Etho's Perspective-
Etho sighed as he sat by the bay.
He looked at his reflection and grumbled as he looked at his short hair.
"I had to cut all that just for some spoiled bitch." He muttered, running his hand through his hair, "And I had to wash out my dye, jeez."
He then saw something moving in the water.
"What?" He leaned in a bit and suddenly a creature popped out.
Etho jumped back and instantly reached for his sword, but grumbled as it wasn't there.
"Fine." He muttered, getting ready to punch whatever just shot out at him.
The creature shook the water off its fins and Etho saw it was one of the younger princes to the empire next door.
"Oh- it's you." Etho said rudely.
"Heh, sorry, I was just coming over here to show Joel. He was confused about the walls." The guy said, motioning to the huge walls between the empires.
"Yeah, whatever." Etho rolled his eyes and started to walk away.
"You're Sausage's cousin, right?" The guy asked, "Nice to meet you! I'm Jimmy."
Etho looked at Jimmy's hand and sighed, shaking it.
"Etho." He said and Jimmy nodded.
"Hey Joel! Look! Etho's here too!" Jimmy shouted at the two people sitting on top of the wall.
Etho sighed and started to walk away.
"Wanna show us around here? I've never actually explored The Mythlands."
"I haven't myself, that's what I was doing."
"So it'd be like an adventure with all of us!"
Etho's eye twitched and he sighed.
"Listen kid, adventures aren't just exploring a peaceful kingdom. An adventure is when you go find something that people rely on. It's when you fight enemies with your fellow allies. It's when the stakes are high and all you have is yourself. That's an adventure." Etho said and Jimmy's eyes widened, amazed.
"Wait- but how would you know that? You're just a prince like me." Jimmy said.
"Everyone has their secrets."
Jimmy tilted your head.
"Are you saying..." Jimmy trailed off and Etho smiled.
Lizzie and Joel then walked over.
"Jimmy, stop bothering Etho." Lizzie said sternly.
"Sorry about him." She said to Etho.
"No, it's alright." Etho smiled softly, "He wasn't bothering me." He was starting to think they were good people.
-
Etho was sitting on a bench in The Mythlands when Sausage walked over to him.
"Hey." Etho said, nodding at his cousin.
Sausage seemed nervous and he was sweating.
"What is it?" Etho asked.
Sausage looked over at him nervously.
"Spit it out, it's not gonna get any easier the longer you keep it in."
Sausage sighs.
"Rumors are spreading about you."
Etho scoffed, "I'm guessing they started from those fish people?"
"Er-...yeah. They think you're hiding something about who you really are and some of the emperors think you're like a spy."
Etho smiled sickly.
"Ahh, you royals really are all the same."
He stood up and Sausage looked confused.
"What do you mean?"
"Rumors, gossip, spreading lies. All you guys' care about is that and your kingdom. You don't care who you hurt, or how idiotic it is, as long as you can protect yourselves, you don't care. You don't care what I've been through. You don't care what I had to face to be a top-level knight. You don't care. You can just drag me over here and start some rumors about me. And everyone will believe you, because you are a royal."
Etho then walked away, leaving Sausage.