As I already knew what my parents looked like it was nothing too unexpected except it was clear they were the definition of Royalty. My father King Gerard stood straight; with a commanding presence I could sense even from several hundred feet away. His stance was also one that was clear he was no stranger to battle.

Then there was my mother. If my father was the epitome of commanding presence, my mother, Queen Sophia, was the epitome of grace and feminine beauty. Even from here I could see an intelligence in her eyes and what I think is compassion or concern. It was clear why she was so well liked and respected among the people.

To her side was my 10-year-old sister Aurora. She too looked elegant in her fine dress, it was clear she would grow up to be a striking beauty like our mother. Looks like I’m going to have my work cut out for me making sure no wannabe suitor tries anything with my sister. I am the older brother after all, it is part of my duty to protect her. Never had a younger sister but I did have cousins I was protective of, and no one messes with my family!

I noticed a few other noteworthy people at the top of the stairs. First was a mountain of a man standing next to my father. It was clear he was General Marcus, leader of the kingdom’s army and a known sword saint. His baring alone comes off as capable and dangerous. If what Reggie told me about him was true, the kingdom was lucky to have such a shrewd tactician. It warmed my heart to know my father and uncle were so close. It made me miss those I consider brothers and family, but I quickly buried that deep to keep the mask of no emotion on my face.

Next to my sister but a little behind her was a woman in elegant robes, my guess is this is the royal court magician and headmistress of the Royal Academy Lady Rollara. The woman clearly had a rather large mana pool as I could sense it from here. Turning my Truesight on and quickly off, in that glimpse, I saw the tell-tale signs of water and healing magics coursing through her.

Also next to my sister was a man clearly dressed in a priestly garb, I imagine this is the archbishop of the Church of Light, also known as High Priest Cendrin. He had a warm smile on his face as he held his golden staff. Not sure how much I trusted the man, but it was clear that his eyes watched every move I made like a hawk.

As I began to climb the palace stairs my mother’s face began to change from her mask of calm beauty to one of emotional impatience. Her hands twitched as though she was trying her hardest to hold herself back and maintain decorum. That restraint didn’t last.

As I slowly climbed the stairs, still a bit nervous about this interaction, my mother bolted forward just as I past the three quarters mark. She slammed into me, completely taking me off guard & wrapped me up in a big bear hug. The woman clearly had some ability to infuse mana into her body cause it truly felt like I was being crushed by a bear!

“Uh...?” I stammered.

“My baby boy is finally come home! I have waited long enough to hold you in my arms, I will not be denied another second!” My mother blurted out.

“Can’t breathe…” I wheezed. Truth be told, my stats were so high this was not a problem, but I thought it best to not let that be widely known.

My father just shook his head with a rueful smile on his face as he walked down the stairs to join mother and me. The others waiting followed suit.

“Honey let the boy breath, he’s a man now. It does not do well for his mother to act in such a way.” My father tried to appeal to my mother’s sensibilities, but she was having none of it.

“No! I have waited too long to hold my child!” Was her only reply as she squeezed me tighter further burying my head into her chest as she was a few steps above me when she lunged for me.

“Mother... I... can’t... breathe.” I repeated louder this time in the hope she would get the hint.

That seemed to get her to release me. “Oh, my poor baby! Are you ok? How was your trip home? Where are John and Susan?”

My mother may have released her bear hug, but she still held me at arm’s length refusing to let go of me as she pattered me with questions.

“Sadly, they passed a few days before Captain Spears and his men arrived to escort me to the capital. I buried them on the hill facing the garden they tended facing their favorite view.” I answered.

“Oh, my baby was all alone, and you had to dig the graves of the people that cared for you in our absence! They were good people. You poor thing! We will make a point to honor their passing and celebrate their life.” Was my mother’s reply as I could just tell she wanted to give me another bear hug. Luckily father stepped in to rescue me.

“Sounds like you did the right thing and honored their memory, as to be expected of my son. Now let me get a look at you. How fared your health on the trip home?” the king asked.

“I appreciate your concern father, but I have fully recovered from my childhood illness and rather enjoyed the trip back to the capital. Captain Spears and his men provided great company and did a great job escorting me here. They even protected me from an undead army attack. They are to be commended for their bravery.”

“An undead army attack?!” Everyone said at the same time.

“My poor baby!” My mom said before she pulled me into a bear hug. “Lady Rollara please check my baby the prince for any damage and heal him right away!”

“I will need you to release him my Queen if you wish me to examine him.” Lady Rollara said matter-of-factly to my mother.

‘Thank you, Lady Rollara! You are a lifesaver!’ I thought in appreciation.

“Oh of course! Do whatever you have to do!” My mother said to Lady Rollara as she released me.

I mouthed to Lady Rollara ‘Thank you’ to which she just gave me a warm grandmotherly smile and said, “This will take but a moment your highness.”

Placing her hand on my head. As her hand began to glow, I felt a tingle as I could tell some kind of magical scan was being performed. I could’ve blocked it but that seemed counterproductive so to everyone watching it looked like I just stood there. However, what I was doing was studying the magic she used until I realized what it was. The spell was an improved version of what I used to assess the injured after the battle with the undead. Even more importantly, I realized I could now copy it!

‘Well, that will come in handy.’ I thought to myself.

Everyone waited with bated breath to hear Lady Rollara’s diagnosis. After a few moments she gasped.

My father was the first to respond. “Is he alright?! Death Magic can be very insidious; whatever you need to heal him you shall have it!”

Lady Rollara simply gave a little chuckle and replied, “My apologies for worrying everyone. The prince is just fine, better than fine even. My gasp was when I reached his energy, your son has an exceptionally large energy pool. In fact, it is the largest I have ever encountered!”

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“Larger than even you Lady Rollara?!” The priestly looking guy who I was pretty sure was Cendrin said.

“Yes, High Priest Cendrin.” Lady Rollara answered, clearly not very pleased with the man.

‘Yep, bingo, there it is! I called that one.’ I internally chuckled at my Charlie moment.

“Truly a blessing from the light! I must inform the clergy.” High Priest Cendrin exclaimed.

Some murmuring between everyone there ensued for a short moment.

In that moment Lady Rollara leaned in and whispered to me, “I did not tell them how much bigger, but I will tell you so you understand child, I would be a drop of water in comparison to your ocean. I’d keep that quiet for now. We will talk later.”

‘I was really beginning to like this lady. She kind of looked like Maggie Smith and totally reminded me of my nana, total heart of gold, but… do-not-ever…under-any-circumstances… get on her bad side.

After that quick message she straightened and spoke louder, “If the royal family would indulge me, I would like to work with the prince to help prepare him before he enrolls in the Royal Academy.”

Both my father, mother, and high priest nodded their heads and for some reason my sister’s eyes brightened. ‘Hmm, wonder what that’s about?’ I thought as she spoke for the first time, “My brother is going to get instruction just like me!”

‘There it is!’ I immediately had another Charlie moment.

Then my sister smiled for the first time. She practically radiated warmth with such a genuine smile that it instantly melted my heart and I vowed to protect her always.

I couldn’t help but lean down to get to her eye level. “I will consider such a thing a great joy, especially if it means I can finally get to know my little sister.” I said as I ruffled her hair.

“Do you mean it big brother? You want to spend time with me?”

Her adorableness once again melted my heart. At that moment I double swore I’d protect my little sister no matter what.

“Of course, I mean it little sister, we are family after all. I hope we can make up for lost time.” I replied with a genuine smile of my own.

My sister Aurora jumped into my arms giving me a tight squeeze.

‘Well at least it is clear this is a hugger family. Which works for me as that is how my family was.’ I thought as I returned the hug as I told her, “Yep, anyone that hurts you is going to answer to me!”

My mother had moved over to my father. They both held each other and smiled watching the exchange. My mother was the first one who spoke, “Oh darling. Our family is finally reunited after all these years. I feared this day would never come.”

My father replied, “It is good to see but I want to know more about this undead attack.” He turned to the man next to him, “Don’t you agree General Marcus?”

The man I now knew to be my uncle, General Marcus nodded and spoke up “Captain Spears report!!”

All eyes looked to Captain Spears. This entire time Captain Spears and the other royal knights that escorted me were on one knee bowing.

Captain Spears raised his head and replied, “Your Grace. We have the necromancer responsible for the attack in custody. The attack took place the last night before we arrived at the capital.”

General Marcus interrupted Captain Spears, “That close to the capital?! How many undead, Captain?”

The King replied before Captain Spears had a chance to speak. “You and your men may rise Captain. In our excitement to be reunited with our son we did not realize all of you were still bowing so long.”

Captain Spears and his men rose, “You are most gracious your highness. It is our duty to serve and do not mind such things.”

The King nodded in a show of acknowledgement of his dedication to service.

Captain Spears turned to General Marcus, “To answer your question General, there were roughly over 200 undead consisting of skeletons, zombies, undead trolls, and an undead Ogre.”

Both the King and General looked rather concerned. My mother, High Priest Cendrin, Lady Rollara, and my sister all had horrified looks on their faces.

General Marcus spoke up, “That many undead a day’s travel from the capital?! How did so many undead go unnoticed this close?!”

Captain Spears answered, “From what we discovered General, from our captive, was he entered the area with a smaller force of 50 under concealment magic at night. He then kept to the forest gathering undead from the local population of monsters there, converting them into undead skeletons and zombies. I was planning to provide a more detailed report later, General.”

“That is fine Captain. For now, answer the most important question, how many men did we lose to such a force?”

“None.” Captain Spears answered matter-of-factly.

Several people spoke up, one right after the other.

“None? How is that possible?” General Marcus asked.

“Well done, Captain! As to be expected of the royal knights and army!” High Priest Cendrin said.

“Thank you for protecting our son.” My mother said clearly relieved yet seeming to want to put me in a bear hug again. Luckily, father held her close in his arms.

Captain Spears replied, “We owe that mostly to Prince James sir. He was the one who subdued the necromancer and then healed my men, saving several from death or debilitating injuries. He fought with honor and was a true hero.”

The king elbowed General Marcus, “Ha! You hear that, Marcus?! Chip off the old block! Well done, James!”

General Marcus just looked at his king while rubbing his ribs before replying, “Indeed impressive your grace. If you’ll excuse us my King.”

General Marcus then looked at Captain Spears, “Come Captain, let us go talk. I want to know everything.”

My father just chuckled before pulling me in for a side bear hug, “Hahaha. Do not worry, your uncle is always focused on protecting the kingdom, you will get more time with him later. Come son, let’s get you settled, and you can tell me all about it.”

My father kissed my mother and sister goodbye and practically dragged me into the palace. After we made it inside, he took me to a fancy parlor and shut the doors so we could chat in private. “OK son, tell me everything.” He said with a smile, clearly excited to talk to his son the hero.

The conversation with my father had been illuminating.

First, I learned that my father, the king, was no stranger to battle, which I already knew from Reggie. He was impressed with my recounting of events and praised me just as much for healing my escort as he did for subduing rather than killing the necromancer.

Second, there was a growing noble faction in the kingdom that seemed to be influenced by foreign or some other subversive element. My father had no proof otherwise he would’ve acted on it. The frustrating part was the nobles in this growing faction were being shortsighted, focused on personal power rather than realizing we all are stronger together.

Thirdly, the necromancer’s benefactor seemed to be an intermediary as he has no clear ties to a specific family. Ned the necro was told he was hired to kill a prince and stop a prophecy, so whomever it was knew about that at least. To my father this was the most concerning news, as they had only told so many people about the prophecy in the first place. That meant someone talked. My father suspected High Priest Cendrin but had no real proof to back up his hunch. We both agreed to keep our captive alive for now with the hope of using him in the future to draw our enemies out.

Lastly, I learned my family’s position had weakened over the last decade due to the fact my parents refused to name an heir or have any more children. Aurora at a very young age made it very clear she had no interest in ruling. My parents would never force her and deep down they could not give up hope of my return. Their faith was impressive.

My father’s words had touched my heart, “If we named an heir that wasn’t you son, it would be like accepting we had lost you, and that was something your mother and I could never do.”

With my return they could finally name an heir and regain some of those nobles who are on the fence about joining the royal faction. My father also told me of a growing third faction led by one of the dukes. The man split from the royal faction because he believed the actions of my father and mother to send John and Susan away and not name an heir was selfish and, to him, weak character. What I knew but my father told me was John and Susan wanted to retire and their biggest regret in life was not having children, they had jumped at the chance to raise me.

After our talk, the king told me how proud he was of what I had done and made a point to tell me, “It is clear you have a sharp mind to quickly see the challenges before our family. I can not tell you how happy I am to have you home son.”

The words got me choked up a bit. I mean here I had only met this man moments ago and he was showing me such acceptance and love. It made me then and there re-affirm my commitment to helping this family and the kingdom thrive!

“I will do everything I can father to help our family and this kingdom.”

“I know you will son. Now you must be tired from your travels. We have prepared you a wing of the palace. Come let me show you the way.”

My family had indeed prepared a princely suite for me with a huge comfy bed. This thing was like laying on a puff of clouds, it was pure heaven, especially after such an emotional day. I had a new family now, which in and of itself was a bit of a rollercoaster for me, as I missed my family from Earth. After meeting them and seeing how genuinely they cared and were overjoyed with my return, I just said a silent prayer in my heart thanking God for this outcome. With thoughts of appreciation, I quickly drifted off to sleep.