Chapter-26

I didn't know that the bet that I lost to Aiden would bring so much fortune and misfortune to our troop at the same time. This statement sure is made early, but clearly shows nothing about who won and who lost this war. After welcoming the new member, 'Wildfire' to our side we all got busy with our morning duties, while Aiden was busy admiring his new friend. People were mesmerised by the change in Aiden's demeanour, and had I known his love for horses earlier, I would have let him keep Wildfire in the very first meeting itself. We were all busy packing up the leftover vegetables and food and our tents. It was a new day which meant we had to cover some more distance before sundown. Even though I could see people chatting and smiling none of the faces was showing the fear rising inside their chest with every passing moment. I was packing my tent when I felt a presence behind me. I turned around to find it was Ethan. He was all dressed up in his army uniform with a royal sword clearly indicating his royalty. I stood up and bowed. Despite knowing that he is the king now my first reaction was actually to just raise my eyebrows to ask what brought him here. But a dozen eyes staring at us made me do all the formalities. "My king!", I said. He motioned for the guards to leave us alone. "Come with me. We need to talk.", he said in a serious tone. "Talk?", I asked sensing something fishy in that tone. He nodded and then he started walking. I walked in behind him, almost ran. He stopped abruptly near the river and turned around. "Why is that horse here?", he asked. This question did take me off guard. Why does he care about the horse? "What is wrong with the horse?", I asked. "The horse cannot be trusted!", he almost yelled. "What?" I said exasperated. He was now walking to and fro pinching his nose in frustration. These two are definitely brothers. They both have so many habits in common. This is what I wondered while Ethan was deep in thoughts.

"You don't get it! Do you?", Ethan yelled. "Wildfire is my friend.", Aiden said. Aiden was maintaining his cool demeanour which even I found weird now. "Do you even know what a friend is Aiden?", Ethan said. Oh boy! This fight escalated quick. "Brother! That is why I am asking you to let me keep Wildfire. He is my only friend.", Aiden said in a cool tone. What the actual hell! The moment these words left his mouth I was staring at him petrified. Aiden just called Ethan his brother? And he didn't slash Ethan's throat for making such a personal comment? Something is definitely wrong here. I looked at Ethan and he was even more in shock than I.

We both walked out of Aiden's tent still shook with the unexpected turnout of events. People had started whispering. They were getting suspicious of our regular meetings and secretive talks. And with the sudden change in Aiden's temper issues, we couldn't afford to raise unwanted suspicions. I left Ethan alone to think about what just happened, while I finished packing my tent. Soon we were on the move again. Aiden was a little too happy riding his best friend 'Wildfire'. He was looking like a little boy who just made his first real friend. He was blinded by the love he had for Wildfire. Wait! Blinded! Aiden was the first one to look at Wildfire's collar. What if Ethan was right about all this being a trick of our enemies? I made my horse walk a little faster and slowly crept closer to Aiden. I had promised to keep him safe and I intended to keep my promise no matter what.

The sun was almost setting and the troop was tired. Ethan decided to stop near the waterfall for the night. The soldiers were once again busy setting tents and cooking food. I sneakily went towards Ethan's tent and peeked to find he was alone. I went inside. He looked at me enter and smiled. "Ask your soldiers to not let anyone enter.", I said in a hushed tone. He nodded and went outside and told his soldiers that Ethan was off-limits for the night. He came back and asked me to take a seat. "What is the matter, Hyun?", he asked. "I feel you are right.", I said. "Right about what?", he was still confused. "Wildfire. I have a theory behind Aiden's suspicious behaviour. Though I am not too sure.", I said. He nodded asking me to continue. "I feel the magic is in the collar. I think that the collar has Aiden hypnotised.", I finally revealed the theory my mind was thinking about the whole day. "Who knows hypnosis in this era?", he asked. "People know black magic. It must have some equivalent of hypnosis.", I replied. He nodded again giving my theory a thought. "But we have all seen the collar. It is not just Aiden.", he pointed out. "Aiden was the first one to notice and read the name on the collar.", I said. "Look Aiden would never call you brother especially after you comment on his childhood issues.", I continued. "You are right. I knew something was up the moment that horse entered our camp. I even tried to tell you that day, but the horse had everyone under its spell.", he said giving me an 'I told you so' face. "I was not under his spell. I just didn't see the horse as the villain. And also, you can't just raise suspicion about someone without at least some proof.", I stated. He smiled and nodded. This was the third time he smiled at me in the last few minutes. And that is when I realised, Ethan's mesmerising smiles don't make me feel butterflies in my stomach anymore. Have they lost their power over me or have I lost my feeling for him? "What are you staring at? Is there something on my face?", his question made me realise I was staring at him like a fool. I shook my head and looked at the ground. I could still feel his eyes on me. the atmosphere around us was suddenly too overwhelming for me. I looked back up, to find he had moved closer to me. The proximity startled me and I yelled falling to the ground. Looking at my reaction he couldn't control his laughter and the tent was filled with his loud laugh. I couldn't help but smile. He stood up and held his hand out to help me up. I held his hand tight and he pulled me up. "Damn Hyun! What did you eat? You are so heavy.", he mocked me. "You jerk!", I said and started to hit him lightly with my small fists. He laughed trying to stop me. He held my hands tightly in his and pulled me closer. Our faces were a few inches away. I could feel his hot breath fanning over my face. And no matter how much I tried not even a single butterfly was ready to take a flight in my stomach. He was moving, even more, close and I could feel my heart racing, but I was not feeling comfortable being this close to him. Feeling frustrated with myself I pushed him away lightly. He got the sign and moved back. I could see hurt in his eyes. "What's wrong Hyun?", he asked trying his best to hide the urge of being mad at me for rejecting him. "It just doesn't feel right.", I said looking down. "What doesn't feel right?", he asked with a little raised voice. I didn't plan on being a part of this sort of drama tonight. "With everything going around, the war and the problem we have with Aiden. Amidst this all us sharing an intimate moment doesn't feel right.", I lied. How am I supposed to tell someone I liked a few days back like crazy that he doesn't give me the same butterflies anymore? Honestly, I wanted to figure out my feeling first and then speak about them out loud. He nodded understanding my situation and smiled at me. "It's okay. We have all the time in the world. Let's focus on Aiden for now.", he said and pulled me in for a reassuring hug. I nodded resting my head on his chest. But all I felt was an empty pit in my stomach and my heart aching for it to be Aiden's hands around me and not Ethan's.

We both were in our little moment when a soldier entered unannounced panting heavily. The moment his eyes landed on us he looked down. "Your majesty.", he said making us jump away from each other. "What are you doing here when I clearly mentioned I won't be attending any matters tonight.", Ethan yelled clearly frustrated with the unwanted disturbance. "Your majesty! I apologise for my rash behaviour but it is about prince Lee.", he said bowing his head and still trying to catch his breath. "What happened to Prince Lee?", I asked frightened. I could feel Ethan's eyes on me but at that moment all I cared about was Aiden's safety. "The soldiers have found a body in the waterfall. The face cannot be recognised but he is wearing prince Aiden's clothes and has his sword. We searched for the prince and the horse everywhere but we couldn't find them either.", he said. As soon as these words left his mouth, I felt my head spinning. I sat down on the floor unable to keep my thoughts straight. "Hyun!", I heard Ethan shout. He was holding me and asking me if I was, okay? If I was, okay? I ignored his futile words. All I could think of was the smile Aiden gave me when I promised to keep him safe. The war has not even begun and I already lost my only reason to fight.