Dedicated to everyone who kept their comments spoiler-free.
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"I...can't...breathe!" I gasped as I clutched at my stomach, sucking in as much air the cursed dress would allow. Holy mother of dragons, did this thing come with a corset from the seventeenth century corset because I couldn't freaking breathe.
Logan and Jasper stood by my side, both of them eyeing me with equal looks of alarm and concern. Sadly, they had no power to do anything because my mother was in charge--and no one went up against my mother.
My mother gave me a once over and muttered something to the attendant. The girl with the black curtain bangs nodded and walked away to repeat whatever my mother had said to the manager. My mother turned to me and made a noise in the back of her throat.
"Park, stand up straight," she snapped. "What kind of princess can't handle a dress?"
"What kind of dress is built to suffocate girls?" I panted.
"You're the princess of Cimeria," my mother countered. "A dress should be nothing. Especially for a girl who almost got kidnapped."
"I disagree!" my father, who was lounging on the white sofas of the store, protested. "Wearing a dress is hard! I opt she wears a blazer over one of her nicer blouses and pull her hair back. Bam, princess material right there."
My mother had the most exasperated look as she turned to her husband. "William," my mother frowned, "you're not being helpful. She has to be presentable at the Whitepine wedding."
"Have you seen her in a blazer, though?" Jasper piped up. "She looks pretty fantastic and not like she's about to suffocate to death."
"Giselle, love," my father continued, getting off the sofa to come stand by my mother. "I'm bored. Stop being so picky so we can all go about our day."
"Uncle's right," Jasper nodded. "It's just a wedding, not a coronation."
At this point, I was leaning on Logan's shoulder, inhaling and exhaling as though I had just finished some 20k marathon in the middle of July.
My mother pursed her lips and gave me another once-over. I could hear the gears in her head whir and grind against each other as she took in the details of the dress. Oh, dear gods, please don't let her pick this dress.
"Logan, what color does Park look good in?" my mother suddenly inquired, turning to my bodyguard. Logan seemed startled by her question, and he shot me a quick look. I could only respond with a rattling breath and worry flitted across his face.
"Gold?" Logan suggested half-heartedly. Luckily enough, my mother brightened at his words and I knew that I would be getting out of this stupid dress.
"That's brilliant! The color of your eyes and her outfit would coordinate so well! Oh, why didn't I think of that?" She was dashing towards the manager while Logan gave a feeble noise to argue her conclusion, but it was no use.
"Think positively," Jasper snickered, "at least you know you definitely won't be wearing this dress."
My father gave me a pitying look. "Sweetheart, you can go change. You're beginning to look like a corpse."
Oh, thank the stars, I thought in relief as I bundled up the skirts of the powder blue dress my mother had forced me to don and waddled away towards the changing room. What had possessed her into thinking that resembling a walking stick of blue cotton candy was "fitting" for a wedding?
It was a struggle to wriggle my body out of the stupid dress, taking me ten minutes to finally be free of the python-tight grip it hard around my torso. I sat on the floor for a good amount of time, feeling exhausted by that battle I just had, and it was a while before I changed back into my black tights, my forest green button up, and my favorite pair of scruffy ankle boots.
When I finally crawled back into the real world, I found my father and Jasper playing rock-paper-scissors with each other while Logan was lazily flipping through a magazine. My mother was nowhere in sight.
Oh, no. That didn't seem like good news for me.
I plopped myself down besides Logan, leaning on his shoulder to catch a glimpse of what he was reading. "How Eating Green Truly Saved My Wedding," I read out loud.
"It's actually an interesting read," he grinned.
"Please, do elaborate on the miracles broccoli cooks up for weddings."
My mother came back into my sight right then, carrying a long white bag in her arms. I knew it was my dress for the wedding. This was new--the dress must've been downright flawless if my mother was happy enough with its appearance without forcing me to model it.
"It turns out this beautiful dress in the back. Logan, you are a genius!" My mother was grinning from ear to ear as she looked at all of us, expecting us to share her happiness for her success. She was a child on Christmas morning, a child that had received every present on their wish list.
My father stood up and put his arm around her shoulder. "You're so adorable but your passion for fashion is just so odd sometimes. I mean that in the best way."
My mother shot him a frown, but it changed to a smile as my father leaned forward to peck her on the lips.
"Guys, please," Jasper interrupted. He gestured his arm at us. "We have children here."
"Says the fifteen-year-old," I laughed, mussing up his hair.
"Park, don't pick on Jasper," my father cut in. Jasper stuck his tongue out at me, and I responded with pushing him sideways onto the couch before I returned my attention back to my father.
"Now, I'm giving you all three hours to have fun in the city before the dinner with the Lockehearts. You three must be responsible, alright? Park, please don't try and get kidnapped again."
"You guys act like I willingly find kidnappers and ask them to take me," I scoffed, unable to resist the urge to roll my eyes.
At that, everyone's gaze fell to me and gave me the look.
"That was just one time, and it was for good reason," I argued.
"It's always for good reason," Jasper snorted as he sat up, so I pushed him again.
"Logan," my mother said before Jasper and I could start bickering, "keep a very careful eye on her. I don't know if you've ever been victim to her antics, but this girl has a knack for slipping between fingers."
"Oh, believe me, your Highness," Logan said with a glower in my direction, "I know perfectly well."
My mother then asked for our plans. Jasper's was predictable--the bookstore. Logan and I, on the other hand, glanced at one another and shrugged. We were at a loss on where to start, so I figured we could just take a walk throughout the city since neither of us had been here in a while.
After repeating their instructions on staying out of trouble, my father and mother left in a car. Jasper was the next to go, and he left saying, "You'll know where to find me!" before exiting into a large crowd.
I pulled my sunglasses onto my face before Logan and I exited the shop. We hadn't been able to leave the palace for a whole week because my father was insistent on keeping me safe. It was too dangerous for me to leave the grounds, he would say, and that he needed to make sure the city was not a danger to his daughter.
For a good hour or so, Logan and I simply walked the streets of Riveria, exploring little shops and stopping by every vendor that caught our attention. There was a florist shop that we had stopped by that overflowed with flowers of every shade. They even sold hand-made flower crowns of roses, daisies, and violets, and I had forced Logan to wear one before he dragged me out of the store.
There was a bistro, two-stories tall with classical music playing from the speakers in the corners. We ate on the balcony, listening to the riders in the boats beneath us glide on by. I nearly gave Logan a heart-attack when I leaned so far over the edge that I almost tumbled over.
There was a vendor that sold hot pastries, which we bought sweet pecan tarts from. There was a small art gallery consisted of paintings that depicted famous figures in Cimeria riding dragons.
Logan and I stopped by a small coffee shop and ordered their home-special lattes, where I accidentally dumped so much sugar in mine that Logan ended up giving me his drink instead.
Oh, how I had missed this city. As we walked along the shops and cafes, passing by little groups of children licking gelato and men drinking their coffee by the railing, I found myself seeing little ol' me run through the same streets as my brother followed. Then the image morphed into a Park who had Elijah tailing her as she danced across the bridge. And then it came to Park holding Jasper's hand as the two of them waited to buy the seventh Harry Potter book.
I spent so much of my childhood in Riveria, and gods, it just felt nice to be home for once.
Logan and I took a long pass through the Riveria Plaza. Today, it was completely packed with families lounging in the summer sunlight and tourists frenziedly taking snapshots of the magnificent architecture that surrounded all four sides of the plaza. In the center of the plaza was a gigantic fountain chiseled out of white marble, creating a horde of centaurs with arched crossbows in the middle of a charge. Water gushed about them, pouring out of their arrows and backs, splashing into the rectangular pool they were set in.
For a while, we just lounged about, watching street performers from the back of crowds. The plaza was always filled with numerous skits and performances thanks to the abundance of people (which meant more revenue for the performer's acts). Logan and I got through about ten. My sunglasses slid down my nose halfway through the tenth performer and someone had noted that I had a striking resemblance to the princess of Cimeria.
Logan had me out of there faster than I could even blink.
"She was just asking," I pointed out as we continued out walk.
"I won't take any chances," he declared.
"Because it totally makes sense that a fifty-year-old lady is going to assassinate me."
Logan only made a noise in the back of his throat, refusing to reply to my completely logical statement. Instead, he veered us into a line heading up to a lemonade stand. Leaning to the side, I recognized the silver ponytail and dangling black earring. It was the same old man who had sold lemonade to my brother and me, and my chest swelled up at the memories.
"Warren was always so nice to me," I smiled. "He'd always give my brother and me free refills as long as we stayed nearby, and he named our drinks after us."
"The old man never did that for me."
"That's because I'm a darling, and you're, well, you."
Logan just sighed and shook his head. "Hanging out with you is exhausting."
"There are people who would line up for hours just to spend time with me."
"Oh, yeah? Who could possibly want to hang out with you?"
"You."
"I'm being paid to do this."
Touché.
The lady in front of us pushed her kids out of the way, and I heard her promise to her kids that she'd take them to the bakery later. It was our turn now, but as we got to the counter, my phone began buzzing--my father was calling.
"Hello?" I answered, moving away from the line. "Is something wrong?"
"Nothing's wrong, sweetheart!" my father said. "The Lockehearts actually showed up earlier than we expected. Do you mind picking Jasper up and meeting us at the restaurant in thirty minutes? He told me he was at a bookstore but didn't specify which one, so you might need to--"
"Don't worry," I said as Logan joined my side, holding two cups of lemonade. "I know which one he's at. We'll be there as soon as we can."
The call ended and Logan gave me a questioning look while I took the pink-tinged lemonade into my hands. "Did something happen?" he asked.
"Dinner was moved up," I explained. "Come on, we have to go find Jasper."
However, when Logan and I arrived at the bookstore, I didn't find what I needed. Jasper wasn't in his corner by the window, drinking his fifth coffee out of red paper cups with a thick book in his lap.
We spent ten minutes scouring the shop, heading up to the second and third level, making three rounds past hundreds of shelves until we stopped by the couch I knew Jasper should've been sitting in.
"Of course he's going to be here," Logan imitated, raising his pitch several octaves higher. "I know him like he's the back of my hand."
"Shut up, Cross," I said. "My voice does not sound that high."
My sunglasses were becoming a hinder. Thanks to the tint it provided, nearly everyone in the coffee shop looked like Jasper. I must've tapped on about fifteen different boy's shoulders on our hunt through the shop, but none of them were Jasper.
I pulled the glasses off, and after my eyes focused on the dim colors of the store, I could now differentiate colors.
Logan seized my arm but I brushed off his grip and made my way towards the back to see if any of the staff had seen Jasper. He was a regular and they knew his face. They might not be able to tell me if he had left already.
I stopped by the coffee counter, where the guy wiping a few mugs looked at me. His eyes burrowed as though he was trying to identify who I was.
"Hi there," Logan greeted. The guy's attention was diverted and his gaze snapped to my bodyguard. "Have you seen a boy around here, fifteen, dark messy hair with black glasses?"
"Yeah," the guy answered. "Check every corner here, there's bound to be one of them hiding."
Logan took a step at me, his brow raised. He didn't want to reveal Jasper's name, I realized, so I stepped forward. "His name is Jasper Bishop. He's the half-cousin of the princess of Cimeria," I said.
The guy's mouth fell open into an 'o' before he nodded. "You're talking about Jasper, the one who's probably read about every book here." He gave a quick laugh at the thought before he looked towards the window where Jasper should've been by. "He was here about ten minutes ago but he got up abruptly and shot out of here."
Logan and I exchanged alarmed looks--why would Jasper run out of here? If my father called him, that would mean he had been told to stay and wait for me.
"Is he in some kind of trouble or something?" the guy asked, lowering his voice. "A couple of guys barged in here right after he left, and I feel like they were looking for him."
Without another word, I bolted out of the bookstore. My head snapped left and right, but I knew he was long gone.
I have to go after him.
Someone was calling my name, but all I could think of was Jasper. I could only focus on finding Jasper. I charged down the streets, pushing past crowds as I searched for his face. Maybe he was in hiding. I had taught him how to identify danger and what to do if I wasn't there.
I had been so lost in my desperation to find Jasper that I nearly ran straight into a cyclist. Right before I was about to slam onto the street, right in the way of cyclist, someone grabbed my hand and yanked me back with so much force that the two of us fell backwards.
"Sparrow, calm down," Logan advised through gritted teeth as he pulled us both to our feet. "You need to keep a level head right now."
"Jasper is missing!" I seethed, running my hands through my hair. "I need...I need to find him!"
"Call your father. Ask him if Jasper's called or anything," Logan suggested, placing his hands on my shoulder. "Breathe, Park."
I nodded, trying to find my calm as I dug my phone out of my bag. My hands were shaking as I attempted to dial my father's number. It turned out that I didn't need to because as I went for my contacts, the phone gave a loud buzz.
"Father? Has Jasper contacted you?" I said the moment I pressed the device against my ear.
It wasn't my father on the other line though. It was my mother instead, and when she spoke, her words came in rattling rasps of breath, as though she was sobbing with every syllable.
"Jasper's in trouble," she cried. "He...he called us, saying he was being followed when we heard a commotion on the other end. The line--it--it just cut off!"
The heat on my skin, the warmth of my blood--both seemed to drop below zero degrees as my mother's words concluded my fear. My breathing grew ragged again and suddenly everything was spinning.
Jasper's been hurt.
"Park, you have to come now. I need to see you," my mother sobbed. "Pa--"
But then my phone gave another sharp vibration, indicating that someone had sent me a message. I pulled the phone away from my ear to look at the screen, and my heart skipped a beat as I saw that the message was from Jasper.
The content, though, was definitely not from him. The words glaring up at me on the bright little screen caused my blood to run cold, and my breath was caught in my throat.
It seems like the young prince isn't going to make it in time for dinner.
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Ah, concerning the video I posted--if only I could write a scene where Logan and Park act as Flynn and Rapunzel and ACTUALLY dance around her kingdom. Damn the logistics of the real world.
Anyhoo, yeah, that's the scene that sort of helped me write the whole "exploring the city" chapter, which I admit, is actually a bit boring but hey! It's Pargan bonding time!
I hope you all enjoyed the song and the chapter to some extent. Keep in tuned for another chapter!
(also please keep your comments spoiler free!)
ciao for now -- knee