Hey guys, I had this new story idea and wanted to try it out. I hope you enjoy this story! Please comment and tell me what you think! I promise I'll improve the story though it might be gradual. ^_^
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Christopher's POV
A beautiful mountain landscape with luscious spring water falling from cliffs, the markets buzzing with merchants and customers, and the cave mines echoing the sound of the pick axes discovering jewels and gold- this was the beautiful kingdom of Cardinia. An apprentice boy who worked for a blacksmith was running an errand for his master. He took a break from his long errand and looked up past the tall forest trees; for past the tips of the evergreen leaves, there stood the grand palace of Cardinia, home to the royal family and its servants. The boy squinted as he saw a particular window which has been left open on the third story, four windows from the right.
What the boy did not know was that the room belonged to the high prince of Cardinia. He did not know that the high prince of Cardinia had just woken up. He did not know that the high prince of Cardinia was me.
I woke up in incredible lassitude and with an enormous headache to match. From how I felt I could imagine how much I had drank the previous night. I heard a soft moan from my side and saw a woman by my side. She did not look familiar- possibly a new maid. She pulled the covers over her bare shoulders and her messy hair tousled on the soft pillow her head rested upon. I gave an exasperated sigh as I put some clothes on. As I was finishing the last piece of my attire, the girl woke up. From her face and her body, I could tell she was older than me- which was normal since most girls I fooled around with were older. She did not smile at me and her eyes shifted down as she could not bear to look in the eyes of the man she gave her womanhood to.
I threw her a ruby ring I had stashed in my drawers. She caught it and gazed at me as I started to walk out.
“That is payment for last night. Get dressed and get out. Do not tell any of what happened or you will regret it.”
She nodded and I headed out the door. I softly closed the bedroom door behind me as I heard someone clear his throat.
“What do you want of me Hector?”
The man- my tutor for several years now- leaned his back against the wall and looked at me with his usual expression of equanimity.
“You missed all of your morning duties.” He stated.
“Well, I was up late last night.”
“Yes, I could tell by your drunken behavior as you brought yet another new maid into your chambers. Two maids in one week- you have been busy.”
“What can I say Hector? I live as a hedonist.”
“Well, then perhaps you can take pleasure in attending the meeting with the council of lords.”
“Are these meetings not impractical? The topic is always the same, especially with Sir Patrick there.”
“Well, no matter how you feel about this meeting it is imperative that you attend in place of your father.”
In the end, no matter how insipid I was, I found myself in the large council room where I only heard the debates between old men and the droll sound of Sir Patrick’s yells.
“I have had enough with Pyrus! We have been too lenient with them for years! We have been avoiding war for too long. We should have at it now!”
That incorrigible man; He was always too quick to jump at a chance of a bloody battle between Pyrus.
“Settle down Sir Patrick, we should first think of a compromise before jumping to war.” I finally told him.
“What would you know boy? You should not even be here! You do not even know anything about the matters between us and Pyrus. If I were I in charge-”
I banged my hands on the table.
“Hold your tongue Patrick! The fact is- you are not in charge of the kingdom. You know as damn well as everyone in this room that I rule the kingdom until my father gets better! I am the king at the moment and since I am king, I can very well ban you from these meetings!”
Patrick finally shut up and I looked at all the other lords.
“I will try to think of a compromise with King Pyrdian. This assembly is dismissed for today.”
I got up and walked out of the Council room. On my way out I heard some lords gossiping about me.
Ever since my father, King Jonathan, fell ill two weeks ago, I have been in charge of running the kingdom. Since I am only seventeen, some lords (like Sir Patrick) thought that I would not be able to handle the responsibilities and have been trying to take control themselves. What they did not know was that despite my “playful attitude” my father and my tutor, Hector, have been training me how to rule since I was ten.
I left for the training grounds where my best friend was practicing his swordsmanship skills. Sure enough, he was practicing on a training dummy. He was pretty skilled in battle techniques and strategies, but he always told himself that he was not good enough.
“Hey Mitch!”
He turned around and with his good hand, greeted me with our good natured hand clasp.
“Hey Christopher, the meeting’s over?”
“After a boring hour, you ready to go hunting?”
Mitch nodded, put away his sword and grabbed our hunting gear. We mounted our horses and were on our ways to the woods.
“How was she?” He asked with a smirk. “Or were you too drunk to remember?”
“Let me just tell you that I was her first.”
Before he commented on what I said, we spotted a deer and followed it through the woods until Mitch stopped his horse from going any farther.
“What’s wrong Mitch?”
“The deer crossed into the border.”
“Your point is?”
“I am not taking any chances of going to the border area. What if we meet some Pyrans?”
“It is the border; it is not like they can hurt us.”
“I am not going. If the deer crosses into their territory and we shoot it, who knows what commotion it will cause. They will blame us for hunting on their territory.”
Normally, Mitch would not bother about those rules and the consequences, but with all the lords demanding war, I guess it was understandable. I got off my horse and grabbed my bow, arrow, and sword.
“Fine, you stay here, I will go get the deer, and I promise if it crosses into Pyrus territory, I will not shoot it.”
Before he could argue, I followed the deer’s tracks.
I always wondered why people made such a big fuss over the Pyrans. Pyrus was our neighboring kingdom. The people there were basically the opposite of us, the Cardinians, so I guess it made sense that our countries generally did not get along. The Pyrans were about the brains, while we were about the brawn. Their kingdom flourished near the coast whilst we lived in the mountainous region. Our two kingdoms were separated by a forest which everyone just called “the border.” Being the prince of Cardinia, I was not allowed to enter the border, but with my mood, I did not care about any rules or responsibilities as the prince of Cardinia.
I followed the deer tracks as far as I could until I saw it leading into Pyrus territory. I kept my word with Mitch and retreated for the day until I heard humming. I followed the sound until I came to a stream where a girl sat near a bunch of flowers. She held a bundle of plants in one of her hands and with her other hand, looked at the flowers. I could tell by the way she dressed that she was a Pyran. She had her long, chestnut hair tied in a braid and she wore a flowing, one shoulder, jade dress that helped emphasize her thin figure. She carried a tote bag with her that slung over her shoulder. She had porcelain skin that made her look like a fragile doll. I could not see her face and my curiosity of this arcane girl caused me to hide behind a boulder.
She continued inspecting the flowers while humming in her sweet voice. Finally she picked one and laid all the plants and flowers next to her. She took out a sketchbook out of her bag and started drawing something I could not see clearly. A voice cut through and ended her humming.
“Azalea, where are you!”
“I am here Kayla!” The girl answered.
A young woman came running out of the Pyran territory. She looked out of breath.
“Azalea, why did you sneak out of the palace again, especially without any guards?”
The girl just kept drawing and never even looked up the young woman.
“Kayla, I am fine. I have my dagger in my bag in case anything happened and it was so banal in the palace. I want to get some new plants into my log. I even found an herb that stops stomach pains.”
“Azalea, I know how you feel but remember, you are the princess. You need to think about your safety, what if some Cardinian kidnaps you?”
“Relax Kayla; this is the border, where it’s neutral between our two kingdoms. No one will try to harm me.”
“Well, princess, we really should be heading back. Your mother wants to see you.”
“Alright.” She sighed disappointedly.
The girl put her book in her bag and stood up. When she turned to head back, I carefully examined her features.
By just looking at her, I could tell she could not be older than me. Her face was perfectly symmetrical and the features of her face matched her well. She had delicate pink lips, rosy cheeks and a small nose. The thing that stood out the most about her to me was her silver eyes that seemed to shine. I knew girls who were prettier than her, but her eyes attracted me. They seemed to look at everything and everyone with curiosity. She looked so vivacious. When she walked, she walked with such elegance and poise which only a royal could pull off.
After she left, I sat against the rock and thought about what I had heard. Unknown to both our kingdoms, I finally saw the princess of Pyrus. According to both our kingdom’s laws, we were not even supposed to be at the border. I suddenly became interested in the girl. I wanted to look at her eyes one more time, hear her hum that song again. I wanted to meet her officially. My thoughts were interrupted by a familiar voice calling my name. I looked to see Mitch walking over to me with our horses.
“No deer?”
“Nope, it crossed into Pyrus territory. I kept my promise and did not enter.”
“Good; anyway, the sun is starting to set. We need to get back.”
I got up as he handed me my reins. We started walking back and even though Mitch kept talking on about some news about Pyrus, there was only one thing I cared about that had to do with Pyrus. Princess Azalea, I hope you enjoy your time in Pyrus for you will not be there long.
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So, how did I do guys? This chapter may not be the best but I hope you enjoyed it so far. I'll post the next chapter when I can. If you are curious about Azalea's dress or what she's humming, I posted that too. ;) Thanks for reading! ^_^