The Prince
The memory of his mother’s arms around him gave Prince Aaron a warm feeling he had come to miss. The sensation of her lips on his forehead as she began to hum the song she would sing to him when he was sad. His horse had just died, the poor beast having broken its leg while out for a ride. King Mirko, Prince Aaron’s father, had lectured his son on how to better ride his horses, which only made Prince Aaron feel worse about the situation. He remembers blaming himself, but his mother would not let that stand. She whispered kind things in her son’s ear and stroked his hair, allowing the boy to sob into her chest. Prince Aaron felt calm and at peace in this moment, soaking in his mother’s love.
His sense of peace suddenly vanished just as he became most comfortable when a black fog rolled in the room. His mother’s singing and kind words became harsh, unintelligible, chants that made Prince Aaron severely uncomfortable. He watched as his mother changed into a corpse with glowing emerald eyes. She slowly decomposed, leaving nothing but a pile of bones where she used to be. A shadow loomed over his younger self, and when the person responsible for the black mass spoke, Prince Aaron knew the voice well. It was a voice he had come to loathe and, at times, fear.
“Come now, little prince,” the voice said. “Come give mother a hug.”
The woman came into view and her eyes resembled those of a snake; a flickering, forked tongue and two long fangs underneath them. She came forward, laughing as she reached a clawed hand out at Prince Aaron. His younger self began to scream, calling for his mother. The serpent woman reaching after Prince Aaron was just about to get a hold of him when the horrid sight of his mother’s bones and the snake-witch vanished, being replaced by Prince Aaron’s bedroom ceiling.
Prince Aaron, awake and free from his dream turned nightmare, was covered in sweat and breathing heavily. He quickly put his face in his hands and tried to stabilize himself. A dainty hand touched his arm and he flinched, moving his head so fast that his hair spun about his face.
“Sorry, my lord,” a comely woman with big brown eyes and dark black hair said. “Are you alright?”
“You didn’t have that nightmare again did you?” asked another woman on the other side of Prince Aaron, this one with light brown hair and blue eyes that tended to catch everyone’s attention.
Prince Aaron stared at her for a moment, finding some calm in his friend’s eyes before reaching for both women’s hands. “I’m alright, Christine. And yes, Lorraine, that same damn nightmare.”
“Oh you poor thing!” Lorraine lurched forward and hugged Prince Aaron tightly, his arm ending up between her breasts.
The feeling made Prince Aaron uncomfortable, causing him to gently move Lorraine off him. “It’s fine. Don’t worry about it. Get dressed and head over to The Drunkard’s Temple. Tell Francesca and Nadia it’s their turn tonight.”
Christine moved her black hair behind her ear. “Oh can’t we stay one more night? I like having a bath every night.”
Lorraine grabbed Christine’s wrist and pulled her towards the edge of the bed. “We’ve been here five days in a row, Christine. People will start to think it’s just us. We’ll be back again in a few weeks. Right, my lord?”
Prince Aaron smiled. “Yes. And you can just call me Aaron when nobody is around. You two know that.”
Lorraine quickly slipped on her dress and put on the necklace her mother had given her when she was ten. She moved her hair out from the string that held the pretty wood pendant and smiled. “We know. Just don’t want to make it a habit and have us slip up outside of this room. Your crazy stepmother is looking for any excuse to have us thrown in prison.”
“And we don’t want to be in prison,” Christine said.
“You won’t be put in prison,” Prince Aaron said as he waved at his two friends to come in for a hug. They abided by his request, and Prince Aaron squeezed them both tightly. “Thank you. I know I say it every time, but I mean it. Hopefully we won’t have to do it for much longer.”
“We’ll pray that day comes soon,” Christine said as she kissed Prince Aaron’s cheek.
Lorraine kissed his other cheek. “Everyone deserves to live their own truth. Even you.”
Prince Aaron laughed. “What do you mean even me?”
Lorraine just blew him a kiss and walked out the door with Christine, leaving Prince Aaron all by himself. He had already put on a pair of pants so, after giving his eyes a rub and patting his face to really wake himself up, he went looking for a shirt. Prince Aaron didn’t really dress like a prince that often, but he didn’t really act like a prince much either. Not because he couldn’t, but because he didn’t want to. Being all royal-like only reminded him who his father was, and how ashamed he was. He never felt accepted by his father, despite the man insisted that he loved his first-born son more than the kingdom he ruled. King Mirko didn’t know something about his son, and it was that secret that made Prince Aaron feel like his father’s adoration was false.
He didn’t know who his son truly was, so how could he love him as much as he claimed? Prince Aaron believed that if his father knew his secret, that love would vanish very quickly. It didn’t help that his father had remarried about ten years ago, making a known sorceress his new wife. Queen Rianne was a conniving, selfish, opportunistic woman who wanted nothing more than to see her son, Prince Aaron’s half-brother, Prince Kenneth, on the throne. She would pester King Mirko almost daily on announcing his heir. Prince Aaron only knows this because his father complains to him just as frequently. Prince Aaron’s father usually begs his son to take his royal responsibilities more seriously so that he can feel good about naming him his heir and being done with all this nonsense, but Prince Aaron refuses.
There’s a part of Prince Aaron that doesn’t care about being king. What he wanted most was to live the life he feels he deserves to live. A free one, out in the open for all to see. He was growing ever so tired hiding his true love from everyone, and it was becoming more and more difficult to do so. Queen Rianne had spies everywhere, constantly trying to catch Prince Aaron doing something worth reporting to her husband. She tried many things over the last few years, even going as far as trying to coax Prince Aaron into murdering someone. The attempt had failed of course, with Prince Aaron having the men who killed one of his friends arrested instead. King Mirko had commended his son for his resilience and choice of lawful justice over lawless vengeance, and Lady Rianne was visibly upset that her plan had failed. However, that didn’t stop the sorceress from continuing her attempts at staining Prince Aaron’s name in some manner. She wanted her son on that throne, and she was willing to do almost anything to see it happen.
Being thankful that he wasn’t obligated to having breakfast with his family this morning, Prince Aaron put his favorite necklaces over his head and checked his appearance in the mirror. One necklace was his mothers, a silver chain with a bright red ruby pendant; the other was a thin black rope with a small vile of soil as the pendant. He played with his light brown hair until it was in a position he liked and opened his eyes wide, the hazel circles looking right back at him. He smiled, and then exited his room. Slipping out of the castle unnoticed was a difficult task, but once Prince Aaron was in the city it was relatively easy to lose those who tracked him from the moment he left his room.
He weaved in and out of the crowd of people that inhabited Belladra, making his way for the market where he would make his move and confidently lose those who he knew were following him. They would break off and go watch the places Prince Aaron was known to frequent; a few innkeepers knew him well and there were a few homes belonging to friends that he would go to on occasion. However, today, he wouldn’t be anywhere that he usually was. After all, they couldn’t meet where eyes would see them. Prince Aaron arrived at the market and dove into the massive group of people haggling for the best prices of the day for food, metals, and other trinkets of interest. He slipped into an alley and sprinted forward, knowing he didn’t have much time to make his escape. He followed one of his five regular paths, always mixing it up just to be safe, and before long he was sneaking out of the western gate with the hood of his cloak over his head.
It took Prince Aaron a while, but he eventually came to the neighboring forest nearby. He traversed the root infested landscape, winding his way through the thick trees that were just beginning to turn green again. Deeper and deeper into the forest he went, until he came to a small cabin. The chimney had smoke coming out of it and Prince Aaron could smell the scent of cooked meat. Excited, he knocked twice quickly, waited a second, then knocked three times slowly. He heard the door unlock before turning the latch himself and moving the wooden barrier aside. Inside was a bed of a good size in the far-left corner, and on the right wall was the hearth. Standing over the skewered rabbit that was roasting in the flames was the person Prince Aaron had come to see; his secret.
“You’re running a little late today,” the person said. “I thought something had happened to you.”
A walked up and kissed his smooth cheek. “I’m as fit as a fiddle, Isaac. Nothing to worry about.”
“We’ll see just how fit you are later,” Isaac said with a smile. “But first we eat. I’m starving.”
Prince Aaron sat on the bed and waited patiently for Isaac to bring over their breakfast. They ate it together, happy to be in the presence of the other again. Their relationship had started roughly four years ago, and since then they had only been alone together two days each month. Every now and then some royal affair was conducted, and they would get to see each other then, what with Isaac’s father being Lord Roderick. They had met during the war, forming a strong bond that bloomed into something more when they arrived back home. Many knew that the two of them were good friends so nobody questioned when they would enjoy each other’s company in public. Seeing Isaac was always a pleasure for Prince Aaron, and vice versa, but the time alone together was what they cherished the most.
“How are the girls?” Isaac asked as he stood up and brought their plates onto a small table. “Who was it last night? Pauline and Helen?”
Prince Aaron shook his head. “No. Lorraine and Christine have been with me for a few days. It’ll be Francesca and Nadia tonight. But they’re well.”
“Wonderful,” Isaac said as he came and sat back down on the bed. “You know I’m jealous of them. Always getting to spend so much time with you. Four years and the only time we’ve slept together at night was during that horrid blizzard two weeks into knowing each other during the war up north.”
Prince Aaron softly pushed on Isaac’s chest and Isaac laid down on the bed. Prince Aaron cuddled into him, burrowing his nose into Isaac’s neck. “I know you’re jealous but they’re necessary. Having the girls spend the night with me keeps eyes away from us. Besides, we don’t do anything but sleep.”
Isaac turned onto his side so that he was facing Prince Aaron. “Oh, I know that. Why play with anyone else when you have me?”
Isaac kissed Prince Aaron, moving his hand through the prince’s shoulder-length brown hair. Prince Aaron moved in closer to Isaac, bring his hand under his lover’s long blonde hair to grab the back of his neck and bring him in close. The two kissed for a while until Prince Aaron moved to kissing Isaac’s neck. The feeling of his lover’s lips on his skin aroused Isaac and had him moving Prince Aaron so that he could be on top of him. He returned the neck kisses and continued down, kissing the exposed bit of Prince Aaron’s chest thanks to an unbuttoned shirt. Prince Aaron responded by sliding Isaac’s shirt off, and it began an exchange of each man removing a piece of clothing from the other until they were both naked. They enjoyed each other’s intimate company for some time, kissing each other gently at times and aggressively at others. Eventually the exhausted themselves, both of them sweaty and breathing heavily. Isaac sat up with his back against the wall, the covers covering his lower half, while Prince Aaron rested his head in his lap. Isaac stroked his lover’s hair, humming one of Prince Aaron’s favorite songs.
A knock on the door caused both of them to jump, neither of them moving. The first knock had been swiftly followed by another. They waited, and sure enough three slow knocks followed. They both breathed a sigh of relief as they both put their pants on, and Isaac went to the door. Before Isaac could say anything, a woman in a red dress with long, brown hair done up in a single, thick braid stormed into the small cabin.
“You need to leave!” the woman said. “Now!”
“Why?” I said as I tossed my shirt over my head. “What’s wrong, Theresa?”
“Does someone know we’re here?” Isaac asked.
Theresa went up to Prince Aaron and grabbed his hand. “I’m so sorry, my dear. Your father. He didn’t wake up this morning. He must have gone in his sleep.”
Prince Aaron was stunned. He had a mixed bag of emotions full of both relief and sadness. “What…what now?”
Isaac grabbed Prince Aaron by his shoulders and lifted him to his feet. “You get back to the castle as soon as you can before anyone comes looking for you.”
Prince Aaron nodded before getting a warm kiss from Isaac. Theresa begged Prince Aaron to hurry, so he gave Isaac a quick smile before hurrying out the door, his hood of his cloak high on his head. Prince Aaron made his way back to the city with Theresa, the two of them slipping through the gates unnoticed. They took one of the paths that Prince Aaron used to get back to the castle after his visits with Isaac, and Theresa said goodbye before Prince Aaron ventured towards the castle gates. He was let in by the guards there, one of them stating that Lady Rianne was looking for him. Nervous now that he didn’t have his father’s protection, Prince Aaron was hesitant to go meet with his stepmother, but he went anyway. If he avoided her, people might think he was up to something and that wasn’t what Prince Aaron wanted. The Prince of Artoljiodor made his way to his father’s room, and was met by Lady Rianne, Kenneth, and a man he recognized as Lord Ruben, Leader of The Royal Council.
“About time you showed up,” Lady Rianne said. “Not like you cared about him anyway.”
Prince Aaron ignored the comment and went to the side of his father’s bed. King Mirko was already cold, something Prince Aaron discovered by grabbing a hold of his hand.
“Apologies,” Lord Ruben said after clearing his throat, “but we cannot be without a king for too long. Muntoljin will be quick to try and take advantage of any weaknesses we show. A king must be crowned.”
Queen Rianne stood up from her seat and put her hands on Prince Kenneth’s shoulders. “Wonderful. I’ll make sure Kenneth is ready.”
Prince Aaron remained focused on his father’s pale face, wishing then that he had told his father his secret, among other things. He found himself wishing for a different relationship than the one they had created, and the thoughts of moments where he and his father were happy together rushed into his mind. He didn’t care who was the new king. All he cared about now was making sure his father was laid to rest properly.
“Shouldn’t we have a funeral first?” Prince Aaron asked.
“My word you are even more of a fool than I thought,” Queen Rianne said. “Did you not hear Lord Ruben? We need to name a new king, not mourn the dead one.”
Lord Ruben put a hand on Prince Aaron’s shoulder. “King Mirko will be laid to rest properly, I assure you. Don’t think about this too much, you’ll have enough to worry about when you have that crown on your head.”
“What did you just say?” Queen Rianne screamed. “That crown will be on my son’s head, not his.”
Lord Ruben brought his hands together and rested them on his stomach. “King Mirko did not name an heir. Therefore, the crown goes to his eldest child. This is how things have been done for centuries, and they will continue to be this way for centuries more. Prince Aaron will be the new king of Artoljiodor.”
“He doesn’t want it!” Prince Kenneth shouted.
“This is true, Lord Ruben,” said Queen Rianne. “Go on, Aaron, tell the man that you don’t want the crown.”
Perhaps before this statement would be a true one, but now, seeing his father still and cold, Prince Aaron was feeling differently. He thought of a kingdom ruled by his brat of a half-brother and his cruel witch of a mother. The idea felt like an insult to not only his father, but to his mother also. The Kingdom of Artoljiodor deserved better. They deserved someone who knew the common folk just as well as the nobles. During the wars they earned a time full of peace and prosperity, and Prince Aaron doubted that Kenneth or Rianne would give them that. Prince Aaron leaned over, kissed his father on the forehead, and got to his feet.
“The crown has been offered to me, and I will accept it with humility and appreciation,” he said, looking directly at Queen Rianne and her son. He smirked at the sight of their angry and shocked expressions before turning his attention to Lord Ruben. “How soon can we get this done?”
“Tomorrow I imagine,” Lord Ruben answered. “Although, tonight could be a possibility seeing as it is quite early in the day still.”
“Tonight sounds wonderful,” Prince Aaron said before returning his attention to Queen Rianne and Prince Kenneth. “Surely you two will be there, right? It wouldn’t be as special a moment without the two of you there to cheer me on.”
The unhappy mother and son pairing both scoffed before Queen Rianne guided Prince Kenneth out of the room. Prince Aaron brought his eyes on his father once more. He silently told him he loved him before turning to Lord Ruben and instructing the man to make sure his father’s funeral was immaculate. Before Lord Ruben could say anything, Prince Aaron had left, making way for men and women in white cloaks to enter the room and begin preparing the king for his funeral. Before Prince Aaron got too far, Lord Ruben came to stand next to him, the man breathing heavily after running after his soon to be new king. The Prince of Artoljiodor had wanted to go and tell his friends — mostly Isaac — the good news but he wouldn’t be able to. Lord Ruben informed him of all the preparations that needed to be addressed if they were to have a coronation ceremony tonight, and so Prince Aaron was subjected to writing letters and signing documents for most of the day. He was washed and blessed by the priestesses of Iomm, before being anointed and blessed by the monks of Ilmissier. The day went by so quickly that Prince Aaron was surprised when he was being called on to begin his walk to the throne room.
