Trapped In Hisstory

"Until we meet again."

Hours have long passed since Chance bid farewell and left the palace. He did not dare look back after the carriage has started moving, as he was afraid to see the look on their faces. Especially, Caliber. Even for just a short time, he has grown attached to the people in Canopus. He would surely miss them a lot.

His worried thoughts were replaced by the awkwardness between Alec Valorian and Chance because of the silence inside the carriage.

Chance could not help but to sneak a glance at his personal knight who was staring straight into the unknown, looking anywhere except his master, just like any other servant would.

He could not stand to have the silence go on any longer, "I wish to remove this silence between us, Alec." he said.

"I am afraid I am not that talkative, Your Highness." the Valorian knight responded, still not looking in Chance's direction.

"I just want it to end. I cannot take it if you are like this." Chance said. He really cannot stand it when both of them are in this state, the coldness of his knight is piercing through his skin, it hurts him.

"Have I not been like this from the beginning? I have always been one of silence." He answered.

The Crown prince shook his head as a response, " You are a quiet type of man, I do know that. But not like this. Not this type who makes me anxious and feel awkward."??

A wind exited the knight's nose after hearing his master's words, "You find it awkward?"

Chance went silent and slowly nodded to answer his knight's question. There were no next words that came after his question, and the carriage was once again filled with silence.

It was not that long before Chance broke the silence again, saying everything he could to explain to Alec, "Secrets. Secrets that are more than one. Secrets that you would never guess." he muttered.

Alec was confused, but he kept his expression blank as usual. "Secrets. Your secrets?"

"Yes."

"If it is something that I would never guess, then why would you not just tell me what it is?" he asked. "That way, I would not lose my mind thinking about it."

Chance touched his knee to get his attention, "Believe it or not, if I could tell you everything, I would do it with no hesitation." he said with his sincerest voice. "You are the only one I could trust the most other than myself. I really want to tell you, Alec."

He meant every word he says, and as he tells him his reason, he hoped that Alec would believe him even for just a bit.

The Valorian knight turned to him with furrowed brows but still not looking into his eyes, "What is it that holds you back from telling me the truth?"

"Fate." He replied.

Alec raised his gaze to meet his, and Chance could tell he is confused. "What do you mean, Your Highness?"

"It is my fate. I cannot tell you," he answered. "If I tell you, then your fate is the one that will be ruined." he continued.

Alec could not understand the words coming out of the Crown prince's mouth. He looked directly into his gaze, trying to read the look in his eyes, hoping that he could somehow read him. Hoping he could know what he was talking about.

A smile formed on the Crown prince's lips as he looked at the Valorian knight. "Finally, you are looking at me." he said and the realization hit Alec in surprise.

Alec looked away but then glanced at him again, "I do not understand what you mean by it is your fate." he said. "But I apologize for the way I acted."??

"I apologize for not having the capability to tell you my secrets." Chance said, and Alec nodded.??

Chance smiled at him and to his surprise, the corners of Alec's lips lifted upward, giving him a slight smile.

The Crown prince jumped to the seat across from him where Alec was sitting and went closer to him with a grin, "So are we good now?"

Flustered has never been in a Valorian's dictionary, but his expression added it to the list of terms. He looked at his master and backed away, "This is inappropriate, Your Highness. Please go back to your seat." he said.

"But you have not yet answered my question." Chance said and stayed beside Alec.

Alec knew that his master will not return to his seat, so he was the one who moved across the seat, leaving Chance in the other seat.

Chance frowned when moved to the other side, "What do you mean it is inappropriate, from what I could recall, you are my best friend."

"But you are not C???"??

Alec stopped and could not continue his words. Chance blinked, waiting for his next words. "You mean I am not your best friend?" the Crown prince asked.

The Valorian knight lowered his gaze, "You are."

Chance remembered what his knight said the other day, "That is right. These days I am nothing more than your knight."??

Chance thought that maybe Alec was upset because he was his best friend yet does not treat him as his best friend. And now he is trying to make up for him.

Alec noticed his master's stare, "All right, we are good now, Your Highness. Do not worry." he said.

Knowing that the awkwardness between them has been removed, Chance sighed out of relief and smiled.

"We are near, Your Highness."

Chance moved the curtain to the side to peek outside the window. The light of the sun hit the historian's face, and it made him squint because of the temporary blindness effect of the sunlight.

His vision returned to normal, and everything was clear again. Although he did not stay long in Antares before going to Canopus, he could still remember how the surroundings in Antares looked.??

From the window on his left, he spotted a familiar place. It was the inn he was in after waking up in the 19th century.

A group of men at the table outside the inn took a sip of their alcohol while looking at the carriage he was in. Until the carriage has passed by the inn, the eyes of the group of men followed the carriage with obvious disdain in their eyes.

"They must hate me for what happened back then, huh." Chance said.

Alec stared at him, and his head went through the window to look at the men. The hateful look on the men's face was replaced by fear when they recognized the knight and immediately looked away.

The Valorian knight pulled the curtain, covering the window again. "Do not think too much, they probably just hate the rich. The carriage looked great so they must have assumed there was a noble inside." he said for Chance to stop thinking about the inn.

The carriage was near the palace, and the horses suddenly slowed down a bit. "His Royal Highness, the Crown Prince, has arrived!" the coach yelled, informing everyone in the area that the Crown prince has arrived.

Panic came across the faces of the people and they immediately moved back, giving way to the carriage as they know that the royal prince is inside.

They bowed and raised their hands, giving respect to the prince of the star, "Blessings from the Goddess, Glory to Antares!" they all said in unison.

The coach ordered the horse to continue, and the carriage has moved again, galloping its way towards the gate of the palace. He was finally home, although home is not the exact best choice of word for it either since he has not yet felt at home in a kingdom that he does not belong to.

Even though he is back in Antares, a part of him felt nervous. He remembered the king that he despise from the moment they met. He was not supposed to hate the King of Antares since it is his father, or rather, Charles's father. But he just cannot find anything to like about King Cadell. Even just the thought of him was enough to make him feel down.

A ruthless ruler. Ruthless than the ruthless. Oh, how he pities Charles to have such a father. Chance has only witnessed his cruelty to the male prostitutes, as he has been with King Cadell for less than an hour. What more if he is always with him? What more cruel things will he witness?

The carriage entered the gate, and the horses went as fast as it could to reach the palace immediately. The carriage went to a stop and Alec got out to open the door for Chance.

The Crown Prince stepped out of the carriage and looked around. His eyes stopped in front of the large doors, the front entrance. He looked up, capturing the full view of the palace as he heaved a deep breath.

"I am back."??