Once there was a Prince
Once there was a kingdom, in a land far, far away… A kingdom like any other, and just like any kingdom, there ruled a king and a queen. They reigned like any other kings and queens would, ruling over a populace that, too, was like any other. From the common peoples' simple and frugal life to the nobility and their opulent conduct, they were like any commoners and nobles. It seemed like this kingdom would continue to be in such a state until the birth of a single child.
Although past their prime, the king and queen were blessed with a baby boy. The couple knew from the moment their child was in the queen's womb that their babe would be unlike any other. He was a lovely little thing- intelligent, well-behaved even in his infancy, only willing to cry when hungry and in need of changing. As he grew, he seemed to become even more outstanding. He excelled in every activity he partook in, whether it be studying or swordsmanship, but his charismatic disposition was what truly made him shine. Kind and humble to the common people while regal and well-mannered to the nobles. Indeed, he was what many would consider flawless.
At long last, their unassuming kingdom had finally received a shining star, brighter than any constellations in the night sky! Their kingdom was sure to prosper as long as he inherited the throne. Their prince could only be described in a single word; perfect. The common people thought so, the nobility thought so, but most importantly, the king and queen thought so. For their son could not be anything less than perfect.
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Prince POV:
If there is a God out there, I, your humble and faithful servant, ask for one thing and one thing only.
Take me out.
Right now.
On the spot.
Preferably a painless execution, thank you.
Because the pain from my ass is about to if He doesn't. I swear, no human should be sitting in a carriage for this long, especially on unpaved roads. Goodness sake, the number of bumps my poor ass has been through.
"There's the Crown Prince! Oh, he's so handsome, truly no less from the heir to the throne.” I turned to the passerby who just spoke, and mustered out a weak smile as a response.
Why yes! Citizen of our beloved kingdom, good looks are certainly one of the more important reasons I shall be our soon-to-be king! Definitely not because I'm the only heir to said throne.
You might be wondering where I am, what's happening, or how I even got here. Well, I would like to ask the same question. But if I had to guess, I think it started at an ungodly hour…
***
Click.
The distinct sound of a door unlocking and opening echoed across the room, followed by a group of footsteps.
The moment they had entered, the first thing they were greeted with were countless books littered across the floor, seemingly with reckless abandon. Still, with a careful eye, marks of underlines, bookmarks, and highlights are made on each page. A single bed layed dubiously in one of the room’s corners, with a visible lump buried underneath the pile of duvets.
“Hrnggg….” A groan can be heard from the lump, which seemed to have buried itself even deeper into their bed, hoping to hide away from whatever was causing the disturbance.
I better be dreaming, or else I’m eviscerating the first person I see-
“Your highness.” a voice said above the bed.
The lump turned around to face the direction of the voice, peeking from a tiny opening in the duvet.
Oh, you have got to be kidding me.
“Is there any reason all of you are here at this time?” the lump asked groggily, begrudgingly uncovering itself to reveal the displeased face of the Crown Prince.
“Your highness, did you forget?” One of the castle servants inquired, all of them gathered around in a neat line for the Crown Prince to see.
“Forget what?” The Crown Prince responded, sitting up and contemplating whether murder would be the most viable course of action if the answer he got was not what he would consider worthy enough to wake him up before sunrise.
For crying out loud, the sun wasn’t even up yet, as he glanced at the window with irritation. Is now really the time?
“Well, your pre-coronation celebration, of course!”
The Crown Prince blinked owlishly. My what?
Then suddenly, he remembered.
Hold on a moment…
“Is that not supposed to happen in two weeks? The day before my 21st birthday?” he asked skeptically.
My 21st isn’t until a day and two weeks from now. So why is there a celebration now of all times?
“I’m afraid not, your highness. Wednesday, as in today. After all, you are the treasured prince of our kingdom! It only makes sense that there will be multiple celebrations before your coronation.” A servant fervently responded.
“I… see.” He did not see.
“I am still confused as to why you have chosen to awaken me at such a time.”
“To prepare you for the parade. The procession will be around the kingdom; considering the time to get you ready and how large the kingdom is, it would most likely take the entire day. It is best if we start early and get you ready as soon as possible!” The servant finally gave me the dreaded answer he had been waiting for this entire time.
A parade? No…. No. You have got to be shi-
***
A series of unfortunate events, really.
So here I am, parading around the kingdom in a carriage for who knows how long now, surrounded by a sea of people, with the carriage the only thing protecting me from being mobbed. All of them are cheering and throwing flowers, and as much as I appreciate it, some of them managed to enter the window of my carriage and hit me in the face. It hurt.
Show a smile here, a little wave there; it seems like no matter what I do, I’ll warrant an extremely positive reaction. It’s like watching someone do the bare minimum, but because they’re good-looking, it’ll suddenly become one of the most impressive things you’ve ever witnessed. I wholeheartedly acknowledge my more than above-average appearance and even take advantage of it from time to time, but it really makes me wonder just how much I can get away with it.
Well, at least I haven’t tried killing someone. Yet.
Nah, I’m just kidding; I don’t think I ever could. Small mercies, am I right?
As I get lost in my thoughts, trying to distract myself from the countless voices outside, I hear a conversation that pulls me out of my head.
“I heard that not only is the Crown Prince kind and handsome, he’s also a genius! The Royal Academy announced that he received perfect marks on all the exams.” A girl divulges excitedly to her friend.
That exam? The same one I studied almost an entire year for and still didn’t get a perfect mark until my third try? Bet they didn’t tell you that now, did they. I would’ve been more than happy with just passing, but apparently, it had to be perfect. One of the worst weeks of my life.
“Not only that, I heard he’s a master swordsman. The moment he first picked up a sword, he wielded it with the proficiency of a master and beat all the knights in the kingdom! He didn’t even break a sweat. Truly a natural prodigy.” Her friend responded back.
That exact same sword prodigy you are talking about has a scar on his hand because he was stupid enough to run around with a sword he stole; mini-me didn’t expect to trip and almost cut off his hand but, needless to say, the scolding I got was enough to stop me from crying. Now I have to wear gloves at all times because the Crown Prince must be perfect in all ways, even in his appearance.
I think the ministers did too good of a job at making me some invincible superhuman. After all, is it really a government without some good old political propaganda? It’s not like I now have to live up to these expectations lest I be eaten alive by the masses the moment I fail. Yeah, no pressure at all.
As much as the people love and idolize you, they only want to keep you around if you continue to be of use to them. Fail to provide, and they’ll quickly push you off the high pedestal, the very same one that they made for you and forced you to stand on.
“He really is the perfect prince. Our kingdom will be brought to greater heights once he becomes the ruler.”
I can only hope so.
The realization of my upcoming coronation, the expectations I have to uphold, and the responsibilities I have to fulfill are just now hitting me. My insides feel like they are being flipped upside down.
Oh no.
Calm down, and take slow breaths.
God, I just wanna get out of this carriage and not feel so trapped in here.
I say these things to myself with closed eyes, constantly repeating a cycle of breathing to get me out of my panic.
Wait – not a good idea.
Parade.
People.
Right.
I open my eyes once more while trying to maintain a smile for the crowd, hoping that they won’t notice my current state.
Okay, try thinking of something else.
Name five things you can see. Uh…buildings, one of them might be the place that makes the vanilla scones. My favourite. That’s one. A small bouquet of white daffodils. The same ones that hit me on the face. Two. The blue seats right across from me. One I’m sitting on. Three. My hands in front of me. Covered by white gloves that constantly feel constricting but are now helping me ground myself. Four. and finally…
People. A lot of them. Specifically, a girl with long black hair wearing a black dress with tasteful frills at the ends. From head to toe, she is wearing all black. She is scowling. Well, isn’t she a bit out of place. But no one else seems to be noticing, so I’m guessing everyone else is used to it. Five.
I can’t wait for this day to be over.