I stayed with Phil for a while longer before I decided that it was my time to go. He walked with me outside of the castle into the dark of the night. He watched as I climbed onto my horse once again. I smiled at him.
"See you soon, Dan," he said as he smiled at me. "See you soon," I said right back.
The guard opened the gate and I left. I glanced back before I was out of the gate, seeing Phil still standing there, watching as I left. I smiled once more at him before I made the horse move faster along the stone path.
It took a bit longer to get back home than it did to get to Ocares. It was safe to say that I was definitely less enthusiastic to go home to Alaeni. Despite how late it seemed to be when I got home, I found my parents in the common room, awaiting my arrival.
As soon as I saw them, I stopped in my place. The argument to come was inevitable. My father's eyes landed on me.
"Daniel. Where did you leave to?" He questioned, standing from his seat. I hesitated before answering him, "Ocares."
"You are an adult, Daniel. You are next in line for the throne. Running away from problems is not a good quality for a king to have," my father ranted off on me. "Yes, sir," I replied, trying to appeal to him. Maybe if that worked, this conversation would be the least bit bearable. "Now, as your mother told you, you are to marry Princess Evelina, " he proclaimed.
"Oh, that was her name?" I commented lightly. My mother rose to her feet quickly. "Daniel James!" She scolded intensely. "You are so stubborn to this that you didn't even learn her name!" She continued to shout.
"See, and I'm not going to marry someone I don't love, let alone, someone I don't even know," I spoke back, meaning the words more seriously than they sounded. "You are marrying her, Daniel," my father spoke with a calm reserve, though I could sense the anger lying underneath.
"I am not going to marry someone I do not love!" I shouted, losing the calm I had tried to keep throughout the entire conversation. "You must love a princess, Daniel!" My mother shouted back. The entire room went uncomfortably silent for what seemed like hours.
"But what if I love a prince instead?"