Butterfly Prince

by Britannica Tany

  And so with the comfort of his younger brother, Janus cried and cried for all those years he had been strong and for all those years he had missed with his brother…

  ~*~

  Jenna was standing outside of the hospital, her phone in her hand as she decided whether or not she should call him. “How should I start the conversation?” she asks herself, the wind blowing, she swipes her bangs to the side and looks up towards the sky. “So much has changed…” she murmurs, her eyes following a plane as it flew in the blue sky. A single white swan in a beautifully empty lake…

  She presses his name on her phone and the call button, she brings the phone to her ear and waits. Brrrr.Brrrrr.Brrrrrrrng. She swallows when the line clicks and Aiden’s voice answers. “Hello?” he sounded happy. “Aiden.”

  “Jenna!” he exclaims and she imagined him stumbling out of his bed to rush and meet her. “Where are you? I was wondering if we could meet…” She murmurs, there’s a shuffling sound on his end and his voice appears distantly before reappearing closely. “I’m with Kael.”

  “Oh…” she didn’t want to think about what they could possibly be doing together, so instead she says what’s been on her mind. “I was thinking that we could meet.”

  “Right now?”

  “Is now a bad time?” she questions and he answers instantly. “No, not at all…” his voice distances suddenly and faintly in the background, she could make out the sound of Kael’s voice. “Jenna…” Aiden begins, sounding somewhat cautious. “Yes?”

  “Kael wants to know if he can meet with you too?” Another plane roars above her head and her gaze drops down to her feet. “Jenna?” she clenches her fists, swallowing what felt like cactus going down her throat. “Sure.” It was time to look at things through a pair of new eyes. It was just like Janus had said: Why blame Kael? He came to you both with honest intentions. It’s not his fault, Jenna thought. “I’m at the hospital…”

  “Alright, we’ll be there soon.” There’s a pause and a wave of silence as though they were both deciding whether or not to hang up. “Jenna…”

  “Yes, Aiden?” There’s another pause, but it felt more comfortable this time. “Thank you.” He says softly and she laughs, the sound a bitter hiccup. “Shut-up.” She hangs up before he’s able to say anything else and looks up towards the sky again. “Well,” the ends of her shirt flap in the wind and she smiles a closed lipped smile, her eyes glittering bitter-sweetly. “I guess it’s time to truly move on.”

  ….

  Aiden stares down at his phone and looks towards Kael who was making the final touches to the greenhouse. “She wants us to meet her at the hospital.” Kael places the picture frame in his hands down and walks over to Aiden, he leans down draping his arms across Aiden’s shoulders and leaning against his back. “I finally get to see her.” He states and Aiden glances back at him, turning his head so their eyes could meet. “How do you feel?” Kael asks and Aiden sighs. “I don’t know.” Kael smiles. “Understandable.” He says and together, after locking up the greenhouse, they go to see Jenna.

  ….

  She was waiting in the hospital cafeteria, her hands clasped tightly together. No need to be nervous, why would I be? She asks herself, her phone vibrating with a text: where are you? It was from Aiden. She replies: in the cafeteria. She presses send looking up and all around for their approaching figures. Their interactions as of right now felt as though nothing had really changed, simple text messages like back in 10th grade. She heaves a girlish sigh, her eyes fluttering. “Should I date again?” she asks herself. “I think that would be a nice start.” She jumps at the voice, her head whipping around to see who had spoken such words. “Dr. Yung!?” he smiles warmly. “You looked distraught, so I came over to see what was wrong.” His brown eyes seemed to be only filled with thoughts of her. “Oh,” she laughs nervously. “Thanks for your concern, but I’m alright.” His gaze zeros in on her. “Are you sure?”

  “Yes…just meeting with a few friends I haven’t seen in a while.” She flashes a stiff smile, her eyes being drawn to the two approaching figures behind Dr. Yung. She rises up slowly. “They’re here.” He stares at her for a moment before turning to follow her gaze. There they saw Aiden and Kael approaching. Dr. Yung’s eyes widen—although Kael was dressed casually in a white tee and ripped jeans—everyone who saw his face knew that he was the Prince. You couldn’t mistake the hypnotic eyes or the aura of royalty that surrounded him. Upon seeing Jenna, Kael’s entire expression brightens and his steps quicken until he’s standing in front of her. “Jenna,” he exhales, his arms opening as though he wanted to embrace her. Dr. Yung looks between them, his gaze lingering on Kael. “Y-you,” Kael turns towards him and says simply. “Yes, I’m the Prince.”

  “You shouldn’t go around telling people like that.” Aiden scolds, pinching the back of Kael’s thigh so that the Doctor wouldn’t see, but Jenna had seen it all. “You’ll keep this meeting confidential.” Aiden states, taking on the role of the Prince’s bodyguard. “O-of course.”

  “You should sit.” Jenna’s voice drifts into the conversation and they all look to her. Aiden’s eyes settle on her and she looks over to him and their eyes lock. But instead of a tingle or shock of electricity, there was nothing, only a dull ache and the sweeping away of their shared memories. “Yeah…” Dr. Yung looks at Jenna looking at Aiden and then it clicks. So he’s the ex. Aiden and Kael sit across from Jenna, their legs touching as they sat closely beside each other. Their natural intimacy was no longer heartbreaking to her, but it served as a statement to the change that had taken place between them. “I haven’t seen you in so long.” Kael says and Jenna nods. “Yes… you still look as handsome as ever.” She compliments and Kael chuckles. Dr. Yung looks at Kael, his attention drawn to the way Kael carried himself. It was like his entire personality and actions were a juxtaposition—his voice and posture was that of a Prince, but the sparkle in his eyes was pure and bubbly. “Thank you.” Kael bows his head slightly and Jenna noticed the way in which Aiden was staring at him. That look…if anyone saw it they would instantly be able to tell the depth of their relationship. “I wanted to set things straight,” she starts and Aiden focuses his attention on her. Dr. Yung quietly excuses himself, slinking out of the cafeteria, his gaze lingering on the back of Jenna’s head. “No—that’s not how it should be said—I want to patch things up between us.” Kael’s eyes widen in shock. “As in…go back to how it was in the beginning?” he asks to make sure he was understanding her words clearly. “Something like that, although I understand that things will never be the same.”

  “…yes...” Aiden mutters, his gaze sliding away from hers in shame. “And I’d also like to apologize.” This time her eyes were filled with shame. “My outburst from a month or so ago at the diner…” Kael recalls it and so did Aiden, they look to her seriously. “I shouldn’t have said such, I’m sorry.” She stands up to bow deeply and Kael rushes forward to clutch her slender shoulder. “Please,” he pleads and she looks up to meet his solid, black eyes. “Let’s not.”

  “Kael…” he smiles at her, his hand sliding away from her shoulder and he sits back down. Aiden was watching them, his eyes flicking between their faces and then, underneath the table, he places a reassuring hand to Kael’s thigh. Jenna’s heart gives a kick and she heaves a sigh. “You’re right…lets start again.” So they do—from beginning to end—they go over what’s been said and done in the past and they talk it over instead of making biased assumptions. Jenna listens to Aiden, her eyes glittering with the friendship she had with him from so long ago. They heard each other out and even brought up memories from when they first met. “I thought you were the cutest thing Kael.” Jenna admits and Kael looks to her quizzically. “I always thought you reminded me of a lost and confused puppy…” her words fade off and suddenly she’s looking at them, her expression bordering admiration and respect. “I feel like a fool.” She blurts and Aiden chuckles lightly. “We all do.”

  �
��We’ve all had our fair share of mistakes and regrets.” Kael adds and Jenna smiles sadly. “Let’s end it here with the fact that things won’t be the same between us, yet accepting that fact and continuing to be friends.” Aiden and Kael look to each other and then back at her. “Agreed.” They say in unison and Jenna laughs, her laughter shielding the tears she felt like shedding. She wipes at her eyes and Aiden reaches over to lightly touch her hand. She flinches, her eyes widening. “Aiden…”

  “Just let me say this.” Kael looks to Aiden with a loving gaze and then looks back towards Jenna. “I’m so grateful towards you, there’s not enough words to convey the thankfulness I have for you and all that you’ve done.” He squeezes her hand. “Maybe this isn’t the time to say this, but who knows when I’ll have such a chance again.” And so he smiles patting her hand before pulling his away and Kael smiles, rising up to his feet. “We came with the hope of being able to see Francis.” He explains and Jenna blinks. “Ah, yes…”

  “Do you think he’ll want to see us?” Aiden asks and Jenna sighs with a shake of her head. “There’s no way of telling, Janus gave us a good talking to a few days ago.” She smiles to herself. “I think…what he’s having to deal with the most right now is the pain of losing his ability to dance and his bestfriend.” Kael turns to them questioningly. “Is that who shot him?”

  “Yes, the other person you saw, that was Kai, and I think you met him briefly once.” Aiden says and Kael nods dazedly. “Yes…I believe so.” How would someone get over such shock and betrayal? To be shot by your best-friend…was there even any room for forgiveness or explanation? “I’ll call Janus and tell him that you’re on your way.” Jenna says pulling out her phone and dialing Janus’s number. “I miss him around the castle…” Kael murmurs, his hand slipping down to interlock with Aiden’s. “I may have not realized it, but, I guess…Janus was truly my first friend.” Aiden glances towards Kael. “He always took such great care in my well-being, not just what my mother and father wanted of him, but what he thought I wanted for myself.” Kael leans against Aiden’s body, angling himself so that he could rest his head on Aiden’s shoulder. “I love Janus Lee.” Kael mumbles and Aiden’s eyes widen, he looks to Kael skeptically. “Not like I love you.” Kael says quickly. “But how I would have loved my father…” Aiden’s expression shifts and then he squeezes Kael’s hand. “He’s a good man.”

  “Mm, I just wonder when he and Micah will start seriously dating.” Aiden chuckles. “They’re cute together.”

  “It’s about time he got married, don’t you think?” Kael asks, his gaze drifting over to Jenna who was talking excitedly on the phone. “He’s almost thirty…” he adds and Aiden shrugs, Kael’s head moving up and down against his shoulder. “Maybe now that he doesn’t have to watch over you…this is his chance to develop his relationships with those around him.”

  “Yes…probably.” Jenna turns around and the second she does, Kael detaches himself from Aiden’s shoulder and stands up straight. “So?” He asks and slowly a smile falls across her lips. “Yes, you can come up.” Kael’s eyes light up and he drops Aiden’s hand, rushing over to hug her. His solid frame and excitement nearly crushing her. It was a bit awkward, but she lightly hugged him back.

  ~*~

  Janus quickly gathers himself, wiping his eyes and splashing cold water on his face. Francis was sitting up calmly in his bed, listening to the music he had on his phone. A foreign artist was blasting in his ears and he would nod his head up and down to the rhythm. Janus dries his face walking over to Francis to remind him that Kael and Aiden would be arriving soon. He nods lowering the volume of his music and looking towards the window. The window had become a sort of solace to him—a book one may read when bored—that window was his book. The sky and the stars and the sun his words and looking out of it helped him to cope with the loss of his leg. His leg—he could numbly feel it—the ache and need to dance. It was like his leg was twitching. Come on, let’s dance, just one jump and on pop. Lets dance, Francis. But he knew that couldn’t happen. He looks over towards the door when it opens and two heads peep through the crack. He isn’t surprised to see them and an odd feeling of comfort comes when he sees that Aiden is rushing over to him and gripping his hand. “Francis.” He reads his lips. “Why’d you have to go and do this?” he questions and Francis takes out his headphones, staring at Aiden and grinning. “Do you feel bad?” he asks and Aiden looks to him as though he were surprised to hear him speak. “Francis.” Jenna warns and he chuckles. “I’m only pulling his leg.” With such an idiom used, the air became stiff and tense. “Come on,” he pleads jokingly, the grin on his face faltering. Janus comes up behind Kael and squeezes his shoulder. “Long time no see, your majesty.” Kael turns around and wastes no time in wrapping his arms around Janus. “Everything’s falling apart without you there.” He says against Janus’s neck. “Everything as in the castle and not you?” Janus asks, rubbing Kael’s back. “Haha,” Kael smiles. “Yes, everything except for me.”

  “Good.” Francis looks over to them and Aiden follows his gaze. “Is your reunion over?” he cracks and Kael springs away from Janus and rushes over to Francis. The expression on his face was that of a Prince speaking before his public; there was an apology in his eyes. “It is my wish and my prayer that all misunderstandings between us will be cleared up.”

  “If they aren’t?” Francis tests and Kael’s lips curl up in the slightest of ways. “I will continue to see you; every day and I will not leave you alone until otherwise.” Francis snorts, briefly glancing at Aiden who was still staring at him and then towards Jenna who was also staring at him. His gaze finally rests on Kael. “Is all of royalty this persistent?” He questions and Kael smiles. “No, just me.” Aiden and Janus exchange knowing looks, a little smile playing along their lips.

  “What is a Prince?” Janus asks and a 17-year old Kael sighs. “Something I’m not.”

  “But you are.” Janus leans towards Kael and whispers “You are a Prince that is the label that has been placed on you.” Kael sighs. “But you are not yet a real Prince.” Kael squints at him. “So tell me, Kael…what makes you a true Prince?”

  Kael sits on the edge of Francis’s hospital bed, his eyes raking up and down Francis’s thin frame, lingering on his bandaged leg. “A true Prince…”

  “Yes, tell me.”

  “Someone who cares for those around him.” Janus nods. “Go on.” He gestures with his hand and Kael continues to speak. “A true Prince is someone who is honest and takes a pure interest in others.” Janus smiles. “He is someone who maintains a healthy relationship with those around him.”

  “Exactly.” Janus cups Kael’s chin so that he could look into his youthful eyes. “You may not believe it yourself, you may not want to believe it,” Janus smiles. “But you already have those qualities—the qualities of a beloved Prince.”

  Kael takes Francis’s hand, bringing it towards his lips and kissing the back of his hand. Francis’s eyes widen and his cheeks flush. “I will do everything it takes in order for you to trust me and if you can’t get there.” His dark eyes flit up to meet Francis’s. “I will be just fine if we are to remain as acquaintances.” He smiles dimly, dropping Francis’s hand. Jenna had gasped, her cheeks flushed pink and Aiden only shook his head with a smile. “W-w-what?” Francis stutters and Kael chuckles. “Sorry, it’s a custom.” He explains and Janus laughs, his heart easing because now things had been sorted about between this quartet.

  Words Aren’t Enough

  Count my breaths, not my actions. Count the beats of my heart and not the movements of my hands. Listen to the sound of my voice when you’re near.

  Just listen.

  ~*~

  Janus was walking down the hospital hallway, when he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turns around, smiling at Micah who was holding a bag of food. “You must be the delivery man.” Janus jokes and Micah shrugs with a grin. “Only for you.” Janus’s smile broadens and he pulls Micah towards
him in a chaste kiss. “Let’s go sit, Francis’s sleeping.” Janus says taking Micah’s hand and leading him towards the hospital cafeteria. Being that it was late, not many people were out. There were a few patients and nurses chatting at the tables. Micah and Janus beside each other, separating the food. “Looks homemade.” Janus notices and Micah nods. “Jenna stopped by earlier and she wanted me to give you this, she had an exam and couldn’t deliver it personally.”