The Sapphire

"Have you heard it? The little princess attempted to strike him." " The maid who was wiping the tables after lunch whispered to her companion, who gasped in response. "Yes, she fetched her pillow and threw it over him."

"How did you learn that?"

"I witnessed it for myself."

The cheetah is considered to travel at the quickest speed, but perhaps rumors are faster. Because nothing can stop fake stories from spreading like wildfire. The Josen Kingdom was experiencing a similar situation, which had begun the day Princess Aura had begun to flee the castle. Townspeople began spreading tales, and even the royal aides joined in; false information of this nature had long been prevalent and frequently communicated. Prince Ezekiel and Princess Savannah have consistently refuted these false stories, but once they've spilled, who is going to put a stop to the flood of words? Even a physical fire can be put out at some point, but the flame of words never dies and eventually consumes the subject completely. Princess Aura was gradually moving toward that point.

"Poor young Prince, who would do such a thing to their own brother?" The second maid replied, with pity.

"Although they are close cousins, they are not actual siblings." The first one looked around to see if anyone was hearing them and then whispered. "This is how royal families operate; they present a nice front, but no one is aware of what is really going on."

Every single thing was a lie. Princess Aura cherished her younger brother and treated him as if he were the sole treasure she needed to protect at all costs. She had been there ever since the day he was born, and Aura had only stopped fleeing the castle because of him. As one less item to worry about, Princess Savannah and Ezekiel were relieved when she stopped running. However, various reasons arose to be concerned right now. Everything the princess did provided a fresh narrative for people to discuss in the worst ways imaginable.

As this time too, the young prince won't stop crying and princess Savannah had gone to take bath leaving the infant with the head maid and Aura. The prince had been playing with her the entire time when all of a sudden, he began to cry. Aura turned to face the maid who was attempting to rock the wailing infant in her arms. Putting the infant in the cradle, the maid uttered. "Perhaps he's not at ease,"

"I've got a fluffy cushion. I'll bring it over here." Aura dashed towards her room, which was not far away. She stumbled on her steps as she hurried with her small feet to get her favorite pink pillow. While running back to where her brother was, she ran into someone. She apologized screeching and dashed inside. Aura moved in the direction of the crying infant while the head maid searched the trunk for suitable clothing. She had to stand on her tiptoes to see the crib fully while holding her pillow because it was a little higher. A shout came from the door, making her shudder, and she dropped the pillow on the cot as she was attempting to position it near his feet. The head maid and the maid who Aura had previously collided with ran in the direction of the infant. The pillow fell at the baby's feet. Aura said in a mournful voice as the maid scowled at her, "I wanted to place this cushion. It is soft."

"It's alright, princess; you may go play; the baby is fine," the head maid said, bending to Aura's eye level. "See, he's already stopped weeping."

"What is happening here?" Aura hurried to cling to Savannah when she heard her voice. She sobbed a little and gripped her mother's waist hard. "Baby, why are you crying?" Savannah massaged Aura's back as she tried to move away, but Aura tightened her hold on her waist.

"She merely became a little frightened, Princess, nothing more."

"I tried to give the baby my pink cushion, but she yelled, and I got scared, so it dropped onto the crib." Aura pointed at the maid who had before yelled. The maid lowered her gaze and apologized before exiting the room. "I'm very sorry."

"No, no, you were only trying to help your little brother," Savannah cooed as she lifted her up in her arms. "Furthermore, he is aware that his older sister cannot harm him." Savannah nodded and gave Aura a tender kiss on the cheeks as she met her glazed-over gaze.

However, it had no effect on the stories, which continued to spread and claimed that the young princess had attempted to strike the prince. A rumor never ends once it gets going and keeps going. Princess and Coco were standing close, Coco's fingers clenching into a fist, while Aura was standing there quietly with her eyes starting to water as the maids continued talking about it. After finishing wiping down the tables, the maids turned around and gasped. One of them said, "Princess, did you need anything?" and Aura shook her head. The maids swiftly walked by them after bowing. "She always goes together with that mute boy."

"Yes, she behaves in an unprincesslike manner." Coco was ready to respond when Aura grabbed his hand and shook her head.

It got worse over the course of each day, each month, and each year, so even if someone says it was bad, that would be an understatement. Unlike an angel's trumpet, which can instantly kill you, defamation and poor self-esteem take a lot longer to kill you. Instead, they act more like poisonous nightshades, which slowly murder you by impairing your vision and speech. and Aura unknowingly slipped into the abyss of deadly nightshade. She was gradually losing her innocence and childhood.

"We would like to welcome our young prince." Ezekiel was carrying his young son as he presented him to the villagers. The castle was packed in exactly the same way as it had been at the time of Aura's birth. The newborn prince was being congratulated by the crowd, who also showered him with presents and treats. " We chose to name him after my father; from this point forward, he will be known as Prince Timothy II."

"All praise to Prince Timothy II." Shouting and joyous applause broke out among the crowd.

Ezekiel and Savannah neglected to notice a dejected face standing behind this celebration. No one seemed to care that she felt rejected by her own family. The existence of jealousy amongst siblings is as normal as the presence of air. It is not seen, but it can be felt.

"Princess, why are you here by yourself?" Aura, who was on the balcony, glanced over to see Mr. Levin holding a document of some kind. "You should join your mother and father for lunch, which is being served in the dining room."

"I don't feel like eating at the moment." She gave a quick smile as she stepped off the balcony and moved down the hallway. Mr. Levin noticed Aura was sad but ignored it, as is common when your parents' attention is divided. But he couldn't see the depth of it, and what happened next was even worse.

Aura entered her room and closed the door. For a few seconds, the door was shut. Aura emerged from the door after that, a plain-looking cloth covering her diminutive frame, and she began to make her way through the deserted hallways. It was simpler for Aura to move unnoticed because most of the top-level corridors were unoccupied and everyone appeared to be engrossed with the celebrations. She moved, hiding behind the pillars, toward the bottom floor, which wasn't particularly busy but yet wasn't entirely empty. The rear door, which was rarely used, was the only way she could get out of the bottom level halls without being noticed. She walked stealthily ahead to the door while keeping her eye to the corridor from which she had entered. And because she wasn't looking ahead, she ran into a pretty big man who was standing in front of the door with his arms crossed. "Ouch." She spoke in a low voice before looking up to see an irritated Coco. "What are you doing here?" When she asked, Coco arched his brows as if to respond. "It ought to be the other way around." Aura grumbled and looked back one final time before grabbing his hand and dragged him out the back door.

"Did Mr. Levin send you after me?" Aura questioned while placing her hands on her hip.

Coco shook his head and gestured for her to tell where she was going while wrapped in a rag. He fixed his gaze on the piece of fabric she was wearing. "I wanted to go away." Coco's eyes widened as he realized what she was getting at. Aura was once more making an attempt to flee toward the forbidden land. Quickly shaking his head, Coco raised his arms in the air to block her way. "Coco, let me go." Aura ducked her head to try to go by him, but Coco caught the fabric and stopped her. Okay, how about either you come with me or don't interfere with me? Coco was startled to see a five-year-old child, who will be six the day after tomorrow, talking like that. " Decide quickly so that no one catches us in this situation." Even if Coco stopped her right away, the princess was not going to back down, and she would undoubtedly try to escape while he was not around. He reluctantly nodded his head because he couldn't let the princess travel alone and risk losing her life. "Yes, thank you." Aura exclaimed, making both of them flinch, and reflexively clapped her palm over her mouth. "Let's leave before anyone arrives." Coco nodded and began to lead the way.

Coco and Aura started to go towards the stable; a horse would be a better alternative for traveling quickly and making a run if the situation worsened. There was only one large iron door to leave the castle grounds. While soldiers were stationed close to the stable, watching after the horses, the area outside the back entrance was deserted. Aura hid behind the bushes and crept near the enormous garden because it was difficult to avoid being seen while Coco went to influence the troops.

"Hello there, Coco What are you doing here?" Coco pointed to the horse and peered over his shoulders to check if the princess had arrived at the vast garden. The man said, "Business in town?" and Coco nodded. The man raised his head and made an effort to follow his gaze. " What are you examining?" Coco made a fast turn, obstructing the man's view. With a tentative smile, he pointed once more at the horse. "Okay, okay," The man walked inside to retrieve Coco's go-to black horse and held out his hands to hand him the reins. Taking the horse's reins in a flash, Coco steered it in the direction of the front door.

Aura sighed in relief as she watched Coco walk out the door. The guards never asked Coco where he was going, and he quickly made his way outside, so he had no trouble leaving the palace. Princess had directed him to wait in the outside grounds away from the castle premises, near the well, and Coco had done the same. The princess, however, found it extremely challenging to leave the castle unnoticed. The princess is currently hiding behind some bushes, waiting for the ideal moment to run. However, the garden is not empty, and security has been stepped up in response to her prior effort to flee. She made her way carefully toward the pavement where one of the carriages was getting ready to go because it was taking too long and her patience was fraying. She seized the opportunity and sat down on the sheet that was tied underneath the carriage cabin to hold small objects.

"You were really kind to me. God bless the young prince."

"I appreciate your presence so much. Safe travels back."

The sounds were distinct enough for Aura to identify who it was. The affluent lady from town who attends all of the castle's festivities. She was speaking to Savannah while blessing Aura's brother. "And what about me?" Aurora muttered. "Have they already forgotten about me? and no one asked about me at the meal?" Aura bit her lip to stop herself from tearing up as her eyes began to fill up. It was uncomfortable where she was hiding, so she prayed the carriage started moving. The wealthy lady boarded, and as if God had heard her prayers, the carriage began to move. Aura intended to jump out of the carriage as soon as she was outside the castle's grounds and beyond the guards' line of sight. It was a simple escape because the vehicle would leave the grounds.

While waiting at the well, Coco started to feel worried. What if the princess was seen by the security? What if she is already in trouble, though? He began to pace rapidly back and forth. There were no hints of someone approaching far outside of his field of vision. After a short while, he noticed a carriage approaching him and recognized it right away thanks to the painted pigeon symbol. As the carriage approached, Coco stepped aside to allow it to pass while keeping his hands in his pockets. He then bowed in its direction out of respect.

Thud.

When something covered in the cloth fell on the ground from the carriage, Coco's eyes sprung wide. He dashed over to check on it, but it moved on its own and made him flinch. Coco sighed in relief as Princess lowered the rag cloth. The carriage's onward motion came to an abrupt stop, and the driver turned around. Princess hurriedly ducked behind Coco, who pretended everything was normal. When he waved his hand, the driver turned around and hit the reins, resuming motion of the carriage. "We nearly got captured." Princess muttered. "And no, I'm not harmed anywhere." Before Coco could give her a glare, she spoke.

Before getting on the horse, Coco helped her climb into the saddle. The horse began to move when he pulled on the reins. "Where are we headed?" The princess found out that the horse was heading in the direction of the town while the route to the forbidden land was in the opposite direction. Coco grinned and told her to be patient. Coco was aware that the adversaries and the barbarians watch for opportunities like these to launch their assault, and what better occasion could there be than the festivities? Going to the forbidden land alone yourself wasn't safe. Coco rattled the coin purse that was tucked into his waistband. "Market." Coco gave off a sly smile. The princess chose not to respond because she simply wishes to go anywhere than the castle. The whole country was celebrating the birth of a prince, which caused the streets to be congested. Coco yanked on the horse's reins and dismounted. Princess extended her arms to him, but he motioned for her to remain there because the streets were packed.

In the meantime, Savannah was doing her best to appear normal to everyone inside the castle. She realized Aura was nowhere to be found in her room. "Princess, neither she nor Coco are everywhere to be seen. They aren't even in the garden." Savannah clenched her fingers into a fist, but her face was expressionless. Following lunch, everyone in attendance was gathered around and chit-chatting. Aura wasn't there when Savannah sent her servants to look for her. Ezekiel was interacting with some of the guests while he was still unfamiliar with the situation.

"Well, it appears that you have increased security."

"We don't know who could turn against us, do we? So of course it had to be." Savannah scoffed in response to Ezekiel's snide remark.

"Really, prince Ezekiel, that security is nice." Savannah replied with cynicism seeping from her tone since she was unable to contain her sentiments any longer. Ezekiel was surprised because she had never addressed him in such a manner.

"Princess, is everything all right?"

"Our daughter again ran away because of how well-protected we are." And Ezekiel was taken aback as if the ground beneath their feet shifted. What was going through Ezekiel's head at the time caused him to stop and shout. "Mister Levin."

"Yes, prince."

"Everyone who is available should be sent. I'd like to see my daughter before the night comes to an end." Whether it was the strength in his voice or his worry for his daughter, it caused the counselor to flee in the opposite direction.

The advisor found out from the stable guard that Coco came here to take his horse for some town business. "No, Coco wouldn't be a fool to take the princess to the forbidden land." The advisor muttered under his breath. Yes, he knew where the princess always runs to but he never told anyone. He made some quick steps and gathered his troops near the gate. "Half of you will go in the direction of the forbidden land and half of you, will follow me." He shouted.

"Could the princess be running towards the forbidden land?" One of the soldiers whispered.

"I don't think so." The other replied.

As the gates opened, the troops hit the reins and they started to march outside the castle dividing in opposite directions. The advisor prayed for them to be safe, he recalled the face of prince Ezekiel, he held no emotions. He was scared at what decision the prince would take.

The market was adorned with fire lights and candle holders, as well as tiny and huge statues. Essential oils and perfumes flooded the air with their enticing aromas. On the street, people were celebrating and dancing. Various musical instruments were played, and the entire surrounding environment was upbeat. There are numerous types of street food booths and beverages all around to keep things exciting. The sun had set early, and the stars filled the sky like white paint on a black canvas. There was something pleasant about the sound of crickets chirping like they were singing a song for their mate. Coco and Aura were enjoying the time of their lives in the bustling town as well. Coco was following Aura, keeping a polite but close distance from her so she didn't get lost in the crowd. The lights turned Aura's face honey-colored, and her hair fluttered lightly in the breeze.

"I'm in awe of how lovely these are." She dashed towards one of the vendors selling colorful and shiny headgear and accessories.

"What should I pack for a lovely lady?" Aura brushed her palm over the rubies and brooches as the merchant asked with a smile. "How about a tiara for your beautiful hair?" He placed the tiara over her hair, and it appeared to be custom-made for her and only her. Coco smiled as he looked at her from behind, his attention drawn to a delicate pale yellow stone ring. The stone was pale yellow in the middle, and the band was carved with a flower motif. It brought to mind the yellow flower that Aura had given him a few months before. Coco picked up that ring and motioned to the merchant to pack it for him while Aura was occupied looking at the other accessories. When Aura wasn't looking, the shopkeeper quietly took it and gave it to Coco in exchange for one small gold coin.

"I'd want to have these." Aura pointed to the pendant made of sapphire stone. "It's as gorgeous as the sea and as calm as you." She smiled briefly as she gazed at Coco. "Something to remember me of my friend."

"There you have it, princess." The shopkeeper exchanged the sapphire jewelry for some gold coins. Coco ran his fingers through his pocket, where he kept the yellow ring, and pondered whether he should offer it to the princess as a gift. The princess said a quick "thank you" to the shopkeeper.

"Perhaps you should go home now, Princess." Aura and Coco's heads jerked towards the direction of the familiar voice, and they noticed Mr. Levin standing some distance to their left. Their wide-open eyes displayed a mix of terror and surprise. The idea was to leave the castle for a while and then return before anyone would have heard about their departure. However, time passed quickly, and they were gone for so long that troops were deployed to seek for them that they were unaware of it. Aura took a deep breath as she turned to face the other few men who were standing behind Mr. Levin. She made a mistake; she was aware of that; nevertheless, because Coco was involved this time, she felt more fear for him than for herself. Aura and Coco's feet were glued to the spot, staring at Mr. Levin, who was approaching them slowly. He sighed in despair after taking one look at Coco and another at Aura. "The prince wishes to meet with you." He paused for a second and returned his sight to Coco, who was looking down in guilt.

"Both of you."