We finished the entire sack and we were now left with the half-filled one. We talked and shared so much about each other. It was as if time stopped, giving us more room to be together. But our joyful conversations were cut short when a soft thunder came from the skies. We looked up and the clouds slowly blocked the sun. Another faint thunder grumbled from afar. The sky continued to grow grey in colour. ‘James must be in an unforgiving mood right now,’ I thought to myself. “It is best that we leave,” Laura tied the sack and put it back under her seat. “We don’t want to return home soaked with rain water,” she added as we prepared to leave. “As a prince of the kingdom who is responsible for rain, I understand what you said,” I teased as I sat firmly on my end of the boat. She then grabbed the oars and fiddled with them as she slid them to the oarlocks. “I hope we will be able to get out of here in time. We are quite deep in this swamp,” she said. “I can row for us. I can do it fast

‘After what seemed to be an eternity underwater, strong arms finally pulled me out. ‘As soon as I was removed from the icy ocean water, I coughed vigorously as I tried to get as much air as I possibly could. My back ached as my breathing struggled. ‘Father called out as he helped me regain consciousness, “Robert! My dear boy, are you all right?” ‘I nodded as I continued coughing. ‘Father quickly carried me and rushed over to where my mother and sister were. “There is nothing to fear son, I am here.” ‘Mother cried as we approached them, “Robert!” Father crouched down to them as we sat together in a corner. “My son,” Mother pulled me into her arms. Her tears fell on my face as she cradled my little body. ‘Father looked at us all and said, “No matter what happens, we stay together. Do you understand?” Determination was evident in his voice, driven to make sure we survived this chaos. “I will do everything to make sure we return home safely.” ‘Mother gave him a kiss and we all share

The ground was covered with grass, sparkling because of the dew. Different flowers blossomed on each side of the pebbled path. Majestic trees stood tall, the vines complemented its size. Birds flew freely in the air. Some sang from the trees. A fountain stood in the middle. Its waters slowly cascaded down to the bottom. Everything was simply breath-taking. “Well, what do you think?” Laura asked. “This is… beautiful. It truly is,” I answered as I was still taken aback by the beauty before me. “There are no proper words to describe everything that I am seeing.” “And that is just the beginning,” she said. Before I could even turn to look at her, she grabbed my hand and we followed the path. We entered a maze and she just kept moving forward without any hesitation. ~*~*~*~ When we got to the end, we were greeted by a thick curtain of vines. “Please, don’t tell me we’re going through there,” I remarked. Laura turned around, confused. “Is there something wrong? Are you afraid of vi

When I arrived, Lady was on the floor, barely breathing. “Lady!” I pushed through the servants. I dropped beside Lady and screamed, “Lady?! Lady, what is happening to you?!” I shook her continuously as I didn’t know what to do, “Lady!” “Robert?! What is the matter?!” Nana rushed in with the other servants. And she gasped immediately at the horrific sight. “Call the Medicine King! Hurry!” I shouted. “You heard the young prince! Do it now!” Nana yelled. One of the servants jumped onto the service horse and went on his way. “Lady, please,” tears fell down my cheeks as I pulled Lady into my chest. I gripped tightly onto her as the fear of losing her was taking over me. ‘I cannot afford to lose Lady. I will not let that happen,’ I thought to myself. “Robert!” I looked to the entrance and James ran towards us with Gonzalo right behind him. He quickly knelt down and checked Lady’s condition. “James, you have to help me,” I cried. I continued, “I don’t know what is going on. I don’t kn

I covered my mouth as my reaction silenced the entire room. All of our eyes widened, surprised. ‘Did I just call James “Father”?’ I thought to myself. I cleared myself as I straightened myself. “I mean, yes. It was indeed a good laugh, James.” James nodded as his smile slowly turned into a firm line. “Also, I would like to express my gratitude for saving Lady a while ago. Lady wouldn’t have survived if it wasn’t for your help,” I continued, keeping a formal tone with him. James let out a satisfied smile. “I did that for you, son. I understand how important Lady is to you. I don’t want you to lose her because of someone’s ill intentions,” he said. I nodded. “I guess this is where I take my leave, then,” I replied as I stood from my chair. Putting my hands behind my back, I continued, “I didn’t have my rest yet so this will be the perfect time to do so.” “Will you be joining us for dinner?” Mother asked, grinning as she walked towards me. I kissed her cheek gently. “If I wake up