39 -- A search

She had sent word.
Laura paced around her bedroom, her arms akimbo. She had sent word to Nicholas, His father, King Eric had sent word and still there hasn't been any reply. In all honesty,aura doubted that the letters were reaching him. She had asked Gaston about Prince Nicholas's whereabouts and even he didn't know, didn't divulge the information.
Laura sank to her bed. Trying to tell herself to calm down. A week had passed since Prince Nicholas had left the palace and to say that she wasn't worried, would be a lie.
Her heart beat furiously when she thought about how he must be faring. She might be foolish or overly sensitive, but she felt it in her that something was wrong. It wasn't like Prince Nicholas not to reply to her letters or even to his father's letters.
Laura tried not to let the matter to vex her. She had developed a splitting headache last night and went to bed early. Annoyingly, the head pain had accompanied her this morning as she opened her eyes and it hadn't gone down ever since.
She stood quickly, forgetting for a split second that her head was in knots and placing her hands on her head when sharp pinpricks of pain assuaged her head. And eyes. She steadied herself with a hand to her bedpost and walked slowly to the door. She had to look for him. And what better place to start than the person who he had given his letter to.
Laura softly padded across her room to the door. Pulling them open, she startled when she saw Gaston standing in front of the door and then winced, when that small movement caused her head to begin a new set of beats.
"Your Highness." Gaston bowed before her and she inclined her head, shutting the door to her room and walking, shocked when Gaston began to walk beside her as well. She had thought that he might have been walking across her room and came to a stop almost at the same time that she opened the door, a coincidence merely.
But with the way he walked beside her, glancing at her from beneath lowered lids, she knew that her first thought wasn't the case.
"Is anything the matter with the prince?" She came to a stop at the landing and looked up at Gaston, watching as his brows furrowed and as his mouth twisted in disgust.
She had felt the resentment that Gaston had over being in this situation. It seemed he cared for his Prince and was extremely worried. Prince Nicholas had also neglected telling Gaston about his trip to wherever it was that he went. Gaston didn't take that news likely. Especially as Prince Nicholas has written a letter to her and hadn't even said a word to him.
She knew that no one was as worried about Prince Nicholas's wellbeing as Gaston and she felt humbled that her soon-to-be had a very loyal person by his side.
"Have you gotten anything? Where he might be perhaps?" Gaston just shook his head in the negative as she voiced her questions. She tried not to let her sadness show but he saw through it.
"We'd find him. He's my friend and I'd do anything to get him back safe and sound."
Laura noticed how he phrased his words and looked up at him suddenly, "You think that he's being held somewhere, don't you?"
Gaston didn't answer her, but the way his eyes flickered around the corridor told her all she needed to know.
"I thought so too. It can't be a good thing if we're both thinking the same thing. Oh, dear goddess." She placed her fingers against her temples, feeling her headache spread towards the nape of her neck. She was growing dizzy but she knew that if she didn't find Prince Nicholas, she wouldn't recover from the nagging in her head.
"I was thinking of speaking with the guard he sent a letter to me through. I can't remember his face clearly, but I might recognize him if I see him." She resumed walking again, Gaston following a few steps behind this time.
She was lost in her thoughts as she went through reasons Prince Nicholas might not be responding to the letters that he might be getting. She came to a halt when she surprisingly thought of something that she hadn't.
"How is Prince Nicholas getting the letters we keep sending?"
Gaston looked at her, pinched mouth and furrowed brows, like she was a dumb child. "How any other person gets their letters. Through the messenger."
She rolled her eyes and said slowly, so he'd get everything that she was about to say. "But where does the messenger deliver the letters to."
Gaston's brows dipped even lower. "Why, to My Prince, Princess. The letters get to..." It finally dawned on him what Laura wasn't outright saying.
He stared at her for a minute and suddenly, they both dashed for the servant's quarters, hurrying around maids and guards that littered the hallway.
Laura could feel herself sweating profusely, trickles rolling down to the base of her spine. She desperately hoped that this running round won't be in vain.
Gaston stopped at a door and knocked, before pushing the door open. Laura looked in awe as she saw most of the servants huddled in a corner, some sitting around a centre table, playing cards. She had never ventured down here, had never seen the need to.
She spied her maid and watched as Suzy laughed at something Austin was shouting from his perch on a window seat. Gaston cleared his throat and all heads swivelled their way, the shuffling of cards being halted.
The door closed shut and Laura startled, turning back to see three guards make their way to the window seat that Austin currently stood in front of.
"Your Highness." They all bowed to Laura and greeted Gaston. Most of them were looking at Laura in shock. She herself was shocked that she was in this place, not to look down on their humble sitting room, but she had never thought that she'd see where they spent most of their time.
"Who gives out the letters to the messenger when he arrives every morning?" Gaston asked. Austin looked around the room, frowning like he hadn't seen who he was searching for.
"Austin?" Laura spoke to him. It seemed he knew something but wasn't sure if he should speak. Austin flushed when all eyes turned to him but he answered her.
"It's Hans. I'd send for him immediately." She watched as Austin ordered a young guard to get Hans. Looking at Gaston, she saw him give a quick perusal at everyone, like he was trying to fault how they all closeted themselves in this tight space and she couldn't help the small bout of annoyance that almost overtook her reasoning.
The young guard and an older man step into the room and Austin tells her that the old man is the one that they're looking for.
Both Gaston and Laura thanked then for the help and exited the room, Hans walking behind them. They did not talk or even address Hans until Laura ushered them into her Father's study. She took a seat on a couch and told them to sit as well.
Turning to look at Hans, Laura started speaking. "You're the one that's relates with the messenger who comes up here?"
Hans looked at her and at Gaston, probably thinking that he was in serious trouble. Laura commended his boldness when he spoke. "Yes. I'm I in any trouble, my princess?"
"No. No, I'm just gathering facts." She smiled when Hans visibly relaxed. "The messenger is the same one who has always been with us since forever, right? Mr. Witherspoon?"
Hans nodded enthusiastically, glad to be of some service.
"And when last did he come to the palace?" It was Gaston who asked the question and Hans jerked, like he had forgotten that we had company.
"Just yesterday. I gave him some letters from Elaine and he gave me some for Judy, the maid who lost her husband last month." Laura remembered Judy, but she didn't know that she lost her husband. She was shocked because she had never seen Judy take a day off and she reminded herself to give her a compulsory break.
"He hasn't arrived today?" Laura knew that Mr. Witherspoon always came daily. The letters from the palace never stayed up to a week before they were delivered and sometimes, people from the village made use of the system.
"No, he hasn't."
"Well, notify me when he does. We'd be waiting for him." Hans nodded and stood, glancing at Gaston before hurriedly making his way out.
Gaston stood as well, telling her that he'd be back with Mr. Witherspoon once he arrived. Laura inclined herself in her seat, thinking back on the letter that Prince Nicholas had written to her.
She didn't think too much on the words he wrote when she had first read the letter, but for the last days, she'd been going over the letter over and over again.
Prince Nicholas was in love with her. That much was obvious. One could show love using flowery words and the prince was no miser. He told her just how much he was happy to be her husband and she couldn't help the feeling of joy that bubbled up inside her.
Still perusing the contents of the letter that she'd memorised to heart, she froze when she remembered that he said it was an important matter. Surely, the prince would've been notified of anything important from his father. But his father was just as worried about him as any other person and no one even knew that he had been gone till she casually mentioned at dinner on his first day absent.
Nothing made sense to her again. Why would Prince Nicholas not inform his Father of where he was going? Why didn't he take his guard along, or at least, gone with Gaston? Why had he lied to her that it was important when it clearly wasn't?
Was there actually an emergency that he'd learned of but didn't have the time to tell his father about? Was Lily the only person he trusted? Had she made a mistake telling everyone? Peradventure, he didn't want any other person apart from her to know. Was he waylaid on his way to his destination?
Laura couldn't help the influx of bad thoughts and scenes that flooded her brain at that moment. She thought of him lying in a ditch somewhere, stripped off of his clothes. Hopefully, not dead.
"Goddess, let him be unharmed." She had just sent this prayer, her arms clutched together to her chest, when the doors to the study flew open and Gaston walked in, Mr. Witherspoon besides him.
She rushed to stand. "Welcome, Mr. Witherspoon."
The old man bowed, staring at her wearily. His battered bowler hat being picked apart by his clenching and unclenching fists.
"There's no need to be frightened, Sir. You're just here for an inquiry." She sat down and bade him to sit as well, frowning when she saw Gaston glaring at Mr. Witherspoon, his arms crossed over his chest.
"How may I be of your service, My Princess?" It didn't escape her notice that Mr. Witherspoon failed to meet her gaze.
"Well, the letters that both I and this man over here, Gaston," She pointed at Gaston and saw how Mr. Witherspoon looked at him, flinching when Gaston flexed his brawny arms. She chided him with a look. There was no need to intimidate the man.
She continued speaking, "Where have you been taking the letters to? How do you send them to Prince Nicholas?"
Mr. Witherspoon stared at her in shock, only replying after a while. "Why, The Prince's letters are sent to the Kayaans, of course. That's where he is."
Both Gaston and Laura froze. Mr. Witherspoon, finally taking note of the tension in the air and the expression on their faces, realized that they hadn't known he was there and tried to backpedal.
"At least, I think so. I gave him a ride to the east and everyone knows it's Kayaan territory. Also, I might be wrong and he might've simply gone around, instead of through their midst..."
Gaston and Laura stared at each other. Prince Nicholas was definitely in some sort of trouble.