"Are we going to do this to get to every castle?"
We're in our usual position, Jungkook's hand latched onto my shoulder as we fly away from the beautiful waterside village.
"Hopefully not. Its way too uncomfortable." He mumbles from behind me.
"It's not uncomfy! You're just not used to it." I scoff, picking up our speed.
"There's going to be an impression of a broom handle on my ass." I hear him mutter followed by an irritated sigh.
I give him my own look of irritation, drifting us down until our feet graze the water's surface.
"Hey cut it out!" He cries, trying to desperately pick his feet up. "There are sharks here, remember?"
"Then stop complaining." I huff, raising us back up.
The Ocean Prince's Island is rather gloomy looking as we approach it closer. Dark storm clouds hover overhead, blocking out the warm sunlight. I'm sure they weren't there before we left the beach.
Maybe, like Jimin, this prince has a hurricane as a defense mechanism. Although, I doubt my broom could withstand the wind. Between the thoughts of the Ocean Prince and many other things, my mind races back to one topic that's been bothering me.
"Do you think someone else wants the potion? Do you think that's why they tried to steal the crown?" I ask a question that I had been pushing to the back of my mind.
"I don't know." Jungkook answers, shrugging. "I doubt anyone else has the ingredient list."
"Right." That calms my nerves. There are many reasons that someone would want a love potion. For the first reason, there's love obviously, but it can also be used in dangerous ways. I hope that this one we make doesn't fall into the wrong hands.
If I don't get fed to the sharks in the process of gathering ingredients.
We finally make it to the island. The gray stone castle is on the other end, and Jungkook and I stop in a small area that looks the least guarded. There are still palm trees about, but now instead of a sandy paradise, there's multiple tide pools. Each one seems to hold its own ecosystem, various types of coral and crabs shuffling around.
"Okay, here's my plan." Jungkook hops off the broom and whispers, although it looks like we're the only two around. "I need you to walk through the main doors and distract everyone."
My eyes pop out of their sockets in shock as he continues.
"My bet is that the crown is locked up somewhere. I doubt he would be wearing it since it almost got stolen. So, you offer a distraction. Do a magic trick or something, and I'll look for the crown."
"A magic trick?" I blink at him, shifting my weight to lean against the broom. "I'm a witch. Not some phony magician people hire for their kid's tenth birthday. Besides, this plan may be the dumbest thing I've ever heard you say. You're trying to get me turned into shark food, aren't you?"
"It's a perfect plan." He shakes his head. "Look, if he spots me then it'll be hell. He'll try to kill us. But he may be lenient for you."
"May be...?" My eyebrows raise. "I'm risking my life for a may be?!"
"Ssshh!" He shushes me, his hands going to latch onto my shoulders. "Look, you're just going to have to trust me, okay?"
And that's when he directs those doe eyes my way, and I can't say no. I search them for a reason, any speck of doubt, but I can't find it. He's positive that nothing bad will happen, and I trust him.
Which is probably a mistake, but oh well.
I find my spot on the broom stick once more, leaving Jungkook at the tide pools. He gives me a nod as I take off, watching him attempt to sneak into the back of the castle.
I float around the gray stone walls, blue tattered flags billowing in the breeze that has now picked up. The palm fronds scratch against each other as the sea wind moves them, waves crashing against the sides of the castle walls and rock ledges.
I can't help but to think how lonely the place looks. Unlike Jungkook's Kingdom, there isn't any music playing, no workers actively mulling about and doing their duties.
I reach the front of the castle, alerting the two burly guards as they stand watch: them being the only two forms of life I've seen so far on the island. Besides the crabs, of course. They're each wearing armor that looks to be made from various types of seashells and conches, and they immediately notice my presence.
Their conch spears get pointed at me, and I'm quick to hold my hands up in defense. My face heats up with embarrassment from the sudden attention, and I do my best to stay in character and stay a distraction.
"I request an audience with the prince. Right-" A lump suddenly gets caught in my throat at the realization of what I'm doing. Not only am I about to break into a castle, but I'm also doing it as a witch, which is a double crime. "R-Right now."
I try to keep my voice firm, demanding. My confidence falters when one of the guards barks out an order.
"No visitors allowed to the prince." One of them growls. "Now leave."
He juts the spear in my direction, and I'm glad I'm far enough away to not feel the poke from the conch.
"Its kind of important." I mumble, my hand shuffling through the basket while my eyes stay trained on the men. When I feel the familiar round surface of the bottle, I pop the top with my thumb, a pungent odor immediately radiating around me. "And, I'm so sorry."
I lunge the bottle at them, a failed love potion dusting them. I can't even remember what this one was made of, most likely a dead animal based on the smell. The air is a dark blue plume of dust, and in the confusion and coughing and hacking, I float right by them.
"So, you do come in handy for something, huh?" I laugh to myself, feeling guilty that the guards were put through that.
This castle is like Jungkook's, a castle town appearing before the main castle itself. This one is much smaller though, and its barren. The gray walls have been overrun with seaweed and kelp, it climbing the polished stone and leaving a green residue behind. Patches of ocean water dot the whole area, and it looks like it's been years since someone set up a market here.
I doubt it would get much business, though, with it being out in the middle of the sea. Or maybe this prince just likes his peace and quiet? I doubt that's the case, though. Wouldn't a prince love to see his people?
I find myself standing in front of a set of double doors. They're painted white and blue with elegancy, begging to be opened. I slide off the broom, holding it and the basket in my hand as I take a deep breath.
My heart feels like its beating out of my chest, the fast thump-thump being heard in my ears. My hand moves before my brain tells it to stop, and I don't even knock. I just push one of the doors open. It opens with a creak, alerting the three people in the throne room ahead.
A lonely figure sits in the middle of a large blue throne, shells decorating the surface. The guards at his side rush to block him from me, and I sheepishly smile.
"... Hi?"
***