One day, two hearts will find each other,

A beat that is his own, a breath that speaks the unknown.

24th ☾

Upon Sealed Lips

When I pulled away, I slowly opened my eyes and searched for the sword. I had no idea how this was supposed to work, but I did what the scroll had indicated.

There was none.

Alec profoundly looked at me, a withheld judgment in his eyes. I didn't know how to explain it.

"Nothing happened," I confirmed to him. It was hard to talk without breaking into tears. Shame, anger, and frustration washed over me. "It's not supposed to be like this."

"And the sword?"

I hung my head in shame.

He leaned back, shifting his weight on the palm of his hands. "I'm guessing it didn't work. What could have gone wrong?"

"I don't know," I answered, perplexed. "I swear, I did what the scroll said. This was supposed to work. What's missing?"

"The moons are shining so bright. Who would have thought we would still live to see a night like this?" Alec just said, taking in the moment instead.

"The crescent moons would be gone come midnight. All the spells previously cast will be negated, and this... everything will be meaningless. All the sacrifices we made, the people we lost," I took in a breath. "Esme. My parents. Every single one of them, their deaths will mean nothing. In the end, that tyrant would still prevail."

"Are you okay?"

I shook my head. "Hardly."

"Is there anything I could do to help?"

With a wry smile, I answered, "You did what you could. Look, I'll just call for help. Your leg needs to be attended."

"Aren't you supposed to be hiding from the guards?"

"Right," I remembered, feeling lightheaded. I wanted to get out of his sight. I felt shame about what had just happened—or of what didn't. I failed to obtain the sword. Despite the confusion in my head, I tried to recall if I'd missed anything. There wasn't much time left before the crescent moons would disappear.

Alec said, "I'll be fine. It's probably best to hide here."

"It hardly matters now. Let them take me. Nothing will change anyway," I said with bitter resentment, as I headed to the garden's entryway. "I'll be back. I could find a healer somewhere. It's the least I could do for you."

He was listless to argue with me about it, as anyone in his position should have felt after a day like this. When I was out of his sight and found my way to his grandfather's workshop, I lifted my head and stared at the crescent moons once more. It was shining so bright up there, amidst the dark and dreary skies. It was supposed to bring hope and good fortune for the years to come, like what the adage had said. With Henry still on the throne, I didn't know if it would ever be possible.

And it felt like it was my fault. I was their only hope, and I'd failed Incantasi. I closed my eyes, wondering what I'd done wrong. The crescent moons. The missing prince. The kiss. Everything was there, so what else did I miss?

My hand felt warm all of a sudden, and I looked at my seal. It was shining brightly on its own once again, like it did in the past. It was hard to believe, but I never doubted that my seal had a mind of its own. Like it could hear my thoughts and respond when it wanted to.

"So what you needed from him was a kiss?" a familiar voice quietly asked, as a figure appeared from behind the huge furnace in the workshop.

I held my breath.

"Why?" he incredulously asked, walking over to me. "So that was why you ran off with him. You should have at least told me, Miles."

He wouldn't understand. "How long have you been there?"

"Long enough to see everything," Lancelot answered.

"I need to find a healer for Alec." I walked past him. The workshop was cramped and tools were scattered here and there. I tried to avoid them, which resulted to my arm lightly brushing with his as I passed by. I didn't know why my senses were wide awake whenever he was near. I was suddenly holding my breath, and my heart was slamming hard against my chest.

He held me back by the wrist, turning me around to face him. "What's going on with you? Yes, I could see that you have failed to obtain what you wanted from Alec. But is that a good enough reason to give yourself up to the guards?"

"I'm not giving myself up." I shoved his hand away.

He tightly held me by the arms instead. "This is not you, Miles. This is not who you are. Where is the Miles who did everything to get what she wanted?"

"What is your problem? I told you, I'm only going to look for a healer," I said, unable to look at him in the eyes.

"Where is the real Miles?" Lancelot asked once more. "Tell me where she has gone off to, because I need to speak with that Miles, instead of this person in front of me who's so willing to trade everything she'd worked for just like that."

"Go..." I said weakly, pushing him back. "Just go your way."

"Miles," Lancelot said in an earnest manner, as if speaking sense to me. "Tell me the reason why you had to kiss Alec."

"I don't have to."

Lancelot continued to ask, "Do you have feelings for him? Is that it?"

"No," I helplessly replied, staring at the ring on my finger. It was still there. Of course, for the moons were still shining above us. Soon enough, it would also fade away, together with this kingdom's last hope. Disbelieving of everything that my life had revolved around with for the last four years and tempting fate itself, I lifted my hand and showed the ring to him. "I couldn't tell you anything because of this binding item—this ring. As you already know, I have this seal on my hand. It is connected with this ring."

"This?" Lancelot suddenly reached for my right hand.

I instinctively draw it back. "Don't—"

He gently held my hand, caressing it softly as his fingers traced my ring. "See? Nothing happened."

"How..." I stammered, realizing that the ring should have at least acted up when I told him its connection to the seal. But it didn't. How could that be?

"Miles, I think I need to know what you're dutifully keeping from me all this while," Lancelot told me.

With utter confusion, I looked at him in the eyes. "I can't. I mean, whenever I told others about this before, this ring... this same ring acted up, threatening my own life. I'm confused why I could tell you these things and..."

"And now?"

"Nothing is going on. I feel nothing. Could it be because..." I speculated, pausing for a moment, "...maybe it's because of the crescent moons. They negate all the spells previously cast, making them all disappear by midnight."

"So tell me," he said. There was a flicker in his eyes. Against my confusion, Lancelot appeared to be eager for the words that were yet to come out of my mouth. "Since now that your life is not being drained by your binding item, tell me your reasons."

I hesitated.

"Why are the crescent moons valuable to you?" Lancelot started to ask.

"Because," I replied, "what I need must be obtained before its disappearance. It can't be negated, together with all the spells that were previously cast before tonight. It's this kingdom's last hope."

"What is it that you need?"

"I read a scroll before, telling me to find the former prince of Incantasi, who bears the other half of this seal," I said. This wasn't supposed to happen. I once tried opening up about the scroll to Anthony and Bryce, and not even once did I succeed in doing so. Why could I tell Lancelot these things? Was he involved in this as well?

But how?

"And Alec has it? The seal?"

I nodded. "He showed me."

"The presence of the seal confirmed that he was the former prince?"

"Yes, it was indicated in the scroll. And with a kiss underneath the crescent moons, the seals will become one, bringing to life the sword that could kill any immortal," I finished.

"And you're planning to use that sword against King Henry?" he prompted.

"Yes," I answered, reminded how that didn't end so well. Agony filling the void inside me, I went on, "Did you know that because of this one stupid seal, I had lost my parents? My entire life, I've been a fugitive. The king wanted me dead. And yet, nothing happened. Henry must be having the time of his life right now, drinking wine to celebrate his victory."

Lancelot was lost in his own thinking.

"That's all there is, Lancelot. That's what my life's about," I added. He didn't respond. Since he was still in an arm's breadth, I reached out, suddenly worried. "Hey, are you okay? Lancelot?"

He was slightly trembling as he placed both of his hands on my shoulders. With a tender gaze, he was searching for something in my eyes. "There's something you should know before this night is over."

I waited.

"I have no clear memory as a child, even growing up. All I could remember were the castle walls and being confined in them. Over the years, I started to ask questions. I didn't say them aloud, afraid to be heard by those who were loyal to my father. To King Henry," Lancelot said to me.

"So what did you do?"

"I kept these questions to myself. I never placed my full trust on anyone. You simply couldn't tell who could be trusted, not in the place where I was brought up. But I had my questions. And through the years, I thought of ways to find the answers."

"That was why you had so many books," I said, omitting the fact that we both knew—they were not just ordinary books.

"Forbidden books that I managed to obtain from the black market," Lancelot replied.

My eyes grew wider. "You'd also been there?"

"We might have met long before you knew it," he suggested with a lighthearted voice.

"No," I told him. "But you might have met Wilson."

He smiled a bit. "I might have."

"So what were you looking for?" I asked curiously.

"Alec."

My eyebrows met in perplexity. "You were really looking for Alec? Why?"

"I had to confirm if he was the prince," Lancelot answered.

"Okay," I slowly replied, thinking over what he was telling me. "And now that he is?"

He shook his head in disagreement. "No, Miles. I wanted to confirm if he was really the prince of Incantasi. King Henry never displayed family portraits in the castle. He told me that it was because he never really needed a family, nor a successor. Unlike other royal families, it was solely his own portraits that could be found in Wykeham Castle. There were no traces left about the missing prince of Incantasi. Not his physical appearance. Not even a record. Not even a word."

"So why didn't you ask Alec anything when you had a chance?"

"The guards that were sent to locate me had found my whereabouts. I didn't want them to find out about you as well, so I had no choice but to go," he said.

"You said it was because you found out what you were looking for when you saw him."

"That's also true. Alec Gaunt's hobby is woodcarving."

"Yes, he loves making puppets. What does it have to do with any of these?" I asked.

"Does he resemble anyone you've seen before?"

Henry. His name resounded in my head, and I had to hush it down. It couldn't be. "What are you trying to tell me, Lancelot?"

"You thought of someone, didn't you?"

"I... did. But aren't you the prince? Isn't Henry your—" I paused, finally realizing what he was trying to tell me. At first, I thought that Lancelot must have inherited his features from his mother—the serene blue eyes and sand-colored hair. He didn't look like Henry at all. "No, it can't be."

"I'm afraid that might be the case, Miles. That's why you didn't obtain the sword," Lancelot answered. "How many hours left before the crescent moons disappear?"

"It would be gone by midnight."

"Then we still have time," Lancelot replied, taking a step forward.

My heart raced as his face drew closer to mine. Anxiety stirred inside me. "You can't be saying that you think you're the missing prince?"

"I have no way of knowing. All the records of the previous kingdom had been wiped out. Not even one family painting had survived. My theory was that Henry made sure that nobody would see any evidence. Think about it. Alec Gaunt doesn't have a recollection of his past, either," Lancelot replied.

I placed my hands on his chest, lightly pushing him away. "Lancelot... I..."

He whispered in my ear, "What are you afraid of, Miles?"

"I don't know..."

"There are no more options left. What is there to lose?" Lancelot asked me, placing a soft kiss on my forehead to calm me down. He lifted my chin. "Hey, look at me."

I met his eyes with hesitation.

"You said you needed Alec Forthwind's kiss to bring to life the sword?" Lancelot asked, and I slowly nodded in response. "Then let's find out. Because I think I'm Alec Forthwind."

"How—" What I was about to say became a whisper as his lips lightly brushed on mine. It was a gentle touch, like a warm feeling that soothed my soul. I closed my eyes, pulling him closer to me. Every part of me wanted this. It wasn't about the sword anymore. I wanted the feeling of his lips touching mine and his hand in my hair.

The kiss became deeper, as the stars were waning and the crescent moons gained strength. All my sorrows drifted away in his arms, making me forget everything—my past and what was about to come.

While we were lost in the moment, the ground beneath us abruptly started shaking, making us pull apart. Lancelot supported my weight, and I held on to him as a portion of the ground in front of us was divided. And the unthinkable had happened, long before I had fully believed that Lancelot might turn out to be the missing prince of Incantasi—Alec Forthwind.

I saw the light coming from the seal on my right hand uncontrollably shimmer in response. I closed my eyes, listening closely, for I could hear a voice saying a chant in the back of my head.

'Who are you?' I asked in my thoughts. The quiet chant continued, but I couldn't understand a word. 'I know you're there. You've always been there.'

Lancelot lightly shook me. "Miles, look."

"How... why..." My eyes widened in astonishment as I stared at Lancelot's hand. I could still remember the first night when the seal had appeared on my hand when I was twelve. Repeating a familiar scene, traces of light flickered on Lancelot's left palm. We both watched in shock as the seal settled in—two crescent moons facing each other.

"I have your seal," Lancelot said.

"No, that is your seal," I replied. Lancelot might really be the real Alec Forthwind, and Henry kept him close for some reason. I couldn't full comprehend any of it; it wasn't making any sense. A shining blade emerged from the partition in the ground. I was fixated on the sword that come out up from the ground, stumped. Turning to Lancelot, I said, "Could you really be the missing prince?"

He replied, "From the turnout of events, it seems to be the case."

"Then Alec Gaunt?"

Lancelot regretfully shook his head. "He might be King Henry's real son."

"How could that be?"

"I don't know what happened that I ended up as King Henry's son. He might be the only one who knew about it. But that's not important right now. Let's get Alec first. We need a place to hide."

"The sword," I remembered.

He nodded.

The partition on the ground had mended back together. I got up on my feet, approaching the blade on the grass. It laid motionless on the ground. I picked it up and held it in my shaking hands.

With a deep breath, I pulled the sword from the scabbard. The silver blade glinted underneath the moonlight. I turned it over, admiring the sharpness of the edge. It was a simple blade. But as I swung it in the air, I could feel its sturdiness.

When I examined it closer, there was something on the crossguard. On one side, there was an emblem. It was an emerald stone that contained the symbol of the two crescent moons inside it. I looked at the other side. A family name was written—Forthwind.

"This sword..." I said, looking at Lancelot, who was standing on my left and watching me. I handed it to him. "It looks like it belongs to your family. Take a look."

Lancelot took it, turning the sword over. "The Forthwind's emblem. I saw it in books."

"Now this gets confusing. I don't know if I should start calling you Alec Forthwind instead. It seems like you're really the missing prince."

He seemed to be lost in deep thinking as his eyes were fixated on their family's sword. "We don't know what had actually happened. The only indication that I might really be Alec Forthwind was the fact that we were able to unlock the Forthwind's sword."

"So who gets to keep it?"

"Of course, you," Lancelot said with a frivolous smile. Placing back the sword in its scabbard, he gave it back to me. "I didn't know about it until now. You take care of it, Miles."

"Okay. Let's go back for Alec. The guards are still looking for us," I said.

"There's no need for that anymore," a voice answered back. It was coming from the garden. After a moment, a familiar figure with fiery red hair appeared. He was still chewing a straw in his mouth, a forceful habit. And in his hand, he was holding on a bloody knife. "He shouldn't be a problem now. Dang! I came a bit too late. You're already together."

"Who are you?" Lancelot cautiously asked, signaling me to step back.

I held his arm and stepped forward, shaking my head in denial. I had to see it for myself to believe that this was going on. "Caspar?"

"Hey, Miles. Or should I say Cassandra?" He grinned, casually.

"It's really you," I muttered under my breath. "Wait, did you do something to Alec?"

"He's in deep sleep now. Hardly breathing. If not at all," Caspar replied with a shrug.

"No," I said in denial.

"Don't take it personally, Miles. It was my mission to end his life. And that leg of him was giving him so much pain. Why not end his misery?"

I clenched my hand. "You killed him?"

"Look at that," Caspar said, crossing his arms. Alec was dead. I was trembling with rage, unable to point out if it was because I felt apologetic for what had happened or because Caspar, who was supposed to be an ally, was the one who'd ended his life. "You are so angry. Did you like the guy? I didn't know. I would have given you enough time to say goodbye if I knew you were here."

"By whose order?" I demanded.

"I'll give you a hint. It's not Bryce," Caspar answered. It was hard to believe that this was the same Caspar that I'd known for the last four years. He didn't change in terms of his way of speaking or his actions. It was scary when the only difference now was the one he was treating as the enemy.

"He's playing with your head," Lancelot admonished.

"Trust me, I know," I said in a whisper so that only Lancelot would hear.

"You have a little secret going on out there?" Caspar observed with a conniving smile. "I know quite a few of yours, Cassandra."

"Why are you doing this?" I cried to him.

"You have to understand. This battle's endless and there's nothing we could do."

"Have you—" I was cut off when he suddenly attacked without warning. Lancelot managed to block his attack with the sword as he pulled it from the sheath that I was holding, just as Caspar's blade almost pierced me in the face. With a stuttering voice, I asked Caspar, "What happened to you?"

"Oh! Nice catch. Emerald seems real. Where did you get it?" Caspar had his eyes on the Forthwind's sword.

"None of your business," Lancelot replied, pushing him back. Caspar smoothly recovered his footing. Caspar was a clever and agile fighter. His footwork was exemplary, and it would be hard to catch him if your eyes weren't fast enough. Lancelot slightly turned his head to me, asking, "Do you know each other?"

"Yes," I said with regret.

"Why is he doing this?" Lancelot asked.

"Caspar, did you betray us?" I finally asked Caspar aloud.

"I'd always had my eyes on those gold bars they'd once offered," Caspar replied, circling us as he waited for an opportunity to attack. "Black market's a deceitful place, Miles."

"How long?"

He winked. "Just recently. Don't worry."

"You're disgusting. What do you want?" I asked him, telling myself that he was not the same person now. The sooner I'd admit this turn of events, the better.

"Scary," Caspar replied, faking a horrified look.

"Why are you here for?"

"Oh, fine, I'll tell you. We're friends, right?"

I spit on the ground. "No, we're not anymore."

"Alright. But I'll tell you anyway. One," Caspar said, halting in his tracks. Raising his folded left hand, he stuck his thumb out. "I was ordered to burn down an inn owned by Esme Gaunt. And in the process, I was supposed to make sure that both Esme and Alec Gaunt would be trapped inside their inn and burn to their deaths. But then..."

I grimaced.

With a frown, he continued, "I heard that Alec Gaunt had been miraculously rescued. According to the witnesses, they said that a girl and a boy rescued Alec Gaunt from the burning inn and they headed to the forest. Who would have thought that it was you, Miles? I should have known. You have a knack for escaping death."

"So you were not here for us?" I asked him, pointing to Lancelot.

"Now that's the recent order," Caspar replied, snapping his fingers. "Alongside locating Alec Gaunt and eliminating his life, I was now supposed to find a girl named Cassandra Montforth and take her to Wykeham Castle. The reward is high, Miles. Another one is to make sure that you don't meet each other tonight. That one didn't happen, though."

With a disgusted face, I said, "But you knew it was me."

"That is to my advantage, of course. I almost went to the Northern Marsh to find you, because your reward was high compared to when I succeed in killing Alec Gaunt. But then I thought that it wouldn't hurt to get both and I'd just head off to the marsh as soon as I was done with this Alec Gaunt," Caspar said, removing the blood on his blade. I loathed what he'd turn out to be. How could he have done this? He'd seemed to notice my distaste, but he hardly acknowledged it. "To think that Bryce had told me you were in the Northern Marsh. I could have gotten more reward if only he'd been truthful about your location. You were so near to Alec Gaunt. Who would have thought? Boss knows a traitor when he smells one. I'll give him that."

"He'll break your bones. Don't ever show your face to him," I warned Caspar.

"Ah, you should be the one worrying about your situation right now," Caspar replied, pointing behind us and placing back his knife to its sheath. The guards were coming this way and there was no more places we could hide. "You know, the deal's pretty decent. It's either I bring you myself, which of course, makes the reward higher. Or I find your location. For old times' sake, I'll settle for less this time. I still don't want to be the one to kill you, Miles."

"You piece of shit. Just so you wait," I said, shaking my head in disappointment. "Bryce and the others will find you. They will know what you're up to."

Caspar ignored me, walking over to meet the guards. Even from a distance, we could hear him yelling, "Over here! Cassandra Montforth's here!"

"This is our only chance of escape." Lancelot quickly grabbed my wrist, dragging me with him as he started to run on the opposite direction. We'd mingled with the townspeople and in the chaos that had been brought by the fire that was consuming the town.

"Where are we going?" I asked, hearing the footsteps that were catching up with us.

Lancelot suddenly stopped in his tracks. "Damn it. We can't use the front gate."

I looked around, breathing heavily. "There are only two guards. Good, the other one's leaving his post. And look over there. Do you see that white horse?"

Lancelot nodded.

"The townspeople are gathered on the main road leading to the Northern Marsh. Let's use the other dirt road. That one that follows the creek and connects with the shortcut to Moss."

"I'm familiar with it," Lancelot answered.

"I'll knock off the guards. You go and buckle up the horse," I said.

"Maybe I should be the one to—"

"Here!" I cut him off, pushing the sword to his chest. "I have a dagger with me. I'll distract them and you pull me up as soon as you get hold of that horse. Let's move before they all get here."

Lancelot was reluctant to follow my plan, but I nodded for him to climb up the wall and get that horse. Placing the sword on his hip, he started to figure out a way to jump over the town's wall to get to the other side.

I quietly moved towards the guard, successfully knocking him out and pulling his body out of sight. A moment later, the other was coming back to his post. He'd noticed that his fellow soldier was nowhere to be found.

"You!" Before I could hide myself, the guard had already seen me. But instead of coming for me, he went for the town's bell, pulling the string vigorously and alarming everyone.

"Shit!" I cursed, looking around for any sign of Lancelot. There was no point on retaliating. I ran as fast as I could; hope was beaming inside me as I heard the approaching sound of a horse that came from the direction Lancelot had headed to.

"Come on," I muttered to myself.

After a while, Lancelot came in sight, heading straight to me. I ran to meet him, but I was held back when soldier knocked me down to the ground, making my forehead hit a rock. "No, you won't escape!"