A headless game

Prolouge

"Once there was a prince. His beauty was unrivalled and his heart was kind and just. They say that all who laid eyes on him were left in an immediate sense of awe, with his face like sculpted bronze and hair like fire. His eyes were like the sturdy trunk of an oak and his height could rival a pine's.

He ruled his people justly and was held in high regard among them. Unlike many other nobles and royals of the time, that preferred to rule in a Machiavellian way, he was always truthful and kind.  He was there light in the darkness of the time; he promoted education to all, equality among the classes and while other rulers hauled up in their castles during times of famine, he opened his doors to his people, offering food and shelter for those who needed it.

His kingdom was diverse, people from every corner of the world calling it home, it's said that even the fae lived within the walls of his kingdom. But even in the light, there's always a shadow lurking around.

The prince was always very particular about his name, being that he never shared it. No one ever truly knew why he kept his name a secret, only that he did. One night an old woman shrouded in a cloak of shadows, appeared knocking on the prince's door, request shelter for the night. Not wanting to offend her and wishing to obey the laws of hospitality, he granted her wish, giving her lodging for the night and even inviting her to dine with him. He often ate alone and said he would enjoy the company.

At diner they spoke of many things. The prince had found that the woman was very well versed in the ways of the world and he enjoyed her opinions on it. They soon ran out of topics from far away and began to speak personally, the prince having become rather comfortable in her presence and a bit tipsy from one too many glasses of wine. But the woman wasn't there for the food and conversation, she had a nefarious plan laid out.

The prince had let his guard down, had enjoyed too many glasses of wine and the woman took advantage of his foolish decisions. She tricked him into give away his name, the prince was too inebriated to even realize his own mistakes. That night when he slept, the woman fled.
With a strand of his hair she had plucked from his chair and his name at hand she played out her plan. She cursed his kingdom and all that lived within.

The fields had become barren, all life within it seem to shrivel up overnight. The lakes that once held enough fish to feed an entire nation were the same. The food storages soon ran dry and Famine had ravished the kingdom, and with it came illness. The people had started to revolt, rumors that the royal family was stuffing their faces with food while their people starve, had spread like wildfire. Neighbors had turned against each other and bodies began to line the streets. It wasn't before long that the mobs had knock down the doors and stormed the castle. Even the nobility of the area joined in. They soon found the royal family, hauled up deep within the castle library and—"

"Are you tell those horrid fantasies of your again Alex?" A deep voice rumbled and Alec turn around to face it. He floundered for a moment, his tall and lanky figure awkward in the presence of the shorter-by-comparison man in front of him.

"Ah, yes, sorry sir. The children said they were bored just sitting around here waiting out the rain and I thought I might..."

"Yes, yes that's quite enough of that then. The rain has stopped and you can all leave now," an audible groan resonated from the children that sat on the floor by their feet, "run along, you children shouldn't be out this late anyway, it's nearly sun down" he finished as the children began to stand and filed through the door.

Once the last one was gone, Alec turned back to the man before him. "Honestly, filling those innocent children's head with your nonsense, disgraceful. They don't need their heads to be filled with your tails of monsters and myths. I thought you had gotten over this when that caretaker of yours had abandoned you."