"Ssshhh...it's all right my love, we are almost there..." Queen Adira whispered into the ear of her youngest child who was clasped closely to her chest.
The young child, no older than three, was coughing and hacking into his small, pale hands. Snot dribbled from his nose and his eyes were bloodshot from illness. He started to sniffle again and whimpered into his mother's chest as she stroked her fingers through his white blonde hair.
"It will be okay...mother is here," she hummed to her son softly, his favorite lullaby and he immediately began to calm down. The young boy wiped at his nose and gazed up at his mother with wide eyes of adoration.
"You coddle him far too much," scoffed her husband who was seated across from them in the lavish and plush carriage.
Adira glared up at her dark haired husband and narrowed her own light blue eyes. "Hush right now Hagan. He cannot help that he was born sickly. Doctor Paddick didn't think he would make it past his first month of life...and every day he grows stronger."
The king scoffed again and rolled his eyes, "He is persistent to live, I will give him that. But compared to his brothers he is definitely the runt of the pack."
"Hagan!" Adira hissed at him. Her tone and tightening up of her body caused the young prince to whimper in confusion.
"Ssshhh....Alby, we are almost to the doctor. Everything will be fine..." Adira stroked her warm fingers across her son's forehead, soothing him. King Hagan just rolled his eyes in frustration and glared out the window of the carriage as they rode into the depths of the capital city.
King Hagan and Queen Adira had ruled over the kingdom of Nivarre for over twenty years. The marriage had strengthened the bond between the two neighboring kingdoms and brought peace to the land and seas.
The queen had upheld her duties by producing four strong, handsome and sturdy boys by her twenty-third birthday. However, Alby had come along as a complete surprise when she was almost thirty-seven! The queen definitely did coddle the sickly, young prince but only because she was so attached to him.
Her other boys had long since been sent off to military academies or other royal posts throughout the large country. The king's company was becoming unbearable as he aged and she found solace and comfort in her youngest child.
The king hadn't even held Alby when he had been born. He saw the sky blue eyes and tuft of icy blonde hair atop the infant's head and scoffed that such a child would never bring fear or respect with such effeminate coloring.
His other four boys all resembled him...dark hair and chocolate brown eyes. Alby definitely stood out from his four older brothers and the king resented him for that.
"And why exactly are we making a house call to this physician and not the other way around?" Hagan questioned his wife.
Adira let out a soft sigh of frustration and gazed up at her husband, "As I told you multiple times before we left the castle: this physician is the most highly respected and sought after in the entire capital. But he is also caring for his wife who just gave birth to twins. Therefore he rejected leaving his home and said any patients must come to him."
"Pft!" the king sneered, "I am sure he has a house full of servants who could watch after his wife while he was away. To think he was brazen enough to refuse a personal invitation from the monarchy..."
"Enough Hagan, we are here..." the queen interrupted him as the carriage finally came to a stop before a modest but comfortable size abode.
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"Thank you so much for seeing us on such short notice Dr. Marsh. How are your wife and daughters?" Adira asked the physician as his assistant tenderly cleaned up the young prince's face with a warm cloth.
"She is well your majesty...as are my two girls," the young doctor smiled at the queen.
The king snorted and Adira gazed over at him in shock, appalled by his behavior. "Something to add my dear?" she asked darkly.
"Just the fact that this loon seems pleased by the birth of girls. A shame really...you are a young, educated, wealthy and handsome man, doctor...you could easily find another bitch to give you a son or two. Do you plan to educate your girls as physicians?" Hagan boomed out with laughter.
Doctor Marsh's face fell as he glared at the king with his sharp, intelligent gaze. "Actually your highness, I am thrilled to have two such beautiful daughters. They make me very happy and proud."
The king rolled his eyes and waved off the ridiculous statement. Before he could speak again, his wife interrupted, "Hagan...why don't you go and wait in the carriage? The servants prepared some food and wine in case the trip took longer than expected." Adira's hard glare was enough convincing and the king disappeared out the door without another word.
As soon as he was gone, Adira sighed deeply and shook her head, "Doctor Marsh...I am so sorry for my husband's behavior. He acts more like a child than a wise king."
"Think nothing of it, my lady. Here...let me take a closer look at your son..." he smiled warmly as he began to examine the young prince.
------
An hour later the queen reappeared as she climbed into the carriage and was handed her slumbering toddler by a footman.
"Well...what did the doctor say?" Hagan inquired as he took a bite out of some chicken that the servant's had so carefully packed.
Adira gazed up at him with a tearful gaze, "Doctor Marsh believes that the pollution of the capital is keeping Alby sick. All the dust...dirt...and germs in the air are keeping him constantly sick and weak. He believes that if Alby was raised somewhere far from the capital city...with fresh air that he could become a healthy and strong young man. Otherwise...he told me that Alby won't make it to five years old in the condition he is in now..."
The king barked out a laugh and shook his head in disbelief. "And what are we to do Adira? Our bloody castle is in the center of the capital...is the very heart of this city! The other boys were raised within the safe walls of that place and turned out strong and fine."
"Alby is different from the others and you know that. He cannot stay here any longer..." the queen stroked a finger down Alby's cherubic cheek.
"Do you plan to move with him to a cottage by the sea? Will you sell clams and knitted bonnets to get by?" Hagan rudely laughed.
"You know that I cannot leave the city for such an extended period of time...any more than you can," Adira ignored her husband's cruel teasing.
"So what do you propose?" the king raised a brow.
Adira clutched her sleeping toddler closer to her chest as she gazed at his peacefully sleeping face. "I have to love him enough to let him go...and have a chance at a healthy and happy childhood. So I propose that we send him away to the seaside estate to be raised..."
The king was stunned by the queen's proposition, "That estate is on the opposite side of our country! Over two weeks journey away by horse alone!" Hagan said.
"Yes...and the most rural area of our entire country. It is right by the Leiwyn Sea...and the air is crisp and clean. Alby will thrive in that environment and become the strong, beautiful prince I always knew he would be..." Adira pecked the top of her son's golden hair.
"And who will be raising the young prince? I will not waste any of our finest tutors on him...and none will agree to travel so far away from the capital to live among ignorant fish folk and peasants," Hagan chuckled.
"I will send Lance, Bernette and their son Paris to be with him and raise him," Adira calmly stated.
"The stable boy and his homely wife? Are you serious?" Hagan chuckled in his throat.
"No I am most serious. Lance's father was a true and loyal servant to my father for over forty years...I trust him and his family with my life. They will happily agree because I know they both yearn to return to the countryside...they only took the posting here for the city wages," Adira explained.
"Do whatever you like with the boy. One less thorn in my side," Hagan took a swig of red wine from the bottle itself.
"Why do you treat our son with such revulsion?! Why even come today if you could care less of his condition or survival?!" Adira hissed at him.
"He knows why..." the king replied bluntly, taking another swig of the wine. He gazed down at the peaceful face of his youngest son, slumbering in the protection of his mother's arms and narrowed his eyes at the little cretin.
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"Paris! Wait up!" Alby called after his friend, struggling to catch up with the light footed fourteen year old.
"You're just too slow!" Paris teased as he finally arrived down at the beach, kicking his shoes off to enjoy the white sands beneath his feet.
"I....will....never....beat...you..." Alby panted out as he finally arrived at the beach and collapsed back onto the soft sand, struggling to regain his breath.
"Exactly...so why even try?" Paris teased as he began to tug off his shirt as he readied for a refreshing dip.
The young ten year old boy pouted as he sat up and pushed the blond bangs from his eyes. "Someday I will win! Enjoy your victories for now..." he stuck out his tongue.
"Are you coming in or not?" Paris laughed as he tugged his shoulder length hair back into a loose ponytail.
"Bernette will be really angry if I do. Remember what happened the last time? My fever lasted for over nine days! And that was after swimming on a summer's day! It is only May!" Alby sighed.
"Suit yourself," Paris shrugged and disappeared over the dunes as he dove right into the turquoise waters of the Leiwyn Sea.
Alby slowly made his way to the top of the dunes and settled down atop his perch and watched Paris swim with jealous eyes. How he wished that he was strong and able bodied enough to run, climb, swim, wrestle and play like Paris. As his friend was entering his teenage years...he seemed to be less inclined to slow down for Alby anymore and the young prince definitely did not want to hold his friend back.
As he sat atop the sea dune, his light blue eyes gazed out over the vast expanse of turquoise waters spread before him. The sunlight danced off the hypnotic waves like shimmering diamonds leaving the young boy entranced. How he craved for adventure beyond the walls of the seaside castle where he had been raised.
His mother came to visit him several times throughout the year and though he pleaded to return with her for just a short amount of time to the capital city, she always firmly refused. Despite growing into a healthy and sturdy young boy, he was still prone to weakness. He understood and respected why his parents sent him away to be raised in the country...but how he yearned for more!
One of Alby's favorite past times was to read stories about brave knights, adventurous explorers and mighty pirates. To have such freedom to explore the world was like a distant dream for the young prince.
"There has to be something more for me out there..." he sighed as a warm spring breeze blew through his hair. The smell of salt and sea wafted up his nose and he inhaled it greedily, closing his eyes and enjoying the lull of crashing waves below.
-----
Years passed for the young prince and with each passing one he grew more and more handsome. He did not have the height or chiseled body of his brothers, but he was handsome in his own right.
Now at sixteen years old he stood confidently at 5'7 and hoped to continue growing. His white blonde hair had darkened slightly with puberty and now was more of a golden tone. His light blue eyes remained the same, always full of hope and mischief.
Paris was now twenty and on the verge of being married. His fiancée was one of the kitchen servants within the castle, so luckily he was not planning to move away.
Things had changed rather drastically since his sixteenth birthday only three weeks prior. His father had unexpectedly died and his eldest brother Adam had ascended the throne. There had been a large funeral procession followed by a lavish coronation for both events. However, Alby had been forbidden to attend due to his frail health.
His mother was coming to visit soon and Alby decided to have a frank discussion with her. He was almost a fully grown man at this point (or so he figured) and he was tired of being treated like a sickly child! Alby was eager to return to his birthplace and experience life in the city. Over thirteen years of fresh country air should buy him at least a few weeks in the dirty and overcrowded capital.
Alby's life had become so mundane...so predictable. It was literally the same thing every day, except for Sundays. He attended lessons with his tutors in Greek, French, Latin, Ancient History, Oratory, Politics and Music. And while the young prince soaked up knowledge like a sponge, he craved to see these ancient wonders and exciting locations he had studied his whole life.
As he sat on a window seat mulling all this over, he didn't realize that two servants had come down this particular corridor on the fourth floor for privacy away from the main hustle and bustle on the lower floors. Alby was hidden from view by thick curtains that hung across the window seat and that was why he had purposefully chosen this spot...in order to avoid his dance instructor. His waltz lessons were excruciating and how he detested them and the old crone who was chosen to teach him!
"Listen, listen Monty! They swore that they would be here by two at the latest...three nights from now when there is no moon in the sky and it will be a perfect night to go ahead..." one male servant whispered to his comrade.
"Are you sure they are coming Dave? Last time we attempted something like this it ended poorly..." his friend mumbled.
"Yeah...but there is a big difference between running away with a gypsy caravan and stowing away on a merchant ship...it is hitting all the big cities down the coast, think of all the possibilities!" Dave encouraged his friend, slapping his back.
"I am so ready to get out of this fishing village I could scream..." Monty agreed. "All right! Let's do it! We can stow away on your friend's ship for three days and get off at the first big port city."
"Good man!" Dave slapped his friend's back again. "My friend has been working on this ship for over seven months. He guarantees that the storage levels are so vast below deck that no one will notice us..."
"Sounds perfect. We can sneak aboard while they stop for one final drink and fuck before heading out to sea," Monty chuckled.
"It will be the beginning of our new adventure!" Dave boasted.
The two friends chuckled in agreement before Monty sighed, "It's almost four...we better get back down to the barn before Johnnie notices we are gone."
After they had departed and Alby was certain they were gone, he pulled back the curtain and almost fell off the window seat.
"A new adventure!" he breathed out, his pulse quickening as excitement for which he had never experienced fluttered in his belly like a million caged butterflies.
"All I have to do is follow those two servants in three nights...that gives me plenty of time to prepare..." Alby excitedly thought.
"Time at sea...finally seeing a real city...it's like a dream!" he whispered to himself. A smile of pure joy was stamped across his face as he turned away and hurried down the corridor towards the privacy of his bedchamber to plan his escape...as the gears of his life finally seemed to start turning!