THENEXTPRINCE, Chapter 13: Storm of Rain.
By: CEO ft Ennice.
At around midnight on the international airline, there was still quietness from Heathrow Airport to Suvarnabhumi Airport in Thailand, which is the destination point.
Traveling by plane from London to Daveen, the capital of Emmerlyn, has two ways. One is to fly and change planes in Thailand, and the other is to go to Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam.
Charan let Khanin beside him sleep soundly since the moment the plane took off and flew up into the sky like a large bird hovering above the clouds.
His eyes scanned the young man who was fast asleep in the seat next to him. It was his preference that he chose to book a middle-row first-class seat instead of a single chair next to the window.
For one thing, it is for safety reasons during emergencies. Charan had to reach Young-Prince before anyone else, and the second reason is something personal that he couldn’t tell anyone…
Charan hates sitting by the window on planes…
The important duty of the flight attendants is to sweep their eyes around to observe and check for safety according to their experience. This flight has fewer passengers, especially those in the first-class section, where people are relatively sparse.
The calm situation that is currently unfolding has not relieved Charan’s tightly packed anxiety even in the slightest since the young man began his journey without encountering any abnormalities.
Everything was safe… so quiet that even the tall man began to tremble with fear. At first, Charan was worried that there might be a clash at Heathrow Airport, but the situation did not turn out that way.
His assumption was not realized, as no suspicious individuals were found at the airport. Everything was peaceful and surprisingly normal…
Warm breaths were blown out by the tall man to relieve tension. Although the path ahead was obstacle-free, experienced individuals did not let their guard down. If the enemy had an intention to harm him or Young-Prince, they would have sent someone to wait in the middle of the road.
And for this reason… he decided to let Khanin rest for more than eleven hours.
Charan immersed himself in planning various plans in his mind, concentrating so much that he barely noticed the small movements of the person next to him. However, he suddenly stopped thinking about his serious thoughts.
The young man looked at the sleeping figure, the wrinkles on Khanin’s forehead were tightly furrowed. His thin body made no sound, but it clearly showed signs of stress and distress.
Sometimes bad dreams may be deceiving… as can be seen from the other party’s nails digging into his flesh. Charan frowned and intended to wake the younger person up, but as soon as he touched him, someone else grabbed them both, as if trying to seize a place to rest.
“…” The older man paused. Charan hesitated for a moment, looking around for help, but there was no one around to help.
If they held hands… Khanin would not feel any pain.
Yes… to prevent Young-Prince’s nails from digging into himself, the best thing to do was to hold hands like this…
His determination to let go in the beginning had to be canceled halfway through. Charan stared at the hands that were holding tightly for almost ten seconds. The wrinkles on his forehead, which had been pressed together, slowly relaxed.
Khanin’s breathing became more regular and steady due to the warm touch of the tall man. Charan let go, knowing that these actions might help the young boy in some way.
Traveling across borders and contacting one another took a long time. Accumulated exhaustion forced the tall man to close his eyes for a while, but still, all five senses were alert.
The sound of the seatbelt being fastened suddenly rose, calling out to several passengers to adjust themselves. The plane was experiencing turbulence due to the changing weather conditions.
Charan forgot to look up again to check the well-being of the person next to him before turning back to sit upright. The weakness and tiredness he had experienced earlier disappeared and were replaced by a small sense of tightness.
The young man secretly swallowed his saliva, his mind warning himself not to turn and look out the window. Charan glanced over to find a focal point to rest his eyes on during the stormy airplane ride…
The tension in his light grip almost made him lose consciousness, causing the tall man to let go of his grip on the armrests in fear. Charan took a deep breath, unaware of how long it would take for the plane to pass through the heavy rainstorm…
He only knew that… before he could feel himself again, it was at the moment when he shook hands with his distant royal blood relative, tightly connected until they reached their final destination in Thailand…
They arrived at Suvarnabhumi Airport later than expected due to the bad weather conditions, making Charan’s entire plan delayed. However, he did not see this as a big problem, but rather a good thing to have some time to spare during the journey, to think and prepare for what would happen in the future.
“What’s wrong?” The young boy asked, noticing that the other person was lost in thought.
“Nothing, just thinking that sleeping on the plane is like being dead, plus I had a dream too.”
“What dream?”
“Uhh… never mind, forget it. Where are we going next?” Khanin changed the subject, raising his eyebrows. The young boy refused to tell the truth about the dream, thinking it was somewhat pointless.
At first, it was a nightmare… making him feel terrible, but Khanin appeared in his thoughts, appearing as a person walking beside him, holding hands as if to comfort each other.
The problem was that the bad dream that came afterward was deceiving at first, but then it gradually became a warm feeling to replace it. A young man at his age cannot explain this dream to Charan properly.
“…”
“What’s wrong? I asked where we’re going next.”
Finally, the thin frame decided to fold and keep the whole story in his heart. They continued on to the passenger arrival zone. Khanin whispered while the tall person gradually slowed down when he noticed that the other person seemed to need to speed up too much.
“We’ll stay with a friend tonight, and tomorrow morning we’ll continue our journey.” Charan leaned over to speak to the young boy so that only the two of them could hear.
“Is your friend here? Is it spacious enough?”
Khanin interjected, raising his eyebrows. The young boy thought of
Charan’s image when he was with his friends, which didn’t come out much.
Because in his eyes, he estimated from the pose coming from the person he liked doing often, it led Khanin to make a decision that the other party might not have many close friends.
“He’s half-Emmaly.”
Charan explained to Khanin so that he would understand. The young boy had no more doubts about the homeowner whom his companion had taken him to stay overnight. However, there were still many things left that bothered him without any resolution.
“I’m wondering why we didn’t fly directly to Hanoi as it takes less time than waiting for a long layover like this, isn’t it?” Khanin hastened his steps again as they walked side by side.
People at the airport during this evening time were quite chaotic. Charan saw it as an advantage, but on the other hand, it was also a disadvantage in that it was safe from intruders, but people had to be more vigilant around both sides.
“Because that way takes less time than not going.”
“Why?”
“Why?”
“Because the bad guys might send someone to ambush us there.”
The young man’s eyes fell on the response he received, lost in thought for a moment before the teacher lightly cleared his throat.
Charan was cautious, at least when it came to traveling with others. The disadvantages were not the only things to consider, as there were also plenty of positives to remember.
The most important thing was safety…
“But that doesn’t mean they won’t send someone to ambush us here.”
“What do you mean?” The younger person raised their eyebrows slightly and both of them stopped, standing in front of the exit door before the taller figure grabbed their shoulder. Both sides held the young one steady so they could listen carefully.
“Listen, since we left Heathrow I’ve been thinking everything is too normal. If I had to guess their plan, it would probably involve trying to send someone to wait for us in Hanoi because those guys probably think I have to hurry back to Emmaly with you as soon as possible.”
“Because if that were the case, we wouldn’t be going…”
“Yes, but I think they might still send someone here.” Charan pondered heavily before finally seeing the possibility of the bad guys coming to ambush them here. He silently prayed that he would be able to handle it if that really happened.
“…”
“For your safety, leave the gate and stay away from me completely.”
“I know.” Someone else’s serious tone influenced Khunit’s response to become only a soft murmur. Charan paused before they walked out again, and the air inside the passenger entrance to Suvarnabhumi Airport was thick.
Khanin tried to follow the instructions of the older person, but his mind clashed with the order as he walked as though he wasn’t jostled by the rushing flow of people. He felt like a slot machine that moved slowly and was not in tune with his own feelings.
The young man used to think he was quite fast at making decisions and doing things, but when compared to Charan today… Khanin realized that his quickness in decision-making and carrying out tasks was quite slow, not much different from a slot machine…
Before the main sentence at the airport, chaos was everywhere due to the long line waiting for taxis that stretched out like a snake’s tail. Charan chose to walk together with a group of people who said they would walk up to the taxi on the other side of the gate.
The young man ordered Khanin to bow down as low as possible and they followed the group of tourists without attracting attention, while the older person reasoned that this way was safer than walking just the two of them.
Because not only did it help avoid being remembered, this way also enabled them to quickly find a way out of the airport by following the group of people who already knew the way. It wasn’t anything complicated or difficult.
When they reached their destination, Charan strode over to the nearest taxi and spoke to the driver in Thai before gesturing for the younger person to get in the car. Then he followed and sat next to him.
His sharp eyes turned left and then right to check safety as they traveled. On the way, Khanin noticed the taxi driver starting to chat with Charan about something, and the young man found that Thai language was similar to English in some ways so he could understand some of what they were saying if he listened carefully.
“It’s been raining every day these days, it’s really hard to find customers if we don’t have the little ones. And where did you go for vacation? Maybe to Japan maybe? Everyone who goes to Japan comes back with customers in this area.”
“Yes, I went to Japan.” Charan replied with a gesture before reaching out and tapping Khanin’s waist.
The slight warmth touched the young man’s cheek, causing him to turn and look at the person next to him with suspicion, wondering what was going on. But before he could ask anything, the other person leaned in and whispered almost to his ear.
“Don’t sit too close to the mirror, it’s not safe.”
The little distance between them might have been caused by Charan not wanting the third person in the car to hear their conversation. Khanin shifted himself noticing that he had accidentally sat too close to the mirror.
He didn’t protest and moved away from the window, approaching the tall person beside him almost instantly. Khanin followed Charan’s words easily, now he had to trust what the other person said.
Although his heart truly wished to sit and admire the unfamiliar atmosphere of the country he had never set foot in, Bangkok was one city he and his father had planned to visit together.
They had planned to stay here for a week, wandering around looking for street food together…
But that dream would never come true again.
Khanin allowed himself to sink into the silence until he saw Charan move again. The young man turned his gaze back to the person next to him.
Charan’s posture looked strange, and the other person was bewildered, looking left and right, almost causing Khanin to stretch himself closer and whisper lightly into the ear of the older person.
“What are you?” Before he finished speaking, Charan’s finger moved, approaching his lips as a signal for Khanin to stop talking.
The young man raised his eyebrows, feeling curious with many questions in his head, but when he met the serious gaze of the other person, Khanin reluctantly fell silent.
He swallowed nervously when he noticed something abnormal when Charan had touched him. Khanin took advantage of a moment to look through the rearview mirror. The young man did not see anything unusual, but guessed that someone with sharp ears like Charan might have accidentally heard something.
“Turn left at the intersection.”
“Here?”
“Yes, turn here and park.” Charan spoke to the person sitting behind the wheel, his voice getting louder, causing confusion.
“Are you two going to take your boyfriend to the market first? There are many restaurants around here, but the one we’re going to is on the next street.”
“Yes, here is the fare, no need for change.” Charan didn’t hold back, thinking that their close relationship so far must have an impact on the driver’s understanding, grabbing the banknote to pay before reaching out and pulling the young man to follow as soon as the car stopped.
Khanin couldn’t grasp anything at the moment. He only knew that he was standing amid a group of people, surrounded by shops.
“We’re being followed.” Charan rushed, brows furrowed, pushing the young man out of the way. Khanin’s eyes wandered to the back, noticing a strange group of four or five people heading their way.
They wore hats that covered their faces, sunglasses, and even black masks over the lower half of their faces. It was obvious that they were not ordinary people…
But Khanin refused to believe that these people had come to follow them here.
“This way.” Charan urged the younger child to run into the alley under the cloudy sky. The flickering light passing through the clouds made the older ones feel anxious.
The young man from the countryside pleaded that the rain not fall at this time, trying to suppress every fear as he led the younger ones into a narrow alley amidst a crowd of people. Charan’s efficient and sharp gaze could discern and accurately count the suspicious group of people approaching.
This was a skill trained in the Atsawathewathin family’s curriculum, specifically designed to manage situations like this to protect and ensure the safety of its members.
In this situation, no one, not even a tiny ant, could escape Charan’s keen observation.
“Hold my hand.” The tall figure leaned down and whispered tightly, gripping the small hand firmly. He pulled Khanin and hurriedly walked away from the approaching group, turning into an even quieter alley before stopping when three more suspicious-looking people came out from the front of the alley.
Quickly, Charan dragged the younger child into a half-open shop. The young man held the child behind the half-open door.
The tight grip of the strong hands around his waist made their faces almost touching each other, and the warm breath made Khanin feel strangely relieved.
Charan leaned forward to observe the external environment, his heart pounding with the sound of running footsteps.
Fear crept up his spine, and sweat seeped throughout his face. But the faint scent of the mature person who held him eased Khanin’s anxiety to some extent.
It seemed as if his body was beginning to remember on its own, while the younger child wasn’t quick enough to react.
Regardless of what might happen, as long as he was with Charan, he would be safe.
The idea circulated in his mind as the young man swallowed his saliva, repeatedly reassuring himself.
“Slowly walk out, and if I signal you, we’ll run out of this alley to the left. Do you understand?” Charan whispered, squeezing the hand of the younger child firmly.
Khanin paused and looked down at the ground before looking up at the mysterious person. He waited for the other person to turn back and signal him before running out of the shop, holding hands tightly.
The thin fingers interlocked, and then they pulled each other’s hands hard. As they stepped out of the old shop, they were forced to stop again after walking only a few steps.
When one of the men wearing a black mask appeared in front of them, the stranger blocked their way, and Charan had to quickly use his body to knock down the assailant to make them fall into a fight.
This time, the sharp tip of the knife was aimed at someone whose bloodline came from the royal family.
“Hide!” Charan used the moment when the masked man didn’t face him to order Khanin, who was awakened just in time to follow his command.
The young man stepped in to block the suspicious person. Charan sprinted forward, using his body to collide with the enemy to make the opponent fall, creating an intense confrontation. When the enemy lost his footing, he still held the knife menacingly.
The flashlight hit the silver weapon. Although Charan was holding the upper hand in the card game, there was a chance that he could be overpowered from above. However, the lower-ranked person had enough strength to wield a sharp knife towards Charan’s handsome face.
Charan dodged the knife by ducking down and seizing the opportunity to strike back. The other person tried to choke him with one hand before using the other to twist his arm in another direction, causing the fighting pair to groan in pain.
The short knife fell out of the criminal’s hand, giving Charan a chance to grab it. Both refused to back down, but the tall man forcefully kicked the other one backwards. However, the other side didn’t show any signs of distress.
It chose to lunge back towards Charan before doing the same thing the taller person did earlier. The mysterious person collided with a table, causing them to fall to the ground.
Fighting at close range on unfamiliar terrain in Emmaly made Charan more cautious than ever before. Although killing the other person would end the situation quicker, he knew he couldn’t do it.
Knowing this, Charan had to come up with another plan. Experienced fighters knew how to calculate movements and time in battles.
Charan decided to break one of the criminal’s arms by twisting it down onto his nose. This action caused the other person to lose interest, and it worked better than he expected.
The other side quickly pulled their mask down, allowing Charan to snatch the knife back. The tall figure lowered themselves and moved quickly with agility.
One thick hand grabbed the knife handle while the other took hold of the opponent’s ankle. The fight was tight, and the blade was thrust directly into the opponent’s chest.
“Ah!”
Khanin eyes widened in shock at what he saw. The loud moan of pain accompanied fresh red blood flowing from Charan’s body as he dodged the other person’s attack.
The young man swung the knife again before… Suddenly, one raindrop hit Charan’s face, causing him to pause for no apparent reason.
The rain and the wetness compressed Charan’s senses. He felt everything around him intensify, and the situation seemed even more terrifying.
The tall figure clenched his teeth, suppressing all the anxiety that surged within him. However, things appeared to get worse when blood mixed with raindrops scattered on the ground.
Amidst the pouring rain and fresh drops of blood, Charan Phitakthewa faltered, seemingly losing control over himself.
“You!!”
TBCLINE.
“You didn’t notify me yesterday, so I had to update it again.”
The chat was still not cleared, but the group members kept creating new ones.
Please don’t feel discouraged, Nong Nin.
Leave a Reply