This window should be it. Climbing high on the tower wall, I had almost reached the prince’s room. Once there, I stood carefully on the edge of the brick windowsill and pried the window open.
As soon as I was in, I made my way toward a dresser on the other end of the room. Each step was deliberate and careful, because if I didn’t pay heed to it, the room would shake with the noise my walking would make. My shoes had been carefully padded out to further dull any possible sound.
It certainly didn’t help that the room was in a state of general disarray. The floor was littered with clothes and various knick-knacks.
Once I reached his drawer, I rummaged around in it. The contents of the drawer, in contrast to the rest of the room, were kept very neatly and meticulously.
He really values neatness, doesn’t he? I thought as I kept searching. Had he the energy, his room might have looked immaculate. Or perhaps, he only kept his drawers so neat because he was unable to do so for his room.
“What?!” I muttered under my breath. My search had been futile. This drawer didn’t contain the object I had been looking for. And yet, I was positive it should’ve been in a hidden compartment in the upper corner of this drawer.
The prince squirmed slightly, and I glanced toward him. …Restless tonight, is he? I shouldn’t stick around. Perhaps I can search again later.
As I reached the window and threw one leg out, a soft voice spoke behind me.
“Leaving already?”
I gasped and turned around. “Ah, Rayoha! I’m sorry to disturb you.” With a deep bow, I offered him a sheepish smile.
“That’s okay,” He sat up and turned on his bedside lamp. “Do you come here often? I’ve never met you before.”
“Come to the…castle?”
“My room.”
“…Never, Rayoha.”
“Oh! Welcome here, then. What shall I call you?”
“…Ka…Kano…”
“Kano?”
“…Yes.”
“Nice to meet you, Kano. Did you find what you were looking for in my dresser?”
My eyes widened. He was awake the entire time. How could I be so oblivious?! “O-oh! I just…I wasn’t-”
He stared at me, seeming to ponder something. “…If I promise… not to tell anyone you broke in… will you… will you spend some time with me?”
“You want me to… spend time with you?”
“Yes! Nothing much,” he moved to the foot of his bed, eyes wide and imploring. “I don’t…really get to spend any time with anyone. My father… he loves me very much, but he is so busy. Of course he is… he’s king…” He lowered his eyes. “…w-well anyway!” Perking up, he looked back up at me. “So…so… how about it?”
“Oh! I’d…I’d be absolutely delighted to, Rayoha,” with another dramatic bow, I flashed him a broad grin that I hoped was charming enough. “What would you like to do?” I stepped closer slowly, careful not to appear too intimidating.
By the looks of this young man’s eyes though, he didn’t feel in the least afraid. Scrambling to sit on the floor in front of his bed, he invited me to sit across him by waving one arm toward it and clearing away the random objects lying there.
Then he took out a thick book from a drawer under his bed and opened it to a bookmarked page. “Can you tell me… have you ever seen one of these?”
Peering at the page, it appeared to be one about the Urnian harvest festival. The picture he was pointing at was a handcrafted boat people used for boat races, which were a popular part of the festivities.
“Yes, I have.”
Eyes shining with curiosity, he sat up straight. “What’re they like up close? How big are they? Have you ever been in one? How fast can they go?”
I blinked, not expecting the barrage of questions. “They’re often small but sturdy boats large enough to seat one or two people. Usually, however, there will be at least one person who shows up with a larger, more dramatic boat, usually to show off their relative status. This often doesn’t translate into better performance. Since powering them with magic is against the rules, they usually go as fast as a person can manually row. Meaning, not too fast.”
“Wow,” he stared wide-eyed off into space, as though picturing the boats as I described them and seeing something exciting in the mundane things I was telling him. “What does it feel like to ride one?”
“…I’ve never ridden one.”
The prince blinked. “Never?”
I shook my head. “I don’t quite participate in social activities or festivities. Such boats are never quite used outside of those contests.”
“…Oh,” he gently touched the picture of the boat.
“Rayoha… may I ask… why did you want to know about that specifically?”
He shrugged. “It’s just a question I had. I have a lot of questions. But I thought… since most people from the outside world have been to so many of these festivals… you’d be able to answer.” With a smile, he closed the book and set it aside. “And you...you did answer something. Even if you’ve never been inside one. …I never get to leave the castle grounds. And Nyera – my bodyguard – well, she never leaves the castle grounds either.” He gazed off into the distance. “How much fun would one of those races be? The wind blowing through your hair, the sun on your face, the people cheering you on from the shore… Aaaah…” He lets out a dreamy sigh. “There’s soooo many things I want to do and see, you know?”
I nodded in understanding. It was a well-known fact that he couldn’t leave, because he simply lacked energy. Ever since his birth, he had been sick with an unidentifiable disorder. This left him with a lot of restrictions. What I was only realizing now though, was exactly how restless he’s been in here. “Well Rayoha, I can’t take you to a festival or anywhere else you want to go, but I can answer your questions if you wish.”
He smiled a little. “Thank you. So much.” His smile widened as he asked hopefully. “Then… will you just… tell me stories?”
“Stories?”
“Yes… of things that happened… to you, to people around you…and because of you…. Make me feel like… like I’m out there.”
“Okay…” What story could I tell him? Slowly, I began narrating embellished tales from places all around Urna – from the late night light shows popular in many small villages to the feeling of riding a wild animal in the unexplored fields of northwestern Humro – I hoped to make even the most mundane experiences feel entertaining.
The prince listened on as though enraptured, leaning forward and gazing at me. His face was cupped in his hands and he looked like a child listening to a bedtime story.
It’d been a while since I spoke to someone at length like this. Maybe because of that, before I realized it, I had begun inserting dramatic hand gestures and voice modulation to go along with my stories. They weren’t even the most exciting or breathtaking of feats, but he didn’t seem as though he would want to listen to stories of war or heroism.
“And every year, the whole village would gather, to make the most falaho jam anyone has ever seen, and then-”
The sound of footsteps interrupted me, as I stopped to listen.
The prince gasped and whispered. “That’s probably Nyera! Her room is right next to mine! If she hears movement or sound in here, she’s going to be suspicious!”
Heeding his words, I jumped up as quietly as possible and stepped toward the window. As I threw one leg out, I felt a tap on my hand. He had followed me to the window and was looking up at me.
“Thank you… thank you so much for spending this time with me,” he held his hand out timidly. “May I… may I kiss your hand goodbye?”
I blinked. Kissing someone’s hand in farewell was a common practice, but it was generally meant for people with some closeness, not a first-time acquaintance. Let alone someone who was at the end of it all an intruder.
“It’s… understandable if you don’t want it. I won’t do it then. I just… I might never see you again. And I don’t know how else to really express what this meant to me. So…thank you, Kano.”
With a small smile, I extended my hand toward him. “It’d be my honor, Rayoha.”
He grinned broadly and cupped my hand in both of his, then pressed a gentle kiss on the back of it. “…Take care. Goodnight.”
He turns around and moves back toward his bed, turning off his bedside lamp as I began my climb downwards.