Priella didn't know what to do. She stood in the doorway as if she was frozen in place, unmovable. Was her friend dead? He looked so lifeless. She slowly began to walk toward him, her heart racing faster with each step she took. If he was dead, she didn't know what she'd do. She couldn't imagine a life without Snyder. He had been her best friend for as long as she could remember.

   As Priella reached his side, she knelt down on one knee beside her Prince, her friend. It was then that she noticed the bandage around his head. "Snyder?" she began softly, her throat constricting as she tried to speak. She reached out and grabbed his cold hand gently.

   The sudden, warm touch on the Princes skin was enough to cause him to flinch and open his eyes. Snyder had to narrow his eyes at first to get them to focus on the person hovering above him. Had the Princess and Mike finally come back? He was afraid that of who he might find once his vision focused. He pushed himself up on his elbows and then straight to get a clearer look.

   "Snyder!" a familiar voice shouted at him along with an embrace around his neck.

   "Priella?" Snyder asked in shock. Blonde hair as bright as Arie covered his right eye. He didn't believe it was actually her. He couldn't embrace her back. He had to be sure this wasn't all in his head.

   Priella pulled away from him, and the Prince could see her pair of emerald eyes shinning back at him with a wide smile. Those same eyes that had been so kind to him throughout all the years, the eyes that pleaded with him not to jump into the ocean that swept him away from her. Those eyes... they told him that that was Priella, that was his best friend that he loved so dearly.

   "I thought I lost you," the blonde whispered, tears forming in her eyes.

   Snyder was speechless. He couldn't believe she was actually here! But how did she get here? Surely, she wasn't so foolish to commit the same mistake that he had made. What all had she risked to get here?

   The Prince threw his legs over the side of the cot and pulled his boots back on swiftly. "How did you get here, Priella?" he questioned her. "Why did you come looking for me?"

   Priella sat back on her knees in shock to look up into her friends eyes. Why was he acting this way? Was it really necessary to be so rude? "Snyder, you are my best friend," she replied with kindness, trying to keep calm. "Do you really think I would not come looking for you?"

   Snyder leaned in close to her face and said sternly, "I asked you how you got here?" Priella continued to just stare in astonishment. "Please tell me you were not as stupid as I. Priella, you have a family that loves you!"

   Priella snorted and stood to her feet. "Oh come on, Snyder," she said with anger. "Do you honestly think I would do something so rational like that? I took a boat." Snyder looked down with his elbows resting on his knees. Priella knelt back down before him and placed a tender hand on his kneecap. "Snyder, I would never abandon you. If I knew that there was some chance that you could still be alive then would you expect me not to follow?"

   Snyder shrugged slightly. "But after everything I did to you." He turned his gaze away from hers. He couldn't bare to look into her eyes. "I hurt you, Priella. I left you there all alone. All because I was being selfish! I didn't care enough about my life to realize that I was going to hurt the one person I truly care about."

   Priella sat up straight on her knees to shift positions to where she was once again peering into the Prince's eyes— she wouldn't allow him to look away from her. Not after all she'd done to get here. "You may have hurt me by leaving, Mate. But if you had killed yourself! I don't know if I would be able to continue in life without you. My heart would've been broken." She grasped Snyder's chin and turned his head toward hers. "I can't bare to lose you. You mean everything to me."

   Snyder stood to his feet and pulled Priella up with him. "I know," he sighed. "And you are much more then everything to me. I understand if you cannot forgive me for my actions." He looked to the ground. "I don't deserve your forgiveness."

   Priella only smiled widely. "If the Creator can forgive me of my sins a hundred times a day... I'm sure I can forgive you this one time."

   Snyder grinned slightly at his friends comment. Sometimes, she made this Creator sound like He was to good to be true. Snyder may not agree with her on everything, but he was still thankful for her.

   Priella's ears suddenly perked up. She could hear voices coming from outside.

   "What is that?!" some female shouted from outside, obviously panicking.

   "Don't worry. It's dead," a male voice replied calmingly.

   Priella grasped Snyder's hand and pulled him toward a broken window at the back of the hovel. "We have to get out of here," she told him.

   "Why?" Snyder asked, following closely behind her.

   Priella halted her pace. Did she really just hear those words come out of his mouth? She slowly turned on her heels to face him. "Why?" she requestioned. "Don't you want to go home? There is a boat waiting to take us home!"

   Snyder slipped his hand out of Priella's grasp. "Being here was not my first choice of options, but how can I go home?" He acted like he was desperate. "My family doesn't love me. I already told you that! They are still too concerned with the new baby then they will ever be with me. I jumped just so I could get away from home."

   Priella gripped his hand tightly. "We can talk about this when we get in the boat. There's people coming."

    Snyder once again pulled away from her, more forcefully then needed. "I can't go home," he told her simply. "I'm sorry, Priella." He turned away from her. "Maybe coming out here for me wasn't the best idea. You shouldn't be here."

   Priella stepped up close to him. "I saw that bear out there!" she shouted in a whisper with rage while pointing toward the opened door. "You have a bandage around your head! You are going to get yourself killed if you stay here any longer. Do you even know where you are?"

   Snyder sadly shook his head. "I'm not going, Priella."

   Priella huffed. "Fine," she stated. "But I'm not leaving your side. We'll fight our way out." She withdrew her sword from its scabbard and sprinted toward the wall where a door use to be. She held her sword up high and hid where no one could see her.

   "Wait. Priella, what are you doing?" Snyder asked beginning to quickly step up to her side. Priella simply placed a finger over her lips in a hushing gesture. "Just put it away," he continued. "I know who's coming. They won't hurt you."

   Suddenly, two girls and a boy stepped in through the open hole in the wall. Priella immediately thrust her sword out to where it was inches away from the boys neck.

   "I feel like we've been in this situation before," the young man informed blankly with a straight face.

   "Snyder, what's going on?" Princess Saphira asked. She turned her head toward the right to meet the emerald eyes of a girl who looked about her age. "Who is this?"

   "Priella, please put the weapon down," Snyder begged. "They're not going to hurt us." He then noticed a girl a few inches taller then Saphira standing behind the Princess. He slowly began to reach for a dagger hidden behind his back and under his tunic. "Although, I don't know who that is." He pointed a finger at her.

   "I am Briar Bannister," she replied nervously, giving a sloppy curtsy due to the sudden pressure. "I am Princess Saphira's maid."

   Snyder's eyes lit up. "Ah, so this is who they went to get help from."

   Saphira pushed past Priella and her sword. "We've come back, just as I said we would. We're going to do everything we can to help you get home."

   This comment made Priella lower her sword by an inch and stare up into her best friends eyes. "They want to help you?" She looked back at the three. "They're Light Beings! Why would they want to help someone like you?"

   Snyder shook his head and shrugged. "I've tried asking myself the same question." He noticed Priella's sword was still aimed at Mike's neck. "Priella, I told you they're not going to harm us."

   Priella gritted her teeth as a tear rolled down her cheek. "He doesn't want to come home!" she shouted at the Light Beings. "We don't need your help." She took a deep breath to calm herself down. "I can handle this."

   Saphira cocked her head and looked to the Dark Prince in confusion. "You don't want to return home?" she asked puzzled. "How could you not? If my Father were to find out that your in his Kingdom, he would send out many parties of Knights to hunt you down."

   "I'm not going home!" Snyder shouted in strong rage, shocking everyone. His voice grew soft as he continued to speak. "There is no place for me anymore." He hung his head in sorrow.

   "Snyder, that can't be true," Saphira said softly. She stepped up beside Snyder— who was a couple inches taller then she— and wrapped an arm around his shoulders.

   Priella lowered her sword completely at the Light Beings actions. She would have never guessed for someone like her to be so kind to someone like them.

   "It doesn't matter what kind of trouble is happening back home," Saphira continued. Snyder never once looked her in the eyes. He continued to stare at the ground. "The Creator is working everything out for good. You have to hang in there. I've never been to the Dark Kingdom. I don't know what all happens there. Whatever it is, it may seem painful, but it can only get better, right?"

   Snyder finally looked at her. "Better?" he questioned, tears welding up in his eyes. "How could anything possibly get better?" He flung Saphira's arm from off his shoulders and stepped up to the closest window. "My Mother is going to have another child soon. They could decide to give the new baby my throne when they die. I could be disinherited from my crown!" He balled his hands into fists with anger.

   Saphira and Mike exchanged glances. They weren't dealing with a scared Dark Being in a strange land. They were dealing with a stressed young man who couldn't face what was to come.

   "If your parents really love you," Mike began. "Do you honestly think they are going to take the crown from you?"

   Snyder nodded his head sadly. "My Mother has never really shown any love toward me. I can tell you there was probably moments in time where she would rather have seen me dead then to become her son. It has always been my Father who's taken care of me. Cleaned me up when I got hurt, taught me how to fight..." He paused for a brief moment. "Was the only one who was every nice to me in our Kingdom." He glanced up to notice Priella standing off to the side. "Except for you of course."

   Priella could only smile and nod her head. Her throat was too tight to even open her mouth. To even think of how a mother could never love her child was heartbreaking. To think that so many people would actually rather see their child dead then to love on them from birth was enough to make you want to throw the mother in prison for the actions she has taken.

   Saphira didn't know what to say. No wonder he never wanted to return home. It sounded like a bigger nightmare then she could ever imagine. How someone could be so cruel to their beloved child was frustrating.

   "Sounds like you and I both have Mother issues," Saphira could only whisper. She cleared her throat to make her voice stronger. "Look, I know you don't want to go home but think of your Father, think of Priella!" She threw her hand toward the Dark Being who was leaning against the wall. "No one else may care for you, but she does. She came across the ocean to find you. Your Father cares for you you've said. Isn't that something to go back to?"

   "And have to put up with watching how much love my Mother gives the new baby everyday and knowing that she never gave me any?" Snyder questioned, clearly with a broken heart. "I can't go through that any longer."

   Saphira couldn't help him. If only someone could talk some sense into him. She was having a hard time getting through that hard heart of his. "I need some fresh air," she stated before quickly walking out the door. Mike followed behind her.

   Snyder lowered his head as the two left. Priella never moved, but Briar inched forward toward the young man filled with sorrow. "I understand why you don't want to go home," she began. "Your Mother truly sounds like a terrible person, but not getting to see them for the rest of your life? If you never go home, you'll never get to see your sibling, never get to fight alongside of your Father." She sucked in a breath. "Never become King."

   Snyder clenched his eyes tightly and let the tears fall.

   "I know it's hard," Briar continued, her own voice sounding as if her heart was breaking. "But if you never see them again before it's too late... you will regret it for the rest of your life."

   Snyder glared up at her. "Something tells me you have experience."

   Briar lowered her own head. "When I was a young girl, my Father told me to come inside one evening. Nara wasn't even in the sky yet. I didn't understand why he wanted me in so early." She cleared her throat and wiped a tear away that was threatening to escape. "So I didn't go in," she went on. "He urged me to come in so many times, but I never listened. I stayed away until Nara finally came out. I didn't want to leave my friends to spend time with my parents. I could do that literally whenever I wanted to.

    "When I finally decided to go home..." She stopped to give her voice a chance to become stronger again. "My Mother was dead on the ground." She broke out weeping heavily. "I witnessed a man carrying my Fathers body away out the back door. I didn't know if he was still alive or not. But I knew my Mother wasn't. The blood that pooled around her throat was enough to know that she was gone. By the time someone finally came to aid me, they couldn't find my Father."

   Briar wiped her eyes once more before sighing deeply. "I lost both my parents that night, your highness. I regret not being there. I could have done something! Or at least died beside them knowing that I was trying to do something good. I wish I could go back to that evening... but I can't."

   Snyder thought for a moment. Maybe there was some truth in what she was saying. If his parents were to die today, he'd regret everything he had ever done. Even if his Mother did not love him, he still loved her.

   "Your parents are still here, your highness," Briar said. "Don't make the same mistake I did."

   Snyder nodded his head. "I understand... and I agree." He sighed and grinned slightly at her. "Thank you, Briar. I think I will return home after all. I can at least be the best big brother I can, and if I am disinherited, then I will still try to be the best big brother to my little sibling." Briar smiled back widely at him.

   Priella couldn't keep herself from grinning also. She might not have trusted this girl, but at least she knew the right things to say to talk some sense into her Prince.

   Saphira marched out of the hut, careful not to step in anymore holes on the porch— she didn't need to ruin another pair of boots. She continued on her walk until Mike came chasing after her.

   "Saphira, wait up!" he called out.

   "I'm not in the mood, Micah," Saphira answered not bothering to halt.

   "Hey!" Micah placed a strong hand on the Princesses shoulder and swung her around facing him. "What's gotten in to you? I thought you wanted to help the Prince. Not run away from him."

   "How am I supposed to help someone like that?" Saphira asked as she threw her hand toward the opened door. "The man doesn't want to go home. He doesn't even care what will happen to him. Why did I ever help him in the first place?" She fell to her knees and Mike dropped to his in front of her. "I can't even be around him," she whispered. "All of that hopelessness, negativity, I can feel inside of him makes me feel so weak. I cannot save him if he doesn't want to be saved."

   "I understand, Saphira," Mike said comfortingly. "But that's the thing about you." He smiled. "You have a kind heart and want to help those like Snyder. You always care for those in need and you never turn them away." He raised Saphira's chin to look him in the eyes. "That characteristic is what's going to make you a great Queen someday."

   Saphira smiled back at her friend as he caressed her face. "If there was anyone I'd rather go through all of this with... I'm glad it's you."

   The two were interrupted when Priella came to the doorway calling for them.

   Priella stepped outside and saw Saphira and Mike sitting on the forest ground, Autumn leaves blowing over their legs.

   "Hey, you two!" she shouted to get their attention. Saphira was the first one to look up at her. Priella gestured with her head for the two to come inside. They both immediately jumped up and started to sprint back to the house.

   Snyder sat back down on the cot and held his hand over his chest. "You okay?" Briar asked him.

   Snyder glanced up at her before returning his gaze to the floor and rubbing his chest. "I'm fine," he informed. "Just a little winded is all."

   "Maybe I should have a look at your head?" Briar offered.

   Snyder shrugged. "The Princess already mended it. I'm good."

   Briar snickered. "Not to insult the Princess, but she doesn't really know anything about treating a wound. Let me help you."

   As Briar stood to her own feet, Saphira and Mike came running inside. "What is it?" Saphira asked. 

   Snyder turned to face the two Light Beings. "I'm ready," he told them. "I'm ready to go home."