The fairy and the exiled prince

I know what I need to do.

Wanting has nothing to do with it.

I do think I'm ready. But maybe I only believe I am ready because Fraelie told me so.

All I have done so far was follow her words. She is the reason for everything I have.

Except for my lineage, of course. I was a prince before meeting Fraelie.

But she gave me everything that made me worth any value.

She pushed and pressured me to become a leader. A great man. She gave me an ancient magical sword and told me where I was needed. The goddess told me to follow my destiny. That I was chosen. Chosen to save the realm. I have gained so many friends, and many followers.

People whom I share my meals with, chat and laugh with.

People who died for me, with my name on their lips, all while believing in me.

People who love me.

I know I wasn't loved before she came into my life. Hell, I didn't even like myself.

Cain, the exiled prince. What's there to love? I have gained and achieved nothing in my whole life.

At the palace I was more alike with furniture than with a man. I would not talk to anyone besides my parents, Harren and Joshua.

Harren was my older brother. He had stern eyes and hair the color of coal. He wasn't quick to smile and his laughs were rare. Yet he could make everyone he met feel important, and everyone he met was important to him.

He gave his love to anyone. All who knew Harren would gladly follow him to the depths of hell. He was made to be a king, a good one.

But Harren died in the war against the kingdom of darkness, Peta-Tikfa, five years ago.

He will be remembered as a hero, but the war still continues.

Joshua is only ten, but most who visit our palace get to know him. He is quick to make friends. Although he is young, he has more wit in his head than most people my age, and more good in his heart than any man I know.

It seemed reasonable for father to disown me of kingship after I failed him again and again.

After Harren died I had a lot of opportunities to prove myself, and I wasn't enough.

My mother might have loved me. Although mothers can't help themselves with that. It's in a mother's nature to love her children.

I know my father hates me.

It doesn't make it any easier for me to do what I need to do.

*****

It's been almost three years since I met Cain. I gave him a glowing piece of metal and said it made him special. Cain ate up everything I have said and even asked for more. I barely had to convince him to follow my path.

He believes he was chosen. In a sense he is chosen, only by me.

He is perfect. He had no confidence whatsoever, no skills at leading nor did he have a speck of charisma. Only thing going for him was being a prince, although he failed on that part as well.

But all of his failings worked wonderfully for me.

He was a blank page, ready for the pen name Fraelie to write her story.

In a lot of ways I am similar to Cain. My people as well left me. I was left a single fairy in the lands of men, left and forgotten, waiting half a millennium for Cain to show up. I was too weak in the eyes of the other fairies. I didn't want to live in the new land of the fairies, not under the regime of Pion, king of the fairy land. We were meant to live free, under no ruler. Live between all of nature's creations, not separately.

But they have made up their minds, and after five hundred years of contemplation, so did I.

The fairies of Peta-Tikfa will all pay for abandoning me.

I choose the path of violence.

*****

"Fraelie?"

"Yeah?"

Cain was laying lazily on green grasses of the meadow, hands clasping each other on his chest. Fraelie was imitating his posture, her tiny figure next to his head.

It was a good day. The midday's sun was a warm yellow, not too harsh. A few clouds were dragging along the sky, not wanting to break the peacefulness beneath them.

The days have gone like that for the last couple of weeks, and Cain and Fraelie had accustomed themselves to relaxing under the sun after Cain would finish training with his troops.

"How powerful are you?"

Fraelie sighed silently in her heart. Cain always liked to show how dense he was, Fraelie thought, luckily most people found it endearing.

Besides, him not being quite sharp only helped her so far. She confused the kingdom between a fairy and a goddess.

"As I told you before, I was one of the strongest gods, before they all died. I could move mountains, destroy kingdoms with a single stare, and all sorts of amazing things I don't remember. Now I am the last of the gods, and my powers are mostly gone. All I have left are the wits and wisdom of an ancient goddess."

"Are you sad all your friends are gone?" The young man asked.

"Not at all," the fairy blurted, "and they weren't my friend. No more than colleagues."

They kept silent for a while, watching the clouds passing by.

As Fraelie expected, the exiled prince broke the silence again, with a question she already heard a dozen times before.

"Do I have to kill my father?"

This boy has no subtlety, the fairy thought angrily, looking around, but no one was near.

She asked herself that question again and again, but couldn't find another way, no matter how she wanted.

"I know it hurts, but this is your destiny, the only path we can take to save the realm is to destroy the kingdom of darkness. Your king father tries to make peace with king Pion of Peta-Tikfa, and soon enough they will reach an agreement. Pion is a lier and deceiver. The peace pact would only give the monsters of Pion an opening for a final blow on your kingdom."

No one in this kingdom knew about fairies, even the king. They believe Peta-Tikfa is filled with the same humanlike ghouls they meet on the battlefield, not knowing those are merely insects turned by magic into horrible monsters.

"But can't you explain it to him, just like you explain to me?"

"He won't listen. The king is too soft hearted, and the realm is in need of following a stronger man."

She was lying to him, partially, but even so it was necessary. She couldn't take any chances, and letting the king live would be too much of a risk. She felt bad fooling the fool prince, for she grew to like him a lot throughout their time together. Peace might actually be doable, but she couldn't forgive her former friends.

"Please give me a chance to talk with him."

"Cain, you've gathered an army half the size of your father's. You might be fighting on the same side, but no doubt he wouldn't trust you. Besides, you can't run away from your responsibilities, it is your destiny, no one can disobey their fate."

"... Right." Cain said with hesitation, concerned look on his face as he studied a butterfly that landed on his hand.

Fraelie lingered in the moment of silence, then took off to the air and said, "Let's go back to the training, we've rested enough."

It is almost time, Fraelie thought anxiously as they walked away.

*****

They were only a week away from Cain's former home, and the castle was already visible from their camp.

Even at that distance Cain shuddered by the look of the great white wall encircling the giant castle. Beyond it three of the palace's tallest towers peaked above, staring directly at him, judging him, knowing what he was about to do.

Four years have gone since the last time he set foot behind those walls, and began his banishment. He could still remember how he would get lost in the labyrinth of walls and hallways of the palace. He would feel so small under the great mass of brick and stone engulfing him as he toured between the paintings and statues decorating every corner and intersection.

He was no longer a boy, and no longer afraid. He had become a great man, worthy of ruling the entire kingdom of men, worthy of the respect of the people.

And of my father, a troubling thought whispered in his head, though he shooed it away as soon as it crossed his mind. There is no place for lingering in the past. Not anymore. Cain told himself firmly, The ship has sailed and father has no more power over me.

He accepted that his father isn't a man he can or should aspire to anymore. He gave up on Cain.

The king is planning on making a pact with the king of darkness, being enough of a fool to believe that peace is possible between the two kingdoms.

But Cain knew Peta-Tikfa is evil to the core, it's name has "darkness" In it, for Fraelie's sake.

He did have Fraelie to guide him, and he was the prophesized hero, the legendary king written in the lost scrolls, bearer of the sword of gods, destined to destroy the kingdom of darkness once and for all and bring light and hope to the world.

So for Cain it seemed quite straight forward, by all perspectives logical, he should be king.

He tried convincing Fraelie to let him spare the king. He could talk to him, imprison him or even take time and gather up more support from the kingdom's people and let the king surrender the throne powerless.

She disagreed to any of his suggestions, saying the king will certainly assassinate Cane on the first opportunity to arise. The king has never acted violently toward Cain, but he knew not to question a god.

His guarding goddess told him it was all predestined, written in the lost scrolls ions ago, at the beginning of time. It was unfortunate he could not read them himself, on account of the scrolls being lost.

It will all work together after the king will perish, and the task by itself wasn't difficult at all. He had an army a third the size of the whole realm's army, concentrated against the castle's guard, they had no chance other than to surrender.

It will be simple. Only one man has to die.

Looking at the tower's tallest window, a memory of two brothers arose in his mind, sighting the kingdom's views, sharing japes with one another.

It's been a long time since the last time Cain had thought of Joshua, the prince who loved him. The new heir. What's Joshua role in my destiny? Fraelie never mentioned him in the prophesy.

What will the boy think of the man I have become? What will he think of what I will have to do?

Cain did not have an answer, and was afraid of the idea of facing it.

But he already knew that the path is set, and all that is left to do is keep moving forward.

*****

Throughout the travel five envoys came to Cain's party, asking what is the purpose of their arrival to the castle with such an amount of armed men.

Even though Cain's group was of course known in the realm, and the threat of such force was clear, and though each of the messengers already passed the message to the castle, they looked completely baffled every time Cane gave them the answer.

They reached the gates at dawn, and received retaliation in the form of a rain of arrows. Until their battering ram broke through the gates, an arrow managed to slip through the roof of shields and take one of Cain's soldiers by the throat.

Soon after the whole yard, castle, palace and walls got flooded with Cain's men, the guards' arms raised in resignation.

The yard was decorated by three bodies of guards who preferred presenting their loyalty with foolish bravery rather than keeping their lives.

Cain was climbing the spiraling stairs leading to the king's hall, six of his best soldiers surrounding him. He knew Fraelie could hear his heart pounding like a wardrum, as she rested in his shirt's pocket. She did not plan to intervene.

As he stepped into the hall, he saw his father sitting on the throne, his crown resting on his brow. His clean-shaven face was a calm mask, telling no emotions. Cain hoped he looked as unfazed as the king. There was no one inside guarding the king.

He stopped beneath the throne, a dozen steps separating them. Cain gestured his guards to stay in the back of the room.

The king and his banished son crossed glances, Cain just waiting for his father to speak to him after so long apart.

Cain eventually broke the silence, growing too anxious to keep quiet.

"Father."

"Speak, Cain."

He could know he was losing in this convention even before it began, judging by the pinches Fraelie gave to his left nipple.

"I am here to take back my throne." Cain said plainly, though he felt more should be said after so much time.

"You can't take something that never was your to begin with. Do you plan on taking your brother's right? I knew you for a failure, but treason suits you even less. Are you planning on imprisonning me?"

"Joshua is but a child, he is not fit as well as I for ruling. I have been defending the borders from the forces of Peta-Tikfa for almost three years, raised an army solely by myself, tens of thousands of men, and their families, would gladly follow me with eyes closed into the depths of hell." He pulled his sword out of the scabbard, illuminating the room with it's warm glow, "I am ten times more loved and appreciated than Harren ever was, and I was chosen by the last living goddess on the lands to save our realm from the kingdom of darkness. I will invade Peta-Tikfa and wipe all of the demons residing there, cleaning the world from the evil once and for all."

The king laughed bitterly. "A pretty sword doesn't make you into a savior, and we already almost reaching peace with the Peta-Tikfa. You gathered a following of fools, and that's an achievement any idiot can achieve."

He reached his pocket to pull out Fraelie and show him what gave him his authority, but couldn't find her. *Very well, we won't reach anywhere, I'll finish it now.* He raised his sword, and stepped toward the man he despised, knowing he will enjoy getting...

Screams and shouts and clanging came behind him. Cain turned and saw a storm of sword and blonde hair, swirling and deflecting, slashing the throats of his guards, dropping them one by one.

In half a minute the six of them were dead on the ground, and a blonde youth of age of fourteen stood between them, panting softly and pointing a bloodied sword toward Cain.

"Get away from my father!" The stranger growled.

Cain froze, eyes widening, realizing.

"Joshua?"

Fraelie came out of nowhere, screaming, "Kill them both, before it's too late!"

But in response his fingers let go of the sword, and it clanged on the floor.

Cain understood he could not stand the look on his brother's face, and that ends it all. He collapsed on his knees, tears in his eyes.

He heard Fraelie shriek and saw one of the swords rise as if floating, it hilt shines in too familiar of a glitter. It flew in a great speed.

Both brothers only managed to yell in dispair as the sword dived into their Father's heart. Joshua stepped forward, swinging at the goddess, but in an instant she flew out of the window into the blue skies.

*****

Cain didn't know how much time had passed until he heard Joshua.

"How on earth did a fairy get in here? The fairy king wrote to me that all fairies live in Peta-Tikfa."

Their reunion had no sweetness to it.

He got to see Joshua's coronation before he was sent to the castle's prison.

King Joshua promised him he will try to visit daily at his cell, but had a lot of things to handle now as the new king.

Cain didn't think to himself that Joshua would grow up, but he did. He was almost as tall as Cain, a young man. Joshua was still as sweet as he remembered him.

Cain didn't understand most of what Joshua explained to him but Fraelie was not a god, it seems.

Also Joshua was the one responsible to the peace pact with king Pion, who is act

ually also a fairy.

Cain was very confused, but most importantly he learned his destiny was always in his control.