But should I pretend that it did happen? Or should I still tell the horrifying truth about her absence?

I was about to admit the truth until my mouth uttered a word I regretted, “Yes.”

“What do you mean by ‘yes’?”

“We had a little misunderstanding on our way back home. I, uh, I tried to persuade her to forget the conversation and proceed with our journey back. But she ran off,” my mouth spouted lie after lie, adding more layers to the problem and buried me into a much deeper hole. If I continued this charade, that hole would be big enough to be my official grave.

He chuckled as another smirk appeared on his face. “If I were you, I would get used to it. Since she was a child, she would always resort to that attitude.”

I let out a nervous laugh. I tried my best to hide my worry but it came out as it is. To ignore it, I cleared my throat after. I replied, “I’m surprised you never gave her some kind of heavy punishment for those moments.”

As Grandpa Ben explained his side of the story, my conscience isn’t happy with what I just did. Guilt and shame has started to fill my emotions and if I continued to stay here, I might spit out everything.

“Are you all right, Robert? You seem to be deep in your thoughts at the moment,” he asked, trying to get my attention.

“Oh, my apologies, Grandpa Ben,” I blinked quickly, clearing my throat. “I just… have so much running through my mind.” And that includes the planning on how to rescue your daughter.

“Well, I guess it’s time for you to return home,” he answered as he stood up, his right hand held tight onto his walking stick. “And don’t worry too much about Laura. She will return home when she has her time alone.”

My heart felt as if a sword pierced right through it. The tone of assurance in his voice, the certainty that she will come home… it’s all too painful to hear.

“Robert, you’re lost in your thoughts again,” Grandpa Ben tapped me on my back.

“Oh!” I immediately rose up from the bench as I returned to our conversation. “I’m sorry if I’m in a bit of a daze, Grandpa Ben. I just had a lot on my mind right now. I couldn’t stop thinking about…” I stopped as soon as I knew I was about to blurt out Laura.

Grandpa Ben then moved closer to me. He put his arm behind my back and held onto my other shoulder. “Whatever it is, don’t take it to heart too much. And if it’s about Laura, she’ll be fine.”

Oh, how I wished that were true. I wished that Laura wouldn't be tortured by her abductors. I didn’t want anyone to lay a hand on her. And should anyone try to do so would meet their untimely death.

“Right now, I can see you need a bit of a rest,” he continued as he gave me a bit of a shake. He then gently walked me towards Wonder. “Why don’t you head home and do something else to take your mind off of things?”

I turned around to face him. “But, Grandpa Ben--”

“I insist that you go home, Robert.”

He had his hand on my chest to stop me from protesting. If I can’t tell Grandpa Ben the truth right now, it’s probably better to keep him in the dark so I could think of better ways to make sure Laura returns to this bakery alive and well.

I sighed as I hung my head low. As soon as he saw I was defeated in this conversation, he removed his hand from my chest. I raised my head and said, “Should Laura return after I leave… tell her…” I struggled to continue as this lie has done nothing but make me feel even worse about myself. “Tell her that I am sorry.”

Grandpa Ben nodded with a smile.

I gave him a nod of acknowledgement and as soon as I got on Wonder, I rode away, not even turning around to look.

♔♔♔

As I approached the stairs at the castle doors, the guards immediately ran towards me. I got off Wonder as I pulled into a stop at the bottom of the staircase.

“Your Highness,” the guards greeted.

“Make sure Wonder is secured and taken care of,” I instructed as I handed her over to the guard on my right. I then turned to the two guards in front of me. “Gentlemen,” I spoke in a low voice as I moved closer to them. “Go to the Mortal Realm and find a bakery called the Winston Bakery. Make sure nothing happens to everyone there. Bring three more guards with you.”

They looked at each other for a moment, confused on why I’m giving this command. They gave each other a nod and replied with a bow, “As you wish, Your Highness.”

“Also, I don’t want this to be known by anyone, especially the kind and Gonzalo,” I added.

They nodded once again and went on their way.

Without wasting any more time, I ran up the stairs and swung the doors open.

♔♔♔

The doors created a loud thud that echoed throughout the halls. My entrance caused the guards to turn their heads to my direction in my shock but they were still able to greet me.

“James?” I began to call out as I walked further into the castle. Most of the time, James would be in one of the rooms down here but for some reason, he’s not answering. “James?!” I shouted louder as I began to go up the stairs. “James!”

“Your Highness?” a voice called to me from downstairs.

I turned my head and there, I saw Gonzalo in the middle of the hall.