Prince of Gulbrania

by Lauren M. Flauding

  Of course.

  I never do rash things, like kiss boys out of the blue.

  Just ones out of the green.

  Ha! Exactly.

  I swallowed hard. Had we just joked about her kissing me? And survived it? It seemed so, but I couldn’t be sure. Texting wasn’t ideal for things like this, but I was probably still too nervous to talk to her on the phone.

  I miss you. She wrote.

  I miss you too.

  I smiled. It was good to talk to Kayla. She filled a void I hadn’t known was there. I was about to suggest that she come visit Gulbrania when my mother burst into my room.

  “Frederick, we’ve got to move you underground, NOW.”

  My head was still full of Kayla, so it took me a few seconds to process what my mother was saying. “What do you mean?”

  She began opening all my drawers and throwing things out of them. “One of our operatives discovered that the Jumerum are planning to kidnap you. They are at our borders as we speak, and your father and his team are trying to stop them. In the meantime, we need to hide you.”

  I felt a rush of unexpected indignation. “Hide? You want me to just hide?”

  “Yes,” my mother replied, ignoring my discontent. “Now hurry and pack up all your essentials. Thankfully all of your new clothing is already down there.”

  I got out of my bed and folded my arms across my chest. I may not have been the bravest or most capable teenager in the world, but I knew that I didn’t want to run away and be useless while my dad fought all of my battles for me.

  “Mom, I’ve spent all of this time training and preparing for something like this,” I said, willing my mother to look me in the eye as she continued to rush around my room. “I should be out there, helping dad, fighting with him. Why don’t you guys trust me enough to let me do anything?”

  My mom took a deep breath and crossed to me. “Frederick,” she said, “this has very little to do with trust. We have faith in you, but when there is any threat, it is imperative that you and your father stay separated. You two are the only ones with access to the Gulbranak, and if both of you were taken or killed...” she shuddered and took another breath,” then our country, and perhaps the world, would be in a very dire situation. This is why you’ve spent so little time with your father. Right now, allowing the two of you to be together puts us all at great risk.” She put her hand on my shoulder. “There are times to fight, and there are times to flee. If you want to help your father, if you want to help your country, now is the time to flee.”

  The weight of her words pressed in on me, and I could see that my desire to join in the fight was selfish.

  “Okay, let’s get down there.”

  My mother stepped back, looking relieved.

  I glanced around my room and realized that the only thing I really needed was the phone I still had in my hand. “I’m ready. Let’s go.”

  My mom frowned. “You’re still wearing your pajamas.”

  I threw up my hands. “I thought this was an urgent situation. Now you’re concerned about me looking fashionable while I flee for my life?”

  She rolled her eyes. “Just change your pants and put on a coat,” she said. “We do need to hurry, but I’m willing to wait a few minutes to ensure that the Prince of Gulbrania is not running through the streets in pants with dragons on them.”

  I sighed. There were just some things about royalty I was never going to understand.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Kayla

  As soon as I walked into the school, I knew something was wrong. People were either staring at me, trying not to stare at me, or pointing at me and chuckling. At first I wondered if I had something on my face, or if I had forgotten something important, like my pants. I hadn’t slept very much the night before because I was so excited about reconnecting with Frog, so I wouldn’t have been surprised if I had forgotten something. But then I saw the posters. There were dozens of them lining the hallways, taped to lockers and doorways and displays. There was some variation on the posters, but they were all demeaning, and they all featured me.

  I walked slowly down the hallway as I looked at them, while the stares and giggles of the other students intensified. Some showed a picture of me wearing a tiara at homecoming and read: “Prison Princess.” Others displayed an unflattering picture of me I recognized from one of my social media accounts, and “Liar” was written in bold letters across my forehead. The rest showed me photoshopped in a nun costume, and they said: “You Can Look, But Please Don’t Touch.”

  I raised my eyebrows as I took in all of these posters, not sure whether to laugh or cry. They were absolutely ridiculous, and yet, they hurt. Knowing that I was being singled out and made fun of made me feel exposed and small.

  “Here comes the prison princess!” Somebody shouted as I turned the corner. People all around me erupted into laughter, and I just kept my head down and continued walking. I wasn’t really concentrating on where I was going, and I nearly ran into Wyatt and Miranda, who were standing in the middle of the hall.

  “Hi Kayla,” Miranda said with a sneer, standing in front of me so I couldn’t pass.

  “What do you want, Miranda?” I said warily.

  “I just wanted to know what you thought of the new decorations,” she said cruelly.

  “They could use a little more color and authenticity,” I replied, narrowing my eyes at her. “Did you guys do this?”

  “Maybe, maybe not,” Wyatt said, shrugging. “But now at least everyone knows what kind of person you really are.” He stepped closer to me. “Maybe next time you’ll think twice before you start throwing out false accusations,” he whispered in my ear. “The lies you told about your dad are not going to help your case.” He stepped back and put his arm around Miranda, looking smug.

  “You are so pathetic, Kayla,” Miranda spat. “Don’t expect us to believe any more of your lies.”

  They turned and walked down the hall, leaving me feeling more vulnerable than I had in a long time.

  *****

  I sat down at the table with all the other junior class officers and tried to avoid their eyes. Student Government was usually one of my favorite classes of the day, but lately it had been just another period to get through. James Huckston stood up at the front of the room while everyone got settled.

  “Okay guys,” James said loudly, trying to get everyone’s attention. “First, thanks to everyone who helped remove the, ah... posters.”

  There were a few furtive glances my way, but luckily everyone in there was tactful enough not to say anything.

  “Secondly,” James continued, “we’ve got elections for next year coming up. If you’re intending to run for an office, you need to get in your application before next Friday.”

  Sadie Garrett, my junior class vice president, leaned closer to me. “Are you still planning on running for student body president?” She asked.

  I could see the uncertainty in her eyes, almost as if she was hoping I would say that I wasn’t. We had planned on running together as student body president and vice president for months, but now, with everything that had happened and my recent fall from social grace, I wasn’t so sure. Perhaps Sadie was wanting to find someone else to run with, or maybe she wanted to run for president herself.

  “I’ll let you know by the end of the week,” I said.

  She nodded, but she didn’t look very satisfied.

  After school that day, I decided to skip volleyball practice and just go home. I wanted time to process the day’s events before I went to the diner, and I wanted to talk to Frog. It was odd that even though I had had a relatively horrible day, knowing that I was back in communication with Frog had made it bearable.

  I collapsed on the couch and pulled out my phone, chewing on my lip for a moment while I tried to figure out what to say.

  Hey Frog, can I ask you a question?

  Of course. But I can’t guarantee I’ll be able to answer it.

  How did you deal with
all that bullying at school? How were you able to handle it?

  A few minutes passed, and I started to wonder if I had asked the wrong thing.

  Then: I had a lot of distractions. I would go home and lift weights, or practice karate, or play my guitar so I wouldn’t have to think about it. Sometimes I would laugh it off with Milo. But I also think that deep down, I knew who I was, and I knew I was better than what everyone else thought of me.

  I read through his text several times. I didn’t expect him to give such a thought provoking answer.

  Why do you ask? He added.

  I chewed on my lip again, wondering how much I should disclose.

  I reported what happened with Wyatt at the homecoming dance. Unfortunately, nobody seems to believe me, but Wyatt wasn’t too happy about it.

  Has he been bothering you?

  Yeah, kind of. He put up a bunch of ridiculous posters at school today. They were stupid, but it was still embarrassing. But I did hose him down with the power sprayer when he came to talk to me at the diner.

  Really? I would have given my left arm to see that.

  Yeah, the look on his face was priceless.

  A minute or two passed before Frog responded again.

  Kayla, you are the most incredible person I know. It’s not worth it to let other people decide who you are or take away your light.

  I was floored by his words. Was this the same guy who used to mop the hallways of our school? His depth and sincerity was amazing and comforting.

  Thanks Frog, that means a lot.

  I set my phone down and leaned back on the couch. The things I had been going through were difficult, but I didn’t have to let them obliterate my strengths. Regardless of who did or did not believe me, I needed to believe in myself. It didn’t matter if my dad had been in prison, I wasn’t anything like him, and I needed to get myself together.

  I stood up and put my shoes back on, resolving to go back to school and catch the last half of volleyball practice. Wallowing wasn’t doing me any good. I needed distractions. I needed purpose.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Frog

  “Hey Freddy! Who are you texting?”

  I looked up to see Zane coming through the door with his Gulbranak demonstration cart.

  “Nobody,” I responded, slipping my phone into my pocket.

  “It’s Kayla Morrison, isn’t it?”

  My jaw dropped. “What? How did you...”

  Zane put his hands up. “Freddy, I’ve had to watch you for years. I picked up on a few things, okay?”

  “That is so...”

  “She seems like a nice girl,” Zane interrupted, “but her dad...”

  “Yeah, I know,” I cut in. “She’s nothing like him.”

  Zane raised his eyebrows. “I hope not.” He started unloading equipment from his cart and setting it up on a sturdy table in the middle of the new training room.

  I had moved into the new castle on the ocean floor, and now all my training and correspondence took place there. It was nearly identical to the old castle on land, except that there were some upgrades, like better lighting and flushing toilets. I was able to go out into the city more often, but only when I was accompanied by a dozen or so guards. Regardless, I loved seeing it, exploring it, and finding out what Gulbrania was really like. The past few days had been a lot more enjoyable than the rest of my stay in Gulbrania. Not only was I able to see more of the country, I had also been texting Kayla quite a bit, and that had really improved my mood, even though I was a little worried about some of the things she had been going through. I had surprised myself by how I responded to her concerns about bullying. I’d never really considered what had gotten me through all those difficult times, but maybe, even back then, I had some sense of self purpose. Maybe I did have an inkling of who I was supposed to be.

  “Okay, are you ready for this?” Zane asked excitedly, handing me some goggles and thick gloves. “Put those on, stand back, and watch me carefully, because then it will be your turn.”

  I obeyed, and then observed Zane as he took a large chunk of Gulbranak and set it on a tray over a large hot plate. He poured a chemical mixture over the metal, then grabbed what appeared to be a blow torch and ignited it. I watched him as he circled around the Gulbranak with the directed flame, adding more chemicals and melting the substance down. As fascinating as it was, I couldn’t keep my thoughts from wandering back to Kayla. It must have taken a lot of courage to report the incident with Wyatt, and I was frustrated that nobody seemed to believe her. I supposed I could call up the school and tell them I had witnessed it, but I hadn’t left a very good impression on the administration there and I wondered if they would take me seriously.

  “Hey! Freddy! Did you hear what I just said?”

  Zane’s voice brought me out of my thoughts. I looked up and saw that the Gulbranak was now liquified in the tray. “Uh, no, sorry,” I replied. “Could you tell me again?”

  To my surprise, Zane scowled, turned off his blow torch and set it down, then folded his arms across his chest. “Frederick, this is extremely important. We are smelting Gulbranak, which is a dangerous and valuable process, and I need your full attention.”

  I raised my eyebrows. I was being scolded by a twelve year old. “Look, I’m sorry, I just-”

  “Sit down,” Zane interjected, gesturing to a nearby chair. “The only way to get you to concentrate is to clear your mind. So, tell me what’s going on. Go ahead, get it off your chest.”

  I balked. “Are you serious?”

  Zane didn’t say anything. He just looked at me expectantly.

  I threw up my hands and sat down. The last thing I wanted to do was have some kind of therapy session with this kid, but Zane seemed determined.

  “Okay,” I began. “I’ve, um, been talking with Kayla, and... she’s been having some issues.” I said vaguely.

  “What kinds of issues?” Zane prodded.

  I frowned. I didn’t really think it would be appropriate to reveal all the details of Kayla’s situation. “Well, she was dating this guy at school, and he sort of... took advantage of her, and now that she’s reported it, nobody believes her.”

  Zane’s eyes lit up. “Oh, I know what you’re talking about! It was that jerk at the homecoming dance. The one that you flipped. I have to say, Freddy, that was the most heroic thing I’ve ever seen you do.”

  I stared at Zane. “How in the world could you know that?” I asked incredulously.

  Zane smiled and walked to his cart. He pulled something out of one of the drawers and held it up. “Does this look familiar?”

  I squinted at the tiny object between his fingers. It looked like a fly with an abnormally large head. “No,” I replied.

  “Good, that means it’s effective.” Zane walked back to me, showing me the device. “This is a micro camera, and it’s been following you for most of your life.”

  “What?” I exclaimed, jumping out of my chair.

  “Calm down,” Zane said, waving his hand dismissively. “We never recorded anything too sensitive, but this was a necessary precaution. A lot depends on your safety, and we needed eyes on you whenever you traveled outside of our secure zones.”

  “Secure zones?”

  “Yeah, like your home, your car, your regular classrooms, Milo’s house...”

  I shook my head. “So you’ve been watching everything I do all these years?”

  “Not just me,” Zane said casually. “There’s an entire team dedicated to your security. And we didn’t watch everything you did, that would have been incredibly boring.”

  I shuddered. I felt so violated. So exposed.

  “It’s okay, Freddie, it’s not a big deal. Nobody was watching you for entertainment, although there were times when it was kind of entertaining. But mostly it was all professional. We were just looking for potential risks and threats.”

  I took a deep breath. Parts of what Zane was saying made some sense, but knowing that I’d never been truly alone was e
xceptionally unnerving.

  “You were just trying to keep me safe?” I said, more as a statement than a question.

  “That’s right. And let me tell you, I had to save your life a few more times than I would have liked.”

  “Seriously?”

  “Yeah, like that time you almost got crushed at the football game.”

  I blinked. I remembered the pillar almost falling on me, but I thought it was just adrenaline that had helped me move so swiftly out of harm’s way.

  “What did you... how did you...?”

  “I have a line of incredibly powerful remote control cars,” Zane explained. “I had one of them zip in there and move you out of the way.”

  I didn’t know how a little car had the capability to do that, but I wasn’t in the mood to ask. I didn’t think my brain could handle any more new information.

  “The good news,” Zane said happily, “is that if your friend needs proof that that guy attacked her, we have it.”

  It took me a minute to figure out what Zane was talking about. The horror of discovering that I’d been under constant surveillance had made me forget that this whole conversation had started with Kayla.

  “Yeah, I guess that would be helpful,” I said, but I wasn’t so sure. If I sent Kayla video footage of that night, I’d have to explain how I got it, which meant I’d probably have to explain everything.

  “Okay, so are you ready to smelt some metal?” Zane asked, picking up his blow torch again.

  I nodded, but I doubted I would be able to focus. In addition to my thoughts being full of Kayla, I now had to wrap my mind around the fact that my life had never been my own, and never would be.

  *****

  “You really are getting much better.”

  I squinted up at Alm from the floor. He had just knocked me off my feet for about the seventh time, and I was starting to wonder if I should just stay down there. “You think so?” I asked skeptically as I sat up and rubbed my shoulder.

  “Definitely. Your form has improved and your agility is top notch. It’s just your execution that needs work.”