Innocent Sorrow: A Tale of Twisted Hearts Book One

Chapter One

The young boy waited until Hilda was out of the room to slip off the long, white night shirt that fell to his knees. He replaced the top with a white button up, grey vest and a pair of mid-shin length black slacks. On his feet he pulled on long white socks that reached his knees under the pants and a pair of soft leather shoes with a silver buckle. Sitting down in front of the vanity, he picked up a silver bell that sat on the table and rung it three times, waiting for his precious maid and friend to return. “Good, you’re dressed; now let’s get your hair brushed so you can head out.” Hilda spoke as she walked briskly towards Feliks, stepping up behind him at the Vanity. She picked up an ornate silver brush to groom the soft black tresses that rivaled most women. “Such a shame you’ll be cutting it again soon…” The brush glided slowly through the ebony silk with a soft swish. The cut wasn’t perfectly even, shorter in the back than the front, but it was lovely on the boy’s heart shaped face and the more you looked at him, the more you would think he was a girl. His beauty stemmed from his mother but the fire you could see in his luminous violet gaze came straight from the King himself. The soft almost feminine laugh sounded as Feliks met Hilda’s hazel orbs.

“Yes, you always seem to miss my hair when I get it cut yet you remark how handsome I am after its cut! I don’t really want it to get to long though; I’ll look even more like a girl!” Hilda gave a laugh as she ran the brush over his hair one final time. “Yes, yes but you know what, I heard your father was rather small when he was your age. He wasn’t very strong or special in any way until he turned 15 and started to fill out. I’m sure you’ll be the same and just think about how powerful he is; I believe you’ll be even more so, young Prince.”

Feliks nodded, bright smile lighting up his whole being as he stood from the plush velvet stool. “Yes, you’re right Hilda. Thank you!” He gave the woman a warm hug before grinning cheekily. “I’ll grow even bigger then my father and be an even better ruler! You’ll see!” As he started to run to the door, Hilda put her hands on her hips and called out after him. “If you plan to be so much better, you should start by not being late to your lessons!” Feliks didn’t respond as he dashed down the hall, shoes making no noise against the soft plush carpet as he ran from the sleeping chambers, down many long hall ways and finally stopping before the large, heavy doors of the library, panting lightly. He pushed on the cool wood, the doors opening easily, and stepped inside the large library filled floor to ceiling with books of all types. “Very nice of you to finally join me, my Prince.” the gentle voice of his elderly tutor made him smile as he walked swiftly over to the long heavy table where books were stacked neatly for reading. “Good morning to you as well Bayard.” The old man ignored the greeting in hopes of starting the lesson. “Take a seat boy, I know your parents wish for your company so I will do my best to keep this quick. We will be focusing on history today.” Feliks nodded excitedly and slid into one of the chairs, eager to hear what the elderly man had to say. History was one of the boy’s most loved subjects and today was no exception. “As you know, your numerous times Great Grand Father was the ruler of Beldan back when it was just a Kingdom. At that time, there were two other Empires in this land; can you tell me what they are?” He nodded excitedly, reciting the answer to the question to prove he had been paying attention. “The land of Dark Earth, the Militant Empire of Reicks and the land of Icy Death, the Frozen Empire of Nyek, right?”

“That is correct. Back then, a war broke out between Beldan and Reicks over some territory on our borders where there was a mix of Beldanians and the people of Reicks. Your ancestor felt that since Reicks was already an Empire, the land should go to Beldan whose population was growing. Reicks didn’t like this at all though and thus, war started despite the peaceful transactions King Victavian tried for. Realizing how outnumbered his land was, Victavian sent word to the Frozen Empire to ask for their assistance. At first, the Pure Nobles of Nyek were against it for they despised war in general. Seeing the atrocities of the battles that bordered their lands though changed their minds and they sent their own troops into the fray. Sadly, their intentions were not completely pure and they also attempted to take land as payment for helping to push Reicks from Beldan’s soil. In the end, the Emperor of Nyek, Aleks, King Andreas of Reicks and King Victavian of Beldan came to an agreement though the true context of this treaty has been kept secret from everyone.” Feliks grinned. A real secret lay within his home…yet he still wished to drag out all the secrets of the world!