Little Prince

Daniel stares at his scruffy worn out shoes as he wonders what to do next. This is the thirteenth orphanage he’s been kicked out of (it wasn’t even his fault this time; it was because of some masochistic swot who’d strolled up to him and kicked him in his shins for fun. Daniel found it unfair; he was merely defending himself from an unprovoked attack…that had ended up with the boy having a broken wrist and a swollen face.) He thinks about sneaking into a farm and stealing himself something tasty, but then decides against it. The food isn’t worth the trouble. He’s had enough for the day. (Trouble, not food. Though he supposes he should learn how to suppress his hunger lest it bests him someday.)

“Aren’t you supposed to be at a castle or something?”

Daniel cranes his head up to smile at Leila, who’s looming over him, her arms akimbo. Her eyes demand an explanation and Daniel’s smile falters.

Daniel regrets ever lying to her, trying to claim that he was a Prince to impress Leila. She had been all too skeptical about it and it bruised his ego. So he pushed forward with his little joke to see if he could trick her into believing he was one. He should have known that she was observant and quick to catch onto inconsistencies. He’s also considered coming clean and telling her the truth, but he’s been spinning tales for her for the past few months and he’s come too far to stop.

“Well, even Princes have missions every now and then,” he answers, trying to seem aloof.

Leila looks him up and down distastefully. “You’re telling me to believe that a price was sent out of the palace, on a mission, looking like that?”

“It’s a disguise!”

Leila gives him disbelieving look. “Sure.”

Daniel flushes pink. He is very well aware that he looks nothing like a prince, with his tattered pants, torn shirts and messy hair, but he doesn’t need anyone to point it out to him.

“Let’s say it is,” concedes Leila. “Then what’s your mission?”

Daniel panics. He didn’t think that far. But then he stops. Wasn’t he bored and clueless a minute ago? Here is a perfect opportunity to go on an adventure, dangling right before him, and he’s panicking about it? What is there to even think about?

And then with renewed vigor, he jumps up to his feet, a story already forming in his mind. He’ll be the savior, the hero and he’ll make Leila the damsel in distress, or even better, the villain. He’s made up so many lies and excuses, what’s a little story?

And so he tells Leila about a mysterious mine. About yawning caves and rabbit holes and a precious item that glows blue in the light of dawn. And over the course of his story, Leila and Daniel hack through tall grass and trek themselves into a deep forest, neither of them worried about not being able to find their way back, because there is nothing back there for them anyway. Both are vagrants. Homeless. Drifting. Hiding.

They sleep in the mud, unafraid of crawling bugs or getting dirt on themselves, and then snoop round in the forest for food and water. They climb trees, skin themselves, laugh and then set off, once more into the wilderness. And Daniel has never felt freer. He suspects Leila feels the same, because she has long stopped calling him out for the small errors and plot holes in his fantasy fable. He searches her face. She looks at peace. Content. There’s a hint of a skip in her step as she trails behind Daniel.

A sudden snapping of branches alert them and they stand on guard, searching for the source of the sound. Leila spots it first -being generally better than him at keeping watch and noticing things- and shrieks. Daniel looks at where she is pointing, and from the leaves emerges a wolf, on its haunches growling low and threatening looking a second away from pouncing. Or it could be a big rabid dog. Daniel never gets to know, because he grabs Leila by the arm and yanks her towards him. In her place is the animal, snarling at the missed prey. Fear grips his throat. He doesn’t look at Leila, just shouts a terrified ‘run!’ and makes a dash for it with her, the dog snapping at their heels.

They zip past logs and fallen trees and protruding roots and any obstacle thrown at them, but they scramble to a halt, panting and afraid, to a lake. The maniacal dog that was unfortunate enough to struggle with some of the obstacles was going to catch up to them any second. They needed a plan of action. A diversion tactic. Maybe a loose rock or a log of wood to defend themselves. But before Daniel could come up with a plan, the wolf was already in sight, racing towards them at full speed.

“Jump!” screamed Leila and dived into the lake.

Daniel wanted to shout back at her, something along the lines of are you crazy?!, but the crazy animal was seconds away, barking and howling at him. So he dived. Into the water. Into safe territory where no animal could follow, much less the murderous dog (or was it a wolf?).

And then he realized he didn’t know how to swim. The adrenaline and fear of it all came rushing back to him. He thrashed about in the water, trying to reach the surface and gasp in air, but his tired limbs were weighing him down and he was sinking. So Daniel, out of lack of oxygen and in sheer panic, blacked out.

When he came to, he felt full and blocked with water, so he coughed it out (Daniel), blubbered and spat till -Daniel- his air passages were clear and he could finally breathe again.

“Daniel!” exclaimed Leila, her voice ringing in his head. He clutched at it and groaned.

“What?”

“It’s real! The yawning caves the rabbit holes!”

The headache and body pain were quickly forgotten. Daniel sat up. The floor was made of uneven rock. He was indeed in a cave.

“What?”

Leila gushed. “The mysterious item, Daniel! Its Tiberium! The stone that shines blue during dim light or in the rays of the dawning sun! God, I’m sorry I ever doubted you. You really are a prince.”

Daniel looked at the stone. A metallic blue crystal, that was currently glowing a faint blue. It was true! They could get a royal title if they handed this over to the palace, and live comfortably for the rest of their lives. Hope bubbled up within him and he beamed. Leila did too. Fate was finally by their side. And it was a miracle.