the assassin

LOREN POV

I only went home at dawn. I, consort whitelotus and ivan stayed by prince nate's side.

Consort whitelotus lotus fed him his medicine at appropriate times, she hardly slept. She cleaned his body periodically and knelt by his bedside with her head resting on his bedside, waiting for him to wake up.

When i see this, I began to think of the story nate told me by the waterfall. I had a thought, if consort labyrinth or consort whitelotus is his real mother. Consort labyrinth never visited nate for the past five days he has been unconscious.

I have to leave to the north as soon as possible, there was a discussion in the court. It was term," the big plan" ,we want to take over one of our enemies kingdom so we won't be attacked by them anymore.

It's as big as our kingdom, the name of the kingdom is azealea. But it is just one of the kingdoms. If we're able to conquer that one, we will move to the next enemy kingdom.

We are to leave tommorow to prepare, I haven't seen my second in command, dibengi. If he neglects his duty, he will put to death.

Dibengi, where are you brother.

*******************************************

It was night, prince jers took consort whitelotus to her residence as she was feeling unwell. Loren was not in the prince nate's residence but still within the palace.

Ivan fell asleep while keeping watch . No one was in prince nate's bedchamber.

Prince nate opened his eyes slightly, he wanted to get up but he heard his door open and he shut his eyes.

A person came in dressed in black, revealing only his eyes.

The mysterious person walked closer to prince nate's bed, slowly as he unsheathed his dagger.

Prince nate opened his eyes slightly . His eyes widened when he saw that the person was about to stab him.

He heaved in fear and he was too weak to shout.

Loren entered the room. Prince nate closed his eyes as the mysterious person and loren looked at each other.

The mysterious person sheathed his dagger. Then, he and loren unsheathed their swords at the same time.

They thrusted their swords towards each other and their swords clanged.

Loren looked at the eyes of the mysterious person and the mysterious person escaped.

Ivan woke up but the mysterious person already passed him and was being pursued by loren.

They reached a point that was unguarded in the palace.

"Dibengi, please!",loren yelled and the mysterious person stopped.

"What was that, dibengi?,I have been looking for you,for days and I just found you trying to kill prince nate,for what reason?make me understand,brother?",loren said as he panted," because I...don't understand".

Dibengi turned to loren and walked closer to him," you have been looking for me for days or you have been by prince nate's side,for days?,don't act like you care about me,loren".

" I do!,I do care about you dibengi",Loren said.

" And the 7th prince?",dibengi asked.

" Yes,I care about him too".

" Why?why!?why do you care about him too,and don't you tell me is friendship!,because...,I won't believe you.

"You want to know,fine,I'll tell you what nate means to me.

He means more than the world to me,am like a moon and he is like my star,a day without him is like a hundred days,and a hundred days is like a thousand days".

I've  gotten hurt from stab and arrow wounds but when i see him hurt,the pain seems unbearable,my heart is filled with him and without him,I feel empty.

Dibengi,I knew the word called love but I didn't understand it until I felt it with him,do you now understand,brother?".

Dibengi shock his head in disbelief and narrowed his eyes at loren,"I don't understand it,loren!".

He heaved as his voice shook,"do you...do you not fell the distance between us because of him?

were we like this,loren?".

Loren placed his hand on dibengi's shoulder,"I've never felt the distance between us, because I still feel us,close to each other,I knew you will come back but not like this".

Dibengi looked at loren straight at his eyes,"And if I decide to kill the 7th prince?".

Loren glared at him,unsheathed his sword and placed it at dibengi's neck,"That is something you should never do and I'll never forgive you.

I don't know what made you feel this way about nate and I don't know what I'll do to you If you hurt him?".

"My sword is at your neck,but I know I can't kill you",loren released his sword from his hand and it fell to the ground.

Loren hugged dibengi and smiled,"brothers fight,yes,but a brother's blood should not be on the hands of his brother,do you understand dibengi?",he patted his back.

Tears flowed down dibengi's cheeks,"you can't kill me",he stabbed loren with his dagger,"but....I can".

On dibengi's shoulder loren gasped as  dibengi removed the dagger from his skin.

Dibengi whimpered as loren moved back a little,placing his hand on the stabbed spot.

Loren's blood dripped from dibengi's dagger,"Do you now see loren,that I can....kill you".

Loren chuckled and groaned. He smiled at dibengi as blood gushed out. The stab wasn't critical,"loud..dibengi,if you wanted to kill me,you could have just stabbed me at a critical point.

I won't die from the stab but I may die from the bleeding,you know I'll try to stop to bleeding,when you go".

"Don't I owe you a debt,my brother?, it's now settled",loren stretched his hand to dibengi,"come brother,help me stop the bleeding".

Dibengi whimpered and hesitated before he tore his shirt and rushed to loren.loren raised his shirt as dibengi took care of the wound but it was not neatly dressed.

Dibengi walked back as loren adjusted his shirt.loren looked at him,"go home, brother,I will be expecting you at dawn tommorow.

we  will soon fight hand in hand and our names will be known, even in a thousand years.

Now go,don't get caught".

Dibengi escaped and loren went back to prince nate's residence.He used nate medicinal suppliers to stop the bleeding and he dressed the wound again.

When he got back to prince nate bed chamber,he sat on his bedside and caressed his face,"You should wake up ,am worried,I feel broken,seeing you like this".

Loren took nate's hand and kissed it.

Nate smiled and opened his eyes,looking at loren,"loren",he muttered.

Loren eyes widened,"na...na..nate,what do you need?,are you thirsty?,are you hungry?,how are you feeling?,are you okay?".

Nate raised his hand and placed it on loren's cheek," slow down,why do you,even look more pale than me and no need to worry the attendants for food.

I was thirsty but ivan already gave me water".

" What?,ivan didn't tell me you were awake,darn that chief guard of yours",loren sighed.

" I've been awake since the assassin came,did you catch him?",nate said as he rested his hand back on the bed.

"Oh..,he escaped but don't worry,I don't think,he will disturb you again",loren reassured prince nate as he leaned in and placed a kiss on his forehead.

Nate stared at loren," Do you want to hear the rest of the story,I told you by the waterfall?".

" Nate,why didn't you tell me,you were poisoned,you should have just told me everything about you",loren said.

" I did, everything in the story concerns me,so,you can get other answers,you seek concerning me,from the story",nate said.

" Nate",loren muttered as he felt broken.

" You can get your answers from the story but loren,do you not know who the assassin was?".