ADDENDUM // Phantasm AU Extras

Golden Boy

If asked about the future, Malcolinus would eagerly tell anyone that would listen he would be king some day. At thirteen though, he didn't fully understand what that meant - only that it was what made him the prince. It was what gave him a stable full of horses to ride and men to teach him how to swordfight and what made the servants bow their heads as he passed through the halls of the castle. It was what made his father smile down at him and ruffle his hair.

It was what made him special.

There were a lot of rules to being a prince. You had to sit at the head of the table next to your father and not play with your food while all the other members of the court were watching. You had to wear itchy clothes dyed with colors that made your skin break out into a rash because those were the colors of the royal flag. You had to sit in on long court meetings where you had no clue what the men were talking about and not fall asleep. It was hard sometimes.

But there were times when it was fun, too.

Being the prince gave Colin the right to tell off adults that made him mad, and they couldn't say anything about it. Being the prince let Colin be in charge of the games he and his sibling (siblings, if you counted those freakish twins his father was too fond of) would play. Being the prince let him do whatever he wanted - and no one could tell him no because he was going to be the king someday.

Being the prince is what's letting him whip through the woods on the fastest horse he owns now, his father chasing behind him.

Colin tightened his grip on the reins, tossing a look behind him to see where his father was. Etienne was only a few paces behind him, the pure white horse that he rode steadily gaining speed. Colin urged his own steed (a black stallion called Tomas - a gift that he'd gotten for his tenth birthday) faster, urging him down the path. It was a race that Colin didn't plan on losing - especially since he knew they were almost at the lake.

The path flattened out somewhat as they approached the shore - in the home stretch now - and even though he could feel Tomas getting tired, Colin kept pushing a little faster, a little harder. He could hear the breathing of his father's horse behind him now, gaining on him, but it was only a little farther to the lake-

They broke out of the trees and onto the bank. Colin pulled his horse to a stop, crowing victory as he turned back to find his father grinning as well, shaking his head at his own loss. Wind shipped across the surface of the lake, creating long ripples as Colin dismounted from his horse, leading Tomas over to the water to get a drink.

Etienne did the same with his white horse, coming to stand by his son. "You rode a good race." He said, knocking Colin playfully on the head. "That stallion of yours is a runner."

Colin rubbed at the spot where his father had knuckled him, still grinning. These are the moments when he loves being the prince - escaping the palace for a moment to enjoy the lands around it with his father, but knowing that he'll be able to go back to the luxury of home in the end. There will be a warm bath waiting for him when he returns, to wash off the smell of the wild.

They spend a moment by the lake in silence, just watching the wind make the spruce trees bow and bend. It's broken when his father speaks again, that sigh in his voice that means it's important.

"You're growing into a fine young man Colin." He said, looking out over the scenery.

Colin preened at the praise as his father sighed again.

"The men of my court have been asking about apprenticeships and military experience for you." Etienne continued. "All the generals are jostling with each other for the chance to have you as a squire."