At the right time of day, the castle cast a uniquely shaped shadow directly over the town of TallHillde. The shadow of a bat with outstretched wings, or maybe a vulture, or maybe a dragon. There was some debate. The aged ones called it the vulture, privately amongst themselves, although it wasn't clear if that may have been an indictment against it's inhabitants as much as anything.

The vulture had started out as a modest stone structure, tall and narrow, easily defensible against invaders. This was many hundreds of years ago. In the mean time it had been added on and expanded  in either direction, and up and under, until the hulking beast of a castle you see today. 

In fact, some parts of the Vulture were so old that they just randomly fell down or crumbled apart, causing a work order to be put in for an eventual repair. It was a great employer for the area. In fact the castle in general was one of the largest employers in the whole of TallHillde, second only to the mines. As long as no one important was injured or killed by the falling stone, it was basically brushed off as a normal part of life in the castle. Sometimes things would become a bit inconvenient though, for a while. 

The town of TallHillde, was surrounded. At the back of it was the castle and the mines and mountains in the shape of three quarters of a ring, tall peaks competing with the sun and the stars for skyward position. Some people still thought, like the ancients who had settled in the area, that a human sacrifice performed as far up one of those mountain peaks as folks could manage, would fend off flood and drought for the next cycle. And keep calm the little ocean port that made up the fourth "wall" of the towns defenses and make the fishing good. Of course, the practice was outlawed, more the pity. Causing residents of the idyllic isolated region to simply have to take their chances without the gods special favor. More the pity. 

Along with the many people working in the castle, maids, cooks, repair men, and the like, there was a family, ostensibly in charge of all this. All that went on in the castle and the mines, and general law and order and the collection of taxes from the citizenry of TallHillde, was conducted under the management of King Callimodeus and a small group of advisors which included his queen Illianna Crystalwise, who was widely acknowledged as having a great head for numbers, though as a woman must be careful not to over do it with such things. 

Between them they had two children, Prince Callimodeus aged fourteen and Princess Illianna Diamondwise aged ten. No, wait, there was a third child, their first born. Who was yes, still alive, but, no, you weren't allowed to mention him. Also named Callimodeus, aged seventeen and if you are wondering, the de facto heir to the kingdom town of TallHillde, although you most definitely are not allowed to talk about that. 

The eldest prince could be found, if you had express permission to do so of course, in one of the oldest parts of the Vulture, high at the top of a steep stair case in poor-ish repair that no sane person would undertake the climbing of. And if you think that this is an excellent way to imprison someone who has been ill and crippled from birth, without the need of going to the fuss and scandal of locks, and shackles, and guards, then you may be thinking along the lines of many a king with an embarrassing relative to quietly dispose of. 

Elwin, the son of the castle's head chefs and the prince's companion (a job title that came with some perks, but no paycheck), was young and strong and had been traversing the steep stair case since he could barely walk upright, made a contest of how fast he could manage it. He knew exactly where the loose stones were and deftly avoided them. 

The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

The staircase opened into a narrow hallway, lit poorly along it's way by candles set into alcoves in the grey and black stone walls. That was a good thing, however, since candles being dark would mean no one had checked on him since the day before, a misstep that was sadly becoming more common. The prince lived up there alone, after the death a few years prior of the kind nurse maid who had raised him, and practically raised Elwin himself, for that matter. 

As he put his hand on the doorknob, Elwin was knocked aside by the door swinging open and a tall unfamiliar bearded man exiting into the hallway. He politely excused himself and tilted his hat at the startled Elwin before lumbering toward the stairway and down the stairs. 

Elwin burst into the room, having a bad feeling and wanting relieved of it as soon as possible. 

The room was  friendly enough, under the circumstances, with tapestries on the walls depicting plants and animals from far away lands a huge fireplace not in use presently, a big ornately carved wooden bed that had it's legs chopped off to bring it lower to the ground and easier to get in and out of. Oh, and the book shelves, lots and lots of book shelves full of books. 

The prince was sitting on the deep window ledge and looking out. He couldn't see out of the high window without making the ledge his own little nest, although he couldn't get on and off of it by himself. The window looked out onto the gardens and mountains behind the castle, and in the farther distance one of the mines. Which was hard at work today, the little carts and horses, and even littler people moving about with purpose unknowable at this distance.  

The prince smiled wide and his blue eyes sparked as he turned to look at his friend. Aside from the pallor of his skin, and the red spots in each cheek that denoted blood that was too heated, he seemed well.  His bare leg, which was short and malformed after an unfixable breakage when he was only a toddler (his bones tended to snap very easily and heal very poorly), dangled from the window ledge, sticking out from under the oversized robe he had himself wrapped up in. 

"Prin." Elwin said (he called him pet names always, never by his given name, which would have seemed perverse somehow and unfitting), smiling back in relief before a slight frown crept in, eyes narrowing. "Who was that? What did he want? How did you get up there?"

Prin continued to smile, unbothered, but gave his head a little shake as though to say oh you, you and your questions. "A repairman. To repair things? He was making a master list of damages to this part of the castle to come back and repair later. He helped me. Was that bad? Of me to ask, I mean? He certainly seemed strong enough that it wouldn't be a bother . . ."

Elwin went to him, and reasonably tall boy though he was, only the top of his head was even with the window ledge. "Oh no, its not that. Its just, a man should not be in here. Especially a strange man, my gods! If there are any repairs to be made up here, I must be around while they are working." he said firmly. And a man should not be touching you, or lifting you. But how to explain the black hearts of men to someone so sweet. And he didn't want to scare him. "Some men . . ." He started, glad that the prince could not see the expression on his face. "I'm not saying . . . "

The prince patted Elwin gently on the top of his head. "The world must be an overwhelming place. You are full of anxiety."

Elwin laughed. "Never mind, never mind." He reached up and lifted, as carefully as possible, knowing the risks, Prin into his arms. He weighed no more then a bundle of blankets.

Prin put his arms around Elwin's neck. "I'm glad you are here." His black curls brushed the side of Elwin's face, as soft as a bird's feather, and the cheek that brushed his own was hotter then he had expected.

Elwin sat him down on the bed. "Have you had medicine today?"

"No, I don't think so." Prin said. "Do you want to talk about dragons?"

"Yes." Elwin said. "Let me prepare your medicine first." He noticed the glass of water, cut fruit and a bowl of broth on the table. So he hadn't eaten breakfast yet either. The one who had brung it was not very attentive.

Prin clapped his hands together. "Oh good! Chapter 439 of The Dragon's Revenge is ready. You are going to love this one, El."