The Talk...

"Then what are you afraid of...?" Samuel asked in irritation.

"You weren't caught doing anything wrong, so what are you scared of...?" Samuel added.

Mariam could see the anger in Samuel's tone, so she just kept quiet and looked at him.

Andrew heard Samuel's voice grow louder, so he paused and turned.

"Samuel...!" Andrew called.

The first time he called, Samuel didn't hear him because his voice (Andrew's voice) was very weak.

So Andrew repeated his call and this time Samuel heard it.

"Samuel...!" Andrew called again.

It was Mariam who heard his call and informed Samuel of the call.

"Samuel, The Prince is calling you...!" Mariam said.

Samuel's head that had been looking at his plate since and was playing with the spoon in it, just to get ho mind off the way Mariam had reacted, now looked up directly at Andrew.

Andrew motioned for him to come along, which Samuel obliged to, but he had to jog a bit in order to get where Andrew was.

When he cut up with Andrew, Andrew paused and turned to Samuel and spoke in a pod voice so that mariam could hear him from where she stood.

"Why do you two like being formal...?"  Andrew asked with his hands in his pockets

"Sire...?" Samuel asked with a confused look on his face.

Andrew smiled and looked at Mariam and where she stood.

"You two were, and still are my best and closest friends, no matter how I talk to you...It's only fair that you call me by name..." Andrew said.

Samuel wanted to laugh.

"Sire...!" Samuel chuckled though.

Andrew smiled also, he knew what Samuel was going to say.

"Sire...!" Samuel was cut short.

"Samuel?" Andrew called.

"Yes Sire...?" Samuel answered.

Wincing his face, Andrew took out his hand from his pocket and placed it on Samuel's shoulder and said;

"Stop calling me that!"

Samuel's mouth fell open.

"But Sire...!" Andrew cut him short by shaking his head in a negation, a sign that he should not use that word.

Lowering his voice to a whisper, Samuel said

"You how the King would react if we call you that...!"

In order to cut him short, Andrew looked in the direction of the door that joined the kitchen to the courtroom and snapped.

"He should react for all I care...!" Andrew snapped.

"But when I'm done with the training, I'd still be King...!" Andrew said with pride as he placed his hand in Samuel's shoulder

Looking not Samuel's eyes, they stayed like that for five (5) seconds with Mariam watching them. After some time, Andrew said;

"Follow me Sam...I want to spend this last night in the Castle with you before I leave...!"

Walking past Samuel, Samuel raised his head and looked at Mariam, meanwhile, she was watching them.

Mariam offered him a smile, Samuel returned it.

As Samuel turned and was about to follow Andrew, he found Andrew standing with his hands in his pockets and was watching them.

Gulping, Samuel asked;

"Sire...?"

Andrew's face that was carrying a stern expression, frowned.

"I told you to stop calling me that...!" Andrew whined like a child.

His attitude had Samuel laughing. Even Mariam too chuckled when she heard him whine.

After Samuel was done laughing for a bit, he walked over to where Andrew stood.

As he arrived the position where Andrew stood, Andrew grabbed him by his ear and yelled;

"I thought I told you to not call that!!!"

"Sire, I...OW!!!" Samuel screeched.

"The more you keep saying that, the more I keep pulling you by the ear...!" Andrew said as he continued to drag Samuel by the ear.

Mariam watched and laughed.

"Okay, Okay...Andrew!" Samuel screeched again.

"Better...!" Samuel said as he let go of Samuel's ear and then dusted his hand as if he had finished his work.

"And Mariam...?!" Andrew called.

"Yes Sire...?" Mariam responded.

"That goes to you too!" Andrew said as he made his way up the stairs, with Samuel trialing behind while holding his ears free stealing a glance at Mariam.

Mariam frowned and then smiled and shook her head then called some other girls to help clear the table with her.

Meanwhile, the two guys headed for the balcony and stood there. Andrew arrived first.

Standing and looking over the horizon, Andrew took in a very deep breath, and then let it out.

"I'm really gonna miss this view...!" Andrew said in a low voice.

As he said this, Samuel came from behind, as he had been following him from behind.

When Samuel arrived, he heard what Andrew had said but didn't say nothing but instead, just smiled as he watched the view of the horizon alongside the Prince.

They stood there for some time before Andrew spoke up.

"I'm really gonna miss this place it...!" He said.

One sauce if Samuel's lips curled up. Still looking over the horizon.

Turning to Samuel, Andrew asked;

"Write to me will you...?"

Samuel snapped out of his dreamy gaze and turned to look at Andrew with a confused look on his face.

"Si...!" He was about to say 'Sire' when Andrew gave him that made him change his tongue.

"I mean, what do you mean...Sir...?"

Samuel asked that last part in an awkward way twisting his mouth and moving a step back thinking that Andrew would dash at h any moment, so he'd better mage a rum for it.

Andrew looked at Samuel sternly that made Samuel shiver a bit but then Andrew burst out laughing and said;

"Ahhhhh, I got ya...! Hahaha..." Andrew laughed so loudly, the maids that had been clearing the table stopped the moment the had the rape of laughter.

Even inside the courtroom, the Councilmen and magistrates that were talking to the King all paused on hearing the laughter.

Even the King also raised his head to look in the direction form where the fair emitted from.

He had long returned to he throne room after little communication with Mariam and was satisfied to see the deed had been done without any form of suspicion.

Even if there had been, and Andrew had been at least, a little bit clever to to try and suspect such a thing but yet was still outwitted by his fellow respectives, he must be a dummy.

And a dummy cannot seat on throne, if not everyone in the kingdom woukd become dullards, even worse than their master, and, he does not want that.

That's why he wants to send this Son if his away so that he learns some, not just valuable, but also helpful manners and skills that would help him and help the kingdom in the future.

But hearing his Son roar with laughter now, he doubted if what he had planned would work . And also, if he had made the right decision.