"Tell me what love is."

"I don't know."

"Tell me."

"But, I don't know it?"

"Yes, you do."

"No, I don't. Why would I try to hide it if I do?"

Aaliyah sighed with a loud huff and narrowed her eyes doubtfully.

"Elijah, the preparations for your pre-coronation ceremony is happening right now."

"I've realised that, thank you."

It was only too apparent in our surroundings, because not a single person - mostly the servants - would go without mentioning it; constantly conversing about the millions of duties each of them has to take on for this royal event to be perfect.

The whole kingdom became engulfed in celebratory madness once the King had released the news that the pre-coronation ceremony was to commence in a week. A colossal function was going to take place a week before I was crowned, where royalties from all other places would be present in order to give their blessings for my future on the throne.

I was only feeling everything but blessed about it.

"Brother, are you completely sure you don't have an answer yet? People from the other kingdoms will ask, tease and bother the hell out of you about it-"

"Aaliyah! How many times do I tell you to not use such foul language?"

"Oh, be quiet. And do not try to distract me," She quickly looked around her - seemingly checking if there was anyone lurking about and whispered, "Do you at least have a fabricated answer?"

I stared at her with furrowed brows. "What do you mean?"

She tilted her head at me with a disbelieving expression. "You know what I mean. Don't you at least have an answer that you've completely come up with on your own, without any experience or evidence, and only you know that it's made up?"

"How can I just come up with an answer to the meaning of love, without any experience, Lia? How is that even possible, making it all up on my own?"

Lia smirked and motioned me to come closer with her forefinger, as her voice shifted into an even lower whisper. "Eli, this is something I want you to only keep between you and me. I've done some searching and there's this concept - an idea no one in our land knows about and something that could definitely provide useful in your situation."

I leaned forward, almost bumping my head with her.

"What is it?"

"They call it complete and utter bullshit."

I sprang forward and clamped my hand down on Lia's mouth, while she protested wildly with a grin that couldn't be stopped by my palm.

"My goodness. Do not ever repeat such abominable terms! Tell me, you crazy creature, have you spoken about this with anyone else?"

She immediately quietened down her growls and raised her brow.

"Just nod or shake your head! Did you or did you not use that...despicable word anywhere else?"

She shook her head.

"Are you lying?"

She nodded.

I let go of her, shoving the feminine imbecile onto the cushions of her armchair.

"Hrmph!" Her face directly mingled with the extremely colourful bags of pillows.

She jumped right back up, sorting out the curls of golden-brown hair that had messily fallen into her face.

I settled myself comfortably in my own chair again, breathing hard as we glared at each other angrily.

Lia put her hand up in a defensive way, shaking her head at me. "I'll have my revenge for that on the training grounds in a few days."

I smirked, folding my arms. "For sure, sister. Now please think of something that would actually help my stressful situation like you're supposed to."

Aaliyah nodded begrudgingly and begun thinking with her chin turned towards the sealing. She quickly spun her attention back to me with her eyes wide.

"I think I just had a chandelier light up in my head! Eli, I'm going to try an old trick on you. Let's see if what our elders jabbered on about, actually works." She rubbed her hands together and hurriedly got up to open the multiple windows in her brightly lit chamber.

"Lia, what are you doing?"

Without responding, she scuttled to the other side of the room, switching the lights off by turning the lever down, enveloping the area in serene darkness.

"Alright, Elijah," I saw her shadow coming back to her armchair opposite mine, and the sound of her footsteps ceased. "Close your eyes, and take a deep breath."

I scoffed. "Why do I have to close my eyes if it's already dark?"

"Because it's sort of creepy if you do what you're about to by staring into a dark room."

"This is where you tell me what's exactly going to be 'creepy', sweetheart."

Lia barked, making me jump. "Do not call me that."

"Then do not make yourself sound like a feral wolf. At least for my sake, please tell me this isn't one of your idiotic attempts at trying to turn me into a frog."

"A frog? But then I would just bring out what's already hiding inside you, and what's the point in that? No creative pleasure at all. Now, please close your eyes or I can happily show you that my bite is just as bad as my bark."

I stared at her form, refusing to give in.

"Elijah, I meant that in a completely literal sense."

I reluctantly shut my eyes, trying to work out how to roll them without opening it.

"Good prince. So now, relax your mind and tell me what flashes through your head as I say the following words. Can you do that for me?"

I opened my mouth to respond but she cut me off. "That was rhetorical - you're doing it for me."

I wondered which part of her face would be the most sensitive to a harsh elbowing.

"Get rid of every other thought, and tell me exactly what you see when I say this word: peace."

I sadly erased the plans of drawing blood out of my sister's nose and took a slow breath in, letting my mind do the work.

It wasn't hard at all, because the pictures started pouring in with so much ease, that it almost made me want to paint them straight away.

Peace.

"Our royal pigeon. The beautiful white wings with an unrestrained smile in its eyes and-"

"No description needed, I know what it looked like. Next: happiness?"

I sneered, but I didn't let her get to me.

Happiness. I imagined the battlefield, but one special person in my memory stood out to me.

"Our mother. The secret smile she wears as she swings her sword in every direction of the enemy's gulp. The smile that never leaves as she would always splatter water onto her face and wash the blood away, before running up to our little selves waiting for her at the palace gates. That's happiness for me, in every sense ever."

I heard my sister's chuckle of agreement, and I knew even she didn't have the heart to stop me before, as she held an extremely soft spot for our mother.

"Freedom?"

I instantly saw an empty forest, a river on one side, while every other path was surrounded by pure greenery.

"Riding through a forest. Nothing more, nothing less and simple solitude, where I sell my mind nowhere."

"Okay. And for the last one...love?"

Silence.

A blank canvas spread itself in my conscious revery, and I couldn't reach my paintbrushes nor my colours.

Raw blackness; a powerful reticence that didn't suffocate me, but it didn't let me speak either.

There was only a threatening emptiness.

"Elijah?"

All of a sudden, in a few kidnapped seconds, a series of images flashed through - pulling me with it.

The Hall of Thrones. The Prince of Yandestine was standing there powerlessly, with a face mercilessly robbed of emotions as he was surrounded by thousands of people that were waiting for an answer.

The King was waiting, the crown nestled in his palms impatiently.

His fingers started trembling.

Something was wrong.

Disappointment.

The Prince didn't move, speak, or breathe.

He couldn't.

Cluelessness, confusion and cluttered gasps.

Denial.

One more emotion was about to be expelled, and it drowned the heir to the throne, smothered his consciousness and-

"Eli? Are you with me?"

I shook myself out of it, opened my eyes and blinked rapidly.

"Yes...yes. I'm fine, all good," I slowly stood up, rubbing my forehead. "Lia, I'm going to go. I think I need some rest for a while."

I quickly started walking towards her chamber doors without waiting for her response, tensely wondering when all the predicaments pressuring my mental thoughts were going to disappear once and for all.

Would it at least stop when I was finally crowned? When I finally had an answer?

Just as I was about to open the doors to exit, Lia's voice stopped me.

"Brother, are you truly sure you could think of nothing when I asked you the last word?"

I didn't say anything at first, knowing that any of the pictures I imagined took me to the word 'love'. It was just torturing imageries created by own worries.

"No, Lia."

"Really? Nothing?" Moments of silence passed between us as Lia hesitatingly closed it off. "...No one?"

I didn't turn around to question her, though I truly lacked the stamina to do so anyway. I just wanted to go to my chamber, and fall into a free noiselessness.

I answered honestly, while every edge of my tired bones encouraged me to leave.

"No one."

***

How is everyone doing??? I know mostly everyone is probably sick of hearing this word, but how has quarantine been treating you lovely people? Are you all well and happy? I need your life updates in a non-stalkerish way! ;)

So what do you think of what's happened in Trace so far? What do you think is going to happen? Throw your theories in the air for me! (Ew, that may have sounded a bit cringey oops.)

Stay blessed and please don't sacrifice your smile for anyone else,

OceanaCamerons 🌹🌹🌹