Roza narrowed her eyes at Timmie. All night long he had done nothing but make Roza stay away from the man they captured who was torturing Vanya.

“You don't get to tell me what to do,” she hissed while standing in front of the door to the room where the man was tied up.

Timmie leaned against the door blocking it, “I’ve got no choice. Taru and Rhohaz both agreed that you won’t be let near him–”

“Why not?” she peered in making Timmie look away. It was probably the first time in a long time they were talking to each other.

“I don’t know. Ask them that,” he retorted.

Timmie watched as Roza paced in front of him for a moment as if she was going to give up and walk away. But it took Timmie by surprise when Roza grabbed him by the collar and pushed him away to thrash the door open and enter at once.

Timmie scurried behind her finding her having a stare contest with the man tied up onto a chair sitting in the middle of the room.

“Close the door, if you care to join. If not you can run off to Rhohaz and warn him,” she commanded crouching opposite the man who had his eyes locked in on hers.

Timmie only closed the door to stand right next to Roza.

“You sound familiar,” the man spoke in a rough voice, to both Roza and Timmie’s surprise. He looked much older than them and did not appear to be a shadow with no face, like how Vanya saw him to be.

“I don’t know you,” Roza spoke, “But I do know that you used very dark magic at the beach tonight—”

“I didn’t touch her. You saw me, I was at the other end—“

“You didn’t have to touch her, did you? You simply had to infiltrate her mind and evoke pain. How clever of you to make her feel like you are strangling her.”

Timmie’s eyes saddened hearing Roza say the horrors Vanya had to face.

The man looked away to respond saying, “It’s not my fault. I was simply doing my job. Keeping her from running away again.”

“So you are following orders? By whom? Who’s ordering you to do this? Torture the future queen of the Kingdom?”

For some reason, Roza’s question irked him as he leaned in titling his chair, “Why do you care about them? They are all the same. Trying to get rid of people like you and me.”

Roza fell back realizing he knew of her abilities.

He smirked continuing, “We are the same, Roza. You and I. We are the same blood.”

She felt his energy creep closer to her. She felt dangling fingers approach her body when she suddenly stood up, grabbed Timmie by his wrist, and stormed out of the room.

She locked the door closed and turned the key over to Timmie. He caught her arm to ask, “What is it? What happened over there?”

She looked at him as concern overtook her face before saying, “Do not go inside unaccompanied. In fact, I’ll stay here with you. Just in case.”

Roza crossed her arms and leaned against the wall to stare at the floor in heavy thought. A part of Timmie felt happy to see his best friend finally closer to him again without running off avoiding him.

They stayed there the entire night, not a word more spoken. But as morning came around and they opened the door, they found untied ropes, an empty chair, and an open window left to greet them.

***

“How did he escape?” Taru asked while gathered outside the room they left Rhohaz and Vanya in last night.

Roza and Timmie looked away in shame. “He’s a sorcerer. Do you think we could tie down a guy, who could walk through a wall if needed? Do you really expect him to continue to play our little game? He was going to escape one way or another,” Timmie finally said.

“I thought you practiced magic too? Wasn’t that the whole reason you were missing the time during your trip to Elioth?” Taru pointed to Roza.

“Yes, I practiced being past tense. I gave up on it–” she began.

“Please, you didn’t give up on it,” Timmie retorted.

Roza turned to Timmie huffing, “Yes, I did.”

“It’s okay to admit that you aren’t as powerful as that guy,” Timmie turned towards her as well.

“Alright, no fighting,” Taru had to step in to dismiss the two before a catfight would have erupted early morning.

A moment later, Roza opened the door to find Rhohaz still cradling Vanya fast asleep. She smiled seeing her brother so affectionate and saw the reason for his desperate efforts to find her. He seemed to have found his person, his true soulmate.

She gently woke Rhohaz who then placed Vanya on a bed before heading out with the rest of the gang to discuss what to do next.

Later that afternoon, they were greeted by Chief Han who had made his way all the way from Esmeth to find his son.

“Chief, we weren’t expecting you,” Rhohaz said greeting him at the front of the inn.

“I received Taru’s message about you all making a trip down to the East to find the princess. I apologize for not making my visit known beforehand but I bring you good news.”

Chief Han pointed to another man on a horse approaching the two outside. It was the first time Rhohaz had seen him. He bore a long silver beard and small half-moon glasses which he lowered to glared at Rhohaz.

Chief Han explained, “He’s here to see the princess. I’m sure she’ll be delighted to see him as well.”

Rhohaz soon found his way running up the stairs and to the room he left Vanya in that morning. He knocked on the door a few times before Roza opened it to let him in.

He wasn’t exactly sure what he was expecting but Vanya was up and standing there in good health in a new dress, clean hair, and comfortable shoes. He looked up at her eyes to see them gazing right back at him.

“Rhohaz,” she spoke, her voice a little shakier than usual. Her heart was full seeing him standing there. It had been rough on her for the past couple of months, toiling over not getting the chance to speak, no letters from Rhohaz, and not having the courage to send him a letter afraid his mind had changed ever since discovering her true identity. But seeing him standing there greeting her made her heart warm knowing after all this time he had come to find her.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

He suddenly lowered his head, his expression changing within mere seconds. “Princess Vanya.”

Vanya’s smile faded. She expected him to open his arms so she could run to them. But he simply stayed there paying his respects like anyone would.

Roza was as equally shocked before she nudged Rhohaz forward.

“I’m glad you are here…” Vanya started approaching Rhohaz when he suddenly interjected.

“Your Highness, there’s someone here to meet you.”

She looked at him puzzled, “Who?”

“He says goes by Belin. But he tells me you know him as Master Aren.”

***

“Your Highness, I have been a terrible elder by leaving Elioth that day. I simply diverted the gaze of Chief Han’s men thinking they were going to ultimately arrest me.”

It was a first even for Vanya had seen her history tutor so turbulent and chatty. His usual monotonous voice was reaching new heights.

Everyone was gathered in a room. Vanya was sitting at the center of it listening to Aren explain his shortcomings.

“Well, they are not wrong to want to arrest you when you’ve been selling illegal things,” she whispered to which Aren fell back in agreement.

“I hear the mourning period is coming to an end soon. They’ll be preparing for the crowning ceremony to crown the new heir,” Chief Han spoke aloud.

Vanya gulped passing her gaze from Aren to Rhohaz, then at Chief Han, “It’s still odd to hear they held a funeral for me.”

She looked back at Rhohaz who had been avoiding her gaze all day.

“Your Highness, do you plan to go back? Show your face in court?” Taru asked leaning against the wall.

“I suggest we wait till the crowning ceremony. I have got connections still in the palace. I can sneak you in, surprise them that way,” Aren said in a deeper voice.

Vanya thought for a moment before replying, “I will think about it.”

Rhohaz lifted his eyes to look at her. He was puzzled as to why she did not agree in a heartbeat. And soon he realized it was a mistake to look towards her for she was staring right back at him, catching him in his hesitance to even hold his gaze before he looked away in shame.

“The man from last night,” Vanya diverted her gaze looking to the others, “I was told he was able to escape. Do we know who he was?”

Roza looked at her slightly confused, “We were hoping you would know, your highness.”

She thought for a moment before shaking her head, “I don’t know him.”

“Not even from when you were younger,” Aren asked letting his hand catch his chin in thought.

Vanya shook her head, “Not a clue. I’m sure he had his reasons for kidnapping me. Perhaps a years-long grudge against my father.”

Roza got closer to Vanya and crouched before taking her hand to say, “We were debating if we should tell you this but surely, you must know, that he was a sorcerer, bending the very laws of magic. He used dark magic to create vessels in your mind, carefully placing you in a daydream that you could not escape from.”

Vanya listened to Roza diligently before she fell silent to think for a moment, “That explains it then, he trapped me in an illusion…” Vanya watched as Roza nodded, “...A perfect illusion of a beautiful castle by the seaside.”

Vanya remembered how the castle was no more when she looked behind that night and found a shoddy house in place of it. She was truly just trapped in a room living the same daydream every day.

“You mentioned you were in the same castle when you were growing up,” Roza said bracing herself before continuing, “It is possible that your childhood was also spent in the same illusion.”

Vanya felt her heart sting in pain. All she remembered from her childhood was that beautiful castle. But understanding that she was probably trapped while growing up till Sir Reven came to free her of it, she felt confused and sorry for her younger self.

The others moved out of the room to give the princess some privacy while Roza held onto her while Vanya kept herself together contemplating on Roza’s words.

Rhohaz reached the door to leave with the rest when he halted hearing her tell Roza, “So it was the same man then. The same sorcerer who entrapped me from when I was a child?”

Roza looked to Rhohaz not knowing an answer to Vanya’s question. He closed the door behind him and approached them to say, “Was it the same castle? The exact same one from your childhood?”

Vanya looked up at him, her eyes brimming with tears, making him want to cup her face and embrace her.

“The exact same. No difference at all,” she said grief overwhelming her heart.

He didn’t want to say it seeing her dreading the words that would ultimately leave her thinking her entire childhood was a lie.

“Tell me,” Vanya begged watching Rhohaz quieten.

He took a moment before saying, “It was most likely the same man. He probably knew you from when you were young.”

Vanya felt her tears stream down her cheeks as Roza generously wiped them for her.

“That doesn’t make any sense. I…even if I was trapped in the castle I distinctively remember Sir Reven coming to take me to Esmeth.”

Rhohaz got closer to her and took a seat opposite them, “Sir Reven?”

“I don’t ever remember them rescuing me from this evil. I just remember Sir Reven picking me up one day and I was in Esmeth the next.”

“Why were you away from Esmeth, my lady?” Roza asked, curiously.

“Well, I grew up in the East. My father gifted me the castle in the East so I naturally grew up there,” Vanya replied realizing it once she said it out loud.

“But the castle is only a small house by the beach–” Roza stopped herself finding Rhohaz nudging her realizing it faster than the ladies.

“My father…do you think my father is involved in this?” Vanya blurted it out looking at Rhohaz.

He only remained silent. Accusing the King is not exactly something he should be doing in front of his daughter.

Vanya stood up in shock as everything seemed to fall into place.

“Father has always been so quiet whenever it came to any questions about my childhood. Perhaps he–”

Rhohaz got to her faster catching her by her shoulders. He gently pushed her down to her seat and said, “Let’s not speculate. There might be more to the story than we think. Ultimately, your father would be the only one to know the truth.”

Vanya calmed seeing those pale eyes once more. She missed them dearly. They seemed even more invigorating than she remembered them to be, so full of life.

Rhohaz leaned in closer to speak once more as his calm voice reverberated against her bones, “If you could consider Master Aren’s proposal to sneak you into the crowning ceremony that would help a lot…”

Rhohaz noticed Roza leave them alone in the room sending him into a panic seeing himself left with Vanya.

“...I do want you to be healthy and that also means you don’t stress yourself thinking about the man and the castle in the East or your father’s involvement in this right now. There will be a time to think this over. Let’s do it then.”

She listened to him and nodded in agreement. He sighed seeing her sitting there in silence before he turned around to walk out of the room when Vanya called out to him, “Rhohaz.”

He froze for a moment before turned facing her.

“Thank you for coming to look for me.”

He did not know what to say besides a simple, “Of course, your highness. Anyone would do it.”

She stood up at once. His words ticked her off for that was not the reply she was expecting, “Really? Do you really think anyone would come to look for me in some desolate place?”

Rhohaz gulped seeing that she had caught on to his masquerade, “You are the princess of the Kingdom–”

“But you knew me as a normal person in Shalom. You knew me as Jade–”

“That does not matter…” his words silenced Vanya, seeing that his confession to her three months ago seemed far from his mind, “...You are the heir to the throne. And we will make sure we take you home safe, I give you my word.”

Rhohaz turned around for the final time before heading out the door. Vanya felt her heart drop as her deepest fear had come true. Her revelation as the princess of the Kingdom had left her heart broken just as she predicted when she toiled over it for an entire night staring out at the clear skies in Shalom right after Rhohaz had confessed his feelings for her.