‘The moment has come, Robert,’ I thought to myself. ‘Grandpa Ben must know what happened to her.’
I knew that this was the perfect time for me to explain Laura’s absence. However, for some unknown reason, I couldn’t bring myself to do it.
My mind, my lips, my body knew what I should do, what I should say. But, I lost the courage to tell Grandpa Ben the truth.
The brave, the honest, the man that I knew that I was - a man of honour - faded away with the wind. It was as if I was helplessly blown into the air. And I could only wait for where the wind would take me.
Perhaps, what I felt as of the moment was fear.
The fear of disappointing Grandpa Ben. The guilt for knowing that he trusted me with Laura. I also made a promise that nothing bad would happen to his beloved Laura.
Now that she was in danger, I couldn’t blame anyone but myself.
I knew I made a few enemies but I didn’t do anything to secure Laura.
“Robert?” Grandpa Ben brought me back to reality as he called out to me.
I shook my head and blinked thrice before I looked back at him.
“You haven’t answered my questions yet,” Grandpa Ben continued as he put his cane between his legs. His hands rested on top of it. “Where is Laura? Why didn’t you return with her?” he repeated his questions.
“Oh,” I cleared my throat as I shifted my body towards him, “Of course.”
In my mind, my other self slapped me hard at the back of my head. He was absolutely frustrated that I prolonged the agony by short replies. I was about to answer when Grandpa Ben interrupted my thoughts.
“Did you have another argument?” Grandpa Ben asked.
Stunned, I stared at Grandpa Ben.
“I knew it,” Grandpa Ben smirked.
“I don’t understand, Grandpa Ben,” I was finally able to form a coherent sentence.
Grandpa Ben threw his head back as he chuckled. “You don’t have to hide it from me, Robert. I know, fully well, what happens when the two of you come to a misunderstanding,” he continued as he gave his cane a bit of a twist.
Now, I was even more baffled. I couldn’t fathom what he meant by that question.
“Isn’t that what happened?” Grandpa Ben asked another.
“Pardon?”
“You argued and Laura went somewhere that you are unable to find her in order for her to think. Am I correct?” Grandpa Ben added as he returned to me. “Or did something else happen?”
My eyes widened even more. He thought Laura was not with me because we had a disagreement.
‘But, should I pretend that it did happen?’ I asked myself. ‘Or should I still tell the horrifying truth about her absence?’
I was about to admit the truth when my lips uttered a word that I regretted heavily, “Yes.”
“What do you mean by ‘yes’?” Grandpa Ben asked.
“We had a little bit of a misunderstanding on our way back home. I, uh, I tried to persuade her to forget the conversation and for us to simply proceed with our journey back. But, she ran off,” my mouth spouted lie after lie. I just added more layers to the problem and buried myself into a much deeper hole.
If I continued this charade, that hole would be big enough to be my official resting place.
Grandpa Ben chuckled as another smirk appeared on his face. “If I were you, I would get used to it. Since Laura was a child, she always resorted to that attitude.”
I laughed nervously. I tried my best to hide my worry but it came out as what it truly was. I simply cleared my throat to ignore it. I replied, “I am surprised that you never gave her some kind of heavy punishment for those moments.”
As Grandpa Ben explained his side of the story, my conscience was not pleased with what I just did. Guilt and shame filled my emotions. And I knew that the more I stayed here, there was a high possibility that I would admit the truth, eventually.
“Are you all right, Robert?” Grandpa Ben asked as he caught my attention once again. He added, “You seem to be drowning in your thoughts.”
“Oh,” I blinked quickly as I cleared my throat, “My apologies, Grandpa Ben. I just have… so many things running through my mind,” I reasoned.
‘And that includes planning on how to rescue your daughter,’ I thought to myself.
“Well, then, I guess it is time for you to return home,” Grandpa Ben answered as he stood. His right hand held tightly onto his walking stick as he grunted. He continued, “And you don’t have to worry too much about Laura. She will come home when she has some time for herself.”
It was as if a dagger pierced right through my heart. The tone of assurance in Grandpa Ben’s voice, the certainty that he had that Laura would come home… It was all too painful to hear.
“Robert, you are lost in your thoughts again,” Grandpa Ben tapped me on my back.
“Oh!” I immediately rose from the bench as I returned to our conversation. “I am truly sorry if I am constantly in a daze, Grandpa Ben. I just have so much on my mind at the moment. I can’t stop thinking about…” I stopped as soon as I knew that I was about to admit Laura’s current state.
Grandpa Ben moved closer to me. He put his arm behind my back and held onto my other shoulder. “Whatever it is, don’t take it to heart. And if it is about Laura, I can assure you that she will be fine.”
Oh, how I wished that were true. I could only hope that Laura wouldn’t be tormented by her abductors. I never wanted for anyone to lay a hand on her. And should someone try to do so would meet their untimely death.
“Right now, I can see that you need to rest,” Grandpa Ben continued as he gave me a bit of a shake. He then gently walked me towards Wonder. “Why don’t you head home and do something else? That can help you take your mind off of a few things.”
“But, Grandpa Ben–” I turned around to face him.
“I insist that you go home, Robert.”
Grandpa Ben put his hand on my chest to stop my protest. If I couldn’t tell him the truth right now, it would be best that he would be kept in the dark. That would give me more time to think of better solutions to ensure Laura’s safe return home.
I sighed as I hung my head low. As soon as Grandpa Ben saw that I was defeated, he removed his hand from my chest. I raised my head and said, “Should Laura return after I leave… kindly tell her…” I struggled to proceed. This lie has done nothing but to worsen how I saw myself. “Kindly tell her that I am sorry.”
Grandpa Ben nodded with a smile.
I nodded to him and as soon as I got on Wonder, I rode away. And not once did I look back.
~*~*~*~
As I approached the main stairs at the castle doors, the guards immediately ran towards me. I hopped off of Wonder as I pulled into a stop at the foot of the staircase.
“Your Highness,” the guards greeted.
“Make sure that Wonder is secured and taken care of,” I instructed as I handed her over to the guard on my right. I then turned to the two guards in front of me. “Gentlemen,” I lowered my voice as I moved closer to them, “Go to the Mortal Realm and find a bakery called the Winston Bakery. Make sure that nothing happens to everyone there. Bring three more guards with you,” I continued.
They looked at each other for a moment, clearly confused with my given command. They nodded at each other and replied to me with a bow. “As you wish, Your Highness.”
“Also, I do not wish for this to be known by anyone, especially by the king and Gonzalo,” I added.
They nodded once again and went on their way.
Without wasting any more time, I ran up to the stairs and swung the doors open.
~*~*~*~
The doors made a loud thud that echoed throughout the halls. The guards turned their heads to my direction in shock. But, they were still able to greet me properly.
“James?” I called out as I walked further into the castle. Most of the time, James would be in one of the rooms near the main hall. But for some reason, he didn’t answer. “James??” I raised my voice as I climbed up the stairs. “James!”
“Your Highness?”