She's too predictable, even with the wind on her side blowing its breath into my ear canal I know where she is heading. Tall wheat grass shrivels together exposing her location as she scurries along to her hiding spot. Rich aroma of her citrus cologne crawling its way into my nose, she's close, so close I could her the pants of her breath.

Back to the task, I Steady my heart rate, intently focusing on two senses, sound and smell. They ignite to unify against the heavy wind. Place yourself within the opponent's shoes. I inhale, tuning out unnecessary, sole focus on the earthly patters in the ground until I became one with nature, in silence.

A twig snaps, Sound.

I smirked, gotcha. My countdown proceeds backwards from ten, burying my whole head into my folded arms against the trees.

"Ready or not here I come."

My blurry eyes meet the beams of the early afternoon sun, in the field of only yellow and orange there she crouched near the tree, my hunch was too accurate for the hundred time, just up ahead of me was her small figure in between a bush next to a tree, emerald diamonds upon her crown sparkling like stars.

I fiddle around like a lost boy, coyly acting unaware of where it is she has hidden yet stepping closer. "Hmm, I wonder where she went."

Beads of Sweat gliding down my back from the rays, "Tiana?" My young squeaky voice calls out the name of the young princess, purposefully stomping my feet closer to her hidden location.

Smart enough not to answer, good girl. Hands cup her mouth but her broken giggly breath heavy.

"Hmm not there." I could do this for hours, but at any moment time would steal her from me, slowly lifting myself in a suspenseful leisure, I feel her eyes watching me, unaware of my next move.

I step away from her view, rounding behind her crouched frame to climb onto a tree, a momentary triumph she believes she has when her small shoulders relax.

"Boo!"

I didn't anticipate the ear-piercing shriek she erupted seeing me appear randomly, perched like a monkey hanging upside down from a branch, my hands fling to cup her mouth.

"Shhh! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." I whisper to her. Warm chocolate little brown eyes glimmer as she nods, resting her heart rate.

"I didn't mean to scream." She giggled as I removed my hand. "You just scared me."

Her upside-down appearance was a Funny image; however I wasn't made to be at this discomfort for too long. The blood begins to rush to my head, using my arms to catch my fall, I bring my weight down from the back of my knees. The world shifting in a nauseating view as I land poorly on my feet, a pain shoots from my ankles from the imbalance and fall down to my back.

Karma caught up to me for laughing.

Innocent squeaky giggles surround the horizon, now she was the one to laugh. Heat creeps up my cheeks at the embarrassment as I lie still into the soil, large oak tree bestows a minimal cool shade, but I still squint from the heavy rays.

A figure than comes to view.

"Hey, get up" she breaths worrisomely.

I groaned "just let me lie here."

"Not in the dirt" she retorts in a repulsive manner.

"I'm a commoner, I'm used to this princess." I chuckle one sided but soon but my tongue. I spoke before thinking again, a statement I could nonchalantly but the very words she hates altogether, commoner and princess.

I don't get to apologize before she delivers a soft kick to the side of my abdomen, Jeez. "Sorry!" I quickly replied coughing out the pain.

"Ugh, quit saying that." She huffs. Cleanly cut brows furrow in annoyance.

"I'm sorry, I won't call you a princess again," I groaned turning to soothe the side of the pain.

"No," she breathes. The whiff of her sweet cologne fans me above as she crouched down to my level, emeralds sparkling like diamonds in a cave, marbled dough brown eyes peering down at me with sadness. "Stop calling yourself a commoner, you're more than that. Especially..."

Softly staring into her eyes, eager to hear the rest of the statement.

"Especially to me." She finishes.

My breathing stills, of all the things she is blessed with on the royal grounds, I meant something to her, she never failed to remind me how much she enjoys being around me, but that statement alone is more than anyone has ever made me felt, like I was wanted.

A glow of her gold pendant around her neck graze around my pupils thus reminding me of the real world. Such treasury is not amongst me to own. "Our worlds are different" I say, keeping tune with reality.

"It won't be like that forever."

I raise a brow, "What do you mean?" My blood coils feeling something crawl behind my neck but makes no sudden movement.

"When I'm queen, I will change everything, so that way you can be by my side forever."

There it was again, that strange wave washed through my chest, a tingling feeling at those words, by her side forever. I wouldn't want to ever separate from her side, a silence overcomes the both of us, letting her words linger into the air. A statement that made me smile the more my mind replayed it.

At her side forever? Next to her? Being beside her? Even if I wished upon a star, nothing now can be a dream come true but this moment here.

Then so will it be.

An adrenaline pumps in my veins, she squeals with a jump at the sudden rise to my feet.

"Come my princess, the pirates are after us!" I roar.

A confusion plays before it dawns onto her, "Oh save me my prince." Tiny arms flare like a damsel in distress.

"Run I'll fend them off." In protection I stand as a barrier between her and the imaginary villain with my hands fisted in front of my face.

Hem of her Royal green dress scrunched into her little palms, heels digging into the soil of the sand. "What are you doing?" She questioned in her playful panic.

"Holding them off, now go" I roar throwing an imaginary punch with a grunt.

"But you're the prince you need to run to."

"Not right now, my purpose is to protect you, Princess. I'll be the bodyguard until I'm certain you're free."

Playfully she giggled, "But what if something happens to you?"

"The pain wouldn't be as bad if I knew something happened to you."

This time She stills to the statement, and so have I. Only the whistle of the wind carries on normally, blowing away at the tall grass around us, a glossed look in her orbs, I didn't think of the statement at that moment, only blurted out what has been spewing in my chest for a very long time.

My hands slowly come down, "Tiana I -"

"Tiana!"

We jump to the baritone voice of the henchmen, heavy shoes stomping to the soil heading towards the open field where we were, on instinct I rush to her allowing her frame to hide behind mine. Tiny fingers cling to the loose fabric of my muddy shirt.

Body shivering with worry, "I'm scared." She shuddered.

"Don't worry go hide!" I whisper, guiding her body behind a tree, "Remember what I taught you!"

Nodding intently, she ducks behind the same bush, just as the large henchmen appears from thick bushes, face crimson with obvious annoyance glancing around the horizon until he finds me standing in the middle, flames spark at the corner of his eyes as he stampedes towards me.

"What have you done with the princess pig!" he spats to me, thick hand rise in the air before it comes across my cheek with a deadly sting. My head nearly snaps off my shoulders hadn't my legs tumbled down.

"Where is she!" He roared, droplets of saliva fall like rain from his mouth, I levitate from his excruciating kicks. A moment of frustration he is stealing to lay it out on me, like most henchmen do.

A sudden crack sound in the midst, an iron taste in my mouth as my vision fights for the light. I can hold it, I'm used to this feeling, judging by his large belly and heaves of breathes he will tire himself out soon. But can I withstand it?

With one more raise if his leg he aims it to my face before a loud scream reached the sky, a deafening whistle in my canal as a thick liquid ooze down my lips. I'm seeing triple, disoriented colors swirl like ripples, my consciousness is eluding until soft fingers wrap from behind my back interlocking on my chest, a beating heart with a sweet smell.

Acidic bile claws up my throat with a thumping pain just behind my right eye, my head is rested on her shoulder, smooth tight curls drape my face. Conversations Muffled, as if I'm plunged underwater.

Slowly but surely my vision coming to one, a look of pure fear laced the henchmen's eyes, my head wobbles, spinning the earth in the process.

My lungs still debating to grant me oxygen, making them expand painfully. It was either that or die, I refuse to be in another life without her. Deeply furrowing my brows to align the grey fading colors, in panic the henchmen kneel down to his knee, beads of sweat race down his crimson forehead.

A draft return on my back, she steps away this time to become my barrier standing between me and the henchmen. Shame flushes down my veins, this is the other way around, I know I shouldn't be too hard on myself, but it is me that is to protect her and here I am like another rock to the dirt.

My ears unclog with a pop, cold wind makes me wince to the sharp pain.

"Forgive me your highness we were worried and - "

"And you raise a hand on another child? Treating him as a dragonfly? Nearly stripping him of his life." She cries.

He doesn't acknowledge the statement, instead doubled down "Your father has been on a search princess are you inj-"

"Have I spoken to the wind?"

"Pardon?" He peers up.

"I informed you of your actions and you change the subject?"

Despite being underage her word was law, and God help anyone who went against that. Jaw clenched, sinister eyes slither to mine, darkness spewing into his orbs until they swallow the light. "Forgive me Commoner -"

"Nasir" I sputter hatefully, coughing up a sharp tingle in my throat, swallowing the agony as I sit up using my elbows.

"Apologies Nasir, I will see to it your provided with aid and send you the finest medical care."

"No" she interrupts, "You will bring him to the castle and see it that way."

Hesitation until he bows, "I shall alert the horsemen".

Stoically I watch him rise, clenching his fists as he heads towards the bushes, her powerful demeanor falters to fling to my side. "Nasir" she cries frantically, treating me as if I'm fragile glass.

"I'm so sorry," tiny hands grab me. But I angrily pull away.

"I'm going home."

"No! Wait the horses are coming."

"No, I don't need it, I can walk." In one step my body crashed down, immense pain immediately shoots across my bones. Ashamed and bruised, the man I wanted to be was shattered before my eyes, reminding me I'm still a little boy, being an ant is too good of an honor. Even as tiny as those insects are, the greatest man fears getting caught in between them.

I feel her heat, her sweet scent nauseating. Like a stick to an animal she prods, "Nasir". For once that soft tone I like so much is a mosquito to the ear.

"Nasir please we need to get you to -"

"No!" I roar. "Just go Tiana, I'll be fine on my own. Leave" words felt like acid on my tongue.

Brown orbs glossed "Nasir?"

"Don't call me that! I - I don't want to see you again." I wished to have simply breathed out the stress but instead they pour out, pride tarnished, shattering like glass. It should have been me that protected her, I'm no man now, how can I be in the future?

She sniffles, I fight not to look at her, I could stop it there, but she reached out to me, and I move away. Giving her my back as I bring my knees to my chest, fighting back my own tears into Snorts of horses approach from the trees.

"Nasir?" She tries again, but my barrier still stands.

"Princess?" Says the henchman, I watch his shadow come to view. "Shall we get you both on the horse?"

I feel both their glares, "No," she breathes "it is ok."

"Then let us get you back to the palace Princess, the king awaits."

Tears brim my eyes, she is stepping away from me, my heart heavy. The distance between us growing further, sounds of horses trotting away, until she is out of view. Despite it all I still felt her eyes linger on me as the horses trot away.

Finally Invisible to her eyes, I crumble, a deep emotion spewing out of my chest, humiliation and despair. I couldn't protect her the way I wanted, maybe if I endured a little more than she would not have come to my aid.

A failure as her future Prince/ bodyguard and best friend. I wallow for hours, nearly succumbing to the gashes that leaks, my fingers coated in red as I wipe my ear and forehead, body in shambles and Sharp pain shoots all throughout my body.

But I can't sit still, for the resting sun is no place for young commoner boy, at least the palace would give me a proper burial and not leave me on the side of the road on top of mounted feces and dinner for rats and maggots.

Like my brother.

Just at the thought of him the wind blows alerting me of his ghost at my side, solemnly his dark eyes look at me, eyeing my state. Stolen from me and sold by our father to the black market. Slashes and deep cuts with missing limbs, just as he died Is the way he appears, I watch the maggots fall from his intestines and eye socket.

I could cry, reminiscing the day his folded body was delivered to us in a small box.

'Pathetic' his eyes said to me, 'Get up and fight to live.'

I grit my teeth, forcing myself up as I held onto a close branch. Like being tied to ankers the soar bones within me enrage the swollen nerves screaming to my brain for help. My screams shoot through the horizon as I'm finally on my feet, alone out in the field.

I smile feeling my eye swell up, once again you have come to aid me older brother, Thank you.