Lost in the Night

"Cynane..."

A familiar voice is calling Cynane in her dream. She is standing in a pitch-black room, searching for the person summoning for her. Yet there is no one but her and the entire darkness that is engulfing her.

"Cynane..." says the voice again.

"Who, who are you? Where are you?" Cynane replies, her voice echoing in the nothingness.

"Cynane!"

The voice gets louder. Somehow, Cynane can tell that it's getting closer to her.

"I'm here!" she screams.

"Cynane! Please wake up! Open the door!"

Bang! Bang! Bang!

A subsequent thud reverberates in the dark room.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The banging continues and it's getting louder and louder.

"Cynane!"

Cynane opens her eyes. She is no longer in the pitch-dark room. Instead, she is inside her own bedchambers in the palace. She quickly props herself up to seat on her bed and she turns to her side as she realizes that there are actually people outside her room.

"It's brother", she mumbles to herself, wondering what his reason could be for waking her up in the middle of the night.

"Could it be that we're under attack?" Cynane does not waste any time. She does not mind if she is still in her night gown. She immediately jumps out of her bed and rushes to open the door. "Brother, what is it?"

"Milan...Milan is gone. He is not in his room", the king explains, the horror on his face is so visible that it catches Cynane off guard. She has never seen her brother become this shaken before. He is normally collected no matter how dire the situation may be.

"Breathe brother, breathe. I'll find Milan, I promise, but you first need to calm down. You do not look well right now."

King Filip listens to his sister and quickly composes himself.

"Now, tell me what happened."

"I just finished working in my study when I decided to stop by and check on Milan. But when I opened his room, he was not there. There was no one inside", the king tries his best to explain calmly.

'Did someone kidnap the Milan?' Cynane contemplates. 'No, that is impossible. The royal palace is heavily guarded. There is no way an intruder can easily come in and leave without getting noticed. Milan is surely inside the palace.'

"Call the guards! Search every room and corner of the palace. Prince Milan is still here!"

"How can you be sure of that?" the king asks to his younger sister.

"I am very certain brother. Please stay in your bedchamber with the queen and wait for me. I shall lead the search. I promise, I'll bring back Milan safe and sound."

"Promise?"

"I promise, brother."

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"Milan! Are you there?!"

It has been almost thirty minutes since Cynane and the men in the palace have been searching but there is still no sign of the young prince. All the bedrooms have already been checked by the guards. Cynane has also already scanned the throne room, the great hall, the dining hall, the kitchens, and the chapel. She is on her way now the library, silently praying and hoping that she finally finds Milan there. The young prince has a keen interest in books, so it is not very impossible that he is in the library.

As Cynane nears to the library, she mutters desperately to herself, "Please be here, Milan. Please." Gathering all the strength in her arms, she pushes open the huge double doors in the palace library. To her dismay, there is no sign of any soul in the room. She is now starting to really panic. They have already inspected every room in the palace. Cynane fears that she might have been wrong in her assumption that the prince is still in the palace.

'What if someone was really able to infiltrate the palace and break through the tight security? Is there really someone skilled enough to do that?' she ponders.

"No, that cannot be. Think Cynane, think. Which part of the palace have you not checked yet? The dungeons? No, it's impossible for him to be there. It's hidden deep in the palace, and it is heavily guarded as well. Come on Cynane, you need to think more. Is there anywhere else that you have missed?" She paces back and forth, knowing that every second that passes by may mean that her nephew is in greater danger.

"The tower!" she suddenly exclaims. Not wasting any more time, she sprints in the hallways. Even the guards cannot match her unbelievable speed.

"That's the lightning-fast general for you", one of the men says as they watch her small figure trail off. Normally, Cynane would catch what the people around her are saying. However, she is way too occupied right now to even notice the men around her talking about her.

She finally sees the entrance to the tower. She climbs the stairs at high speed as if it is nothing to her. The men following her on the other hand cannot keep up. Rumor has it that it takes more than a hundred steps to reach the highest level of the royal tower.

Cynane's terror is finally washed away as she catches the sight of her nephew's back against the moonlight.

"Thank God, you're just here Milan. Why are you here?" Cynane says between breaths as she takes the last step on the staircase. However, she realizes that her nephew is not responding. In fact, he is walking straight to the tiny terrace of the tower.

"Milan, what are you doing?" she asks from the young prince. Then, the reality suddenly hits her. "He's going to jump!" Quick on her feet, she runs and leaps at Milan, dragging him along with her on the floor. She covers him in her arms to protect him from the impact. "Milan, it's your auntie Cynane. Are you alright?"

The sight in front her gives Cynane goosebumps. The eyes of the young prince look dead. He is not blinking nor even looking at Cynane. Instead, his eyes are glued at the sky.

"Butterfly", he mumbles.

"Butterfly? What do you mean butterfly?" When Cynane shifts her eyes to where the eyes of the young prince are fixed, she finally gets what he means.

"What on earth is that?"