit the gene.
I wanted the good times and the bad times. I wanted her to be mine and only mine alone. I wanted to see her hair turn gray from age and for little feet to one day run around our palace.
I was jolted out of my thoughts at the guards announcing we had arrived at the palace.
I have a war to fight.
My parents were quickly escorted by guards into the palace and my siblings, Nella, and I were following quickly.
I noticed Ana was uncharacteristically quiet, she kept her arms around herself as if she were cold but I knew that was not the case.
"You look beautiful, Ana." I say quietly.
She looked up at me, panicked for a moment as if I had startled her from her thoughts.
"Thank you," she says in a quiet voice, her shoulders remained tense, she looked like she wanted to say more.
After a moment she looked up at me, her eyes had tears in them. "I thought you were dead, James... I kept seeing your ghost haunting me in the castle-" her voice breaks with emotion and I pull her into a hug.
I had barely had time to talk to her and felt my chest tighten at the terrified and miserable look in her eyes. My ghost had haunted her? She had been broken by my absence from her life? Of course she had. I would have been if she were the one who had gone missing.
"I thought of you every day. I thought of all of you." I whispered into her hair.
She sobbed into my shoulder. "James, I couldn't go on without you. . . I couldn't go on," she cried.
Her sobs broke my heart.
Nella stood at a respectful distance, but was close enough for me to know she was here for me.
I kept my arm around Ana as we walked.
"How sick were you, James? I wish I could have been there for you." Ana said through sniffs.
I laughed tiredly. "I was out for two weeks, Ana," I said quietly. "I felt like I was dying, probably because I was. I kept thinking of you the whole time. You kept me strong," I said softly, squeezing her shoulder reassuringly.
I hoped she heard the plea in my words.
I would have come back sooner if I could.
I tried everything I could, but I was dying.
I knew Ana got my message. She was smart, and she knows me like the back of her hand. In return I know her like I know my own mind.
When we made it into the Great Room, a large room created for social gatherings at the palace, I was surprised to see that the room was filled with men.
Soldiers filled the room, talking loudly and passing around weapons, and my father and mother stood at the front commanding everything side by side.
I was surprised to find some of the men even held guns. They were expensive and hard to find, I kept one with me but preferred a sword.
I watched as Ana stood straighter and her breaths calmed. She knew everyone was watching her.
Every man looked to her and the brotherly part of me wanted them to take their eyes off my baby sister, but I know they are looking to her for leadership.
Still, her eyes searched the crowd looking for something unknown to me.
I lead my siblings and Nella up to the platform to join my parents.
I never made it.
Suddenly, a uniformed guard walked over to a boy I recognized as Prince Andrew.
The soldier held a gun to the Prince's head and put a bullet through his brain.
Ana and Nella screamed and before I could react, several uniformed guards jumped into action.
I looked desperately towards the stage, they would go for my mother and father.
Another bullet shot rang out and my mother jumped in front of my father.
A bullet hit her heart and her body fell to the floor. The crowd of men were all screaming in outrage now and surged forward like a tsunami wave.
I opened my mouth to scream, but nothing came out. I was helpless as I watched my father attempt to make his way from the stage, screaming in anger and rage. His body fell to the floor besides my mother, several different bullets piercing his chest.
Even death could not separate them.
Ana was hysterical, she screamed and fought to run to our parent's lifeless bodies, but I held her back knowing if she made it to the front and was spotted by a Waterwalker in disguise she would be quickly shot at.
"MOTHER! FATHER!" She screamed. "MOTHER! FATHER!"
I pulled her and Nella into my arms and used my body as a cover.
I reached out to try and grab my brothers, but they were gone. I prayed they had fled deeper into the crowd and not have been the victim of another Waterwalker's bullet.
Nella was shaking and I think Ana may have fainted. "I love you, I love you." I whispered over and over to both of them.
I looked up to try and find my other brothers again, and my heart dropped when I found Charles' body on the floor near me. His eyes are still open, looking up lifelessly towards the ceiling, and yet the blood from his cracked skull gives me little hope.
I felt myself starting to shake as angry tears racked my body, and I pull my eyes away from my baby brother's face. I tug Ana and Nella closer as well, hoping they do not get a glimpse.
My family has gone from eight to five in less than a few seconds.
Chaos was raging around us and I held onto Nella and Ana tighter, they were the center of my hurricane. The calm in the storm. If I didn't focus on them in my arms I would be torn into the chaos around us.
A soldier began to approach us and I was preparing to fight until I realized it was Officer Brashier, even then I wondered if he was a Waterwalker in disguise.
"Your Highness, I need to take you to the safe room!" He yelled over the battle.
I shook my head. "How can I trust you?" I yelled.
My vision was beginning to become slightly blurry and I wondered if it was caused by my tears or my panic.
My mother, father, Charles. . . they can't be dead.
Officer Brashier shook his head. "I have known you since you were small, James. Please, you must follow me," he begged.
The pleading in his eyes and worry in his voice was enough to make me trust him enough to escort us to the safe room.
Every instinct inside me told me to fight, but I knew if I stayed Nella and Ana would be alone and I cared about protecting them more than anything.
Especially since Ana is now the Queen of the Five Kingdoms and needs to be protected at all cost.
If she dies we have no heir to the throne.
I was getting ready to pick her up, but I realized she was conscious.
Her face was pale, and I was slightly afraid she would get sick, but she grabbed onto me in determination.
I took Nella in my other hand and started running as fast as I could.
I stumbled several times, but with Nella and Ana on either side I had a reason to continue fighting.
Bullet shots rang around the Great Room, and I hissed when one bullet grazed my upper back.
"Keep moving!" Officer Brashier yelled and I followed his command.
I could already feel the sticky blood dripping down my back, it wasn't enough to make me stop running, but skies it was beginning to sting.
We were almost to the hallway, so close, when a soldier grabbed onto Ana's arm.
Ana screamed and kicked, but the disguised Waterwalker soldier had her in his hold and yanked her back.
"JAMES!" She screamed to me, and I turn but am blocked by a crowd of men all rushing around like crazed ants in an anthill. I try to push through, my screams unheard over the mass's noise, and suddenly she is gone from sight.
"ANASTASIA!" I screamed trying to turn back to her, but the crowd of men forced me to be pulled further away. "Go back! We have to find her!" I screamed to Officer Brashier.
I searched the busy crowd for my sister, but it was no use. She simply was gone. I couldn't even see signs of her stunning sky colored dress in the crowd of camouflage and red.
Officer Brashier turned to a soldier running by us. "Find the Princess!" He yelled. The soldier, loyal to the Five Kingdoms, nodded and ran into the crowd.
I was dragged down into one of the castle hallways and Officer Brashier slammed his fist into the side of the wall.
At first I wondered if it was from anger, but then the stones rolled to the side to revel a passageway.
I never knew the castle had safe rooms like this.
"The door will open automatically in forty eight hours if no one comes to find you!" The Officer said quickly as he shoved us into the dark room.
"It has been an honor serving you, Prince James," the Officer said with a salute, and without waiting for a response hit the wall again causing Nella and I to be surrounded by darkness.
The walls must be sound proof because all that was audible was mine and Nella's heavy breathing.
I pounded my fist against the wall. "Officer Brashier!" I yelled. In the back of my mind I knew it was no use, but I continued to pound until I could feel the skin on my knuckles breaking.
"Ana! ANA!" I screamed her name at the solid wall, wishing it would do any good.
A small hand touched my shoulder and I stopped pounding. I couldn't see Nella in the dark, and without speaking I felt the walls for a light switch and was relieved when my fingers came across it.
I turned it on and the room was softly lit.
It was bare for the most part, a single bed was pushed up to the right wall and a sink and toilet was to the left.
A box of canned food was pressed against the far left corner of the room as well and several extra pillows and blankets and a medical kit.
I looked at Nella, unable to speak. She seemed similar to my state.
My parents are dead.
Charles is dead.
Ana was taken from me.
And the twins and August were missing.
I took a step towards the bed and stumbled, forgetting about my foot and gasping at the pain in my back.
Luckily Nella caught me. "Shirt off. Now," she demanded.
In spite of everything I try for a weak laugh, though quiet tears were streaming down my face. "I've always wanted you to say that to me." I croaked.
Nella helped me sit on the bed and pulled my shirt off. She tried for a smile but it fell quickly with her quivering lip.
She quietly checked my back, "it's not bad," she said softly, her hands were shaking but her voice remained calm. "Just a scrape really, I just need to clean it." Her words were heavy and I could tell without looking that she was crying.
She turned to go get water, but I weakly grabbed her hand.
She looked back and me, her face red from tears.
"I. . . I'm so sorry James," she whispered.
I leaned into her and she wrapped her arms around me, she was standing and I sat with my arms falling around her waist and my head pressed against her.
I cried. I openly cried and let Nella hold me.
"I couldn't protect them, Nella. . . I couldn't," I whispered, my voice cracking with emotion.
Nella hushed me softly. "You did everything you could, James," she says quietly.
I never responded and we stayed like that for what felt like an eternity. Finally, Nella pulled away and ran her fingers through my hair.
"Let me wash your back," she said, always thinking of others before herself.
She put my shirt in the sink, ran the water over it, and then came back to me and gently ran the cold cloth over my back.
I think she was using it as a distraction, the cut didn't even hurt anymore, but the cold felt good and numbed my mind.
Once Nella said I was good, I helped her move the extra pillows and blankets to the floor so we could stay together throughout the night.
We laid down together, side by side, on the pillow bed we had made.
Everything in my being ached for my family, my broken family.
I feel as if I have abandoned them.
My Ana, she was pulled away from me.
What if she is dead?
My breathing hitched, she can't be dead.
Nella stroked my face and I put my arm around her. I kissed her, so desperately and she kissed me right back with the same passionate intensity.
"What if they are dead?" I asked in a terrified whisper.
Nella's kiss was like a summer breeze, and for a moment all my problems were forgotten.
"We have to have hope," she whispered.
"We have to have hope."