Royalty

The crowd cheered in delight as the dragon tore off the wailing prisoner’s head, sending a geyser of blood into the air. The king and queen smiled in satisfaction as the dragon spread its leathery wings and roared as loud as a volcano erupting. Breathing a column of white-hot fire into the air, the dragon slammed the decapitated prisoner’s body into the air and swallowed it in one gulp. Arthur, the prince of the kingdom, discarded his cloak in disgust. His parents were killing slaves for sport! How he wished he could save their lives but each and every one of them was slaughtered by Ruby, the dragon, in the royal arena. Gritting his teeth in disgust, Arthur stormed out of the royal arena that he despised so much, leapt up the royal staircase and fled into his royal bedroom, face planting on his royal pillows and breathing a royal sigh. Royal, royal, royal. Just because he had to be born royal didn’t mean that he had to be treated differently! Memories of seeing people huddling under thin blankets on the streets always enraged the prince, knowing that parents were raising innocent children who were going to die in the future. Being born of the Odersian royalty family, his blood was ‘purer’ than the majority of others in the city of Aether. However, Arthur felt as if fighting for his life was infinitely better than the terrible lessons he had to be reluctantly dragged off to. His swordplay lessons with his uncle, Sir Anonthesus were terrible, as well as his archery lessons with his father, King Odersian and his reading lessons with his mother, Queen Odersian. Either life in Aether, rich or poor, you were sure to suffer no matter what. Suddenly, Arthur had a brainwave. Bouncing off his bed, the prince rocketed out of his room, threw on another cloak (He threw away his other one) and sped out of the castle. Word had once reached the castle that traders were lurking near the mere cottages of the poor, trading mysterious items. Some were rip-offs, such as trading gold for a few hunks of mystery meat, but others were the best deal of the 13th century. Crystal balls, prophecies and many more magical items were sold from a tent propped up on sticks next to the palace called “Magical Mysteries.” Well, that was where Arthur was headed. ‘I like getting my fortune told. Also, there is food and people. I like people.’ thought Arthur, slinging his backpack over his shoulder. Inside was a spare set of clothes, a dagger, his trusty bow, a bundle of arrows and torches. Oh, and of course, his magic wand was stuffed in the pocket of his robes. (Casual clothes weren’t invented yet. Sorry.) Taking one last glance at his room over his shoulder, he closed the door, knowing it was going to be a long time before he would see it again. He just didn’t know HOW long…

A few hours later, Arthur was hopelessly lost. He just HAD to stray off the path into the forest. In the royal library, there were thousands of legends about the forest, and none of them was good. As if on cue, a man jumped out from behind the trees, brandishing a sword. 

“Give me everything you have!” he thundered, waving his sword wildly. Suddenly, he faltered, his deadly blade inches from the young prince’s heart. 

“I am terribly sorry, Prince Arthur, forgive me! I am a humble beggar looking for a job. Please spare me, I hadn’t realised that my robbery was performed on a boy of great royalty! Oh, dear! Oh, dear!” he babbled, sinking to his knees and pushing his hands together in a praying gesture. Arthur looked down at the face full of fear, and without a word, bound the robber’s hands together. Leaving him yelling for assistance on the side of the road, Arthur continued his journey.

Crowded was the only word to describe the village, as people were rushing around, pushing and shoving each other in their desperation to get to their destination on time. Cautiously, Arthur sheathed his blade and battled his way to the tents in front of the crowd. At long last, he reached the front and his jaw dropped. It was not the tiny tents that he had imagined, but structures larger than the main hall in the royal palace! The amazing aroma of cooking food wafted into Arthur’s nostrils, causing his stomach to scream in longing. Children shrieked with laughter as they chased each other, weaving through the buildings while their parents were gambling away at the bar. ‘This place was wonderful,’ thought Arthur, ‘so good. Much better than royal life.’ He stumbled out of the place, and turned into an alleyway where a woman was standing. Her body was feeble and shrunken, and her hands were bony and cold. “Prince Arthur. Son of King Odersian and Queen Odersian. I see your desire. Will you risk your royal heritage for peasant life?”she croaked, staring at the prince with blue eyes that sparkled with intelligence. Arthur paused. His parents had been beastly to him, he was treated terribly by the staff and he was alone. However, they were his only family. Would he abandon them for a better life? His instincts took the better of him, so he threw off his second cloak (What a waste of material, Arthur!)and murmured, “Yes.” Suddenly, a dazzling white light filled his eyes. He couldn’t see! He started falling… falling… falling…

Arthur sat up. He was lying in an extremely comfortable bed, and a man and woman stood in front of him. “Wake up, sleepyhead, you need to get ready for school!” the man grinned. “Darling, your breakfast is ready!” trilled the woman, sailing hugely at Arthur. “Mom… Dad?” Arthur choked. “Son, is your head okay? Of course we are your parents!” called the man. Arthur leaped out of bed and knew one thing had to be certain. Was he still royal? “Call me by my full title, dad. Now!” Ordered Arthur. The dad smiled. “You are Arthur Odersian, son of two peasants!” joked the Dad. Arthur’s heart raced. His life was finally normal