sleeping beau ✨

the first and only chapter

"your highness! your highness!" a villager screams as he runs into the throne room. i sigh and run fingers through my hair, annoyedly. don't get me wrong, i love our citizens. but they are hella dramatic sometimes.

"speak, good sir," my father says through his thick mustache. you literally can't hear him most of the time.

"my son has been cursed by a witch! he's enduring an eternal sleep. he won't wake up!" this piqued my interest. i look over at my sister, who is also interested. this sounds like a storybook we all know, but it's really happened.

"what should we do?" my mother, the queen, asks my father.

"isn't it obvious. we shall send my daughter, olivier, to bestow a healing kiss onto the lips of the boy. our family isn't royal for no reason. our healing lips have helped citizens for generations."

"i'm sorry, dad, but it's actually our saliva," olivier specifies.

i groan. "god, liv, that's gross. don't remind me that i have magic spit."

the villager sobs. "your highness, i'm sorry to ask you to stoop so low, but my son... is... gay."

"okay? no problem. then, uh, my son edward shall go."

"what? dad, come on! i hate kiss magic! you know i hate healing people with my lips!"

"you live here and eat for free, do as i command!" he shuts me down. i sigh, rubbing my eyes. i hop out of my throne, waltz down the steps, and place a hand to the man's shoulder.

"don't worry, pops, i'll save your boys precious lips. uh, you know what i mean."

"here. take this map. he's in groggy grotto, just thirty miles north. do not dilly-dally!"

i cock a brow. "that sounds like a rip off of sleepy hol–"

"just go, young lord!!"

i get shoved by the man, so i jog through the corridor to the door. "geez, when did the citizens get so confident?" i stop by the stables and get my horse, when i'm approached by my sister.

"brother, i got your sword." i smile, ruffling her hair.

"i love you, twin. i'll see you back here in three days time."

"can i come?" she asks. i chuckle, hiking up onto my horse and looking down at her.

"you wouldn't last." i snap the reigns of my horse, to which he neighs loudly and throws me off the back. i struggle-climb out of the hay stack and return to my horse's side. "that didn't happen," i say, and olivier chuckles.

"sure. be safe. and, take my protection amulet. the one father bestowed upon me at birth. you'll have your birthright sword and my birthright amulet to protect you. come home, okay?"

i smile, trotting out on my horse gently. "of course."

> — <

half of the day goes smoothly. i eventually approach a nice area before a bridge across a wide river. hopping off of my horse and tying his lead to the tree, next to the river for him to drink, i check my map. i've been making great time, considering i'm trying my best not to tire out my horse. i get distracted and start petting the precious boy, but he just nips at me until i back away.

i get some water myself, and when i do, i fill three more canteens and pack them up on my horse. i should give my horse a name, so i don't keep calling him my horse. "quincy?" i say. my horse raises his head from the water and whinnies. i chuckle. "okay, quincy is fun. like that name?" he snorts an understood 'no' and continues drinking.