The Lost Princess

Five years later

It's dark and cold, but it is always dark and cold when it rains, she thought to herself. The rain had come so fast most of the students outside at the time were drenched within seconds. Loraz walked in the rain slowly as she listened to each raindrop hit her umbrella with a quiet but harsh pitter patter. It was always like this though, her walking alone. She was alone for some time now, at least that's the way it felt to her; the day it happened still fresh in her head played out daily in her memory. The day they all were separated and their destinies decided upon for them. They all thought they would always be friends and remain together happy and smiling, something so childish and sweet; a dream unlike the harsh cold numbness of reality. Releasing her umbrella she stood under the raindrops as if to wash her of all her sins and sorrow. She thought the darkness that slowly consumed her could most likely be washed away with water from the heavens. Observing the dark sky and slowly picturing each face of the people she once called her friends; to her the only family she ever really had. She last saw them when she was twelve, the same night her mother had someone bring her to the castle in Mossca, the kingdom where she lived in hiding from a stepmother whom she never met, but wanted her dead. Her mother-or who she had thought was her mother and would always see as her mother had brought her up in a village on the outskirts of her true home the kingdom of Serenity. It was once a peaceful kingdom she heard from her mother until her stepmother married into the royal family and killed off the king, but with no proof of the murder she was never tried for her crime and remained on the throne after the king was put to rest. It was rumored that the evil queen even killed off Loraz's birth mother days after her mother gave birth in order to claim the throne for herself. The woman who raised her was actually the nursemaid left in charge of her upbringing and feared the evil queen would target Loraz next and so she left with the innocent baby and passed her off as her own child. She had a few of the maids help her with their escape by faking the child's death so that no one would come searching for them. The village Loraz grew up in was a quiet one and she loved all her friends there; they were like family to her. She, of course, knew nothing of her birthright as she grew up until she turned twelve and her mother told her everything. The woman was very sick and was told she would soon pass on to the next life, she had heard the queen found out that Loraz's death was faked and was searching the whole kingdom for the child, fear filled the dying woman and so she had asked for help from a friend of hers in the kingdom of Mossca. Loraz was unsure how it came to pass that she was soon adopted by Mossca's king and rose as his daughter from that point on, but ever since that day back when she was twelve and informed of her true identity Loraz had cursed it and considered it the day her life ended. She began to cry, was her death really that important to her stepmother? Did her birth parents suffer greatly as they died? Could the mother who raised her to be alive and well or did she finally take death's invitation and passed on? Were her friends alright? Had they all forgotten her? Did they all die because of her? She had so many questions that were unanswered and she'd no one she could speak to about any of her worries. She was sworn to secrecy after she learned who she was. She was warned that no one could know who she was and not to trust anyone with the secret. She stood in the rain crying and let the rain hit her face, at one time her skin glowed and she was a radiant beauty, her hair was bright and flowed gracefully down her back in long waves. You could tell over the years she began to worry even more as her eyes once full of life were nothing more than brown empty shells of their former self. It looked as if her soul were drained from her body.

"Why must my shoulders carry such a heavy burden alone? I wish to know, what good will come from me living on. How am I to go on knowing that the ones I cared for most may no longer exist? Is there no one who can help me with this burden? Am I to walk this path alone?" She whispered to the sky.

She heard an angry voice shout at her from behind,

"Are you insane?"

Turning her head toward the voice she saw that it was Robert and he was rushing out to her.

What could he want now? Is he here to check up on me again? She thought.

She watched as he ran through the water and each drop that hit soaked him from head to toe. The rain that dripped from his delicate chin seemed to make her noticed just how handsome he truly was. She could make out a muscular body under his wet clothes; a big unnoticed difference from when he was a boy and the strains of wet brown curls that clung to his face made his features stand out just a bit more. Everything was as if it were in slow motion as she looked upon him, she shook her head and blinked her eyes a few times in order to snap out of her trance.

She asked her voice low,

"Why do you come out here for me?"

"Why are you... standing in the rain?" He panted, "Are you...trying to catch your death?"

A wary smile across her face.

"Death would be the ultimate escape...it sounds inviting...don't you think...."

"What nonsense are you spitting? Have you a death wish at your age already?"

"Why do you care if I catch my death or if I wish to die? What concern is it of yours what happens to me? Have you grown fond of me in these past years... At one time you hated me and now you are always by my side, why is that? Why do you always find me, is it because you always looking for me? Is this some sick joke you've been planning to unleash on me? Or are you finally just willing to play as my big brother all of a sudden?"

All of her mixed feelings had reached their limit and she lashed out at Robert. She stared at him her eyes red from her fallen tears she cried just moments before he came up to her and began his angry rant. She didn't mean to take out her confused anger on him and yet it was too late to take back what she had said. He had been so nice to her over the last few years and she returned his kindness with harsh words.

He just looked at her, not at all surprised at what she said. After watching her for some time he expected it sooner or later. What she spoke of was true he had hated her at one point, but only because it was to keep him from falling for her. He thought if he could grow to hate her it would make it easier to be around her. Ever since she showed up to Mossca he had eyes on her, captured by her beauty as she stood there waiting to be introduced. Knowing it was not right for him to look because he found out she would become his sister; he thought it would be better if they never got along. He felt this way until they both came to Royal High, he did not expect his father to send Loraz to Royal High and thought he'd be free from her until he married off to some unknown princess, he figured anyone who would help him forget about his adopted sister would be good. Unfortunately for him, his heart did not work the same way as his brain did and he soon began looking for her daily and most times when he saw her he would accompany her on the long strolls she liked to take by herself in the gardens. He felt the loneliness she gave off every time he looked at her and only wished to give her some kind of hope for happiness. What dark pass could she have endured becoming the dark spirit that filled the once graceful beauty he watched grow up from childhood. The cheerful spark she once had had finally vanished over time, had she given up already he thought and if so what could she have given up on.

A wary smile crossed his lips.

"You need to come inside and dry off. Come I will walk you to your room and ask them to bring you some tea."

"Why do you always show me kindness, I don't get it. When we were younger and I tried to befriend you you'd play terrible tricks on me and even force me to tears. You once even told me that we'd never be family and you'd never accept me as your sister," The pain in her voice was so obvious, "So why now that we have come close to a.d.u.l.thood do you show me the kindness I no longer look for."

She didn't want to say that, but it just came out of her mouth like a river that falls over a cliff. Robert looked at her straight in the eye the rain now had soaked them both and their outfits were most likely ruined. He walked closer to her and reached for her, grabbed her head, then pulled her toward him. Her face buried into his c.h.e.s.t she began to cry. He stroked her wet hair gently.

"You are right...why now...I still can never see you as my sister or think of you as part of my family. Though I have tried many times I can't bring myself to do it...," He looked up towards the sky for a moment and exhaled, "I am only just now starting to be honest with myself on why I do what I do when it comes to you. Though I am still much too afraid to admit what that reason is to you, I can clearly tell you that I have never hated you; I just wished to be away from you to stop my own pain and suffering."

He then pushed her away and went to walk away from her. She grabbed his hand without thinking and her face was now a beet red. Did he just say what she thought he was saying? She wasn't clear what was going on she had too much already on her mind to even think clearly. He looked at her and smiled at her puzzled and shocked expression, it was all he could do to keep from touching her any further.

"Robert, are you not my brother as father has told me so many times before? Is me being your sister so wrong? Are we not siblings?"

He walked up to her and gently pressed on her hand. They were close enough to hear each other's hearts and taste each other's breath.

"If you wish for a brother, my dear Loraz, you will not find him with me...," He then pulled her hand up to his lips and pressed them lightly to the back of it. "Now come we must get you inside before you freeze."

Loraz blushed and her eyes went wide; she had never really looked at him the way she did now being that she was mostly lost in thought for so many years, she failed to realize that Robert was not the brother she was told she had to love and respect, but a boy who had grown into a man that had always been watching her grow into a woman. She stood frozen for only a second then nodded her head in agreement to his suggestion. What could this feeling that flowed throughout her body be? It was warm and at times she felt hot, maybe she was coming down with a cold after standing in the rain for so long. She couldn't explain it or shake the feeling away, could this feeling be the effects of Robert's words. Impossible she thought; she must be with a fever to be thinking that. She could never find happiness again because it was not written in her destiny to ever be happy. She knew that one day her stepmother would find her and she refused to let that evil woman hurt another person she cared for ever again. She quietly told herself to push the warm feeling she felt for Robert deep down inside and lock it up forever. There was no way that it would be possible for anything to ever happen between them. They quietly walked back toward her room and out of the rain. Along the way, servants saw them dripping wet and rushed to aid them.

"Oh, my dear. You're all wet the both of you. Come, come we must hurry and get you out of those clothes." One servant said.

"Yes. Yes, Prince Robert this way, please. Princess Loraz, please follow the young lady over there and she will assist you." Another servant said.

As they were each dragged away by servants and lead to their rooms Loraz kept peeking back at Robert. She stopped walking then turned around quickly to see Robert was just about to turn a corner and disappear down another hallway.

Her c.h.e.s.t began to hurt and her body became heavy as she watched him. She understood this feeling all too well. It was the same feeling she felt when she would look at Vestin.

"Robert!" She called out to him.

He stopped in his tracks and turned to face her. He was a bit shocked at the sound of her voice.

"I can no longer see you as part of my family either, so you can no longer be my big brother." She yelled a bit fl.u.s.tered then darted off ahead of the servants that accompanied her.

Robert's eyes went wide then a smile crossed his lips as he began to laugh wildly.

"A last you finally see me..." He said then walked off to his room laughing all the way.