Heart of a Prince

by Sandra Cole

  “I thought this was the end,” he whispered.

  “No, darling. It could never be that way,” she said while cupping his face. “Are you all right? Can you walk?”

  “I’m not sure, my love,” he replied.

  When he sat up, he groaned and clutched his stomach.

  “He hit me fiercely, dear Melody,” the prince croaked.

  “Here,” she said while wrapping a firm arm under his shoulders. “I’ve got you. Let’s go.”

  “You cannot carry me all the way,” he insisted.

  “I will do my best,” she retorted with a grin.

  “Where is the king? Is he aboard the ship?” the prince asked.

  Melody helped him up from the table and carefully guided him to the door, looking around to see if any Gluons were waiting for them. The hall was empty. They stepped out and began walking briskly. She wasn’t sure exactly where they were going, but her gut seemed to have a good idea.

  “I’m not sure. He was on the screen when I spoke to him,” she replied.

  “For me as well,” the prince commented.

  “Hush, darling. You’re using too much energy,” she said.

  “Yes, ma’am,” he said.

  She giggled and propped him against the wall, studying the map that was next to his head. It looked like they were close to a loading area. There might be a few pods there for them to travel back to the planet in.

  “Come on. We have to get out of here,” Melody said, nearly losing her breath as they started running towards the loading room.

  Behind them, she could hear the strange language of the Gluons who were quickly closing in. Their thunderous steps echoed through the hallway, making it difficult to pinpoint exactly where they were. She wasn’t sure if she could use the ruby again for it might harm her prince. It might not be the safest tool. She pressed on.

  They arrived at another steel door and she kicked the control panel hard, busting it enough to get the doors to crack.

  “Help me,” she said while propping him up.

  Without hesitation, the prince took one door and Melody took the other. They each pulled their ends and pried the doors open as the thud of heavy steps quickly approached. She took her prince off the wall, tossed him in between the doors, and then dashed in after him. A quick look around revealed an escape pod at the far end of the room and she dragged the prince the rest of the way, cringing every time he groaned loudly.

  She approached the control panel and pressed a few buttons. It beeped and then flashed red, asking for clearance.

  “Damn it,” she whispered.

  The doors behind them creaked. She turned to find the Gluons prying them apart, their giant bodies trying to press through the entrance all at once. When she turned back to the control panel, the prince was pressing a code into the screen and it turned green, the door hissing open. She loaded the prince into the pod, hit the button for the door, and then maneuvered to the pilot seat.

  On the other side of the steel door, she could hear the Gluons growling for them to open up. She ignored it. Stunned, she stared at the buttons beneath her fingers and started pushing a few. Her gut continued to guide her. No matter what, she continued to follow it.

  The pod began to hum with energy. It vibrated briefly before a digital voice greeted Melody and announced their take off. The steel doors behind her creaked and bent under the weight of the Gluons who were desperately attempting to claw their way inside.

  “Melody, hurry,” Prince Tezod said.

  “I’ve got you, baby,” she said confidently.

  In an instant, the pod zipped off from the ship, carrying them to safety. Melody whooped in the pilot seat and smiled as she shakily maneuvered the vehicle down towards the castle. The docking area was open. She quickly took a space and opened the side door, taking her prince with her.

  “Press my watch, Melody,” the prince said. “Call for Fenneck.”

  Epilogue

  The great hall was packed to the brim with Eflorians as music gently played in the background. Every window was covered in bright curtains, each one different from the previous. Standing in front of the hall was Melody and her prince, the two holding hands as Fenneck stood on top of a tall stool in order to raise a crown to the prince’s head.

  “Joined in beautiful union, I now pronounce you King Tezod of Efloe,” Fenneck said proudly.

  The crowd erupted with applause and the new king bowed his head, overwhelmed with joy. Fenneck floated over towards Melody who was biting her lower lip anxiously. He winked with his big eye and she giggled, looking down at the ground.

  “Joined in beautiful union, I now pronounce you Queen Melody of Efloe,” Fenneck said tearfully.

  When he placed the crown upon her head, the room roared with cheers and King Tezod squeezed her hand as he began to weep quietly. She brushed a tear away from his blue cheek and he smiled, turning to look at her with his bright green eyes. They trailed down to the tiny blue baby in her arms who cooed excitedly at the noise filling the room.

  “Shall I take a turn?” he asked after the cheering had faded.

  “Of course,” she replied.

  Melody held up their son and the king took him with joy, raising the blue child up into the air with a wide smile.

  “Divyd, you are such a divine child,” the king said. “And I hope you’ll bring us all the glory of our old days.”

  “Tez, that is quite a weight to put on our own child,” Melody teased.

  “He’ll make a great leader,” he said.

  “I’m sure he will,” she said.

  “Would the king and queen like to sit and receive their gifts? Or shall we feast first?” Fenneck asked.

  “Darling, what would you like?” the king asked his new wife.

  “Let’s open our gifts,” she replied.

  “Splendid,” Fenneck said.

  He clapped his tentacles together and then urged the first couple to bring their gift up to the king and queen. Melody watched with joy as they set it on the ground and then lifted the top, revealing a golden chalice with their names engraved. She lifted it from the box and raised it up to the crowd with a smile. They marveled at the fine craftsmanship. She placed it back in the box and gave the Eflorian a kiss on the forehead.

  When the couple walked away, Fenneck waved the next person up the steps. It was an Eflorian man wearing a cloak bearing a small satchel. She could see nothing else but his hands which made her nervous, but she accepted the gift and opened it. A glass moon was cradled inside the black cloth. When she lifted it up to the light, it seemed to glow.

  “This is beautiful,” she said. “Thank you, stranger.”

  “I am no stranger,” said the man.

  He removed his hood and Tezod gasped, nearly scaring their child into a fit of crying. Melody looked at her shocked king and then back at the stranger. His eyes were incredibly kind, shining a light of comfort over her that she hadn’t felt in years.

  “Melody,” he said in a low voice. “I’m your father.”

  Covering her mouth, she stood from her decorated chair and fell into his arms, weeping. The queen shook viciously with sobs, feeling the warmth radiating from her father who she hadn’t seen since she was an infant. Her father held her close until she pulled away and wiped the tears from her eyes.

  “Where have you been?” she asked.

  “I was being held captive by the Gluons. They released me when they surrendered, but I was out in the desert on the other side of the fields,” he replied. “I’m sorry it took me so long to get here.”

  “It’s fine. I’m just glad you’re here,” Melody whispered.

  She shook her head, tears still streaming down her face as her father cupped her cheek and gave her a kiss on the nose. She took his hand and pulled him further up the stairs.

  “Come meet your grandchild,” she said.

  Memnak smiled wide and held out his arms. Divyd cooed and curled his hand around Memnak’s finger, kicking his feet. It made M
emnak chuckle.

  “Such a strong boy. He’ll be a fine prince,” he said.

  Melody nodded. She wiped an errant tear from her face and then held up her hands to the crowd.

  “No more gifts today,” she announced. “I want to spend time with my father.”

  Though most of the crowd appeared to be disappointed, they respectfully dispersed. Fenneck reached up with a tentacle and took her hand.

  “Should I delay the feast as well, my queen?” he asked.

  “No, Fenneck. We should eat at the same time,” she replied.

  He nodded and rolled away, leaving the four of them alone with each other. Melody turned to her family, smiling wide. It was the perfect picture. She admired how natural her father was with her son, the sight alone causing her to tear up again. She shook her head.

  No more tears, she thought. From now on, there will be no more tears.

  THE END

  = Bonus Book 5 of 7 =

  Never Ending Love

  Book 1: The Rebound

  Abbie sighed as she climbed off of the plane, just to head straight onto the train that would take her home. She absolutely loved her career as a dancer, which was great because she’d spent her whole life trying to achieve it, but it wasn’t as glamorous as she’d assumed it was going to be. She thought it would be exciting to travel the world, to see different places, and to dance for all kinds of weird and wonderful projects. But the reality of it was a lot of travelling, a lot of sitting around waiting, and a whole heap of very late nights. In fact, she spent most of her life absolutely exhausted!

  The world tour that she’d just been on with a semi-famous female singer had been amazing. The celebrity might have been a massive, trouble-causing diva, but the rest of the dancers were great – and that made her job easier and a lot more fun to do.

  However, the star had just been caught with cocaine around her nose by a newspaper photographer, and although it wasn’t public news just yet, it would be very soon, so they had been forced to cut the tour short while they sent her to rehab. Her clean cut (very false) image was about to be destroyed, and her PR team wanted to be on top of it before the story exploded.

  Abbie was sad to leave all of her new friends behind in such an abrupt fashion, but she was very excited to get back to see her boyfriend of three years – Greg – whom she had missed like crazy whilst being away. They texted and spoke on the phone a lot, but it wasn’t the same as seeing him in person.

  Greg had been acting a little strangely recently, and Abbie was convinced that she knew why. She thought that he was finally going to propose, and she absolutely couldn’t wait for it. She’d waited a long time for him to show any sign of taking their relationship to the next level, and she’d dropped enough hints, so it was definitely time.

  She stared at the reflection of her tired expression in the window of the train, critically examining her long dark hair and her green sleepy eyes. This wasn’t how she wanted to see Greg for the first time after so much time apart, but she was also aware that he wouldn’t be bothered. That was the best thing about their relationship. They were so comfortable around one another. He loved her no matter what.

  Abbie smiled secretly to herself, pleased that she’d kept this homecoming a secret. She couldn’t wait to see the look on his face when she burst in and completely surprised him.

  He was going to be blown away!

  ***

  Abbie crept through the front door, trying desperately to keep her giggles inside. The closer she got to seeing the love of her life, the more hysterical she became.

  It was already late, so she knew that he would be in bed, and she half-expected to find him sleeping too. Despite that, she snuck quietly into the bathroom and made herself look a little more presentable, just in case. She smoothed down her hair and quietly washed her face, looking happier with each passing second.

  The tiredness started to give way to something else, and she couldn’t wait another second longer.

  “Honey, I’m hooome,” she sang out as she swung the bedroom door open.

  But the sight that greeted her was the last thing in the world that she was expecting.

  “What!?” she gasped, as her brain tried to process what she was looking at. Logically she understood perfectly, but it was taking a while for the emotional side of her to catch up on that. “What the fuck is going on?”

  Greg was naked, on his knees on the bed, and in front of him, on all fours, was a woman that Abbie didn’t recognize. She was young, slim, blonde and very attractive. She actually noticed that fact before she realized that her boyfriend was fucking her.

  This stranger was screwing the man she thought that she was going to marry.

  “So… you aren’t going to propose then?” she heard herself asking stupidly.

  “Oh my God, oh fuck,” Greg finally snapped into action and he pushed himself off of the stranger. “Oh shit, Abbie, what the hell are you doing home?” He ran his hands through his hair, looking like he wanted to tear some of it out. “I didn’t think… you aren’t supposed…”

  “No,” she gasped, trying to actually get some breath back into her body. “I’m not supposed to be here. I’m still supposed to be away working.”

  She watched in horror as the girl threw the bed sheets – Abbie’s bedsheets – over her naked body, growing redder by the second. She couldn’t work out if this girl knew about her or not… but she certainly looked more embarrassed than shocked.

  But she didn’t matter. Not really – it was him in the wrong.

  “Abbie…” said Greg. He put his hands on her shoulders and she flinched as if she’d been burned.

  “What the fuck are you doing?” she snapped angrily. “Don’t you dare fucking touch me!”

  “Abbie, I’m sorry,” he continued pathetically. “I didn’t mean…”

  “You didn’t mean for me to find out,” she snapped, before spinning on her heels and walking back outside once more. She couldn’t be inside there anymore, trapped by that horrible atmosphere. It had been making her panicky and claustrophobic. It was much better out on the cold where she could actually sort out her brain.

  The only problem was, what did she do now?

  ***

  Living back with her parents at the grand old age of twenty-four was not how Abbie envisioned her life, but she hadn’t been left with any choice. Her cheating scumbag boyfriend had made that decision for her.

  Her breakup with Greg had quickly gone from awful and emotional, to downright nasty and she’d been left with no choice but to return to the city. It was unfortunate that as a very successful banker, he earned a lot more than she did. The house they had lived in belonged to him outright, so that left her with nothing.

  She eventually found out that the woman he was screwing that day was just a random chick – even he didn’t know her. She was just one of many, which made Abbie feel very sick. Greg had obviously been acting like a single man the entire time they were together, which was horrendous. She’d been dedicated to him, faithful to him, and he hadn’t cared about her at all.

  She wasn’t sure what that said about her judgment, only that it wasn’t good. She’d loved a man that had done nothing but fuck her over.

  Luckily the one good thing about her being back at home was that it had allowed her to reconnect with her old school friend, Lauren. They’d been best friends through most of their youth, and had only drifted apart when Abbie moved in with Greg, so it was nice for them to find each other once more.

  It certainly helped Abbie to begin the awful moving-on process.

  “Come on,” Lauren moaned on the phone. “You’ve been back for weeks now and we haven’t been out once. This party will be great, I promise you.”

  Abbie still wasn’t quite feeling up to it, but as this party had been organized by Lauren’s event management company she couldn’t see any way that she could say no.

  “Okay, I’ll be there,” she sighed. “What should I wear?”

 
; She suddenly panicked about the lack of decent clothing that she had sitting in her wardrobe. As she spent most of the time on the road, she had started to live in sweat pants, using only the fancy outfits they were given on set to make herself look good.

  “Don’t worry,” Lauren insisted. “We get sent hundreds of outfits from designers wanting to get their clothes photographed. I’ll send something over to you this afternoon.”

  “Okay, thanks.” That was the clincher. There was no way that she could get out of it now! “I’ll see you then.”

  That afternoon, and as the party grew closer, Abbie tried to get herself in the mood, but she couldn’t stop herself from dreading it like crazy…

  ***

  “Woah,” even Abbie couldn’t help but be impressed as she stared at herself in the mirror. The dress that Lauren had sent over was truly amazing. It was full-length and a gorgeous red, and it clung to every curve in a way that made her toned dancer body look amazing.

  It was such a great dress that it meant she didn’t even need to do much else to get ready. She could easily get away with natural-looking make up and her hair hanging down her back. She still looked terrific.

  In fact, it might have been the best that she’d ever looked in her entire life; a thought that was enough to actually have her feeling some more confidence inside of her. Enough to actually make her smile, something she had not done in a very long time.

  “Okay Abbie,” she told herself. “Let’s do this for Lauren – who knows, it might even be fun!”

  Even though she still didn’t believe herself completely, she found herself agreeing, a little bit. Yes, it might really be fun.

  Abbie crept down the stairs, not wanting to bump into her parents on her way out. She’d been doing her best to avoid them ever since being home, and this felt like another night for that. She didn’t like being back with them, and although she was eternally grateful for their support, she couldn’t wait to get back out on the road again.