Prince of Gulbrania

by Lauren M. Flauding

  “Oh, crap,” Coach Hartwell muttered, then she turned to me. “Morrison, get in there.”

  I shrugged and went to fill the vacant spot on the court. For the first few minutes I didn’t have to do much, the ball didn’t really come my way often and the other players must have known not to pass to me. I did a couple lackluster bumps and sets that managed to do the job, but for the most part my mind was on Gulbrania. I saw the ball zooming towards my face and put up an arm to block it, causing it to go straight to the floor. My teammates scowled at me and I heard Coach Hartwell yelling from the sideline.

  “Morrison! Get yourself together!”

  I nodded and tried harder to focus on the game, and then an idea struck me. What if I just told my dad I’d help him? Then I’d be able to get to Gulbrania and possibly warn the prince or some royal official myself. The thought sent a jolt of energy through my body. I jumped up and effectively blocked the ball from coming over to our side. I was sure that if I went to Gulbrania I’d be able to break away from my father at some point to foil his plan. Possible scenarios flickered through my mind as I spiked the ball over the net. I thought about what I might tell my mom. I’d have to lie to her, which I hated, but I felt it was for a good cause. I spiked the ball again. But won’t it be dangerous? I thought. Probably, even though my dad had promised he’d keep me safe, and there were no promises about what would happen after I betrayed my father. But wasn’t this what life was all about? Taking chances? Doing things that actually mattered? Things that went far beyond this high school?

  It was my turn to serve. I aced it three times before the other team could return it. As much as I didn’t want to spend extra time with my father, this seemed like one of the only ways to set things right and save that prince from being kidnapped. I dove down to the floor to bump the ball up, then a few moments later I jumped up to spike it. There was loud cheering, and I had to blink a few times before I processed what was going on. We had won the game. I hadn’t even been keeping score.

  I nearly ran off the court to gather my things so I could get home to work out my developing plans.

  “Morrison!” Coach Hartwell exclaimed, standing in front of me. “You were amazing!”

  “Thanks coach,” I replied, “I quit.”

  Chapter Twenty

  Frog

  I looked all around me, taking in the familiar surroundings. I was back at my high school in Indiana, in an empty hallway. But how did I get there? I saw a man approaching. I recognized him. Mack. But no, his name was Boris. Then something hit me in the neck from behind, and I passed out.

  I blinked awake. I wasn’t at the high school. I was in my bed in my room in the castle. It was a dream. I sat up, rubbing my eyes, recalling that bizarre day when Boris had kidnapped and taken me to some cave in Gulbrania. But there had been someone else, hadn’t there? Someone knocked me out from behind.

  My musings about that event gave way to the thoughts that had been filling my mind for the past couple days. My father was dead. I was supposed to be king. I groaned and held my head in my hands. I had cried about it, I had screamed about it, and now I just felt numb. It didn’t seem fair that right after my father had come back into my life, he was killed. I had spent so little time with him. And then, of course, I felt terribly guilty about the immature, disrespectful way I had acted right before he died. A part of me wondered if he might have avoided getting shot if he hadn’t been distracted by my ungrateful behavior.

  There was a soft knock on my door, and a moment later, my mom stepped in. Her eyes were red and puffy, and there was a defeated look about her, but she was holding it together. She had to, she was the queen. She had had years of practice. She knew what was expected of her. But me? I had no idea.

  She came and sat next to me on my bed, taking my hand. “I’m sorry that things have to move along so soon,” she said, “but the country can’t stop because we’re grieving.”

  I looked away. I knew where this conversation was going, and I just wasn’t ready for it.

  “We’ve scheduled your coronation for Friday.”

  I looked at her in alarm. That was only two days away.

  “Don’t worry, Frederick, you don’t have to do much. Just walk down the aisle and receive the crown.”

  “Yeah, but what about after that?” I asked. “You know, the part where I’m supposed to be in charge of this country?”

  “It’ll be fine,” she responded with a small smile. “You’ll have a grace period where you can defer to me or to your advisors while you learn. No one expects you to step in and take control immediately.”

  I let out a long breath, feeling completely deflated. “Mom, I’m sorry.”

  She put her arm around me. “It’s not your fault.”

  I dipped my head. “I hope not.”

  She took my face in her hands and turned it to hers. “It’s not your fault,” she repeated forcefully. “Some things are beyond our control.” A tear ran down her cheek, and she quickly brushed it away. “I’m going to go meet with the council,” she said, standing. “You can take some time for yourself this morning, but you need to be prepared for some important meetings this afternoon.”

  I gave a small nod. My mother gave me a quick kiss on the top of my head, then left my room.

  Two days. Two days and I was supposed to magically get over the fact that my father was dead and be prepared to take his place. In two days I was supposed to get past all my insecurities and bad habits. I had never despised being royalty so much.

  I didn’t know if two minutes or two hours passed, but suddenly Zane was tentatively coming into my room.

  “Hey Frederick,” he said quietly, “I’m sorry about what happened.”

  I grunted, not sure how to respond. It probably wasn’t very kingly, but at the moment, I didn’t care.

  “Well, anyway,” Zane continued, “I got your phone fixed.” He held it out to me, and when I didn’t reach for it, he just put it on the bed. He turned to leave, but he hesitated at the door. “You’re going to do great, Frederick,” he said. “I’ve always looked up to you. You’ve got a stronger will than most people I know.”

  I looked up at Zane, surprised by his observation and vote of confidence. “Thank you,” I said, and I meant it.

  He smiled and ducked out the door. I slowly let my gaze travel to my phone on the bed. I picked it up and turned it on, not sure what I was expecting to find. There were some texts from Milo about some calamity in physical education class, and there was a voicemail from Kayla. I turned the phone off and set it on my nightstand. It wasn’t that I didn’t care about Kayla. In fact, I loved her, and I knew a part of me always would. I would always remember our interactions and her kiss and I would always dream about her. But now there were so many facts and differences and responsibilities that separated us. A relationship with her was impossible, so why should I even try?

  I fell back in my bed and decided to sleep for a few hours before I had to start preparing to be king.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Kayla

  I was really beginning to regret my rash decision. The long plane ride to Norway with my father had been extremely uncomfortable, and then we had taken a small boat over rough water to get to Gulbrania where I almost threw up multiple times, and then I practically froze my butt off while we waited in a small cave embedded along the cliffs by the frigid ocean. I felt terrible about lying to my mother - I had told her that I was chosen to attend a special week-long leadership conference for student government, and I really didn’t know what I had gotten myself into. My father had talked and bargained with some pretty seedy people along the way, and I was honestly beginning to wonder if I was going to make it out of Gulbrania alive.

  In the cave my dad had mapped out the whole plan for me, which actually turned out to be in my favor. The prince was about to be crowned king, and they were holding the coronation at the castle. His plan was for us to pose as members of the press. After we gained entrance to the castle, h
e wanted me to go find the prince and somehow tranquilize him so that my dad could come after and smuggle him out of the castle.

  “Be very careful with this sedative,” my dad had said as he handed the dart to me. “All you have to do is place it anywhere into his skin and it will take effect immediately.”

  I had put it in my pocket without protest, but I knew there was no way I was sticking that into the prince, even if I did manage to find him alone.

  I was full of anxiety and anticipation as we approached the castle. On one hand, I’d never been in a castle before, I’d never met a prince, and the prospect of that, even though I was putting myself in a dangerous position, was undeniably exciting.

  “May I see your passes?” A guard asked at the entrance.

  We handed him our fake certificates, and I held my breath as the guard inspected and scanned them.

  “There’s a designated area for the press at the back of the hall,” the guard explained, waving us through.

  I followed my father into the castle, awed by its size and grandeur and the feeling of centuries of history hidden within its walls. We dutifully took some pictures with the large cameras we were hefting to play our parts, and as we reached the hall, my dad leaned over and whispered to me.

  “The prince is probably in one of the upper rooms,” he divulged. “We have one hour until the coronation begins.” He squeezed my arm. “I know you can do this, honey,” he said, giving me a warm smile. It might have been a tender moment, except for the fact that he was expecting me to do something highly illegal. “Send me a text when you’ve done it,” he added.

  I swallowed hard as I walked out of the hall and asked a guard for directions to the nearest restroom. The guard watched me as I started off in the direction that he had indicated, but then someone else came to ask him a question, and while he was distracted, I darted up a staircase to my left. I marveled at the intricate woodwork all around me. I peered into a dining room and a huge library before I found another staircase and followed it up.

  As I reached the top of the stairs, I heard footsteps, and quickly stepped into an alcove until the steps faded away. I gave myself a moment to collect myself, and then ventured into the hallway, which had a large window on one side that overlooked the ocean. At the end of the hallway were two doors. The first one opened into an office, with maps covering the walls. I opened the second door and found a bedroom, and I gasped when I saw a guy standing there, staring out the window. He turned to me, and his eyes widened.

  The first thing that struck me was how absolutely gorgeous this guy was. Tall and muscular with a chiseled face and large hazel eyes, and dressed in a regal, high-collared blue suit. This had to be the prince. The second thought I had was that I’d seen him before, but I couldn’t place where, and I didn’t have time to figure it out.

  “I’m so sorry to intrude, but I have an urgent message,” I said, stepping forward. The prince just stared at me like he couldn’t believe his eyes. I figured it probably was weird for some random girl to wander into his room, but the way he was looking at me was making me nervous. “You’re in danger, and I know you’re about to have your coronation, but you need to get as far away from here as possible.”

  The prince blinked a few times and then stepped toward me.

  “Kayla?”

  I stepped back. This was a little alarming. How did he know my name?

  “What in the world are you doing here? How did you get here?”

  His tone wasn’t accusatory, it was excited and warm. He took another step forward, and suddenly I remembered where I had seen him before. He had been at the school a month or two ago, in the hallway. He had approached me and I had freaked out and flipped him to the floor.

  “Kayla, it’s me.”

  I shook my head. “What do you mean? How do you know me?”

  “It’s me,” he repeated. “It’s Frog.”

  I almost laughed. “That’s impossible.”

  He ran a hand through his perfect hair. “Believe me, I know it’s crazy, but it is me, Frederick Vonnegan. Look.”

  He handed me a half sheet of paper, and I gingerly took it. It appeared to be a program for the coronation, and at the top, in bold letters it read: “Official Coronation of Frederick Vonnegan, Crown Prince of Gulbrania.”

  My mouth went dry. This was too much. I dropped the paper and put my hands up. “Okay, I don’t know what kind of mind game you’re trying to play with me, but please stop. I just came here to warn you-”

  My babbling was cut short as he took my arm and pulled me to him. Then he kissed me.

  And wow, what a kiss.

  It was intense and passionate and strangely familiar. I’d kissed these lips before. I’d felt these feelings before. I pulled back slightly and looked into his huge hazel eyes. Frog’s hazel eyes.

  “It is you,” I said breathlessly. “But how...?” I ran my hands across his chest and shoulders. “How did this happen?” I asked, immediately blushing, embarrassed by the way I had just touched him.

  He smiled, which somehow made him even more handsome. “That is a long story,” he chuckled. “Basically, I was taking these high tech pills that were disguising me for my own safety, even though I didn’t know it, and I didn’t even know I was a prince. So, one night I forgot to take my pills, and I woke up to this,” he said, gesturing to himself.

  “It’s not a bad thing to wake up to,” I murmured before I could stop myself.

  Frog smiled and ducked his head, as if he didn’t know how good looking he was. Maybe he doesn t know, I thought.

  “Anyway,” Frog continued, “I went to the school that day to try and explain to you what happened - it was the day of our world cultures presentation - but you kind of grounded me before I could say anything.

  I gasped. Everything was starting to make sense. “I am so sorry!” I exclaimed. “I didn’t know! I couldn’t have known!”

  He laughed. “It’s okay, it was my fault. I should have said something instead of staring creepily at you.”

  I smiled. It felt so good to be talking with him, to be with him again. “So, wait, you’re a prince?”

  Frog sighed. “Yeah, turns out I am. It’s been kind of a wild ride.” His expression darkened a bit. “By the way, the other day, when you called, and you said... well, you know... I’m so sorry about that. I was so shocked about what you said that I fell out of bed and broke my phone.”

  I laughed, partly from relief, and partly from the image of him falling out of bed. It seemed as if Frog’s life was full of unlikely scenarios. “This is so crazy and amazing!” I said, stepping forward, unable to resist the urge to be near him. “It’s you! It’s really you!” I leaned in, about to kiss him again, but then I remembered why I had come there in the first place. I jerked back. “Oh crap, it’s you!” I exclaimed. “You’re the one they want to kidnap!”

  Frog frowned. “Kidnap?”

  “Yes, my dad-”

  But I was interrupted by someone bursting through the door.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Frog

  I was reluctant to drag my attention away from Kayla. Her presence was both calming and intoxicating, and I just wanted to stand there holding her forever. Sure, I had committed to move on from Kayla Morrison, but it was an entirely different thing when she was standing right in front of me, reminding me of the years I had day dreamed about her and the fact that she had fallen in love with me before I knew I was a prince. But she was looking terrified and someone had come into the room, so I turned around, expecting to see my mother, but finding someone that was perhaps even more of a surprise than Kayla had been.

  “Mrs. Youngblood?”

  My former vice principal stood there in a tight black catsuit, holding a gun. Altogether, it looked slightly ridiculous.

  “Hello Mr. Vonnegan, Miss Morrison,” she said coldly. “Sorry to break up the reunion, but as I expected, Miss Morrison did not follow through with her job.”

  She raised her gun and
pulled the trigger. I heard a clap of sound, and for a split second a dart was coming at me, but before it reached me, it changed direction and hit Kayla in the arm.

  She looked at me with wide eyes. “Frog?” She whispered, and then she collapsed in my arms.

  Mrs. Youngblood cursed. “If it weren’t for your stupid deflection device, I would have had you,” she grumbled.

  I closed my eyes. The craziness just kept on building. “What is going on?” I exclaimed. “What did you do to her?”

  “It should have been done to you,” Mrs. Youngblood replied bitterly. “She’s been heavily sedated. She’ll be out cold for three hours. And it’s going to be such a hassle trying to get out of here with two bodies.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “I am going to tranquilize you, Mr. Vonnegan. Not right now, of course, because I can’t seem to shoot you and I’m not stupid enough to take you on by myself. I’ll just have to wait until Mr. Morrison gets up here, which should only take a minute now that I’ve alerted him.

  “Mr. Morrison?”

  “Yes, Kayla’s father,” she replied. “I told him it was a bad idea to bring his daughter along, I knew she couldn’t be trusted, but he insisted. She did, however, succeed in finding you and keeping you in one place long enough for me to come, so at least that was useful.”

  I shook my head. Maybe I was dreaming. Maybe Kayla wasn’t really here and Mrs. Youngblood wasn’t standing in front of me looking like a super villain. The more she talked, the more confusing it became.

  “Why are you doing this?” I asked in bewilderment. “Does this have something to do with me leaving school in the middle of the year?”

  She rolled her eyes. “Are you really this thick-headed?” She spat. “Being vice principal at that asinine school was just a cover. I was there to investigate you and try to capture you, but you were always so well protected. I suffered intense repercussions from the Jumerum for letting you slip through our fingers so many times.”