Prince of Gulbrania

by Lauren M. Flauding

  “But then I broke my phone,” I said, holding it out to him. “Can you fix it?”

  Zane took my phone and inspected it. “I’m pretty sure I can, but it will take a few days.”

  I exhaled. There was hope. But I really didn’t want to wait a few days. I wanted to talk to Kayla that instant. What was more, I wanted to see her. My heart jumped at the thought of going back to Indiana. I could probably find a way to do it. I could sneak away and leave for a few days, or maybe even a few weeks. Sure, I’d be abandoning my responsibilities and disappointing my parents, but Kayla Morrison loved me. Nothing else seemed to matter.

  I glanced over at Zane. “Hey Zane, if I took those dissimulation capsules again, what would happen?”

  He raised his eyebrows. “At this point? Probably nothing. You’ve already gone through a rigorous process that reversed their effects, so it’s almost like you’re immune to them now.”

  I grimaced. So I couldn’t go back to looking the way I had before, but maybe I could make up some explanation for why I looked different.

  “Are you trying to figure out a way to get back to Indiana?” Zane asked, looking thoughtfully at me.

  I shifted. “Maybe.” I knew I shouldn’t be confiding to Zane, but maybe he could help. “I mean, it’d only be for a few days, what could possibly happen in that time?”

  “Believe me, about ten thousand things could happen,” Zane replied, narrowing his eyes. “But the chances of disaster would be a lot less if you took the proper security measures.”

  My mouth fell open. “So, you’re going to help me?”

  “Maybe,” he said, his eyes calculating, “especially if we do it in a way that misleads the Jumerum and keeps you out of harm’s way,” he mused. His eyes lit up. “We could fake your death!”

  Before I could voice my concerns, Tabitha Dahl burst into the kitchen, followed closely by her niece.

  “Mr. Vonnegan!” She scolded. “You are late for your etiquette lesson!”

  I smiled. After what Kayla had said to me that morning, not even the prospect of an etiquette lesson with Kirsten could put a damper on my mood.

  “I apologize, Ms. Dahl, what can I do to make it up to you?”

  Momentarily flustered, it took her a moment to respond. “You can come with me this instant!” She commanded.

  I nodded and followed her out of the kitchen.

  “I’ll work on a plan,” Zane muttered as I passed by him. “I’ll let you know.”

  I was a little bit worried about what Zane’s plan might end up being, but if he helped me get to Indiana to see Kayla, I really couldn’t complain. Tabitha led us into the training room, then turned to face me.

  “We’ll be reviewing some things today, but first, I need to relay some items of importance from the queen. She wanted me to tell you that they’ve decided to hold the presentation gala in the banquet hall of the old castle, so be prepared to travel to the surface on that evening.”

  “In the old castle? Really?” I asked.

  “Yes.” Tabitha responded. “I believe they are aiming for a more traditional feel. Secondly, with the gala being only a few days away, the queen would like to know if you’ve found a date.”

  I sighed. Finding a date was the furthest thing from my mind, but I knew my mom would be disappointed if she knew I still hadn’t found someone.

  I turned to Kirsten. “Hey Kirsten, would you like to go to the gala with me?”

  She gasped and started to tremble. “More than life itself!” She said breathlessly.

  Ms. Dahl stood there looking sour, in stark contrast to Kirsten’s raptures. “That was a rather casual way of asking the young lady to accompany you,” she sniffed. “But I suppose it will have to do.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  Kayla

  I finally rolled out of bed at 10:30. I had told my mother I felt sick that morning before she left to go to the diner. I don’t think she believed me, but she called the school and informed them of my absence anyway.

  I had spent most of the night stressing about my conversation with Frog, about what I had said, and more importantly, about how he had reacted. I wasn’t even certain that I loved him, so I didn’t know why I had said that. I had strong feelings for him for sure, but I wondered if telling him that I loved him was some kind of desperate plea for attention. Regardless, the way he had responded made it clear that he did not have the same feelings for me.

  I stumbled to my bathroom and splashed water over my face. What was wrong with me? Why couldn’t I take a hint? First I had kissed him and he hadn’t talked to me for over a month, and then I had blurted out that I loved him and he had hung up on me. It was all so ridiculous. Why was I spending so much energy worrying about him? He wasn’t that great, and he definitely was not that attractive. I went back into my room and pulled out a yearbook from last year. I flipped it open and found his picture. I stared at it, willing myself to be repulsed or at least disinterested. It was a pretty awful picture of him, with his stringy hair and huge eyes and his face covered in acne. I tried to convince myself that he wasn’t worth my emotions, that there was nothing special about him. But I couldn’t. I knew him. I knew his talents and his sense of humor and that quiet strength that made him keep showing up at school even though everyone bullied him.

  I shut the yearbook and sighed. I couldn’t deny that I had romantic feelings for Frog, but I was going to have to get over them quick. I had a fleeting thought that maybe I had overwhelmed him, like Milo had suggested before, but I buried it. It wasn’t going to do me any good to hold on to slim possibilities. I was going to have to deal with the fact that Frog had been a wonderful friend, and just forget about him. And the best way to forget about him was to stop moping around my house.

  I got myself ready and headed over to the school, making it in time for orchestra class, where I actually paid attention for the first time in weeks. After that was lunch. I got my food and went to sit with Milo at our table in the corner. I wasn’t really looking forward to talking to him, because inevitably he would bring up Frog, but I figured I could try and steer the conversation away from that topic.

  “So, are you ready for chem lab today?” Milo asked as I sat down.

  I racked my brain, trying to remember what was supposed to happen in class. “I guess so,” I replied hesitantly.

  Milo raised his eyebrows. “We’re dissecting frogs.”

  Before I could groan, I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned around and saw Miranda standing behind me. Her face was slightly puffy, as if she’d been crying.

  “Hey Kayla, can I sit here?”

  I narrowed my eyes at her, then looked behind her, wondering if this was some kind of trick. She sat down next to me, not waiting for an answer.

  “Kayla, I believe you,” she said, staring at the table, “about what happened with you and Wyatt.”

  I swallowed hard, suddenly feeling indignant. “What did he do to you?”

  “He forced me to...” and then Miranda broke into tears.

  I didn’t know what to do. On one hand, she had been awful to me the past few weeks, but on the other hand, I knew how she was feeling, and no one should have to feel that way.

  I leaned closer to her and lowered my voice. “Miranda, are you... pregnant?”

  “No, he didn’t get that far,” she sniffed. “But he probably would have if my dad hadn’t come in.”

  “Your dad? Where were you?”

  “In my bedroom.”

  I shook my head, shocked at Wyatt’s audacity. To try something like that at her house when her parents were home was ludicrous.

  “Kayla, I know I’ve been terrible to you, and I’m so sorry. Do you think we could be friends again?”

  “Sure, but you’ll have to be friends with Milo too.”

  Miranda looked at him and Milo gave her an impish wave. She shrugged. “That’s fine.”

  I stared at her. This was the girl who didn’t even want to go near unpopular people, and she hadn�
��t even hesitated. The experience with Wyatt must have really changed her.

  “Okay,” I said, nodding, “let’s work on being friends.”

  She smiled and wiped the tears from her face. “Thanks, Kayla. And thank you too, Milo.”

  Milo reddened. “Anytime,” he replied awkwardly.

  “So you’ll probably want to change your seat in chem lab,” I said quickly. “I don’t think we can have three at our table, but I bet you could switch with one of the football players.”

  I glanced over at Miranda, but she wasn’t paying attention. She had shrunk back in her chair and was looking at someone behind me. I knew exactly who it was.

  “Looks like rejects band together,” Wyatt laughed, leering at Miranda. “You’re building up quite the little convent over here.”

  I was so angry at Wyatt that I was ready to hit him over the head with my chair. But before I couldn’t do anything, Milo jumped out of his seat and walked over to Wyatt. He only came up to his chest.

  “Haven’t you done enough?” He said defiantly. “Leave them alone already!”

  Wyatt looked down at Milo and chuckled. “Or what, little man? Are you going to punch me in the knees?”

  Milo inclined his head. “Actually, that’s not a bad idea.” He grabbed his lunch tray and slammed it into Wyatt’s knees, causing him to buckle over, then Milo elbowed him hard in the ribs.

  “I will kill you, you little hobbit!” Wyatt yelled, lunging at Milo. Milo slipped out of the way and Wyatt crashed into a chair. He straightened and whipped around, ready to charge at Milo again, but I quickly stood in front of him.

  “I wouldn’t fight back,” I said evenly. “That’s not going to help your case.”

  Wyatt glared at me for a moment, then snarled and walked away.

  I sat back down at the table and turned my attention to Milo, who was calmly eating his sandwich. “That was really impressive,” I said.

  Milo shrugged. “It’s just something I learned from playing so much Street Fighter V.”

  “I know that game,” Miranda said quietly. “I played it a few times back in middle school.”

  Milo’s eyebrows shot up. “Cool. We should all play it sometime.”

  “Yeah, that’d be fun,” Miranda replied with a tentative smile.

  I shook my head. This was all so weird, but I was liking where it was headed.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Frog

  “Okay, Freddy, here’s the zombie powder,” Zane said, handing me a small, sealed bag of reddish dust.

  “Is that really what it’s called?” I asked, tucking it into an inside pocket of my suit.

  “No, it’s got some fancy Latin name, but that’s what I like to call it,” Zane replied with a sly grin.

  We were in a small waiting room at the top of a massive staircase that led down into the banquet hall of the old castle. Travel up to the surface from below had been pretty congested with everyone trying to get up for the gala, but somehow, nearly a thousand people had successfully made the trip. I could hear the noise of the crowd that was gathered down in the banquet hall, and my nerves were about to overtake my senses. Not only was I anxious about being presented to all those people and playing my guitar in front of them, but I was also on edge about Zane’s risky plan to get me to Indiana.

  “Near the end of the banquet, they’re going to do a ceremonial toast for your entrance into Gulbranian society,” Zane explained. “Just pour the powder in your glass and drink it down. Make sure you’re not near anything sharp because you’ll loose consciousness immediately, and you don’t want to injure yourself unnecessarily. It’ll look like someone poisoned you, and you’ll appear lifeless for about three hours.”

  “And then what?”

  “The security team will transport you to the airport. You should be awake by the time you get there.”

  I shook my head. There seemed to be a million things that could go wrong with this plan. “How do you think my parents are going to feel about this when they find out?”

  “Oh, they’ll be livid,” Zane replied. “They’ll go berserk. I might just lose my job,” he added, smiling excitedly. “But if it gives them an advantage over the Jumerum, and I think it will, then they’ll forgive me. And you’ll get to see your girl, so, it’s a win-win!”

  I gulped. Nothing about this seemed like a win-win. I felt immense guilt at the impending grief I was going to be inflicting on my parents. What kind of son was I? To fake my own death just to go see some girl? And yet, she wasn’t just some girl. She was the girl of my dreams, and she loved me. Plus, my parents had put me through a lot of pain over the past ten years, so I figured that on some level, this was payback.

  “Anyway,” Zane said, patting me on the back, “I’ve got to go. Your date is going to be here soon. Good luck!” Then he turned and nearly skipped out the door.

  I looked once again at my reflection in the mirror across the room. I had to admit that the royal suit was really nice, with its regal high neck and the threads of Gulbranak woven in. I once again had to remind myself that this was the real me, even though I still felt like that scrawny guy that had been tormented so often back in Indiana. A few moments later I heard giggling outside the door, and I knew that Kirsten had arrived. I took a deep breath and stepped out to meet her.

  “Oh my gosh!” She exclaimed. “You look so amazing.”

  I reddened. Her unadulterated adoration was a little embarrassing. “You look very nice as well,” I replied. She did, in fact, look very pretty. Her blonde hair was done up and she was wearing a pink dress that was probably a little too tight, but my thoughts at that moment were almost entirely on Kayla. Nothing could compare to her beauty, the kind that radiated from deep within her because of the amazing person she was.

  Kirsten took her phone out of a small clutch and handed it to a guard that was standing at the top of the staircase.

  “Will you take our picture?” She gushed, grabbing my arm and pulling me closer. The guard quickly complied, then instructed us to wait silently for the announcement.

  We stood there for a few agonizing moments, and I took the time to study the banquet hall. It was beautifully decorated, with lush greenery and ornate lanterns that framed the huge windows that lined each side of the giant room. Then the crowd below quieted and a loud, deep voice spoke through a microphone.

  “People of Gulbrania, may I present to you your prince, Frederick Vonnegan!”

  I took Kirsten’s arm and we descended the staircase to loud applause that didn’t let up until we reached the bottom. A few members of the press took our picture, and then we stood there awkwardly with everyone staring at us. I didn’t know what to do or how to react. Was I supposed to say something? Then two dignitaries came forward to greet me, and the room broke into the pleasant sounds of chatting and laughter. From that point on, there seemed to be an endless supply of important people who wanted to meet me and introduce themselves. At first my conversation with them was stilted and uncomfortable, but after about an hour I fell into a congenial pattern of conversation, and I was actually grateful for Tabitha’s etiquette lessons. Kirsten didn’t leave my side or even let go of my arm, which was actually fine with me, because whenever there was a lull in the conversation, she jumped right in.

  We finally broke away long enough to get a drink, and Kirsten pointed to a tall, gangly teenager with a large nose and beady eyes.

  “Do you see that guy?” She whispered, her eyes playful.

  “Yeah,” I replied. “Why? Is he someone important?”

  “No,” Kirsten giggled. “I have no idea who he is. But he is so ugly! Have you ever seen anyone so unattractive?”

  I straightened, feeling a little sick to my stomach. In just those few words Kirsten had shown me her true colors, and I wondered how she would have felt about me if she had met me just a few months before.

  “Yes, actually, I have,” I said soberly. “I used to see someone uglier than that every day in my mirror.”
r />   She gave me a puzzled look, but then went back to preening for pictures and finding other people to gossip about. I had never appreciated Kayla more. After that I made it a point to go talk to the gangly guy, who turned out to be really funny and nice.

  The evening seemed to fly by, and before I knew it, I was on a small stage, preparing to perform for an expectant audience. My fingers were a little stiff as I started to play my guitar, but after a few moments my anxiety melted away as I got caught up in the music that had always been such a helpful distraction in my life. I played and sang the same song I had performed at the school talent show months ago, but there was no screen in front of me, and nobody laughed or made fun of me. When I ended there was abundant applause, but I wasn’t sure if it was because they had really enjoyed it or if they just felt obligated to please me.

  Immediately following the performance was the ceremonial toast, and all of my nervousness came rushing back. I sat down at a long table as the glasses were filled. My father stood and was saying something about me, but I couldn’t concentrate on his words because I was so consumed with what I was about to do. For a moment I considered abandoning the plan, of saving my parents the momentary heartache, but my desire to see Kayla was so strong that I was willing to go through this bizarre charade. I had the presence of mind to notice that my father was finishing up, and I reached inside my suit pocket to retrieve the powder.

  And then, suddenly, an alarm sounded. Most of the people looked confused or afraid, but when I glanced at my dad, he almost seemed excited.

  “Citizens of Gulbrania, we are under attack,” a sterile voice announced through the speakers. “There are evacuation routes on the east side of the hall. Please evacuate immediately.”

  There was a grating sound as five large tunnels opened up along the wall on the east side. I watched as large groups of guests in formal wear fled through the openings. A few moments later, the windows shattered as dozens of armed people crashed through them, rappelling onto the floor. There were about 200 guests that had not yet evacuated, and they picked up the pace of their exit at the sight of the obvious danger.