Unbroken Ch. 03

"I am really sorry. But I only followed the prince's orders. I didn't follow him because he ordered me to."

"What?" The king yelled in anger. "The prince ordered you to stay behind?"

"Yes, your majesty." The guard bowed. He was feeling really scared. "I tried to follow him but he wouldn't allow me. I don't know what happened but I only saw him shouting in pain. It seemed like the boy had thrown a stone at him."

"And you let him go." The king yelled. "Why didn't you catch him and bring him here. Or you could have dealt with him and showed him that he messed with the wrong man."

"He was gone." The guard said simply. "He left by the time I realized it. I am really sorry," The guard muttered. "It is my entire fault. I shouldn't have left the prince's side. This should have been me in pain. I should have dealt with him."

"You're right," The king said angrily, pointing his finger at the guard. "This is your fault. You let that boy go and now we have no idea where to find him. Anyway, I don't care whether it will take years to search but I need that boy. I need to deal with him. He needs to pay for hurting my son." He said harshly, diverting his anger on the guard and the driver. "But thanks to you stupid and foolish fools, he escaped. We have nowhere to find him. I tell you if I don't find that boy, I will make you pay for what he did." He fumed. "I promise you will pay for this."

"I am ready to face any punishment, your majesty." The guard bowed. "I committed an offence and I must pay for it. I neglected my duty and got the prince hurt in the process. Please, hurt me my lord." He knew that what had happened was part of his fault and the punishment was gonna be severe.

"Just pray we find that boy." The king warned, quickly turning around. "Pray that we find him because I shall have you dealt with. You'll also lose your job."

The guard and the driver both remained quiet. They couldn't argue or say anything else because they knew very well they were at fault. They knew that losing their job was gonna be their own fault. They shouldn't have left the prince in the first place.

"Can I say something, your majesty?" The guard quavered, wondering how his highness was gonna take it.

"What?" The king said harshly. His voice echoed throughout the living room.

"I think I might know how to find him." He said softly.

Hearing what the guard had to say, King Julian quickly turned around and stared down at the guard. His heart began racing because he wanted the boy dealt with severely. He got closer and stared at the foolish guard.

"What did you just say?"

"I might know how to find him." He said.

"How will you do that?"

"The first time the prince got insulted, he made me look for that boy." The guard muttered. "I might get his address at his work place. I am sure that they will give me."

The king nodded in anger, moving his head to the other side. "Are you telling the truth?" The king's voice was still showing anger. "You better be telling the truth."

"I wouldn't lie to you, my king." The guard promised. "I am sure I will get something from the hotel. I am really telling the truth."

"For your sake," The king said. "You better be telling the truth because I'll make you regret it. I will let you go for now but if I don't see that boy I will make you regret ever working here. Find that boy."

"I shall do that, my lord." The guard said. "What should I do if I find him?"

"Take him and bring him here." The king said in a commanding voice, pointing his fore finger on the tiled floor. "I will deal with him myself. I want him to tell me why he had the nerves to lay his hand on my son in the first place. I will so deal with him that he will fear whenever he hears my name."

"When can I start?"

"I don't know." The king said, moving away from the guard. "What I want is to see that boy in this palace tomorrow. If that doesn't happen, I will have you punished."

"Yes, my lord." He bowed. "I shall start the search soon."

The king didn't say anything more. He went and sat on the couch, leaning his head on his two hands, watching the two men who had bowed for him. He was still fuming and he still blamed the two men's negligence for causing his son's pain. Had it not been for the fact that the guard had given him some news, he would have definitely dealt with the two men. He would have shown them how to play their role in the palace.

"Get out!" He seethed, rudely dismissing the two men.

Hearing the king's tone, the two men trembled in fear. Then they quickly bowed their heads and rushed out of the living room, leaving the angry king all alone with only the guard who was a bit far from the living room.

The king on the other hand was mad. He could feel just how angry he was and how his hands trembled in anger. He could feel a fire burning deep inside of him, reminding him how much he was dying to see the boy and put him in his place.

"Hurting my son," He yelled, grabbing a cushion from the chair. He angrily threw it. That was the time he also realized how angry he was. In that mood, he was not gonna spare the boy at all. He was a really good king but disrespecting his son publicly and hurting him was another thing. He was protecting his son's honor here.

"Shit!" he growled, putting his hands together. If he continued to stay like that, he knew that he was gonna go insane with thoughts. He couldn't stay alone like that. He needed to see his son and stay with him for a while.

Slowly rubbing his hands, he took a really deep breath and got up from the couch. He groaned in anger and walked towards the elevator. In no time at all, he found himself in his son's room.

***

Aidan was slowly walking home, trying to understand what had happened. It was already dark and the more he neared his house, the more confused he got. He had a big question mark on his face and he needed to understand things.

"How did..." He couldn't even believe it. "I didn't throw that stone, I swear. But how did it hit the prince?" He wondered.

Aidan could have easily believed that someone else had thrown that stone and hit the prince but he saw it with his own eyes. The stone he had seen on the ground before Prince Luis got hit was no longer there. And the truth was that there was no one beside him. Nothing was making any sense. It was just making him confused.

From getting worried and confused came the fear. He was really scared of what was going to happen. Surely, everyone was gonna blame him and he had a feeling trouble was gonna follow.

"I should have just told my family the truth." He spoke softly. He had his arms crossed and he was tensed up. "None of this could have happened had I told my family the truth. Now I have to face the consequences. What if the Prince gets me arrested. That was what got him more scared than anything else. He had been fierce all his life but he was now scared. If the Prince chose to get back at him, which he was sure was gonna happen sooner than he thought, his family was gonna be worried.

Aidan got lost in his thoughts, not even realizing that he had reached home. He just continued on going until he almost hit the wall. Realizing that he had reached home, he stood there and wondered how his family was gonna react if he told them of everything that had happened. He took a long and careful thought and realized one thing. The things that had happened were too much and his family won't probably handle them.

On top of losing his job, he had done something to a royal blood. He didn't want to make his family worried so the best thing to do was keep quiet and pretend as if everything else was fine. Hopefully, no trouble was gonna come to him.

"Yes!" he thought.

Aidan snapped out of his thoughts and tried to gather his confidence and good spirit. He took a deep breath and just tried to forget. He couldn't deny the fact that the prince deserved what had happened to him but it might turn out to be lethal for him. Aidan took several deep breaths and felt himself calming deep inside.

The worry was still there but at least he could feel his confidence boosting. He stayed outside till he was sure he could handle his family. Then he opened the door confidently, letting himself in. As soon as he entered, he received a warm kiss and hug from his brother, the kind that he didn't want to pull away from. Then his granny gave him another hug and he somehow felt better. He knew he was safe in the house with his brother and his granny.

"Buddy," Ethan said. "You are home late again. Probably too many guests and customers, right,"

Aidan opened his mouth but closed it again. He first gave his brother a wonderful smile before finally speaking. "Yeah," he lied. "There were...uh...many guests. In fact, every waiter and waitress was busy today."

"You must be really tired." Granny said, rubbing her hands with a towel. "And you are probably hungry, right?"

"Yeah...err...I am really hungry." Aidan stammered, hoping his confidence was gonna save him.

"You are in luck because I have just finished cooking." Granny chuckled. "Why don't you go to the table and I will set the table."

"I will do that." He said softly. "I just need to help my brother..."

"Help with what?" Ethan said, wrapping his arm around his brother. "I am not going for work today. Just relax and enjoy okay? I will resume tomorrow. I was given a day off."

"Really," Aidan had an idea too. "I have a day off tomorrow too." He lied. "The manager wants me to rest because I worked a lot today."

"That's good, buddy." Ethan shook his arm and brought his brother closer. He planted a kiss on his temple and they both headed to the dining where they sat as they waited for their dinner.

As usual, Ethan was expecting to chat with his brother like they normally did but he could clearly see that his brother was not his usual self. He talked, quite alright but not like he usually did. But it was probably just from being tired and working whole day so Ethan understood him. After all, he too got really tired at times. He just kept on talking with his brother.

Aidan couldn't believe that his worries were once back again. He had just been talking to his brother normally but now he was back to being worried and scared. So many stupid thoughts came to his mind and he didn't just know what to do anymore. But even with those thoughts in mind, he talked with his brother as confidently as he could even though he very well knew that everything was not alright. How long was he gonna hide everything from his family, he wondered? He just couldn't bring any problems for them.

It wasn't long before dinner was served and they all dug in. It was delicious as usual and they talked as usual, but not Aidan. He just laughed nervously and smiled from time but he knew he just wasn't fooling anyone. It was all so clear that he was absent minded but he did his best to hide it.

"Son," Granny said softly, noticing just how quiet her grandson was. "Are you alright?"

Aidan quickly moved his face and stared into granny's eyes. He smiled brightly and then tried to hold that smile. "Err...I am absolutely fine." He lied. "It's just that I am really tired and I think I might need some rest."

"Okay..." granny wasn't satisfied with the answer but she let it slip. After all, he was just tired like he had said.

Aidan was glad his granny didn't ask any more questions. He went right back to eat but despite almost staying the whole day without any food, he wasn't that hungry. He only ate a little and he was already full. Gosh! That incident really had him worried and scared.

After dinner, Aidan helped his granny with the plates and did his best to stay calm. He went back to the living room and chatted with his brother and also did his possible best to stay calm and look confident. In just a matter of an hour and a few minutes of chatting with his brother, he retired to his bedroom and was glad he did because things were just getting worse for him.

Reaching the bedroom, he stripped to his underwear and slipped under the covers. That night he expected an easy sleep since he was really tired but found it impossible. His mind went back to the incident that had happened to the prince. It kept on repeating on his mind. He kept on turning on the bed, trying to catch some sleep but it was impossible. He didn't know how long it took but it sure was long.

From thinking about the incident came the fear of what was gonna happen to him. He wondered about what the prince was gonna do to him next. What if the king got involved? What if he got arrested? Those were some of the questions that passed through his mind. He was super scared and he somehow had a feeling that his punishment was gonna be great.

Sure, he completely had nothing to do with what had happened. But who was gonna believe his word over the prince's? Actually the whole thing was confusing him a whole lot. How the hell did that stone move and hit the prince in the first place? He had only thought about it so what had happened, he wondered?

Thinking about it actually made his head hurt. He closed his eyes and gave a short prayer. He prayed for him not to get into trouble even though he did. He prayed to wake up without any fear. He also prayed to be given the power to overcome everything.

Coming out of the prayer, Aidan lay on his stomach as his mind took him back to the stone issue. He slept while still thinking and wondering how the stone had moved and hurt the prince. He wanted to stone him but how that stone had moved was still a mystery to him.

***

Aidan suddenly woke up, opening his eyes wide. He stretched his arms and yawned loudly. Then he moved his eyes to the small table beside the bed and almost jumped up when he realized what time it was. It was 8.am and he had woken up late. He was supposed to be helping granny with the household chores.

Realizing the time, Aidan quickly rose from the bed and made it quickly. Then he went to the small mirror he kept on his table and examined himself. His hair was a mess and his face too. He quickly rubbed his face, held his hair and tied it with a band. Then he went to his tiny wardrobe and scanned for what to wear. He didn't have much clothes but he picked a brown cargo short, a blue t-shirt and then made sure that he was perfect.

Aidan then got out of his room to the small living room. As he walked to the living room, he realized that he was not scared or worried about what had happened the previous day. In fact, he was somehow feeling some sort of energy that gave him confidence. He was just hoping the prince wouldn't do or say anything. After all, he was completely innocent.

Walking into the living room, Aidan found Ethan and his granny seated on two wooden chairs having their morning tea. They seemed happy and they were smiling brightly, talking softly while they took sips of their wonderful teas.

Seeing how happy they were, Aidan stood still and just watched them. Somehow, the mood they were in reached to him and he shared it with them. He realized that he didn't need to ruin their happy mood by telling them his problems. It was gonna make them worried and unhappy and that was the reason why he chose to be quiet and hope nothing was gonna ruin that happiness. Aidan was happy seeing them in that mood and he got lost into it.

Aidan was so lost into his granny and his brother that he didn't even realize that they had seen him and were smiling at him. He was in his own world.

"Good morning!" Both granny and Ethan greeted, getting him out of his fantasy world.

"Good morning!" Aidan smiled brightly, heading towards them. He reached them in no time and gave them a wonderful good morning kiss. Then he sat near them and just smiled.

"Care for a cup of tea?" Ethan asked.

""Hmm," Aidan breathed in, feeling a smell of freshness. "Maybe I will have that later."

"Okay." Ethan smiled. "Did you sleep well?" He took a sip of his tea. "You seem to be in a really happy mood."

"Yeah," Aidan said softly. "I had a really good night sleep and..." Aidan trailed as he got interrupted by a knock on the door. He wondered who it was that had come early that morning. "I will get it." He said, getting up from the chair.

Even as he went to the door, he still had a beautiful smile on his face. But he couldn't help but wonder who it was that was at the door, especially early that morning. They didn't receive visitors and especially in the morning. He knew it was probably a neighbor or something so he wore a smile.

Aidan quickly reached the door and held the knob tightly. Then he pulled on it and in no time the door was wide open and he saw the people that were at the door. Seeing the people, Aidan's heart began pounding deep in his chest, sending waves of cold vibrations down his spine and the rest of his body...his breaths immediately became harsh...his blood was rushing in his veins, making him quiver and grunt...he felt weak in the knees as his body started failing him. Aidan could swear that his hair moved. He became tense and he was sure he was pale.

After trying to hide the truth for a long time...it was right there in front of him. It followed him home and he knew his family was gonna know for sure. Right in front of him, staring at him as if he was criminal stood two armed palace guards and they looked business. The way they were looking had him at his worst. He wanted to run away but he couldn't do it. After all, he was not known as a coward.

"You need to come with us at once." One of the guards said harshly, repositioning his weapon as if to scare Aidan. "You are needed at the palace immediately. The king demands your presence."

"The king..." Aidan thought, feeling a powerful and yet weak vibrations take control of him. The king was looking for him. He was screwed. He knew he was screwed and it scared the shit out of him.

"Aidan!" Granny called from inside. "Who is it?"

Hearing his granny's question, Aidan moved his head and looked behind him. "Err..." That was all that came out. A nervous stammer and he couldn't speak anymore. He was speechless and he didn't want his granny to find out.

"Who is at the door, buddy?"

Aidan gulped and tried to speak again but what came was a loud groan that had his granny and brother up. Seeing them up and slowly coming, he closed his eyes shut and their footsteps got closer. And when he couldn't hear them again, he knew they were near and they had seen the guards.

"Aidan!" Granny said nervously. "What are palace guards doing here?"

Aidan opened his eyes and stared at his granny. He could see fear in the old woman's eyes. She was super scared. There was no need to hide it from anyone again. He needed to tell them the truth because it was gonna be a problem for him if he didn't.

"Buddy,"

"They are here for me." Aidan said softly, dropping his eyes to the ground.

"What?" Ethan said angrily, gripping his brother's arm. "Why?"

"Well...I...err..."

"He had hurt the prince." The guard said confidently. "The king demands his presence immediately."

"You had hurt the prince?" Granny gasped, breathing as if she was running out of air. "The king...the king wants to see you and...how...where...what..."

"Granny," Aidan spoke softly, moving his hand to rub his brother's. "I will tell you everything later."

"I won't let you go alone." Ethan said in a commanding voice. "I will go with you."

"Sorry," the guard said. "The king specifically instructed us to bring the boy who had injured the crown prince." He said rudely. "No one is to follow him. Those were the orders directly from the king."

"Please," Granny begged, putting her arms together. "My grandson is just a small child. He didn't mean to do it. I am sure that..."

"I am really sorry, ma'am," The guard said. "We are just following orders. We need to leave now. The king doesn't like to be kept waiting for any reason at all."