The Jewel of the Five Kingdoms

James Raymond Elliot

  Nella pulled the surprised little boy into the room with a rough yank of his arm. Dylan's large violet eyes would not pull away from me on the bed.

  "Nella, is this-" I broke down into a pitiful fit of coughing before I could finish my sentence.

Nella got down onto her knees so she was at eye level with her little brother. She gripped his shoulders fiercely, shaking him violently. "I told you not to come in my workroom without knocking!" She scolds angrily, turning quickly to hurry to my side.

I tried to reach over to my cup of water on the nightstand, but my hand shook too violently for me to hold anything.

Nella rolled her eyes and grabbed the cup for me, mumbling something about me working myself into a fit. She helps me drink, her fingers on my chin as she pours the water.

I gulp. "I-I'm sorry," I sputter, but Nella has other problems than me choking.

Nella turns to face Dylan, her eyes blazing. "Dylan, you can't tell anyone I have him here," she says sternly.

"But Nella!" The boy protests, slowly approaching my beside. I realize he is not concerned about the secret getting out, but something else entirely.

He reaches into his overall pockets, pulling out a crumpled piece of parchment and unraveling it.

GENERAL JAMES RAYMOND ELLIOT was all I could make out on the top of the page.

My heart sinks, fluttering nervously. Below the bold print was a picture of me.

The boy's eyes showed all I needed to know. He recognized me.

  He turns to Nella, his lips pursed in a frown. "Nella, I came in to show you this," he says, handing her the parchment with his large violet eyes still watching me curiously.

I turn away, unable to look at the little boy, and watch as Nella rolls her eyes and grabs the paper. She obviously thinks it is unimportant, but the moment her eyes hit the page she frowns. I watch as her eyes scan the pages, and I watch her expression.

Her eyes widened as they read the paper, but she didn't look away and certainly didn't look at me. She kept reading, her mouth moving silently as she scanned the page. "General James Raymond Elliot... Prince of the Five Kingdoms... Killed by our one and only savior General Thomas Franny," she looks up.

Her beautiful violet eyes were different than when she had looked at me only moments ago. She holds up the paper so I can see the image on the bottom. It was from a hallway in the palace, a painting Mother forced me into getting done nearly a year ago. "That's you... You're the prince," she says in bewilderment.

I try to sit up as best I can, wincing at the effort. "Nella, I wanted to tell you but I didn't know-"

"You didn't want to tell your enemy about your true identity," she interrupts, crumbling up the paper and throwing it onto the bed. "Well, you know what Prince James? Your people are the monsters. You killed my father," she spits, her face twisted in an angry snarl.

My eyes harden, and I shake my head. "Well, I watched my best friend die in front of my eyes by the hands of your people so I suppose we are even," I respond coldly.

For a moment, her eyes widen in surprise by my honesty, but she recovers and pulls her stone cold mask back onto her face.

Her hand slips to her brother's, and she pulls him close to her side.

I smile bitterly, a sadness too heavy to describe communicating through my eyes. Nella understood this expression. I know she does. "I may be a prince, but I assure you my life isn't perfect. If I could walk I would just-"