(thought, dreams , flashback will be in Bold italics)

Pete always used to roam around in far areas beyond Dominica's boundary lines with his friends. They were about to hit puberty , fearless teenagers. Pete was around eleven years old. He would go around in deep forests , quenching his curiosities regarding nature, learning and observing the laws of the jungle. It was one fine evening when he along with his friends took permission from their homes to camp in the central forest area of course in the presence of the guards. That was when Pete met him for the first time. It was a pink evening of june, the moon was slightly visible on the sky which was later going to appear full whereas the sun was slowly heading it's home in a pink hue. The flowers were diving in the sleep and the only one crawling in the night was an east flowing river which appeared like a mirror to the sky. Pete's friends were busy and he didn't like the noise so he went towards the riverside to sit quietly. For his safety he covered his face so that if anyone from the enemy side came here, they should not be able to recognise him. He was a bit more clever for an eleven years old child. A small stone flew by his ears when he reached near the rock. He flinched and dodged at the same time. When he saw the direction of where the stone came from, that's when he saw him for the first time.

A boy , a little older and a few inches taller than him. He was covering his face the same as Pete but his eyes were sparkling and sharp. Pete stood there whereas the boy approached him.

"I beg for forgiveness, I was trying to get that fruit. I didn't intend to hit you" he was so well behaved at such a young age.

"It's okay. But who are you ?"

"I am sorry, I can't tell my identity but I am not here to harm you. I came for camping."

"Haah!!" Pete was shocked.

"Alone?"

"No, my brothers are with me but they are playing there. I wanted to see the river so i came here little prince"

Pete pouted

"Little prince?"

"I don't know what else to call you. Do you want to sit there and throw pebbles in the river? It's really thrilling when water stops for a second."

"Yes", Pete said in excitement. They sat on the rock under the full moon and played their silly games.

"Do you come here always" the boy asked Pete

"No, this is my first time and you?"

"I do come here often. I don't have many friends so I sit here and play with trees , birds and water."

"Can I be your friend?"

"But i am definitely older than you little prince"

"So that's a no?"

The boy thought a lot

"Okay let's be friends but what will you call me?"

"You are older right? So I will have to respect you. Ummm, how about your majesty?"

"Your majesty?" The boy chuckled

"Yes, you look like a king"

"You are a funny little prince. Okay call me whenever you like. But tell me how we will meet to play?"

"We will meet here only but secretly. Shh. But only once a month . My father says I am still too young to come here every time Pete pouted and the boy smiled at that.

"Hmm, he is not wrong . You are still a little boy. Don't worry, I will come here secretly. Won't tell anyone about you. Let's come here on the fifteenth day of every month and play a lot so that we don't miss each other till next month."

"okay. I will come here with my other friends but we will meet in secret"

"Let's mark this day as a start of our friendship"

They both wrote in the rock with a sharp stone , full moon of June as the birth of their new friendship . The little prince and the majesty. The only pact of their friendship was that they won't show their faces until they grow young.

And it started from there, every month Pete and his majesty friend would meet secretly at the river. They would talk for hours, play with water, climb the trees and feed the birds. Slowly they found themselves disinterested in any other friends and the only friendship that mattered to them was theirs.

Years passed, and youth was starting to hit them. His majesty was an eighteen years old handsome boy and Pete, three years younger than him, had just started experiencing the waves of blossoming youth. Their feelings had started taking a delicate turn. The habit to play was now sometimes replaced by the urge of sitting by the river holding hands. The way they looked at each other was different than a few years back. Their eyes would lock each other and their heart would skip a beat. They knew something had changed in the way felt around each other.

"Stop it your majesty" Pete said covering his face as the boy slid a leafy twig down his cheeks.

"Are you shy, my little prince?" he whispered and Pete got up to run away as he was blushing but his majesty got hold of his wrist.

"Don't go."

"You make me shy, your majesty. I can't even look at you." Pete's high cheekbones and twinkling eyes showed how he was smiling behind that bandana he wore which his majesty himself gifted him. "Have some mercy."

"Okay, come sit here with me."

"Your majesty, what do you feel for me?"

"Same as you feel for me."

Pete elbowed him softly. "i don't feel anything about you"

"Oh, then I also don't feel anything"

"Ummm, you are lying"

"And you are not?"

He took Pete's hand in his and continued l

"Thinking about you all the time. I just want to be with you everyday. This once in a month meeting is not helping now. I am like a lost boy without you my prince. All I see is you are lying down here and I am showering rose petals on you. You are sleeping in my arms and I am admiring you. That I am holding your hands and ..."

"Sshhh, stop"

Pete again got shy but hid himself in his friend's chest.

"You know we are not just friends anymore. Right prince? You are more than that to me."

Pete nodded in yes.

"Prince , how can we meet daily?"

"I can tell my father that I am learning to hunt."

"No, I told you , we are never going to hunt and hurt any animal. They are precious to us. Just like we are to each other. You will always save them from hunters , no matter what. Okay?"

"Okay your majesty. Then I can say I am going to learn to swim in the river."

"That's good. And I can teach you little sword lessons I am learning. And we will spend more time together."

They both were so happy just by the thought of it. They had made this small world of their own where no one else existed. This friendship slowly turned into love and more and all they dreamt of was spending their life together.

Then that day arrived. The full moon night of June. They were meeting to celebrate their anniversary. Pete was all dressed up. He did his makeup , and opened his long hair that beautifully touched his waist. He did cover his face. But today was the last day for this barrier between him and his majesty. He remembers last June he promised that he would soon give his lover , his majesty, all the permissions. They together decided that today when Pete would turn seventeen , they would see each other's face , confess their love and Pete would allow his majesty to make him his forever with their first kiss.

He was nervous yet excited for today. But some dreams are probably meant to be shattered.

"Didn't you say you would be training here only?"

"I did my prince but unfortunately I will have to leave."

"Won't you tell me anything about yourself before leaving your majesty?"

"I wish I could . But you know I can't. But i promise you, as soon as I come back i will be here waiting for you"

"And when will be that?"

"Three years"

Pete's throat went dry and his eyes went wet which displayed his face. The young man standing afar was about to approach Pete to hold him but Pete stopped him.

"Don't come near me, your majesty. Not now."

"Prince" the man kneeled down and apologized in guilt. "How do I earn your forgiveness?"

"It's okay . I understand. I will wait for you but I am afraid I cannot give myself to you. It's unfair if the test of time is only for me to bear. I will burden you with some yearning too."

"I will accept everything my prince"

"You won't see me today. I will not show you myself. And I will not show myself to anyone, not even myself till you come back to me."

"Prince? Don't be that harsh on yourself"

"What to do, your majesty. The heart doesn't listen anymore. Now before my love sees my face, no one has the right to have even a glimpse of me. And if that happens, I would know that our love has ended. That it remained incomplete."

Pete said and ran away from there. He waited for three years which turned into five but his majesty never came back to him. He visited the river on every full moon night. But all he had was their memories and his loneliness. No one saw his face in these five years. He shielded himself completely. And it was all okay until this sudden raging wind called Vegas entered his life. The prince who kept his veil on in front of the world fighting their evil efforts of tearing it apart was suddenly so easily unveiled by a brat Prince and Pete could do nothing to retaliate it, more like he didn't want to do anything.

Pete stood in his room with a sketch in his hand which he had requested Arthit to draw a few years back when he felt like he was forgetting those eyes. The sketch of his majesty, his lover , his friend, the stranger he met and whom he could never forget thereafter. He became a part of him so much that Pete even lost himself in all these years.

"What should I do, your majesty? I tried, but you didn't come back to me and now I don't even know if you will ever come back to me. Should I still keep my stubborn promise or should I free myself and you from this rotten thread. Maybe this love is dead?

.......

Today was Saksit's scabbard ceremony. He was going to put his name initials on Kamala's hand. Then he would himself apply the medicinal herbs on it and tend to the scraped wound from this day till it heals. This period was considered to be a bonding period for married couples. Vegas knew it was the noise coming from the ceremony hall which was massive and along with family the states people were present there too. But when he went down he realized the chatter was about something else. By this time , it was the talk of the town that someone had attacked Pete and some guard had obviously let it out that he saw Pete's face. The anticipation now was all about how Pete will enter this hall today? Will they have stubborn Pete who hides under the layers of mask or will they be blessed by his beauty?

Vegas could see that the princes from different regions were dying to see Pete and that was something that didn't settle well with him. He distanced himself from them because he could not confront them for their fantasy talks about Pete. And moreover he didn't understand why he was feeling disturbed because of that. He was busy fighting his thoughts when the crowd went silent and the only thing audible was the sound of boots advancing the stairs. He looked up and could not divert his eyes. But he was not the only one, everyone else around him had the same reaction.

The breathtaking scene was that of Pete Saengtham coming down from those stairs. He adorned today's event with his presence. The beauty people were deprived of in past five years. Who knew he was preserving himself behind the mask only to look like a shining pearl at the end. The princes went forward pushing Vegas aside in order to take Pete's hand as he carefully stepped down. He was wearing his favorite red color gown with an over long red jacket. The brown embroidered boots elevated his height and the opened long hair touching his waist with a loosely tied tiny bun on the back of his head added to his overall royal look. He was glowing not only with makeup but because of the happiness of feeling liberated. Coming down he kept reminding himself the promise he made this morning to his own heart.

"Now your life will only be about you and Dominica Pete. Enough of waiting for him. He is not coming back now. That love has completed its age and is dead now. So stop dragging it by yourself. From now on you will live , laugh, fight ,smile and enjoy every essence of life. Anything except love. Love is a myth and you wasted enough time on it. Now live in reality."

He was adamant this time and his face exuded the confidence. He was smiling his brightest and it glittered every corner. He saw four young princes extend their hands as a sign of chivalry but Pete didn't need that, he didn't need any of these. All he wanted was his dignity, his self respect and his life with his family, hence ignoring all of them he went forward to take the chair assigned to him as a prince beside his Father's. Maybe more than Pete, the almighty, the divine forces knew what he needed in life and hence time and again something happened that brought him close to the one he didn't want to be close to at all. As he was moving towards his chair in all his grace and head held high, he slipped on the wet petals that were being showered by the girls from the first floor. He closed his eyes ready to accept the embarrassment of falling to the floor in front of so many people but he realized he didn't , instead he was in someone's strong hold. His waist was locked and fit in between two arms. And on opening his eyes he saw the man holding him who was none other than Vegas again. Pete's hands unconsciously went to hold his nape for better balance. The petal shower kept coming on them.

"Beautiful" Vegas whispered so slowly only Pete could here it and he was in disbelief of it.

They could not prevent themselves from getting lost in each other's eyes but still corrected themselves before people could start talking words about it.

Everyone took their respective seats as the ceremony started. Saksit brought his scabbard, he took kamala's hand and tried his best to be gentle to not cause a deep wound.

"This won't work prince. The wound should be deep" some of Kamala's friends teased Saksit and everyone laughed.

"I can't harm the princess," Saksit replied.

"The deeper the wound, the longer it takes to heal. The longer it takes to heal the longer you take care of her. Hence the love grows deep. Pierce her more"

Saksit was shy. He tried to do as told but stopped immediately on hearing Kamala hiss loudly out of pain.

"I can't do this princess but I promise that the love in our marriage will never be less'' he whispered and Kamala shied away.

The whole family from both Alcazar and Dominica had smiles on their faces as the ceremony went further with some chanting. Kanlaya was still not very happy but she masked up a smile to hide her disappointment in this marriage alliance.

Apart from Kanalaya there were two other people who didn't have smiles on their faces but were either zoned out or sweating a little while stealing glances of each other in between. They were Pete and Vegas. All the memories from that night in the temple came back as they saw the scabbard ceremony of their siblings now. Pete could still feel the pain of the stitches and soothing comfort of Vegas's gesture of blowing soft air on the wound whereas Vegas could still feel Pete's hands tight on his waist and his shoulder still felt the sweet sting of Pete's bite that night. They both were altogether really nervous about the fact that all these things they have already done. Vegas gave Pete the wound and healed it too. Still there is only resentment towards each other. In the midst of all these feelings the ceremony of bride groom was completed.

"The final pre alliance ceremony is hence completed here. I invite the groom's family and people and my own state people tomorrow for a big celebration and feast as my daughter Kanlaya will tie her life knot with prince of Alcazar Saksit Theerapanakul. Come and bless the two families for a lifetime of love, peace and prosperity." Ritthirong makes a loud invitation to the people present there followed by the traditional music. The two families then headed towards the queen's room to take her blessings.

"Darha, our Kamala is getting married tomorrow. Bless them for a happy future." Ritthirong said. Both Kamala and Saksit greeted Darha lovingly by getting near her. She was not very good at getting up.

"My children may God bless you with lots of love and health. Always stand together in thick and thin, always remember love is everything and enough to live a good life together. My wishes will always be there with you"

"Darha, i will meet you after tomorrow." Ritthirong said before leaving. Everyone greeted Darha alongwith King Rama and his family as she will not be able to attend the wedding. Pete stayed back even after everyone left and he didn't understand why his mother stopped Vegas too.

"Ma, why did you tell him to stay"
"Did you thank him?" Darha said to Pete

"A maid told me, he saved you and also it's because of him that I can see you after so many years."

"It was nothing, mother. I was just fulfilling my duty as a fellow prince" Vegas said and Pete rolled his eyes on his self boasting.

"Pete, say thank you."
"Ma I have already said it. Now stop talking about him. Remember, I am your son?"
Darha chuckled and Vegas scoffed.

"My son is a little stubborn but he is good at heart. I know deep down he is thankful to you."

Vegas smiled, he came forward, took Darha's hand and greeted it by placing his forehead on it.

"I know. A son born from you has to be a well behaved and good at heart person. Don't worry, I accepted his gratitude even without him expressing it. I shall take your leave now. Mother and Son should have their own time. There are also other arrangements for tomorrow to be taken care of. Allow me to leave."

"Why are you so impressed with him?"
"I can tell just by his face that he is a very good person"

"You don't know anything ma" Darha chuckled and coughed blood immediately. Pete was shocked and sad at the same time. He held her, and helped her clean. He made her lie down properly while tears in his eyes.

"It's okay son. You don't need to be sad. I am fine. We have started that new herb now. I will soon be back on my feet and take a walk with you around her favorite gardens." Pete hugged