"No, no, no...." Niel mumbled. He stood up and told me to follow him.

Niel ran and I immediately followed behind him. He stopped in front of a big golden door with floral-like carvings. It is guarded with two knights and Sir Raymond suddenly came out of the room with a sad, exhausted look.

It seems to be the King's bedroom.

"Prince Niel, your father awaits you." Sir Raymond bowed to Niel and made way for him to enter the room.

Niel had his head down ever since we started running.

Before entering the room, he turned his head to me and smiled "Wait here, okay?".

I nodded and gave him a smile. His smile looked forced though. I could tell that he's about to burst out in tears at any moment. He entered the room and closed the door behind him.

"Don't look at me like that!" Sir Raymond spatted as he saw my curious face staring at him.

He sighed "Well, it's the King... He's dying, so it must be tough for the Prince.".

Oh. What should I do? I'm really bad when it comes to this situation. I stood beside Sir Raymond for a long time. We were silent for awhile.

"This is really bad for our kingdom, we are in war now and the King is very ill. If he dies, our kingdom is vulnerable to Ethaletha's attack. Which means, our kingdom is done for..." Sir Raymond mumbled.

"Stop thinking like that, you're the knights' leader! You should always protect the kingdom without loosing hope. Besides, Niel would be the next king right? I'm sure he would be able to save our kingdom." I reassured.

"Girls with their positivity, but I guess you're right in this one. But I'm afraid, the prince is far too young to be king." Sir Raymond replied.

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Flashback
Niel's POV

I was running around the hallways, away from Jack who was chasing not far behind me. He is the only friend I have. Just before I was caught by him, I made a left turn and a hand suddenly pulled me into a dark room.

It was my father. He signalled for me to keep quiet. As a five year old, it was quite hard for me to hold my laughter in as I saw Jack searching around for me cluelessly.

Apparently, he heard me and bulged into the room. "Tag!" he said as he tapped my shoulder.

"It's not fair! Uncle Lais helped you!" Jack whined.

"It's not fair for me either! You are always faster than I am and you're three years older!" I replied.

"There's no need to fight now, Niel, Jacob." my father chuckled.

"You were very fast, Jacob! I'm truly impressed. Keep up the good work." my father applaud and continued, "I'm sorry to interrupt the two of you. However, I have something to show to Niel. Excuse us for now, Jacob."

"Can I come too?" Jack asked.

"I'm afraid, you can't. This is a classified matter, only known for the royal family. We'll be back in a few hours, so in the meanwhile, why don't you help your uncle?" my father said.

"Okay! See you later, Niel!" Jack said and ran to the opposite direction.

"Where are we going father?" I asked.

"It's a secret place. You must promise to keep it a secret would you?" my father smiled and holds his right hand out.

"I promised!" I answered cheerfully as I held his hand. His hand was rough and full of scars, but I would feel extremely happy every time I hold his hand. It makes me feel a lot safer.

Flashback ends

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Adal's POV

Just then, the door slowly opens. "Prince Niel...?" Sir Raymond approached him and waits for an answer.

Niel stood still for a few seconds and calmly replied "The King... Has officially died. Sir Raymond, order the knights to arrange the King's funeral.".

How can he be so calm after his father had just died. It's like he's a different person now. The tears in his eyes had dried up as if he wasn't crying at all. But deep inside, he would definitely feel pain. I know what he's feeling right now. As the new King, he needs to be mature and do the right thing for the kingdom's sake.

"Prince Niel, I'll ensure you that my knights will take care of the King. What I'm worried about is you. Will you be okay? I suggest that you should get some rest for now." Sir Raymond lamented.

"I'll be fine, besides, the kingdom needs me. If I'm not there to guide them, they'll feel lost and scared. So, I have to act fine, right?" Niel said with a smile. The same fake smile again...

-----

Flashback

"Adal! Run!!" the 7-year old me hearing my mother's cry.

"I'm not leaving you mommy!" I cried and tried to lift the heavy block of what seems to be a part of the wall which is on my mother's leg.

"Adal, listen! It's over for me, sweetie.. If you don't run now, someone might come and hurt you! I don't want to see you get hurt! Just leave me here, I'll be fine, okay? Don't cry, sweetie! You're a strong girl right? So don't ever cry okay?" my mother smiled and wiped my tears away gently.

"Are you okay? Let me help you!" a lady came running to us and helped me lift the wall but it wouldn't budge.

"It's okay, there's no use! Even if I managed to get out, I couldn't walk! I would only slow you down. Please, take my daughter somewhere safe! I'm begging you..." my mother sobbed.

"Are you sure?" the lady asked.

"Yes, please help her... Adal, be a good girl okay? I love you sweetie..." my mother smiled for the last time.

After walking in the woods for awhile, we finally stopped in front of a small cottage.

"So, what's your name sweetie?" the lady asked me.

"I'm Adalinne. My parents call me Adal." I smiled at her.

"My name is Anabel. I'll protect you from now on." the lady promised.

"Thank you, Aunt Ana!" I gave her a hug.

"Why aren't you sad, Adal? You seemed to be very calm and cheerful even after what had just happened." Aunt Ana asked.

"I made a promise to mommy that I'll never cry and that I'll be a strong girl! She told me that if I cry, she'll be sad too. I don't want to make her sad, so I'll always smile!" I said cheerfully.

"Oh, sweetie... Being strong is not to be someone who doesn't cry, a strong person is the one who cries then gets up and fights again. Your mother would feel more sad if you act like you're fine that she's gone now. Just know that it's okay to cry if you're sad." Aunt Ana smiled and hugged me.

"Mommy, daddy..." tears start to fell down my face and all the pain I've been holding in went away.

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