Broken Lines (1/?)
The kingdom of Spades was said to be the greatest among four dukedoms, considering their abundant natural resources. The kingdom was peaceful as ever. The villagers were fond of their rulers, unlike other kings and queens who reigned the kingdom, the abused their power. The Jones family were never considered as brutal. They’re willing to extend their helping hands to the needy, respond to the victims, and any other good deeds you could think of. King Fidel was proud of his sons for they love each other.
As for Alfred, he gave his older brother lavish love and would never want to leave by his side. It’s like if they’re apart for a few minutes, he would immediately find him and would cry if he realized his failure. There were times that his brother would tell him wonderful stories of knights and dragons whenever he’d be frightened by ghost, though there would be times that his brother would scare the shit of him. Alfred would sometimes find it weird if his brother will talk to himself…in fact, he’s talking to his fairy friends. During dawn, Alfred was the first to wake up to annoy his sleeping brother. Of course, his brother would be bothered at first -which could sometimes result for morning tantrums, but later would subside for the boy liked to use his charm for his brother to forgive him. As the day goes by, they’d play games like hide-and-seek and any whatsits.
One tragic day, Alfred and his brother decided to play out in the woods. They competed to each other on who’ll gather the most acorns win. Deeper and deeper did he go with a basket full of acorns at hand. Whenever stuffs like this would trigger his interest, Alfred was always sure as hell that he’d win against his brother -except for the fact that he had no sense of direction when at the forest. Well, it’s a good thing he was blessed by the ‘Great King’ to communicate with animals, one that his brother can’t do.
…so that’s probably the reason why he made imaginary friends and named them Tinkerbell, Captain Short, or any other bizarre names he could think of.
As a yellow, fluffy bird, perched on the top of his golden locks, gave him the way back to the castle, Alfred immediately rushed down the steep hill and waved goodbye to his new-found friend. Entering the kitchen, he placed the basket on the table, adoring the amount of acorns collected as he waited for his brother to arrive. But as he did, shouts and shrieks abruptly boomed throughout the place.
Young as he was, curiosity got ahead of him and followed the sound of the shouts, wondering why almost all of the people present were at the state of dread.
“Have you seen young master?” was the line he would always hear each time he passed by a servant. All the answers to the very same question were negative and Alfred could almost feel himself at the verge of tears.
It can’t be. His brother can never be missing! The future sovereign of this realm can’t be gone.
For the rest of the week, the palace seemed to be always empty, busy finding their prince. But after their attempt of searching, they’d go back reporting nothing. The royal family tried their best to hide it from the villagers, but to no avail. They, too, did their best in finding the lost boy, only to end up in failure. As for the young child, he would lock himself up in his beloved brother’s room, crying as he hugged a peculiar stuffed toy to which his brother owned.
~||O||~
“I’ll find him.”
Queen Bettina almost choked on her meat upon hearing the sudden declaration of her son. “Alfred, dear, it’s been ten years since that incident happened.”
It should be a quiet dinner among the three monarchs, like always by the way. And indeed, ten years had passed since the lost of their eldest child and everyone moved on with it, including parents, that is. But Alfred, as a stubborn lad, can never do it. Why would he forget the person he loved the most?
“But mom,” Alfred furrowed his brows, slamming his hands on the table. “I can’t let injustice prevail! That’s something we don’t want, right? I want to see him again or at least his grave…if something tragic occurred, that is.”
Fidel smiled, though he wasn’t the one who would tolerate such demeanour. “I’m giving him the freedom to go.” He said as he placed a hand on his son’s shoulder.
“Fidel--,”
“I know you’ve witnessed their strong bond, and it’s only a right decision for him to go on a journey. We might not have searched for every nook and cranny that he’s only hiding somewhere in our realm. Or if he failed to see him here, he might be somewhere in the other kingdoms.” He added, giving the shoulder a light tap. “And it seems that it’s a mature decision for Alfred to do this.”
The queen sighed. She didn’t want to lose another child of hers. But if it meant for bringing back the other one, she would have to trust. “If that’s what you want, then may the Great King guide you on your quest.”
Alfred beamed and pumped his fist in the air. “Great! So I’ll be starting tomorrow.”
~[TBC]~