Valor P.O.V

My father's cabinet is a room central to the castle. The room's white stone walls are carved. On the left side of the room is a grand fireplace, Captain Basin stands to the left of it, his face looks stern and his arms are folded behind his back. The dark wooden oak table, I am sitting by shines in the light from the windows. Zora is sitting on my right side. On the other side of the table, our father sits with his elbows on the table. His hands are flat like a prayer and hold between his eyes, His nose and mouth are covered by them. "Zora I am greatly disappointed in you sneaking out, but Valor, I thought you were beyond the age for such immature behaviour, and if that wasn't enough, you were in an inn. What were you two doing there?" Although my father had started speaking in a calm voice, the last sentence was spoken with anger.

"This is all my fault, I wanted to sneak out and guilted Valor into coming with me," Zora explains. "Is this true Valor?" Father asks, I slightly nod in response. "You have not only put your sister in danger. You allowed her to manipulate you. This is a repugnant way for a crown prince to behave." My throat has become dry. Father's angry voice makes me wanna cry, but I do my best to hold in the tears. At the same time, the voices are coming with vile ideas, to grab my father's head and bang it onto the table. "Father, sneaking out was stupid, and we can't excuse it. But we had a good reason to be at the inn," I say hoping if I tell my father what we found out, he will calm down. "Nothing can excuse this Valor. " As he yells I put my hands up in defence prepared to shield myself from a hit. But it didn't come. Putting them down I hear my father muttering "You are a disgrace to your crown." My breathing is unsteady, Zora puts a hand on my shoulder to reassure me, she then says "Father please listen to him, this is important." There is silence for a moment, "speak boy," my father says. "We went to the inn to speak with someone...about my problem." A moment of confusion is on my father's face "Your problem?" Being aware of having to keep the voices secret, I'm not to keen on just saying it, even in front of a loyal guard. "Maybe we should speak about this in private," I ask, gesturing to Basin. "If you are referring to the curse, do not fret young prince, I was there when the enchantress cast it" Captain Basin voiced.

Enchantress? I never heard her referred to as such, a too good a title for the woman who cursed me. "Valor, explain how being at an inn can have anything to do with the curse." To not make our Father more angry, I better pretend everything happened today. "What happened was the voices had gotten strong, but we couldn't find any street performers, not until I heard this woman sing, she make the voices disappear." My father is unimpressed over this, "I was under the assumption all music did that." "Yes but not only did they stop, but even after she stopped singing they where still silent. It was unfortunately not permanent as I hear them now, but the effect she had on me lasted for hours."

"That is remarkable. Does this mean you were at the Inn because of her? What did you learn from her?" I scratch my neck, "She, unfortunately, didn't have much to tell, she is an orphan and doesn't know where her powers came from." My father seemed to think over this for a moment. "This girl, where is she?" he asks. "I dont know she left the inn shortly before us. When we came out that is when we ran into the royal guards" I tell. "Your Highness, if I may, I worry I know the woman you met, did she have light brown hair and a fresh soar under her eye, and might have been in fellowship with a man and woman with foreign ethnicity." The Captain asks. "Yes, yes she had. How do you know them?" I almost yelled, a small glimmer of hope that he could bring her to me, has sparked in my heart, but with the next thing he said, the spark died. "Sadly, I have to inform you that this woman is Lorelei, whom we were there to apprehend, together with the twins, but we got into a fight, and they managed to escape."

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"They were behind that bloodbath? But how we were at most a couple of minutes behind them," Zora exclaims. "Are you saying the royal knights got defeated in less than a minute?" She where looking at Basin with an acusatory glare. The shame was written on the Captain's face. "We were unprepared. Their attack was swift, and before we had time to drag our weapons, they had killed one guard, and severely wounded another, we failed." My father's face is sullen, his forehead wrinkling. "These people they are the deserters, aren't they Captain?" The last word was speaking as if an insult, an allusion to his displeasure with the guards. "deserters? They are royal guards?" I ask shocked. "Why would they desert?" Zora adds. "Basin what are you able to tell us about them?"

"Quite a lot as I were Lorelei and the twin's ward. It's 3 years ago since they ran off, and at that time Lorelei had already been a guard for a few years." Basin started to explain. "As for Neary and Narin, they were close to the end of their time as students. Narin was supposed to take the oath as a royal guard, but because of Neary's lack of speech she was to be sent to Daingneach."She can't speak? That's why she was silent through the whole thing. "Why was a mute even taken in at all?" my father asked. "Narin was a strong young boy, I decided to take him as my foundling, but the young boy refused to go without his sister. So I made the decision to take both on. Which I will say was a good decision at the time as they both were excellent in their classes. But unfortunately, the same fear of separation is the reason they chose to run off." I think over that for a moment, the twins wanted to stay together, but what about her, why would Lorelei go with them?"How come Lorelei went with them?" I ask. "I do not know. She was one of the best I had ever seen, not just by women. But between men, she measured up to or even surpassed many of the other guards. I do not know why she would desert, but after she did, I never thought she would return. Not before she broke into Pupillus last night." Basin spoke with some proudness in his voice until he mentioned the break-in, then the proud tone changed to one of disappointment.

"There was a break-in last night?!?" Zora screams. Never. There has never been a break-in at Pupillus. There's nothing to gain there besides trouble. "Yes, and you would have known that if you two hadn't snuck out. Basin you told me they were in the archive, what were they looking for?" My father asks. "Their records, we found them in the room they had rented in the inn. They were looking for information on their past." "What else did you find in the room," I ask. "Nothing note-worthy, some bags to carry stuff, a few weapons, extra clothes, coins, some with the royal Vouri seal on them." My father is silent, most likely thinking. Zora on the other hand wants more information "What about the files, what did it say about their parents?" she asked. "It's rare there is any information on parents in any files, which is the case here. The twin's mother died, with no knowledge of their father. As for Lorelei, nothing. Her original file had bad water damage. The information I was able to gather was limited, it was as if she couldn't remember anything. She didn't even know her name." Basin says. "How can she be unaware of her own name?" I ask. Basin takes a breath before replying, "Many people bury the memory of pain deep down where it will be forgotten."

"If you are interested in reading the files Your Highness, I can make sure they get brought to you." I perk up at the Captain's offer. "I would very much like to read them." "I will see to it, Prince Valor," the Captain replies. My father stands up "I think this is enough information for now Basin. This girl is a deserter, which is a crime punished by execution. That should make her willing to work with us, Valor, how much does she know about the curse, does she know who you are?" "I told her I was cursed, but not that I am the prince. She didn't seem to recognise me either," I say. " Let it stay that way, Basin put in all effort to find her." "As you wish Your Highness." When the guards find her, it means I can be free from the voices...the voices, they are still a pain at the moment, "If we are finished I am gonna go to the music room." I say while standing up, Zora too stands up. "And I will get a maid to make me a bath," she says. "Sit down you two, we haven't spoken about your punishment yet," my father sneered. "Punishment!?!" Zora gasp.