Loan stood before a huge painting of the king, queen and Coelestin sitting in the queen's lap. He held Coelestin's bracelet in his hand and looked scornfully at his father, the deceased king of Switzerland. He wore the bracelet and looked at Coelestin, "Finally, I have it, and soon, this kingdom will be mine too while you just become some toy of a rich, old faggot,"

He looked at Coelestin's blue eyes and moved his hands towards his face. He dug his nails into the fabric of the huge canvas and scratched his face. Suddenly, he heard a horse's neighing. He moved his hands away and ran towards the direction of the horse stable. Four men were trying to calm down Lutz, Coelestin's horse which had been on a rampage ever since Coelestin left the castle. It was a robotic horse that Ben had gifted Coelestin on his twelfth birthday.

"What is this?" Loan walked towards them. They moved away from Lutz, "Four men cannot control one horse? Pathetic,"
"Apologies, your highness, but this horse is not easy to control. Only Prince Coelestin can control it," The horse tamer said. Loan gave him a hateful gaze, "Coelestin is no prince, he is an embarrassment." Then, he turned towards Lutz, "I'll see what this horse does,"

"No, your highness. That can be dangerous,"
"Shut up at once!" He silenced the servants and moved towards Lutz. As soon as he touched him, Lutz rose his front legs in the air and slammed them on Loan's chest. He fell down on the fence, breaking it.

"Your highness!" His servants picked him, and as the way cleared, Lutz jumped over the fence and ran towards the fortification walls of the palace. As he reached closer to them, he jumped so high it seemed as if he had wings. He jumped over the huge walls and ran away. He ran through the rich Swiss woods surrounding the palace as if he knew where he wanted to be.

. . .

Veronique floated towards a dark chamber on her hoverboard and opened a door. It was a laboratory. It was dark inside and green lights lit up certain patterns all over the place. She moved inside and looked at a huge cylindrical chamber connected to hundreds of wires, stacked up and coiled to a huge machine that showed the amount of electricity stored it in.

She moved towards the cylindrical chamber and pressed her hand on the glass, the lights inside the chamber lit up and she could see Ben, he looked anorexic with his ribs protruding out, his eyes shut and his bones covered with a thin layer of skin. Every bone on his vertebral column was connected to a thick wire, and the veins on his hands were connected to small tubes.

She moved her hand away, "Is he even alive?"
"Why do you care?" X asked. Her heartbeat stopped for a moment.
She turned towards him, "N-No,"
"Why are you even here?" He asked.

"...I thought of seeing him once. Aren't we being too cruel? We have enough energy now, we can let him go,"
"You are right. Now that we have used him up, I'll put some doctors to euthanise him,"
"What? But why?"
"Because if we don't kill him, he will surely kill us," X said as his blue eyes shone through his black masquerade mask.

. . .

"Col! Col, look!"
Coelestin slowly opened his eyes and looked at a blurry face. He had black hair, dark skin, "Look! I made a paper crown! Oh my God, it fits you perfectly!"
He rubbed his eyes and looked again. The blur disappeared and his skin turned paler, his hair white, "You up? I've prepared you some food and your medicine," Lupin said.

Coelestin looked around. Maybe it was a dream. He looked at the food before him, the pain in his stomach was now noticeable by him, the effects of those medicinal drugs he took were wearing out. He ate a little and took his medicines. He spent the rest of day just laying in bed, hoping the pain would go away. He looked at his wrist, his bracelet was gone. He didn't remember where he lost it.

"So, I don't even have my weapons anymore, huh," He covered himself with his blanket again, "I'm as worthy as a franc,"
Lupin came and sat beside him, "Time for your lunch, Coelestin"
He moved the blanket away from his eyes and peeped at Lupin's face,
"...Why don't you address me as a prince, you pauper?"

Lupin laughed, "You look so cute, Coelestin!"
Coelestin grabbed the glass tumbler beside him and smashed it on the wall. He grabbed Lupin's collar and pressed it on his neck, "Do not call me by my name,"
He felt a striking pain in his stomach and left Coelstin immediately. He fell on the bed, "What the hell!"

"You still haven't recovered from the surgery so you might not wanna move a lot," He said as Coelestin groaned in pain while lying on the bed. Lupin looked at the broke glass shards, "What a mess you've created, Coelestin. I need to clean this up now,"

"Shut up! Don't call me by my name, you hedgeborn cunt!"
"Coelestin, you might be a prince, but to me, you're just a patient," He brought the spoon near his mouth, "And as your doctor, I have the right to call you whatever I want in turn of saving your life, you know,"

Coelestin slapped his hand and the spoon fell on the floor, "I am not eating anything! I am not hungry!"
Lupin narrowed his eyes, "Alright then, tell me when you're hungry,"
"I will starve to death than eat food made by you!"

Lupin laughed, "I'd like to see that happen," He kept the chicken soup in the fridge. The entire day passed and Coesletinlay in his bed, empty stomach. Lupin sat beside him with another bowl of soup, "You are so stubborn,"
"Why does that bother you?" Coelestin said from under his blanket.
"Because if you die, it'd be a pain to fid a place where I an bury you,"

"Just throw me to the vultures,"
"You seem heavy,"
"Are you calling me fat?"
"Muscles weight more than fat. You are muscular, hence heavy,"

"I'm not muscular, you a skinny piece of shit!" Coelstin yelled.
"Calm, why are you so angry Coelestin?"
"Why am I so angry? What else would a man be if he got everything taken a away from him within one night. My kingdom, my allies, my position as a prince,"

"Tell me, is your flesh not your own anymore? Is your blood not your own or are your bones not your own? Just because your people fail to recognise it, doesn't make you any less of a prince. Your eyes hold you high and mighty, you do not need a crown to prove who you are, Coelestin. And there is not one man on this planet, who can tell you otherwise,"

Coelestin looked into his eyes and slowly got up and sat on the bed, "...I'm hungry after all,"
"Oh, so you're flattered already?" He brought the spoon near his mouth,

"I've never felt this insulted," Coelestin said and opened his mouth. Lupin fed him, "You don't listen much, do you?"
"Shut up, will you?"

Once he was done eating, he gave him his medicines and put him to bed again. After doing the dishes, Lupin stood in the balcony and rolled a cigarette. He held it between his lips and brought his lighter closer. Coelestin looked at him while laying in the bed and squirmed up between the white sheets.

"Hey, have you ever done drugs?" He asked.
"You can tell?" Lupin turned towards him.
"I just made a guess. You seem like you're on crack all the time,"
Lupin giggled, "You seem like you work out a lot,"
"Well, I love fighting and horseriding, so yeah, in a way, I do work out. It calms me"

"I smoke because I like it. It calms me,"
"They are different,"
"They aren't," Lupin gave out smoke from his mouth and leaned against the balcony railings, pulling his head back and looking at the sky, "Some do drugs, others go for a run, but in the end, we're all just searching for that space, perhaps a hole that gives us shelter from the terrible reality,"

Coelestin looked at Lupin and squirmed into the blanket, his blonde eyelashes cast downwards, "I know someone who used to think that way,"
"Who? Your dad?" Lupin looked at him.
"No, my brother,"

"You have a brother?"

"We just have the same father, his mother was my dad's mistress. When dad brought him home for the first time, mom was happy to have him because they didn't have kids. But then, after two years my mom conceived me and soon the priest heard a prophecy that I would be a world leader, stronger and braver than my father, prettier and kinder than my mother, I would collect immense wealth and power for my kingdom and live into people's memory forever.

However, my life would be short and I would die early. So, if I have to die early, I want to die on the battlefield, with my enemy's blood smeared on my skin. Because in the end, we are all gonna die. The goal isn't to live forever, the goal is to create something that will,"

-To be continued

Prince Coelestin
5500 Rebellion