When Kings Fall

Seven ⋆ Part 2

The sun washes the large garden with a golden glow. Birdsong filters in, lilting in an age old melody. Buzzing bees surf the open spaces from flower to flower, desperately seeking pollen. The pollen looks like floating grains of pixie dust, scattered by the smooth wind.

I couldn't help but smile as princess Celeste and I ran from prince Demios on the castle grounds. The game of tag had been lasting awhile now, and although the running had made me tired, I just wanted to keep playing.

Princess Celeste and I decide to split paths. She runs towards the end of the garden, where there is an entrance to a maze of thick and well maintained bushes. I find myself at the garden fountain, stopping to catch my breath.

As I huff and puff, I can see small frog spawns glistening like mini moons. They even have the dark spots, as if to suggest they are as old and alien as the moon itself. Feeling safe from the game, I sit down on the stone of the fountain. I was extremely lightheaded, but I didn't want to let it ruin the fun.

I use the back of my hand to wipe sweat from my brow. While doing so, I notice a figure appear from the corner of my eye. I jump up from my resting spot and run around the circular fountain, creating a barrier between prince Demios and I.

"And the wolf has cornered its prey," Demios taunts, stepping forwards.

With each step he took towards me, I stepped to the opposite side, keeping us perfectly parallel.

"Not quite," I point out.

Prince Demios narrows his eyes slightly, finding this to be the most fun part of the entire game. Our eyes stayed locked onto one another as he kept trying to catch me. I couldn't help but notice the rivulets of sweat pouring off him, making his shirt soaked and cling to his form.

"It's hard to see a way out, isn't it?" Demios smirks.

I felt my smile fade. The fun was gone for me. All I could think was little did he know. Perhaps this never ending game of tag was how my healing Thaddeus would go; just a cycle that keeps going until one of us gives up, or dies.

Prince Demios tilts his head, licking his light pink lips. He knew he took me off guard. He starts side stepping around the marble fountain, trying to inch closer to me.

"You know," He starts off. He suddenly stops going in circles, looking down into the fountain. "sometimes to be a winner, one needs to be cunning enough to outwit their foes."

"Since when did I become a foe?" I question him while trying to shake the lightheadedness that ailed me.

Prince Demios raises his gaze back up to me. He smiles slyly, "It's all just a game, right?"

He then steps into the fountain, making the barrier I had set between us broken. But, I could not respond. My head felt airy. My eyes were becoming covered in a grainy black sheet so I reach for the fountain edge. I heard water splashing towards me and felt large arms grab ahold of me to help ease me down.

I knew that if I could still breathe, that I was fine. Although all my senses seemed blocked. I couldn't feel my own body or make sense of what Prince Demios was saying to me.

I went from struggling to breath in the humid air, to being instantly cooled. By the time my vision cleared, I could feel now that I was being held between Prince Demios legs, drenched from head to toe. My heart leaped into my throat as I fought a rising panic.

Instinctively, I quickly set my hands to the muscles of his chest and push myself away from him.

Although the water was only to my ankles as I stood up, I couldn't help but imagine what it would have been like if the water was deeper as I hurriedly waded over to the stone edge and sat upon it.