Laplace, his mother, Queen Alicia, and his sister, Sapphire found a place to sit and have a reunion. They were in a wide room with a black carpet. They were sitting on red couches, beside two huge bookshelves.
"I'm so sorry honey. I feel horrible for not being in your life in those tough years you were away." Alicia said, her voice laced with a ton of guilt. She was on the verge of sobbing every time she mentioned her son's orphan years.
Laplace sighed and smiled. He finally felt at home, reuniting with his whole family. He did not mind the hard years, as it taught him to be strong and to take care of himself. He spoke calmly and joyfully. "As long as we stay together from now on, I'll be the happiest son."
Hearing that, Alicia felt a huge weight drop off from her shoulders. She smiled and walked up to Laplace. She hugged him once again, this time shortly, but incredibly right.
Alicia looked at the grand clock that was by the door and looked back at her children, somewhat sorrowful that she had to leave, but she composed herself. "Well, I have a meeting to get to. Have fun on your guys's adventure!" Her tone was cheerful and somewhat playful. Alicia walked out the room before her children could reply, fixing her slick black dress.
Laplace stared at the door for a moment, and his eyes shined. He turned to Sapphire, who was sitting across from him, and he spoke, his voice laced with confusion. "Wait…are you going on the trip with me?"
Laplace's jaw dropped slightly while he waited for an answer. Sapphire smiled and winked at him, not replying to his question. She skipped out of the room and waved at Laplace, clearly she was mocking him playfully. She giggled slightly as she left.
Laplace thought: Ugh, that girl can be so frustrating sometimes! Gonna beat her up one day, I swear!
…
At the long dining table in the palace, Laplace's family was eating dinner. They were having lamb chops and greens, especially prepared by the best chefs in the kingdom. Laplace has been taking manner lessons for the past few weeks with his sister.
Everyone finished dinner, and they all began to leave to their bedrooms. Laplace has been eyeing the king, waiting for the moment to ask him questions about the upcoming trip. Queen Alicia and Princess Sapphire were taking their leave, and King Maxwell followed them.
Laplace called out to his father, asking him to wait for him. "Wait, father! Can we talk?" His father, confused about the somewhat sudden outburst, agreed to wait. He didn't say a word but stood still beside the door, he waited for Laplace to speak, his gaze calm.
Laplace rushed to the king's side and took a minute to catch his breath. He then spoke in a serious tone. "I have some questions for the trip tomorow. Please, sit. This might take a while." Laplace glared at the king's eyes, showing no fear.
King Maxwell thought for a moment. I guess I can spare some time for the boy. He sat down beside Laplace and waited for his questions. He was patient and calm, sitting neatly, with perfect posture.
Laplace took a deep breath and spoke. "Where is the trip to, and why is Saphy coming with me?" His voice was curious, and he also seemed somewhat annoyed at the last part. The King could make out that Sapphire had annoyed Laplace recently, as always.
A thought suddenly came into the King's mind. Saphy? He's never called his sister that… I guess they have become even closer these past few weeks. Nice to know they are getting along. "The trip is to the City of Lightning, Lumian. It is our neighboring city and our biggest ally. I am entrusting our relationship with the other city in your hands, boy. Be careful. As for Sapphire tagging along with you, that is because she also needs experience. After all, she needs to be one of the greatest princesses the Royal Family has seen....Or so she says."
Laplace felt as if a lightbulb flickered in his mind. "That makes so much more sense. When will the carriage leave?" His voice was calm now, no longer as nervous as before.
The king sighed and spoke. "Three in the morning. If I were you, I would go to sleep right now to get the best sleep you can afford." He seemed calm, as if he expected Laplace to already know about this information.
Laplace's eyes widened. Three in the morning?! Why has no one mentioned this to me till now! If I sleep as soon as I possibly can, I will only be able to get around five hours of sleep! "That's all I wanted to know, thank you father." His voice seemed calm, but beneath the facade he has clearly nervous, as the king could sense.
Laplace rushed out the dining table, and headed straight for the bathroom. The king stood in his seat for a minute longer and pondered. That boy…he will be strong. I just know it. From watching him train his swordsmanship for one minute, I can already confirm that he has better swordsmanship than anyone in this city, including me and the academy!…
It was two in the morning. Laplace woke up, half asleep and headed to the bathroom. He took a cold soothing shower to wake him up and settle his nerves. Today is the big day. I will finally do my job as the prince!
3 distinct loud knocks rang out. "Hurry up, big brother! We are about to leave!" Sapphire yelled through the bathroom door while banging on it.
Laplace was startled. It's two in the morning! Why is she saying that we are leaving already? Again, the 3 knocks repeated, faster this time. "Hurry up! It's three, brother! You have been showering for an hour! A whole hour!" Sapphires voice was somewhat whiny, like a bratty kid.
Laplace was confused. "Huh?!" He exclaimed. He quickly dried himself up, fixed his looks and hair, and began putting the clothes he had put on a hanger on. "I'm done!" Laplace yelled as he was almost out of the bathroom, still putting on his shirt. He opened the door and was not welcomed by Sapphire or any maids, but by his father.
His father was holding clothes and jewelry. On one hand, he was holding a white shirt and pants with gold around the collar and wrist area. The clothes were made of fine, silky material, which was incredibly smooth to the touch. On the other hand, he was holding a lot of jewelry. A gold necklace, a couple of rings, and earrings. Laplace's jaw dropped at the enormous amount of jewelry the king was holding.
His father thought little about the size of the jewelry, because he had at least two hundred times that amount of jewelry in his closet. But he saw that Laplace was eyeing the jewelry, and heart-fully laughed.
"Haha! These are for you. No son from my family will dress boringly!" The king seemed proud and his tone was somewhat cocky.
Laplace nodded and immediately took the clothes and garments and started changing as fast as he could, to not be late.
His father spoke from the other side of the door. "Your luggage is already on the carriage. The maids left out white shoes for you to wear near the entrance of the palace. Make me proud, son! I want to hear good news from the heir of the Lumian household!" He patted his sons back.
Laplace smiled and yelled to his father. "I will not disappoint, father!" He quickly ran out of the room.
…
Laplace ran to the carriage. His sister and the merchants were already ready to start the trip. Most of them glared at him, their gaze burning through him. "Sorry I'm late! I might have dozed off in the bath!" Laplace apologized while panting heavily.
He sat next to his sister in the wooden carriage. The incredibly large brown wooden carriage had two rooms. One for the royal siblings, and the other for the merchants. The rooms were carpeted with red wool and the seats were soft and cozy, made with fine material. There were two long platforms acting as a bed in both rooms.
On the outside was the royal family's personal driver. He is an experienced carriage driver, and in front of him were four horses that were carrying the carriage with them.
Laplace looked at the beautiful night sky, and thought. The trip begins now.