Chapter 34

"Your highness! I've found you!" the servant said, quickly bowing. It was one of the Netheridge servants.

Prince Ron frowned deeply. "You've what?"

The servant excitedly repeated his words. "I've found you, your highness. I've won the game"

Ron was very displeased. His own servants knew how to read his expressions but this Netheridge servant didn't so he'd have to teach him.

The servant raised his head to find Prince Ron glaring at him and he paled. He started to sweat and panic. Was this the beautiful nice Prince he knew? This one looked so scary!

Of course Prince Ron would look scary. He was furious. He felt like a wife whose husband was cheating on with another woman. And the woman was his own sister!

"What did you say just now? You've found me? You've won the game?"

The servant "!!!"

His brain quickly deciphered the hidden message. He quickly turned around and continued to search quietly, as if he never saw the Prince at all. His acting skills were really commendable. To be able to swiftly change.

Amazing!

The servant thought, maybe the Prince didn't like losing games...such a sore loser. He must make sure to tell others so they won't get in trouble.

Satisfied, Prince Ron continued to think. Just where could they be? He decided to retrace his steps. Ron walked for a long long time. Till the sun rose higher and higher and he got drenched in his own sweat. Before the Prince knew it, he was already... lost.

Ron started to panic. Where the hell was he? How did he get here? But most importantly, how could he get back?

The Prince found himself in what looked like a garden with so many statues. Big and small. Fat and thin, surrounded by flowers of different kinds and colours. He was shocked to find the place looking so beautiful. The air was cool, birds were singing, butterflies flying and perching on flowers. But, the most shocking thing weren't any of those. It was the humongous tree that stood in the middle. The trunk was straight but the branches spread out all over the place, forming the shape of an umbrella. It had some sort of glow and Ron could hear a quiet gentle hum coming from the tree.

He wondered, just what kind of tree was it? He has never seen it before nor has he read about it in all the books he had. No teacher of his has ever mentioned it either. Could this tree be a rare type that was unkown to the world?

Ron instantly envisioned his name being recorded in history as a person who discovered the Umbrella tree. He would get famous and all the Ashenmores will sing praises of him. Many people will travel from far places just to get a glimpse of him. His name will even be recorded in history. He wasn't just a Prince with good looks. He also had good brains!

Yes. All of that for finding an Umbrella shaped tree...

It was as if all his fatigue had vanished into thin air. He gathered his robes and walked towards the tree. The closer he walked, the more excited he felt. The humming from the tree was getting louder and louder and as Ron stretched his hand, about to touch it, the ground gave way and he fell into a deep deep pit.

********

"Find the Prince! Royal decree from His Majesty! Everyone must partake in this search! The Prince of Ashenmore must be found!"

Netheridge was in total chaos. Their minds were in turmoil. Nobody knew what to do. The Prince has been missing for two days!

Search parties had been sent out by the King. In fact, the townspeople themselves had formed small groups of search parties to find the Prince but he was nowhere to be seen.

The Queen mother was worried to death. She couldn't eat or sleep well. Her potential daughter in law just vanished into thin air. How could she be at peace? If the word gets to Ashenmore, a war cannot be avoided. The Elves whose population was already small, will be completely wiped out! She earnestly prayed to the mother tree to reveal the whereabouts of her son's, she desperately hopes, wife to be even though the two hadn't shown any signs of liking each other yet...

Princess Mariel could do nothing but cry. Her future husband had gone missing. Like her mother, she could not eat or sleep. She spent every minute desperately praying the Prince was safe.

Prince Ludiciel was leading the search parties day and night, only stopping to drink water while the King, the King was searching every nook and cranny of the palace, every secret chamber, hidden room, even the tombs of their ancestors because he believed the Prince wasn't missing. He was just spying.

Princess Rose on the other hand, put a lot of pressure on the King and his siblings. Her dearest little brother must be found! How could she face her father and mother? How could she tell her people that her brother went missing in a foreign land? It will completely tarnish their reputation. She knew Ron probably went snooping in a place he shouldn't and then got in trouble but she couldn't come out and say something like that. She had to let Netheridge take all the blame.

Leo and the 12 servants who were playing hide and seek with the Prince were the most worried ones. Especially Leo. First, the Prince was injured. Now, he is missing. In fact, he must have been kidnapped. The rage in Leo was like a tornado and he could only vent it by leading the 12 servants to find the Prince at any cost.

The servant who had seen the Prince last that day was the greatest receiver of Leo's anger and the most miserable of all. When he met with the other servants, he had told them how the Prince hates to lose games and how he had to act like he didn't see the Prince and in turn, when the Prince wasn't found, the rest of the servants reported him to Leo.

The poor servant was severly scolded by the gruff bodyguard. His duty was to hold a torch and search without rest. Not even for a single second. Come rain or storm, an earthquake or tornado, you will find him in the dead of the night, walking in the palace, shouting the Prince's name as tears ran down his face non-stop.

The whole of Netheridge was lit day and night, every able bodied person was actively searching. The children, who couldn't go out at night, were praying to their mother tree and the earth spirit to save the Prince of Ashenmore.