Chapter 5 The Winged Creature

"Be honest. I look like a lollipop." Craig says stopping in front of his friend, hands outstretched.

"no, you don't" the little prince stops to look at his friend, rolling his eyes for the same question since this morning, "besides, Everyone likes lollipops." The little prince says, looking at his friend's white suit, accentuating his red hair.

"I'm sure Mrs. Gibson set me up on purpose." He says straddling the glamorous hallway.

"Why would she set you up?"

"I told her she looked like a pug."

"Hmm. She let you down easy" the little prince says taking in his friend's golden shoes. "Do you think we're lost?" He questions looking around the grand hallway decorated with, black glassy tiles, a high ceiling draped with gold chandeliers, floor to ceiling window extending through the length of the hallway it's a view showing the center isle of the castle.

"I don't know, this place is huge!' He says stopping to look at the decorated white walls of the castle. "So what was that place we went to when we first got here?"

"A decoy" they hear from behind them, making them jump, turning to meet eyes with two girls standing idly behind them.

"Huh?" The tall boy says slowly stepping closer to his friend.

"It's a decoy. Set to trick the enemy envision" they both chant, "and it worked"

"We are not enemies," the prince says straightening up his spine.

"Then what are you?"

"A messenger," He says taking a small step toward them.

"Your majesties!" They hear a voice call out, turning their attention to the small framed woman standing to their left. "It's time for your lessons," Mrs. Gibson says, motioning the two girls over.

"You're the dark kingdom's twin princesses?" The little prince asks, turning his attention back to the two girls in front of him.

"You're not going to the party?" The tall boy questions, seeming to find his voice.

"yes. We have studies" they answer turning to leave towards the woman, seeming to be getting nervous by the minute.

"Your mind grows when you let it rest, to relax and have fun, between studies" the tall boy calls out to the two girls causing them to stop to look at him with a small smiles plastered on their faces.

"Let's meet again soon," they say green gleaming eyes still plastered on the tall boy. "And your right" they call out again, "you do look like a lollipop," they say with a wide smile.

"I bet you're happy" the boy silently whispers, his face burning in red, eyes boring on Mrs. Gibson seems to have grown a smile in a second.

"Walk straight down there and you will find the ballroom" the two girls chant, turning to leave with the small woman.

"Thank you" Craig calls out behind them, and the girl on the right turns, meeting his eyes with a small smile, causing more red to build on his cheeks.

"How are they so in sync?" The little prince comments walking up to his friend.

"I don't know, maybe a twin thing?" the tall boy comments, with a small shrug.

"Let's go, we shouldn't be later," Craig says, following the path the two girls set for them, "She is pretty" the tall boy slips out, shocking himself.

"Who?"

"The one on the left"

"How could you tell? They look the same"

"The girl on the left has a small scar on the side of her eyebrows, it's so small you could miss it," He says explaining to his friend, "but if you look hard enough you could see who is who, they look very different"

"They said you look like a lollipop" the little prince smiles looking at his friend's attire.

Craig smiles with his friend, remembering the girl's smile. They both reach a magnificent black door with golden details, they stop to look around them, looking for guards or doormen to open the heavy-looking door for them, seeing no one they slowly proceed to the door.

The little prince places his ear to the cold surface, his hearing air sounding a small click. "I think I hear noises," He says looking at his friend.

"Should we just go in?" the friend asks looking around the hallway, hoping to meet another being, maybe the pretty princess once again.

The little prince shrugs turning the door handle slowly, opening the door, and exposing the starry-lit grand ballroom.

"Arthur.." The tall boy almost whispers, losing his voice again.

"This is bad?" The little prince questions in horror, with the sight in front of him.

**********

"Your majesty Cylestia Mathedor, Queen of the light" Cameron speaks, bowing lowly to the woman in front of him, "my favorite queen," He says standing to meet eyes with the queen.

"I'm the only queen," she says extending her hand out for the man.

"The one and only," He says bringing her hands to his lips.

"Always the charmer, I see" she bites back, smiling lightly, "but prince Cameron, what is my niece doing here and not her home?"

"There was a little setback on our plan, other things came up" He's coy stepping beside the stone shock girl, "besides, We couldn't send her without a little party"

"I assume my invitation got lost in the mail"

"Oh my queen, the mail is always lost in the wind, I lost my invitation for the light kingdom gala last year as well"

"Oh Cameron I think we passed honorific by now, please, call me Cylestia"

"Very well, .."

"Cylestia" a cold voice booms suddenly, "what are doing in my kingdom?" He says with a shilling voice that rises every listener on their toes.

"Is this how you welcome guests, Theodore" she almost spits the last word turning to meet eyes with the king, surrounded by guards in dark, contrasting hers.

"But you forget, you're not my guest," He says slowly stopping closer, "you are nothing but" he pops the but causing the guest to jump in surprise followed by the light guards extending their swords, the king merely glances at the light kingdom guards as his guards raise theirs, "you" He taunts looking around the room, quiet as a whisper, "Cylestia, are my enemy" He finishes as the room drops in silence, not a breath heard.

"Brother" lowly Cameron calls out, turning the attention to him, "Don't, please," He says pleading with the king, seeing nothing but anger.

"Don't what" the king replies with so much calmness, if it wasn't for the protruding vein on his neck, you would overlook it as an unknowing question.

"Please, not today" Cameron replies through his teeth.

The king turns to look at the queen with such gentleness, that one might mistake the hate for care, "someday I will have your head" He says, as easy as saying good morning.

"Olivetti," she says eyes boring through the king, 'it's time for us to go' she turns to look at the pale face of the girl standing beside her, "we're not welcome here"

"The girl stays" the king declares a faint smile on his lips, taunting the woman before him.

"No, she doesn't. She leaves with me" the queen says with clenched teeth, her calm demur breaking by the minute.

"She leaves and you have declared war," the king says with a sickening smile, that creates a murmur in the crowd, the two girls wondered if war meant something else here.

"She stays and YOU have declared war" the queen bites back, clenching her niece's hands tightly.

"NO" Cameron roars, quieting down the crowd, "no war," he says eyes fixed on the man standing before him, "the girl leaves"

"Oh?" The man taunts, turning fully to face the brother.

"Yes," Cameron says firmly, a silent stare down breaking between them.

"May I have a word with you, brother?" The man says, disappearing in thin air, leaving them as he came.

"Excuse us," Cameron says before vanishing from their eyes, leaving them to the silent party.

**********

"Oli, how are you feeling," the brunette asks handing her friend a drink.

"I feel confused, but at the same time happy and sad, oh and let's not forget scared," she says downing the cocktail from her friend, "I don't understand what this is Mk"

"This is insane, that's what this is," she says taking another cocktail from the table, "what do we do now?"

The girl shrugs in response, picking yet another glass of cocktail from the table, "this is a lot to take in for a day" she says drowning in the blue drink, "but MK .." she stops when two figures approach them.

"Hello, ladies" the tall boy greets, bowing a little.

"Well hello there" Mikayla greets back, an amused smile on her face, "where have I seen this look before?" she continues smiling at the boy in white, causing his friend to smile at his expense.

The boy's face falls not amused by the question, "what happened back there?" He turns to Olivia, ignoring Mikayla's question.

"Which part you mean?" Olivia questions, ignoring the two people snickering beside them.

"We came in and there was a royal throwdown," He says reaching for the red cocktail on the table.

"My aunt showed up, wanting to take me home," she says, skating his hand away from the drink, "I know you are not older than 16"

"No. you see, there is no age restriction for drinking in our world" He says visibly blushing, adding more to the snickering between the two.

"Oh yeah?" Olivia says handing him the glass, "have this it's my favorite"

The boy takes the drink swinging it at once, "yea that's good" He says his face scrunched.

"Yea, very sparkling," she says with a smirk that sends the other two people into fits of laughter.

**********

"I gotta tell you, I hope I don't sound stupid, I never thought I would say this but," Mikayla says to her friend and the two boys, sitting around the table in the corner of the ballroom, "I miss Mr brooks"

"I can't lie Mk, me too," Olivia says, eyes trailing on the door Cameron took the queen of North a while ago, "I even miss his silly vest and his dad jokes"

"His coffee that you could smell from every part of the book shop"

"His glasses, which he could never seem to know the place of, even on his forehead"

"How he explains every book like he's talking about one of his kids"

"How..."

Olivia cuts off when Craig sighs, loudly covering his face, "I think I now know more about this man than my father"

"Craig" the little prince scolds, kicking his feet from under the table.

"What? They are talking about him like he's dead" Craig stops, carefully looking at the two girls, "is he?"

"He's not dead, but it's not any different from that" Mikayla says

"What do you mean?" The little prince asks looking at the single eyelash residing below her left eye.

"We can never see him again," She says catching the little prince's trail of sight, "we're stuck here it seems"

"Yes, you can" the little prince answers, catching himself from picking that eyelash.

"The only one that can transport us to and from our world is the western king himself," Olivia says eyes still burrowed on the grand wooden door, "and by the looks of it he has no plan on sending us back"

"He's not the only one that can travel dimensions," Craig says, causing the two girls to whip their heads towards him, "every royal can, as long as they are western royals"

"Prince Cameron too?" Olivia asks the boy sliding closer, with her voice down.

"He might not be as strong as his brother, he might be only able to take one of you at a time"

"How much time?"

"Depends on him really," he says, but seeing the desperation on both girls he continues, "a week," he says earning him a smile from both girls, "to a year" He finishes, causing both girls to drop their faces.

"That's a pretty long gap don't you think?" Mikayla asks with clenched teeth, earning her a small shrug from the boy, "ugh this is annoying" Mikayla calls out, throwing her arms out in frustration, "can't we just steal the ring or something? it brought us together last time" she says looking over at her friend's mirrored expression.

"What ring?" Craig asks, glancing around the two girls.

"The dragon ring, with green ruby in the middle" Olivia answers, remembering back to her birthday day just days ago.

"Can you explain more?" The little prince asks, sharing a look with his friend.

"It was my birthday a few days ago.."

"Happy birthday" Craig cuts through.

"Thank you" she smiles at the boy, and he smiles back exposing his sharp teeth, "Cameron, prince Cameron. showed up there, and we danced together once. After the song ended I left to join Mikayla on the counter and I found this ring on my finger, the dragon ring with green ruby.

One thing led to another and I forgot about the ring until we left the party, where it started glowing out of the blue, MK noticed and she pointed it out, I raised my hand to look and MK touched it and it started glowing much brighter. And next thing we know we woke at that place with no memory of how we got there"

"A ring?" The little prince asks, earning him a nod from the two girls, "that sounds like"

"Magic" Craig finishes looking at his friend, "but the central world does not meddle with the kingdom affairs," He says, uncertain of the words as they left his mouth, "right?"

"As far as I know" the little prince answers his friend, with an uncertain tone.

"Central kingdom?" Olivia asks with crunched eyebrows, "there is another kingdom?"

"It's more like a place" the little prince explains, looking around them, seeing no one he continues, "the central world is a place for magic, only people from magic can step foot in the land"

"So what? Is it a land of magic pixies and fairies?" Mikayla asks, lifting her eyebrow.

"No actually, unicorns and all beautiful things" Craig bits back, earning him a glare from the brunette.

"No, just sorcerers" the little prince answers, a shadow of a smile still on his lips, "the only creature in Ladon that can create a ring like that has got to be from there," He says turning his gaze at the figures emerging from the magnificent door, Olivia was staring at just moments ago, "but how did he get his hands on such object?" He questions, more to himself, turning the table's attention to the man, at the other side of the room, laughing at something the queen said.

**********

"And yet again, the lady stands alone" Olivia hears a gentle voice say from behind her, causing her to turn to meet eyes with her visitor, "or were you waiting for me?" Cameron says with a subtle smirk on his lips.

"Took you long enough" Olivia taunts turning to avoid his eyes, or else he would see the turmoil jumping through her skin, "where is your guest?" She asks looking around the room, seeing her gaze on anything but him.

"Her majesty the queen, have some royal affairs to attend with his majesty the king" he replies joining her on her scout.

"Shouldn't you be there? What if they fight again?" She bombards with questions, turning to meet his gaze, finding it already on her, "Don't they need a neutral ground?" She asks ignoring the warmth from his gentle gaze.

"They'll be fine," He says with a small one-shoulder shrug, "besides" he continues extending his arms out to her, "I didn't want to miss our dance"

Olivia looks at the outstretched arms of the prince, contemplating what she should do. Like a magnet drawn to him, before she decided on her actions she found her arms reaching out to him and placing them gently in his. His warm hands close in on her, gently tugging her towards him. The prince leads her to the center of the dance floor and proceeds to gently place his arms around her, hugging her close enough for a dance, and far enough for a slip of paper to slice through.

"So what have you been up to, little bird," the prince asks breaking the silence.

"Oh, not much. Getting kidnapped and almost killed by a strange creature" she says earning her a smile from the prince, "just everyday things"

"Olivia I apologize for the way I brought you here, I had no other choice. I wish someday you would forgive me, and let me make it up to you" He says. Olivia just nods at the prince still stuck on her name leaving his lips, "someday you will understand"

"Why don't you tell me now" she prompts looking up at him, "what's a better someday than today" the prince smiles at this, letting out a small chuckle.

"Then I shall tell you today" He declares, earning him a smile, "but not here, meet me in the library at midnight, and I will explain as to the best of my abilities," He says gently dropping her arms from around his neck, "see you then, little bird," He says, placing a soft kiss on both of her hands.

**********

"Okay go to the library and talk to him, try to be as natural as possible, and if he tries anything, anything at all, screams and I will be there" Mikayla orders her friend.

"Okay, got it" Olivia nods in agreement, keeping her voice low in the grand hallway of the castle.

"Maybe we should wait for Noah" Mikayla backs away, turning a longing gaze back to the party, behind the door.

"He is in that royal meeting, we won't know when he would leave, and midnight is in 10 minutes" Olivia explains, turning her friend's gaze back.

"What about Arthur and Craig," Mikayla asks, her chin meeting with her chest.

Olivia softly shakes her head, amused by her friend's question and reaction, "they're just kids" she says lifting her friend by the chin, "we should go" she says pulling her in for a hug.

The two girls arrive at the grand double timber door of the library, they both stand idly, staring at the timber lines dancing within each other, "I should go in" Olivia says, making no effort to release her friend's hands.

The girls stand there for a short while, eyes following the steps of the lines, when they hear a soft voice call out to them, "Olivetti?" The queen calls out, stepping closer to the two friends, "what's wrong? Are you okay?" She bombards with questions stepping further to her, causing Olivia to involuntarily step back, stipp8ng her in her tracks.

"Nothing, I was just about to go inside," she says, almost feeling guilty.

"Oh, okay," the queen says, promptly stepping back, but staying her ground. "Olivetti, I know this might be overwhelming and quick, but I had no choice, as I don't have one now. I need you to come with me right now, I am leaving for my kingdom, our home, and I very much need you to come with me" she almost begs to reach her arms out to her.

Olivia feels the grip on her hand tighten, from her friend beside her. As it had before with a certain prince in the ballroom, her arms involuntary extend to meet the woman's, engulfing her in her cold.

"Oli?" Mikayla speaks up from beside her, lightly tugging at her arms.

"I think we have to go MK," she says.

"What? Why?" Mikayla asks, stealing a glance at the queen, "what about the plan?" She whispers, only loud enough for her friend.

"It wasn't a full plan, it was just a swivel," she says.

"But, oli. What about home?" Mikayla manages to say, losing her breath.

"This is home too. This is my family" Olivia says, grabbing hold of the girl's shoulders, "this is our first time finding family, this is big for us MK" she says, cutting deep into her hazel eyes.

"Okay" the girl, finally manages to whisper out, "okay, we'll go," she says with a soft smile, but a heavy heart.

The two girls lock In an embrace, with contracting feelings, and mirroring expressions.

**********

"Craig, get up we have to go" the little prince orders, shoving his clothes, draping them on the floors, inside his bag.

"Where? What's going on?" Craig questions, groggily waking up and following his friend's action.

"It's not safe here," He says, throwing on his sword and daggers, "we have to leave now," he says, heading for the door.

"Are we going home?" The tall boy asks following his friend close behind, rubbing the sleep from his eyes, "because if we are, I need to write 100 pages or more, worth of an apology letter, before I can set foot there"

"No. We're going to the central world" the prince says crossing the hall, lit only by the moonlight coming from the floor-to-ceiling windows, looking around him every minute.

"Wait, what?" The tall boy roars, causing his friend to halt to shush him, "we can't go there, it's impossible to go there"

"Difficult, not impossible," the little prince says, starting to walk towards the main door.

"Arthur, please. We can't just stroll in there" Craig almost pleads to his friend, walking fast, as he could lose him if he stopped for a minute.

"We're not, we have leverage and reason," he says turning to meet his friends' desperate eyes.

The tall boy groans lowly, following close behind the little prince, "I have my leverage" He says, glaring at his friend's back.

"I promise I'll explain, but we need to leave first," He says, almost running out of the castle, "and quick"

"What about the girls? Are we leaving them behind?"

"No. They're gone, they left too"

"Without us? I can't believe they just left us, what about history" the boy asks, turning to look back at the majestic castle.

"We have other places to be. We'll join them later on" the prince says not stopping for his friend.

The two boys set out through the woods, the first sun rays guiding their way, following the trail set by the tall boy, they reach the sea they first came in on.

"Now what? We don't have a boat" the tall boy chimes up, looking around them in the clearing.

"Wait," the little prince says, eyes borrowed on the blue spreading across.

"For what?" He says, following his friend's line of sight.

They both stand there in silence, waiting for nothing and everything, "Arthur this isn't time to be a wise old man" the tall boy breaks the silence followed by a deafening roar blasting through the sky, "what was that?"

"Our ride," the little prince says, his chest thrust out.

Another roar sounds out before, and the creature stands out from the clouds, its shadow draping the land they stand on. It glides down towards them, its wings extracted on both sides, 6m wide. The land thumps as it lands, the sea pushed back by its force. It shakes its head roughly, the fur draped around its head dancing with his every move. It stops to stare at the two boys for a moment, almost the size of his front feet, before dropping to their height.

"Nice...kitty" the tall boy softly purrs, slowly stepping back.

"It's a lion," the little prince says, suddenly becoming very still, "a winged lion"

"I know that! The whole western kingdom knows that! We can see it from space for crying out loud!" The boy, almost screams out, causing the full attention of the creature to go to him, "Arthur" he says so softly he almost thought he didn't say it out loud, "Arthur" he says louder this time, his throat suddenly dry."

The creature slowly to the boy with flaming hair, eyes stationed pointedly. "Craig it's okay, don't panic," the little prince says, trying to calm the shivering boy.

Craig goes very still then, turning to look at his friend, "you don't like me very much do you?" He says, his expression blank, "I should have listened to my mom when she told me about you when I die I am making it my life mission to make every day miserable for you Arthur, well my death mission" He says stepping back to a tree.

The creature sniffs the boy, its eyes still positioned to him. He stops suddenly, a low purr leaving his throat.

"Is that his stomach growling?! Mr lion I might look appetizing, and thank you for flattering me, but I'm small for you, very small I will only make it to your teeth before you chew me out like a prick" the tall boy says, pushing further back towards the tree it could absorb him.

The lion softly brushes on the boy, gently pushing him. The tall boy jumps up opening his eyes to see the lion lying on its back nuzzling on him.

"What is it doing?" The tall boy asks, staring at the creature's soft eyes, upside down.

"It's trying to play I think," the little prince says, standing beside his friend.

The boy turns to meet eyes with the little prince, arms crossed over his chest.

"Princess Olivia Mathedor, spoke to me last night before they escaped with the queen" the little prince begins.

"You saw her?" The boy cuts in, his curiosity perked with the mention of the escaped princess.

"No, she spoke to me through my mind"

"But she can't do that, only eastern royals can do that"

"That's what I thought too, but she can"

"That's strange, what did she say?"

"She told us to leave before the break of dawn, and head for the central world"

"Why?"

"To look for answers"

"But why did we sneak out like some criminals"

"Because once the king finds her missing, he is going to come to question the two boys that arrived with her" the little prince explains, scratching the creature's exposed stomach, earning another sound of purr from his throat.

"What answers?"

"About the magic in the western kingdom and their way back home"

"Arthur" the tall boy softly whispers, turning his friend's attention back to him.

"I think she might be the answer to the question we came here for" He replies, "I think the central world was way more involved than they let on," He says sharing his friend's concern.

Craig nods firmly at the prince before him, "you are my friend as much as you are my prince, I will be by your side through it all" He says suddenly, bowing to the boy.

"And I, you, my friend," the prince says, lifting his friend by the shoulders, his eyes to meet his.

"And what about him?" Craig asks, gesturing towards the lion now distracted by its tail.

"From Queen Cylestia Mathedor, for our travels"

"The queen is in on this too? What are we looking for exactly?"

"Answers and most importantly answers for the death of the late Prince of the North"

"Then we better get going," the tall boy says, feeling the grip on his shoulders tightening.

"Fight till the last breath," the prince says, mirroring his friend's gleaming eyes and a wide smile.

"Till the last breath" the tall boy echoes, clasping his friend's hands crisscrossed with both arms, both proceeding to roar to the sky.

They both turn to look at the lion, now sitting propelled on the floor, with its head tilted to the side, confused by the two boys' behavior.

"And how do we use this....transportation?" Craig asks.

"We whistle when we try to ride him. Click with our tongue, for him to land on the ground. We say "Go Zuba!" For him to take off, and We steer with our bodies, and if we tell him where he will know" the little prince recites back to his friend.

"His name is Zuba?" The boy asks his friend, earning him a nod, "Did the queen tell you all this?" The tall boy asks walking up to the creature in front of him.

"No. He did" the little prince says with a coy smile.

"He talked to you?"

"Yea I can read his mind," he says with a tone the same as saying the weather, "he finds you amusing"

"Oh yeah?" The boy beams at that, "I'll take it!"

"Go, Zuba!" The little prince screams from the lion's back, causing him to blast to the sky, leaving wind whirls behind. They shoot up to the clouds, both boys whooping with adrenaline. Zuba glides through the clouds, the screams of delight fueling his speed.

"This is amazing!" The tall boy screams to his friend, causing him to turn to give him a cheeky grin, "what?"

"Go, Zuba!" The little prince screams out again, causing the winged creature to speed up. Zuba soars through the sky flipping and turning, through the clouds, and over the sea.

The two boys scream in delight, both arms flung up to the sky, dripping wet from running through the clouds and splashing from the sea.

They glide through the blue sky, clouds draped below them, soaking in the warm sun, each thought to their own. "So, Craig" the little prince breaks out of the silence, "what did your mom say about me?"