Our hope

"Your little Prince ss run away?" She asked taking a sip of wine that she had beside her.

"The Prince would never run away from his responsibilities. Unlike some people he thinks about the people before his own comfort every single time. Something that I can see you have not been able to figure out." The Rebel spat venom feeling every bit of rage that had been building up for a day. Something that was a lot more powerful than anything they had felt before.

"So he is still in the castle?" The Rebel Leader narrowed her eyes at the young rebel.

"He is recovering in our room with a personal guard." The Rebel started moving around the room needing to get out some energy before they exploded.

"I can't believe that I would need to protect my future husband from my own mother. I am so ashamed of your actions." The Rebel Leader laughed from the throne she was not sitting up in.

"Future husband. That is a good one. He is just using you baby. You should know this. Both James and Kate already had a bad influence on you. Now you really think this royal bitch could love you like a soulmate should?"

"He has loved me like no one else does. And I love him too." That was when the room dropped a few more degrees. The Rebel leader's got dangerous, and she started going on the attack. "I saw what you did, I helped him after what you fucking did. How dare you separate us only to strike him when he did what you asked. How many times do I have to tell you to make you see? He is not like the rest of his family!" The Rebel Leader started walking toward her child.

"You are blind, probably not helped by this so called love. Doing what you think is right by your little Prince ss. I am here to make sure that this won't be your downfall." She walked down the steps till she was on the same level as the rebel. Her face melting into something that could be seen as concern by a passer by. The Rebel could tell it wasn't genuine, it couldn't be after what she did.

"After everything that we worked for I refuse to let my beautiful child be pushed to the side just for some Prince ss playing dress up. Someone who would never have gotten the throne before this. Someone who was actively hidden from the public because there was no consequence of it. I am here to be your eyes to see through it's lies."

The Rebel Leader tried to put a loving hand on the rebels jaw as a bit of physical comfort. The Rebel took a sharp step backwards rage consuming them at the blatant disregard of their boyfriend.

"I am not as blind as you think I am. It is you that should be expecting a downfall. You ignore me, what I say about him, then you have the nerve to strike him when I am not there to stop you. What reason could you possibly have to do such a thing‽" Their mother was taken aback. This was out of character for the rebel, the confrontation, the yelling, the disobedience.

"Answer me!" they yelled again after a few seconds of silence. The Rebel Leader could just open and close her mouth, no words escaping. "No reason then. You have to no reason to be against us! No reason to just be sitting here tasting all the riches of the earth while we are the ones out helping to rebuild the kingdom that you destroyed.

He is far more deserving of the throne then you will ever be. It's Rigel's birth right as the only one left of the royal blood line. So he will be crowned king and when we are wed I will take his side as his consort. You will be luck to not be locked up for what you have done. The guards will show you much more mercy then I ever will."

Now the Rebel had come down from their yelling. Come back down from their anger to make a declaration that they didn't need to talk over with the Prince to know it was the best course of action.

"Tomorrow I want Rigel to take over everything that you have been doing and I never want to see you again." The Rebel Leader just gaped like a fish before saying five words that the Rebel hoped were the last she would say to them.

"You will regret this child." She spat out standing beside the Rebel as they looked at the throne.

Making sure to not look at the Rebel Leader they replied, "I will protect my beloved till the day I die. It doesn't matter who I have to remove to do that. He is my priority." The Rebel felt defeated, the Rebel Leader had ripped open holes that the Rebel thought they closed long ago.

◊◊◊

"Ace." Kate said running up to the tree by the river. The young Rebel was hanging from one of the higher up branches looking up at the leaves.

"You ever wonder how clouds feel?" He wondered out loud as his best friend climbed up to join him.

"What I would do to spend a couple hours in your brain." Ace sat up looking at her.

"I don't think you would be able to handle a few minutes much less a few hours." Ace said with a giggle.

"What ever you say dreamer. Who are we hiding from today?" Kate said starting a climb of her own.

"My mother. She has been on my tail about asking you out."

Kate smiled and rolled her eyes, "I don't think my boyfriend would like that very much."

"I don't think I would like the beating he would give me if I tried." Ace retorted.

"Damn right you wouldn't." James said from the ground before joining the other two in the tree. You could always find the three wandering around the small community in the outlands. Ace's mother organized it and got final say on most decisions. She was seen as the Leader and almost a queen of the community.

With Ace as the acting Prince , at least that what his friend said. It was nice to play along even if he didn't get a say in much as a Prince would. It was a little funny since everyone there hated the royals with a burning passion. Ace's mother was trying to get him to find a nice girl to bring into the family.

She always thought if they took down the kingdom then putting a young couple on the throne would win the popular vote. Providing a blood line was important to adults even if non of the children saw the appeal. To Ace it didn't make much sense, especially since he didn't really get those feelings. He was sure it had something to do with true love at first sight. That it was the only way he could fall in love.

"I'm sure you will find a nice girl to settle down with eventually. Even if it's a little later then your mother would like it." James said getting comfy in the branches above the two others.

"Any girl would be luck to have you." Kate tried to reassure Ace. The Rebel shrugged not really feeling it yet. They wanted a few more years just to run around a do stuff. That was if he could find his way back into the castle city. He didn't like who his mother has chosen him to be.

They all struggled with who they were going to be. The community using made up rules that were made to governor people. Keep the young in line and not see what was really going on. Kate would be betrothed to James if any of the adults found out she is actually with James and not just playing hard to get or just friends.

They were all gunning that she would pick Ace. James still had trouble with most practices in the medical field of which his father was training him to be. They all had their path planned out for them even if they weren't sure they wanted to take them. James was throwing himself into being a medic even teaching his friend how to do the basics for bruises and cuts.

This was when Ace fell in love, something that had not happened before. Sadly he would not get the chance to unravel why he felt like that or what to do about it. It was the winter to come that James would fall ill after helping with rounds. The sickness had taken half of the community when the snow melted before planting season.

Kate was almost inconsolable spending most of her time with Ace, everyone left them alone. That was when they decided to fight back against what they were being raised to be. So they went looking for something else. When they came back four months later they had taken on neutral identities.

Being outside of what they were expected from birth felt a lot more comfortable, a lot more free. It was fluid and freeing not to be chained to any preconceived roles that anyone could make up for them. Ace was protected as the 'Prince ' of the community, their mother even made people follow their new identity.

Kate was not so lucky as their whole purpose was connected to something that 'only women could do'. In their defiance they were killed and made an example for fighting back for the other young in the camp. They had only been home just a few weeks. One of the biggest things that Ace regretted was not protecting the one they were closest to.

Ones that made them feel comfortable, that they wanted to be around. They made a promise to themself about who ever they ended up falling in love with; they would protect with their life. It was a safe promise at the time with them still not feeling anything for anyone. That was till they had their love at first sight. Something so strong that it couldn't be anything else.

◊◊◊

They stormed through the halls of the castle back to the Prince 's room. They knocked and the Prince was talking with the lieutenant who instantly put himself in between the newcomer and the Prince . The Rebel had made a great choice.

"It's ok. Just me." The Rebel identified themself.

"Oh, Ace." The Prince stood and half ran half walked over to them. "Are you ok darling?" The Prince said cupping their face. The Rebel pulled the Prince into a tight hug old feelings and hurts flooded their system. They just wanted one night with their love to heal and forget for a time.

"I'm just going to go." The knight said moving from his place to the door.

"I will take over your work load tomorrow. I think you need a day to yourselves." He said before leaving the couple in as much peace as they could get.

"I'm sorry love. I volunteered you to take over whatever my mother had going on. We need to make appearances in the throne room tomorrow and start getting this place into order." The Rebel mumbled into the Prince 's ear.

"So she is..." The Prince trailed off both of them knowing the full question he was asking.

"Yes, forever. I could never have someone like that knowingly in the same building as you. I will do everything in my power to make sure she won't come back to hurt you." Tear started filling up their eyes at they pulled back to look at the Prince .

"It's ok darling. You have already done so much. But please if you are to do anything then don't let it be at the expense of yourself. I am to protect you as much as you protect me." The Rebel laughed breathlessly as they rested their forehead on the Prince 's.

"Sure love. Can we go to bed now? It had been a hell of a day for the both of us. Tomorrow we can sleep in ok?" The Prince took the rebels hand leading them to the bed. There was still a bit of light out the fight took longer then expected. The Rebel was on auto pilot as the Prince undressed and redressed them. The Rebel didn't have the capacity to think any more, about anything.

They just knew they needed to wrap themself around the Prince and never let go. Something that the Prince gladly accepted at they both got under the covers. The Rebel clung to the last bit of family they had. Thinking that this was all a bad dream and when they woke up they were going to be right back at the camp.

Horrifying images of his friends dead bodies that had been burned into their mind long ago flashed in front of them again. The sickly pail skin of their first love lips, fingers and toes an unnatural blue. Light red blood being the only thing covering their best friend as they hung in the square with words of hate carved into the skin.

The fear that they didn't do what they were told unless they were to end up like their friends washed over them in a panic pulling them deeper then they had been in years. An ache that they never could get to go away. It was this cold stabbing pain in the centre of their chest making them curl up to protect anything from getting to it.

Everything around them was dark. They were just handing in empty space curled up protecting the growing cold feeling inside them. This had happened when flash backs came to them about their friends. It always left them cold and sad. Then there was this buzzing.

A warm light vibration started from in between their hands. They took a few seconds to open their hands to find a small glowing ball. As time went on the buzzing spread from their hands, up their arms and started warming the hole in their chest. Finally the Rebel was able to take a full breath and not have to worry about it being their last. They were finally warm again.