"When will Mother come back?"

The young maid beside the Prince smiled hesitantly as the Prince cupped his cheeks. The prince was just 200 years old, but he had the appearance of a five year-old mortal.

"Your Highness, I'm sure the Enchantress is doing her best to solve her problems. The Enchantress loves Your Highness so much, why would she not hasten in order to just be by your side?"

"Does Your Highness want to ride the ponies to alleviate your boredom?" the maid suggested. "Prince Thor is also hunting today. Maybe he can accompany you?"

The Prince crossed his arms, frowning childishly. "And then I'll run into Prince Loki and listen to him sulk?"

The maid giggled. "Your Highness, though in hierarchy, you are technically the same as Prince Loki, he is still much older than you. You still need to respect him."

"Forget it," the Prince huffed and set down his tome. "Prepare a pony. I will go to the Sacred Mountain to retrieve magical herbs. I might as well also replenish and refine my supply of elixirs in Longevity Santuary," he hopped down the chaise. "I will go to my chambers to change. Prepare what we need to bring."

The maid smiled. "Yes, Prince Gun Gun. How long will we be staying there?"

"Maybe six months. We leave before the day breaks."

::

"Join me for swordsmanship training, young Prince Gun Gun!" The familiar boisterous and jolly exclamation made Gun Gun exhale in resignation as he rolled his eyes, tightening his grip on the reins of his ponies. "Such a coincidence to have happened upon you here, my friend."

Friend was probably an understatement since Prince Thor Odinson was millenias older than him. Maturity otherwise, the elder prince was probably younger than him by hundreds of millenias.

Though Gun Gun had the title of Prince, he was not part of the Royal Family. But because his mother, Enchantress Freya had saved the first prince, Prince Balder's life when he was poisoned, the Allfather granted a title to him and named him an Imperial Son.

"I'm afraid I'm going to have to disappoint you, Prince Thor. I am on my way to the Longevity Sanctuary to refine my elixirs," he curtly answered. "But I do wonder why Prince Loki isn't with you, Prince Thor?"

Though the two came from different mothers, Prince Loki and Prince Thor were joined by the hip since they were born. Or rather, Prince Thor had nailed his own hip to Prince Loki. To see one without the other was actually rare.

The golden haired prince's expression turned sombre. "Brother has fallen asleep again. The Healers had estimated that he may wake up after eighteen months."

Gun Gun frowned. Indeed, Prince Loki's health was too frail. He wondered how the Ice God had achieved his reputation of being feared as one of the most powerful magic users in the realms when he was always one step away from being comatose.

He'd asked his Enchantress Mother about that once, but she told him that it was not a topic for a boy like him. Gun Gun was an obedient son to his Enchantress Mother, so he obeyed and never talked about it again.

"Is there no news from my Enchantress Mother yet?"

Thor was one of the people who does not lie very often, so Gun Gun immediately saw the shrinking of his eyes and the slight movement of his pupils and his knuckles which indicated that he was about to lie.

"None," came a too-fast reply from the golden haired god. "The Enchantress's past message came just a week ago. No need to be so anxious now," he tried to ease the white-haired boy.

Probably realizing that he cannot support his lie anymore, Thor looked out in the distance - even though there was nothing to be seen there - and pulled on his horse's reins. "Oh well, look at the time! I told Fandral to spar with me! Farewell!" and sped away, after Gun Gun gave him a light wave.

After Thor left, Gun Gun frowned and pulled on the reins of his pony to turn back.

Celeste, who was riding a water platform, looked at Gun Gun curiously. "Your Highness, did we forget something in the Palace? I will get it for you."

"No. We're not going to the Longevity Sanctuary today. Prince Thor was uncomfortable talking about my Enchantress Mother," he told her. "You go to Valhalla, and find out what is happening. I don't believe that my Enchantress Mother is out on a trip. The more information, the better."

"Now, Your Highness?"

"Yes. I will go back first to look into this. Now go."

Celeste nodded and vanished in a puddle.

::

During his 200 years of living, Gun Gun had never seen or experienced any hardships in his life. That could be because of his Enchantress Mother who made sure he received the best of what she could offer him. He had everything he would need and want. Food, toys, clothes, anything, as long as he named it, she would always give it to him.

Any child would be content with that life.

But Gun Gun was not an ordinary child.

He was a very speculating child, and a very smart one at that.

There were not many things that he did to make his Enchantress Mother upset. That was because his Enchantress Mother loves him and dotes on him too dearly that she lets his mistakes pass and if she ever gave him punishment, it was just a slap on the wrist.

That is how much his Enchantress Mother loves him.

The only time that he was given a slightly harsher punishment was when he threw a tantrum before the Allfather. His Enchantress Mother was so mortified that she cried in front of him when they returned to his chambers. Since then, Gun Gun had taken it to himself to memorize the etiquettes and not make a fool of himself.

The only time that his Enchantress Mother yelled at him, however, was when he asked about his Father.

Gun Gun remembered throwing a tantrum back then, yelling at his Enchantress Mother that he deserved to know who his father at least was. His Enchantress Mother coaxed him gently to let it go but when her patience reached its limit, she was barely able to control her powers and covered the room they were in with Impenetrable Ice. When she'd realized what she'd done, his Enchantress Mother broke down on the floor.

Gun Gun was so ashamed at his actions back then. But at the same time, he did not know what to do, so he raced back to his chambers and cried himself to sleep because he made his Enchantress Mother so sad.

He was such an ungrateful child, he realized.

The next morning, the first thing he did was deliver breakfast to his Enchantress Mother's chamber. He was so sure and so accepting to the idea that maybe his Enchantress Mother was going to hit him so he closed his eyes and waited for the blow, but the only thing that came was his Enchantress Mother's warm embrace.

Since that incident, Gun Gun decided he does not want his Enchantress Mother to cry anymore so he let go of his father's matter. What matters is that his Enchantress Mother was there protecting him, and that when he grows up and becomes strong enough, he'll be the one protecting her.

Obviously, before he even grew old and strong enough, trouble happened.

In this case, Gun Gun's Enchantress Mother was missing and while Gun Gun was already done forcing himself to calm down, his Enchantress Mother's servant, specifically entrusted to him, Celeste, was freaking out - as mortals would call it.

And it was not helping with the current situation.

Water sprites were always dependent on the people who've tamed them, and Celeste, whose tamer was his Enchantress Mother, in this case, was hysterical. He would forgive Celeste this time, but the lower parts of the castle were already bursting with water, so it really can't continue for much longer.

"Not only is the Enchantress missing, but even Prince Jormungand and Prince Fenrir are! Your Highness, can you imagine just how miserable Prince Loki is?" she asked, her eyes red and puffy.

"I can imagine," he answered dryly. "Celeste, please," he bit his tongue as he tried to rein in his temper. "I am in the middle of something. If you want to cry, go to the pond or something. Let me have my peace."

He could see Celeste pouting at his statement but probably because she realized he had a point, she curtsied and announced her leave, shutting the door softly as she exited his chambers.

Gun Gun crossed his arms and frowned once Celeste left, biting his lip, finally allowing signs of stress to take over his features. 'Mother, where are you?'

He hopped off his bed, deciding that he needed to do something if he wanted to have his Enchantress Mother back and tottered to his Enchantress Mother's chambers.

His Enchantress Mother's chamber was considered as a sacred location, so no servants ever dare to step inside. If there were any, they were repelled by the blood ward casted all around the area.

Unknown to others but to him and his Enchantress Mother, his Enchantress Mother has two chambers. One that is publicly known and another that only she knows - or at least that what she thinks. It was where his Enchantress Mother stored all of the magical instruments and weapons she had created. But thinking back, his Enchantress Mother had probably known already about his knowledge of her secret chamber.

As soon as he stepped into the area, Gun Gun could feel the ward sweeping through his very essence. The resistance that he felt earlier vanished and he could see the blank wall earlier shift until a door appeared.

His Enchantress Mother's room is very tidy, but very extravagant and lavish. A pillowcase was probably enough to buy a whole street in the mortal realm.

His mother's king sized bed was in the far north of the room. It is a canopy bed, draped with the most precious silk and fur, and probably with the highest quality cloths that existed, in icy blue shades. His mother was not extravagant by any means, but she liked to use what she had and show off.

'That probably was the meaning of extravagant.'

With a flick of his hand, the curtains behind his mother's bed opened, allowing him to see the snow gently falling and the large, blue moon outside. The lanterns became lit, bathing the chamber in a warm glow.

Without wasting any second, Gun Gun began searching the room. 'The entrance is in Mother's vanity table, but the key, on the other hand...' he had no idea what the key to the room was. He'd heard his Enchantress Mother always shuffling around when she goes to that secret room of hers.

"No matter, no matter," Gun Gun clicked his tongue. "If the Allfather can't do anything of my Mother's disappearance, then I'll just do everything in my power to find her."

He only has this one mother, and he was not going to lose her.

::::::::::::::::::::

If you thought Gun Gun still needed to be conceived, well you thought wrong. He's already here!!! Gun Gun is on detective mode!

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