Modern Prince (Chapter 11: Back in Time)

Chapter 10 recap
Phelia and Craedon were relieved that Jordan had no serious injuries. Jordan apologized to them and even begged them to let him do something or take them somewhere to pay for what he had done to them under Madame Cyprine's powers. They were about to go to the cafe where they first met, but it was under renovation. They decided to go for Starbucks drinks at the mall, then Jordan asked to drop by at the animation studio. Phelia who couldn't find a clue of what Jordan was really up to, suddenly asked him for an explanation. Jordan let them in a theater and gave them a special screening for their finished movie "The Sapphire Key". That evening, the couple arrived at the park and saw Bobby who came by to join them. After dinner at the park, Phelia and Jordan went for a walk and they hugged for a long time to feel each other's thumping but painful hearts. 

Modern Prince
Written By: Michele Hii
Chapter 11: Back in Time

Our lips locked for what seemed like forever before he pulled back and looked into my eyes.
"Phelia, before I go, I would like you to grant me a wish."
"A wish?" I asked.
"I want to see you smile. I don't want to see you cry again. You've cried so much it hurts my heart, so I want you to stay strong and say goodbye to me with a smile. Can you do it?"
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. His fingers brushed against my skin which calmed me down. I finally opened my eyes and nodded, "I'll do it, for you."
"That's my girl." he smiled.

"Phelia!" Jordan called.
We looked up to see the two boys waving. They pointed at a corner with jaws hung open.
"Something's glowing from your bag!" Bobby shouted.
Craedon and I held hands as we went back to the picnic spot. Sure enough, a golden burst of light exploded through the opening.
"Uh...Miss Song?" Bobby hid behind Jordan like a kid got scared on Halloween, "What if the UFO have done something to your bag?"
"Really, Bobby, I didn't even see a spaceship around here." Jordan rolled his eyes.
I unzipped it and saw that the last page of the notebook was turned glossy gold.
"What's going on?" I exclaimed, taking it out.
Craedon walked by and craned his neck to get a better look. I flipped and saw a small blank portion. Craedon's last series of memories were printed on the last two pages except for this rectangular blank space.
I grabbed my pen from my purse and said, "Oppa, let's end the story together."
He looked at me with a pair of puppy eyes that I couldn't resist, but he nodded, "How about we write a sentence each?"
"Sounds good." I agreed.
"Otoke?" he scratched his head, "There's so much I want to say here!"
"Hmm..." I tapped my forehead with the pen, "How about we each write a wish?"
He smiled and took the pen. He wrote, "Phelia song will be mine forever, whether I'm a human or a prince."
I then took over, "Joo Yoon will always be my Craedon no matter what and where we are."
The golden page glowed brighter than before and a swirling portal appeared a few feet away.

"I guess it's time." I said.
"Mm hmm." Craedon nodded slowly.
"Your Majesty," Bobby bowed, "I wish you all the best."
"What is this? A coronation? Come here, buddy!"
Bobby smiled and hugged him, "Gonna miss you, man!"
"I'll miss you too, Bobby."Craedon patted his back and walked to Jordan.
"I'm gonna miss you too, Jordan." Craedon said.
"Same here," he nodded, "Thanks for taking care of Phelia. I'm happy that she has found you."
"And I'm happy that she's the girl I have my eyes on." Craedon smiled back. Instead of shaking hands, they fist bumped.
"Please take care of Phelia."
"Absolutely."

Finally, he stopped in front of me. I put on my best smile, "So...excited to be back to your throne?"
"Not until I have my Mocha Frappe with me." he pouted.
I giggled and a thought immediately popped in my head, "Omo! Your hanbok! It's in my house!"
To my surprise, he didn't look worried or upset at all.
Craedon shrugged, "It's cool, I don't feel like wearing it anyway."
Wow, he sounds so calm. 
"But you're a prince." I pointed out.
"I have lot more in the palace," he grinned, "but I think I'll wear this shirt and pants more often. I'll even change the dress code."
"Sounds like a bad idea." I said, "You'll break the law."
""Well, I would rather do things my own way." he winked, 'That's how a modern prince roll."
"Modern prince eh?" I laughed, "That'll be your new nickname."

Craedon immediately threw his arms around me and pulled my body against his for one last time. He then held my face and smooched me as I drowned into his soft, sweet, plump lips. As our chests pressed against each other, I felt his heart beating in sync with mine. I wished I could stay in this moment forever. Our last moment...I didn't know if I could take it, but I knew he had enough seeing me being sad, so as we let go off each other, I reminded myself to send him away happily.

I was about to say something when suddenly a smoky whirlwind spinning above the lake caught my eye. It vanished in a flash, leaving an unexpected guest with a devilish grin that haunted us all.
"M...madame Cyprine!?" I gasped.
Craedon and the other two looked up in horror. Bobby, who hadn't seen the villian before, stared with his olive face turned as white as paper.
"Sh...she's still alive?" Craedon looked with widened eyes.
The lady in black cackled that made my ears bleed, "Helloooooo ragamuffins! Miss me?" She then snapped her fingers and metal chains snaked around Craedon. They wrapped around his mouth and his whole body like an Egyptian mummy. She suddenly disappeared in a poof of smoke and reappeared just behind us, snatching Craedon away with just one pull of an abandoned end of a chain.
"Oppa!" I cried, running to reach out for the chains. But she was like a hummingbird, zooming straight into the portal.
This can't be happening!
I jumped in right after them. I felt my whole body being pulled down by some sort of cosmic gravity It was a minute ride through a golden tunnel till I found myself falling from a cloudy sky. I screamed till I crashed onto a bed of hay.

Well THANK GOD I did not land on a pile of bricks! 
I pushed myself up and I was immediately greeted by a horse staring curiously while chewing a mouthful of hay. It snorted right at my face before turning away. I was pretty sure he just spat its saliva at me.
Wait...a horse stable? Where am I? 
I turned my back to see a bustling village with people wearing farmer-style clothes. Swimming through the crowd was a madwoman dragging Craedon.
Oh...crud!
I got on my feet and sprinted off the open-air wooden stable. With this sea of passers-by, it was a little hard for me to run. So I had to slither through the crowd while keeping an eye on the silver bun that bobbed from Madame Cyprine's head. I was a few persons away from my target when suddenly they vanished out of the blue.
Dammit...that witch...
I turned around and back to the front but I found nothing. My feet stopped from moving. I was like a orphan, scanning around this old, bustling place. Speaking of old, I noticed the golden lining on the wooden roofs, the Korean writings on the shop signs, and the language the people spoke around me. And then it hit me. I was in Sun Yang kingdom! I was trapped in the notebook!
Wait a minute...the portal didn't just appear on the pages of the notebook. It was on the grassy land earlier. I realized that I was still carrying my purse, so I quickly checked through and to my surprise, the notebook WAS IN MY BAG!
What...the hell...is going on?

I flipped it through. It was completed but how come it didn't erase itself? Maybe Madame Cyprine was not a part of the story, that's why the notebook was still active.
Ugh...anyway..I have to go and save my prince first.
As I craned my neck, I spotted the enemy riding on a dark whirlwind with chained Craedon tucked under one arm like a cardboard standee. It seemed that they were heading to the sun palace which was on top of the mountain.

"Hey! Isn't that the prince?" I heard a man exclaimed.
"Omo! It sure is!" another one gasped.
Goddammit...how can I save him??? Think, Phelia, think! 
"Where are the guards? They usually come ahead of time." another passer-by said.
Otoke???? 
Suddenly, I spotted a man guiding a horse out of a different stable. Without thinking that I couldn't even ride on one, I ran to it and grabbed onto the saddle.
"Hey! What are you doing?" the man snapped.
"Joesonghabnida! I want to ride your horse to the sun palace."
"I don't give free service." he sniffed.
"Please, sir! Jeoleul Juseyo! The prince is in danger!"
He didn't reply but murmur to himself in gibberish. He seemed to grumbling at the reigns that were tangled. He quickly removed the harness and tried to untangle the knot, but his fingers were big and clumsy.
"Um...maybe I can help with that?" I offered.
The guy looked slightly annoyed, but he let me. The knot was indeed tight, but I managed to loosen it up and make the reigns straight again. The owner stared in surprise before thanking me with a vigorous nod and a yellow-teeth smile.
"You want to go to the sun palace, right? Hop on!", he got up and reached his hand out.

The brown furry beauty let out its loudest neigh which was like an alarm for the other people to scatter away from the middle of the street. The rider must had made it a warrior kind because it galloped like a stallion being chased by robbers. It slowed down as it made its way up the mountain. He whipped the horse lightly and it obeyed him to use its strength to climb up the steep steps. After I was mesmerized by the scenery below me, I quickly realized that we had arrived at the peak.

"Gosh! Kamsahamnida! I can't find a way to repay you!" I got down and bowed.
"You've helped me with the reigns, ma'am. That's enough for me." he smiled, "By the way, my name's Suk Jae. If you need help for a ride, you can send a pigeon to deliver me a request."
"Thanks! I'll keep that in mind." I giggled and waved.
"Good luck!" he waved back and wiggled his reigns to signal the horse to climb down.

I climbed up the flight of stairs which looked like they were made out of real gold and stopped at the top. A couple of guards crossed their spears, blocking my way.
"No one other than the Kim clan is allowed to enter the sun palace." they ordered.
"Kim clan? Guess you're talking about Joo Yoon's family." I raised my eyebrow.
"You're not to be here. Walk away or we'll slice your head." they said.
"I'm not leaving!" I folded my arms, "I'm pretty sure you've saw the prince being kidnapped by a witch. There's got to be someone who is here to rescue him right?"
"Still, we wouldn't want a trespasser to get in." the two guards replied with poker faces.
"Geez! Just let me in already, will you?" I frowned.
"Off you go or off your head, young lady." they warned.
"Please! Let me in!" I adamantly stood there and barked.

"She's right," a mellow voice made us jump, "Let her in."
A pale-skinned girl with long black hair walked behind the guards with a small smile.
"Chef Seul Eun!" the guards looked in surprise.
S...Seul Eun? I stared.
"She's a friend of mine." she said, "Let her pass through."
"As you wish." they nodded and let go off their spears.
Wow...they even obey a royal staff...


I quickly bowed to the guards and followed her down the hallway which led to the throne. She then turned left to the kitchen and looked back, "Are you thirsty? I've just brewed some green tea."
I spotted a ceramic teapot with steam popping out from its spout. It was set up on a tray together with a couple of green cups.
"Oh! Uh...I'm good, thanks." I muttered.
"Are you sure?" she asked.
"Y...yeah," I replied, "I'm looking for the prince."
"I know." she nodded, "I saw you earlier."
"Huh?" I exclaimed, "When?"
"I saw you looking lost when I was buying vegetables at the store opposite the stable. I was going to approach when you suddenly went to that horse rider."
"Oh...I see."
"So you're hunting for that creepy old lady who had Joo Yoon, right?" she asked as she placed her left hand on the tea table.
"Neh, that's right."
"I'm glad." she smiled, "I'm glad that you're here. Because I want to help you."
I kept on staring, "You do? But...with him turning you down and all..."
"It's fine." she held out her other hand, "and I respect his decision."
She accepts it that easy? 
She noticed my expression and giggled, "I'm glad that he told me the truth. Otherwise, if he held out to his feelings from me for too long, he won't be happy, and I won't be happy either. I wouldn't even want him to force himself to love me. You know what I mean?"
Flashbacks appeared in my mind as I remembered his own words printed on the notebook about the time when he told her that he chose to love me.
"Yeah...I do." I answered softly.
"It breaks my heart at first but...I know I have to stay strong." she shrugged, "Besides, he's not a baby anymore. Thanks to you, Phelia."
"What do you mean?" I blinked.
She smiled as she came closer, "Don't you see? You've changed him! You've changed his life! He has now seen the world a bigger picture because of you teaching him lots of new things, fitting in a entirely new environment. Isn't that how love is supposed to be? Transforming a person's point of view about life? To make him happier by learning about your world? You've even changed his appetite! He's now a much better person because of you."
Her words stunned me. She's happy to see Joo Yoon becoming so sure of himself. I nodded, unable to find words to speak.
"You're the one for him, Phelia." Seul Eun said as she took my hands joyfully, "Own him as yours."

CRASH!
"Omo!" Seul Eun jumped.
"What was that?" I gasped.
"Do you think..." she trembled.
We sneaked out of the kitchen and looked around the backyard.
THUD!
The sliding wooden doors of the prince's bedroom nearby rattled. Seul Eun and I looked at each other and then back to the doors.
I stepped forward and pushed one of the doors open. To our horror, the victim was on the floor with a bind around his neck. Madame Cyprine who was at a far corner, had a black orb on her right hand and she grinned wickedly while watching him struggling to break the bind.

"Your Majesty!" Seul Eun cried.
"Craedon!" I yelled.

Madame Cyprine turned to us sharply. Her eyes were a darker shade of red.

Now what? ><