“Hit!”

            At his opponent’s call, the two people, a muscular middle-aged man and an athletic teenage boy, lowered their weapons and took a step back. The man exhaled and wiped the sweat from his forehead below his gray hairline. At six feet tall and just over 50 years old, his age was starting catch up to him, although he would never admit it out loud.

            “A fine duel as always, Your Highness.”

            “Thank you, Sir Andrew. I learned from the best,” responded the slightly shorter boy with a smile. If any of the castle maids had been around to see him in that moment, they would have immediately swooned over his charming, youthful face and short yet wavy blonde hair. 15 years young, his kind and friendly nature seemed to radiate from him, almost excessively.

            “You flatter me, Your Highness. This is the fruit of your diligent training.”

            “I suppose, though I was only able to improve as much as I have thanks to your careful guidance. And please, just call me Neil.”

            “I’m honored by your praise, Your Highness. Unfortunately, I must continue to address you as I do, or else it would draw ire from…certain people,” Sir Andrew replied respectfully as the two bowed towards each other, causing Neil to frown slightly.

            “I see. I would love to spar for another round or two, but I must attend breakfast and meet with my tutors for the day." Neil paused to drink some water. "I heard that there’s a new group of potential recruits coming to the castle today, among other things.”

            “Indeed, Your Highness. I imagine it will be a busy day for both of us, especially with the celebrations tonight.”

            “Quite so. Let’s hope it all goes smoothly,” Neil said, grinning.

            The two parted ways, with Sir Andrew bowing towards Neil before heading to the large training field behind the castle. Neil turned, and, after briefly making sure nobody else was around to see him, stretched and covered a yawn as he began walking to the nearest entrance to the castle. Once inside, he shuffled along down the long hallway to the royal dining room. He quickly corrected his posture and put on a smile as he approached a pair of young maids around his age who were carefully dusting and mopping on the left side of the hallway. The two girls, both in their teens, looked up at the sound of his footsteps, then quickly turned and curtsied.

            “Good morning, Your Highness”, the two said simultaneously, their heads bowed and faces slightly red.

            “Good morning,” he said as he flashed a smile. “How are you ladies doing this fine morning?”

            The two maids cautiously opened their eyes and shared a brief glance of surprise before looking up and stepping out of their curtsies. The two maids returned Neil’s smile and relaxed slightly.

            “Wonderful, Your Highness,” replied the maid on the right. “We’ve almost finished cleaning this section of the hallway. Please watch your step on the wet floor.”

            “Thank you. Keep up the good work. Have a good day.”

            Neil forced himself to keep smiling as the two maids bowed their heads and he continued walking down the hall. He hated the stiffness of the formalities that he and those around him had to engage in whenever they interacted. He longed for casual conversations with the people he knew, but his role as the Crown Prince of Elysia prevented him from doing so. Even with Sir Andrew, whom he thought of as a second father, he was forced into conversing formally. Though he wished to continue to show his respect to the man, he wished to form a closer, less formal relationship with him even more. Unfortunately, it was one of the many things that came with the position, and there wasn’t much he could do about it.

            A minute later, Neil arrived at the doors to the royal dining room. One of the armored castle guards opened the door for him and he stepped inside the vast room. As Neil was escorted by a butler to the far end, he passed by a few members of the castle staff seated towards the front of the table. He stoically approached his parents, younger brother, and older sister, then took his seat beside his younger brother and next to his father, who sat next to the Queen at the head of the table.

            “Good morning, Father, Mother,” Neil said, slightly bowing his head towards them as breakfast was laid out in front of the royal family.

            “Good morning, Neil. How was your training with Sir Andrew?” asked King Edward as he picked up his silverware and carefully began to cut a bit of meat on his plate.

            “It went well. I bested him in three out of the five duels we had after our usual drills.”

            “Impressive! As expected of a Rosenhold. Keep focused on your training and your studies. They will continue to serve you well, especially on the battlefield.”

            “How goes your studies, darling?” Queen Lydia inquired.

            “It goes mostly well. I’m still having trouble learning Balesian, but I’m making progress.”

            “That’s good! I remember learning Fraskish when I was your age. Learning a new language can be incredibly difficult, but as long as you persist, you’ll catch on eventually.”

            “I will, Mother. Thank you.”

            Breakfast continued smoothly, with Neil’s older sister, Lilian, and younger brother, William, also providing updates on their studies and combat training. When breakfast finished, the King and Queen left to go attend to their royal duties, while the royal children met with their individual tutors to go over their lesson plans for the day. Coincidentally, the tutor Neil was meeting with this morning was for learning Balesian.

            Following a few hours of private lessons, Neil returned to his personal chambers and requested that his lunch be brought there. He sat at his desk and ate slowly as he attempted to read and translate an article from a Balesian novel. After an hour, he met with his tutor for history and military strategy. Both were essential topics for the country’s future king. Thankfully, he was in good hands, as his instructor was a former general of the army, who had years of experience under his belt from when he served the previous king.

            “You see, Prince Neil, those Fraskish dogs were tough as nails, but with our country’s ingenious strategy, provided by yours truly, we were able to crush their sorry asses into the dirt before they could reorganize themselves. It’s all about knowing your enemy. You see-”

            Unfortunately, one had to put up with all the gloating in order to get to the important parts of his rambling stories. Neil hid a sigh and a small grin as the dwarf continued his lecture. The renowned former general known as Amil the Amazing may have been an arrogant know-it-all with no respect for proper etiquette when interacting with royalty and nobility, but he knew his stuff, and that made him an invaluable asset for the kingdom. As such, the royal family and the more important nobles had come to reluctantly accept his rudeness as a necessary, if unpleasant, fact of their lives for the sake of the kingdom. Having the better strategist was key to winning wars, after all.

            At least his stories are interesting and useful to know, Neil thought to himself.

            Following another hour of siting through Amil’s various war stories, Neil was left the room to go relax for the time being. Dinner would begin in an hour, so he decided to return to his room until then. Entering his room, he quietly closed the door behind him and flopped on his bed with a sigh.

            “Finally done…I wish!”

            Despite finishing his private schooling for the day, Neil’s day wasn’t over yet. There was still dinner, which he knew was going to be livelier and more festive than usual. The reason was that today was Neil’s 16th birthday. One would think that such an event would be cause for celebration and lavish festivities, but for Neil, the event was an annual reminder of how he was getting older, and eventually going to become king. Unfortunately, once that happened, Neil would be even less free than he already was.

            For once, just once, I want to be able to leave the castle and do as I want. I want to be with the common people. I want to speak with them, to experience life like them…to be treated like a normal person.

            Neil wished for this above all else. Unfortunately, given that he was next in line for the throne, such a wish was unlikely to come true. As Neil daydreamed about one day being free and visiting the various towns and cities throughout the country, someone knocked on his door and told him that dinner would be ready soon. Neil forced himself off his bed and changed into fancier clothing before leaving his room and heading for the banquet hall.

            Only a few more hours. Just stay calm until then, he thought to himself with a sigh.

----------------------------------------

            As he stepped out of his room, he found himself being escorted by a small group of men. The symbol of Elysia’s flag on their armor’s breastplate confirmed that they were knights, while their single purple stripes on each of their upper arms near their shoulders indicated that they were of the castle guard. The young knight walking next to Neil had a small star below both of his stripes, proudly displaying his status as the leader of the group of guardsmen in formation behind them. Although it wasn’t a surprise for someone of his age to be a knight or a knight-in-training, it was especially rare for them to be one of the castle guards. The young knight, who appeared to be around Neil’s age or slightly older, was around Neil’s height and had thick yet short black hair.

            “Hello, James. Ready for the big show tonight?” Neil asked, trying to prevent the awkward silence that usually took place during these escorts from taking hold.

            “Yes, Your Highness. I’ve been told that the final preparations should be finished momentarily.”

            “Good, good…”

            Why must he make this so awkward?! I know he’s just trying to be professional, but it makes this awkward for everyone else! Lighten up a little! Stop being so stiff and formal!

            “You don’t sound excited, Your Highness. Is there something wrong?”

            “Huh? No, uh…it’s just…I’m not really a fan of being the center of attention, you know?”

            Shoot! He caught me off guard there, but I can’t stop the conversation here now that I already said something like that.

            “Is that so? That’s a little surprisingly to hear, given how you’re going to succeed the king.”

            “Yeah, it’s just something that I still need to get used to. I’ve always felt a little nervous in front of big crowds, even if I’m not the one doing the talking.”

            “I see.”

            The conversation stalled for a moment as the group continued walking to the dining hall.

            This! This is what I wanted to avoid! Now what do I say?! Somebody say something!

            “If you would permit me, Your Highness, I would like to offer a bit of advice.”

            “…Sure.”

            “Someone I knew in the castle guard had a similar problem. They were always quiet and didn’t speak much. They always got really nervous and had trouble speaking whenever they were in front of a group of people.”

            “Okay. So, what happened?”

            “Their squad leader got fed up with them and decided to help them out. They were tied up in a chair and placed in front of the whole squad and whoever else cared to watch. The squad leader then told them that they wouldn’t be set free until they overcame their fear of speaking.”

            “O-Oh…”

            “The idea was that they would be forced to confront their fear directly, and the squad leader thought that this method would allow them to, and I quote, ‘toughen up and get over it.’”

            “That sounds…excessive.”

            “It was. The poor boy only lasted for a few hours before he broke down and began screaming at everyone. He said things, which I won’t repeat, that made everyone’s faces turn red, both the guardsmen and a maid that happened to be passing by at the time.”

            “…Did it work?”

            “It did. The boy managed to overcome his fear of public speaking. Unfortunately, he was ‘roughed up’ by the members of his squad for insulting them and was ordered to clean the bathrooms every day for the next month.”

            “I see...”

            The group walked down the stairs and approached their destination.

            “What ever happened to him?”

Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

            “He toughened up and got along better with his squad once they forgave him for what he said about them. Two years later, he was promoted to lead his own squad. And here I am…”

            He still doesn’t talk unless prompted to!

            “We have arrived, Your Highness.”

            “Thank you, James.”

            Neil quickly glanced back at the rest of the soldiers.

            They’re cringing too! You poor souls!

            Neil mentally saluted them for their service as the group entered the banquet hall. The room was covered in decorations and packed full of people. Neil spotted some high-ranking nobles among the crowd and felt his stomach tighten up. He wasn’t looking forward to speaking with each and every one of them during the party. A duo of fanfare trumpeters on either side of the doorway snapped to attention, raised their instruments, and began their all-important-sounding flourish. The multitude of voices quickly dissipated as the trumpets echoed throughout the room. Following their deafening music, the Herald began his proclamation.

            “Hear ye, hear ye! Introducing His Royal Highness, Prince Neil Rosenhold of Elysia!”

            Everyone in the room began to clap as the fanfare began once more, the thunderous noise of it all drowning out Neil’s footsteps and the armor of his escorts as they proceeded down the big red carpet in middle of the room, which led to the king’s throne, where his family waited for him. The room became quiet once more as Neil and the castle guardsmen stopped in front of the throne. After a brief pause, Neil continued alone and carefully walked up the steps. He halted in front of his father, then kneeled with his left leg and placed his hand on his heart as he bowed his head.

            “Rise, my son.”

            Neil stood up and raised his head.

            “It has been sixteen years since I first held you in my arms. In that time, you have devoted yourself to your studies and your training. You have grown, in both mind and body, character and strength. You have brought me pride and joy. You make me proud to have named you the future king of our great nation. Thank you, and Happy Birthday.”

            Following his words, the crowd began clapping and the trumpeters briefly played once more. Silence filled the room again, as King Edward rose from his throne. He stepped forward and, placing his arm over Neil’s shoulder, proclaimed:

            “Today is a day of celebration! Let us dance and be merry!”

            At his words, a band began playing a festive tune from the minstrel’s gallery overlooking the room as the crowd began to mingle. A door opened along one of the walls of the room. Maids and butlers alike guided a line of carts out towards the tables running down the length of the room just a few feet away. The tables quickly filled with freshly prepared dishes, and the enticing smells of the cooked meat began to draw hungry crowds of nobles to them.

            Neil and the rest of the royal family slowly descended the stairs and helped themselves to the various foods. Each of the dishes was sampled by a team of official taste testers prior to being brought out to the banquet hall. A second, smaller team was assigned to double check food served to the royal family and the most important people in the kingdom while they mingled in the banquet hall. Each member of the royal family was also assigned a pair of lightly armored guards to closely follow them as they wandered the room. Guards were also posted at each entrance as an extra precaution, while the rest of the castle’s guards remained on standby or patrolled the grounds.

            Neil glanced at the large clock on the wall above the tables.

            I still have a few hours. Stay calm. Just focus on mingling with the nobles…

            And so, he did. Many of the nobles came to visit him and his family, congratulating him and attempting to score points with them. It was common practice for nobles to try to secure political ties with the royal family. Doing so would allow them to garner favor and possibly sway the decisions of the king when deciding on a given issue or convincing them to modify or repeal a current law or practice. Be it through offering a son or daughter for marriage, trying to impress them, or simply praising them and trying to form a connection, many nobles were more than eager to win Neil’s approval.

            Fortunately, Neil was eventually saved from his plight when the night’s entertainment began. After a series of dances with his mother, sister, and a few noble girls around his age (they and their parents were cunning and persistent, if nothing else), the audience was introduced to a variety of people. The lineup included a well-known troupe of thespians who performed a dramatic reenactment of a famous battle, a young female singer whose voice brought tears to the eye, a group of troubadours who sung a series of ballads, and an experienced jester.

            As the celebration drew to a close, desserts were brought out and a final dance was held. The party ended with a short speech delivered by King Edward. As the guests began to leave and the more important ones were escorted to private guest chambers for each family, the royal family returned to their own chambers.

           Neil entered his room, and, once he was sure that nobody was listening in on him, pulled out a brown leather pouch from under his bed. Time of the essence, he quickly and quietly rushed to fill it with the bare essentials: a few pairs of clothes, small knives and daggers, a leather wineskin to hold for drinking water, and a small sheaf of paper along with a few pens and well-sealed ink wells. He dressed himself in his sparring clothes, slung the strap of his satchel over his shoulder, and took one last glance around his room before.

            Now for the letter, he thought to himself as he held it in his hand, glancing down at it. I know they won’t be happy about this, but that’s to be expected. Thankfully, I explain myself and say that I have no intentions of abandoning the throne. His advice to make two copies and give one to him and keep one with me along with my personal seal was genius.

Mentally saying goodbye, he blew out the candle on his desk, placed the sealed envelope with the first of the three copies of the letter next to it, and walked over to the door.

            Neil slowly turned the handle and peered through the crack that appeared as he carefully opened the door. Not seeing any movement or guards stationed outside, Neil opened the door further and stepped out into the hallway.

            “Good evening, Your Highness.”

            Neil jumped and swung his head to his left, face turning red at being caught already.

            “H-Hello, James…”

            “Is something the matter, sir? It would appear as though you’re going somewhere.”

            Neil forced himself to breath and keep moving. It was now or never. He stepped out of the doorway and closed it behind him as he faced James.

            “Yes. I’m heading over to the sparring area to get in some late-night practice.”

            “I see. Why are you carrying a pouch with you though? Wouldn’t everything you need be at the armory next to it?”

            Dammit! I need to shake his suspicion and get him to let me go.

            “That’s true, but since it’s dark out, I figured it would be safer and quicker to bring spares that I have in my room.”

            “Very efficient, Your Highness.”

            “Yes. Now, I must be leaving to go practice.”

            “You shouldn’t be wandering around alone at night, sir. I’ll accompany you.”

            Ugh! Why must he be so observant and good at doing his job!

            “You’re right. Thank you, James,” Neil responded, forcing a smile.

            The two turned and began walking down the dimly lit hallway. They passed by various rooms, including the entrance to the royal chambers, each of which was also guarded by at least two guards, though how armored the guards were varied based on who they were charged with protecting. Neil and James soon came to one of the doors leading outside. James came to a stop in front of the door and opened it, checking for any signs of intruders before stepping outside and holding the door for Neil. Quietly closing the door behind him, James cleared his throat before addressing the crown prince.

            “A beautiful night, is it not, Your Highness?”

            “Yes, though it’s shame that the clouds are blocking out the moonlight at the moment,” Neil responded with a false smile.

            “All the more helpful for your escape, isn’t it?”

            Neil’s blinked at James’ words, but forced himself to keep smiling.

            “Escape? I’m not sure what you mean.”

            “Your Highness, please, spare me the act. It’s more than obvious at this point. To continue would just be insulting.”

            Neil’s smile held for a few more moments, then disappeared from his face as a frown took its place.

            “Do you plan to stop me?”

            “I’m not entirely sure, Your Highness. While it’s my duty to protect to the royal family and our great nation, and my loyalty ultimately lies with the king, I do not wish to make myself an enemy of the future ruler of this country.”

            “That’s quite the predicament. Unfortunately, it’s not any of my concern, unless you aim to prevent me from leaving.”

            Neil walked towards James, paused next to him, then continued walking past him.

            “Your Highness.”

            Neil stopped walking and sighed.

            “Yes, James?”

            “Why are you doing this? Surely you know that this won’t work. They’ll capture you almost immediately.”

            “You’d be right, if I was doing this by myself.”

            James’ eyes widened in shock.

            “You have help? Who? They’d be executed for treason and endangering your life!”

            “They know…I know. We’re aware of the risks.”

            “Then why?! Why would you run away from here, from your duties, from safety? What could possibly compel you and convince someone here to help you do this?!”

            Neil sighed again, looking up at the moon as a ray of moonlight broke through the clouds and shown down from above.

            “Freedom. And to improve myself, as both a swordsman and the future king.”

            “I don’t understand. How could running away possibly help you like that?”

            “Because I’ll be free. Because I won’t be chained down here, locked away in a castle and forced to study by day and attend to near-constant attempts by the nobles to try to control me and get me to marry one of their daughters. Because I won’t grow as a swordsman or future king here. I’m sheltered here. I’m forced into formalities.”

            Neil clenched his fists as he looked down at his feet.

            “I want to mingle with the commoners, everyday people. I want to learn of their struggles so I can help them when I’m king. I want to get to know them, to be treated as their equal, so that I may relate to them, and them me. I won’t be able to grow as a swordsman here because everyone wants to protect me. I can only improve myself when faced with something stronger, better than me. Sir Andrew is an amazing swordsman, but he grows older. It’s taking its toll on him, making him weaker, slower. He’s taught me for years now. There’s only so much he can show me. I don’t want to stagnate, not now. I want to challenge myself.”

            James stared at Neil in shock and awe. Neil looked up at him and he quickly collected himself.

            “I never expected to here such words from you, Your Highness.”

            “My father would lock me in my room and kept under strict watch if he heard that,” Neil said with a laugh.

            “I get that I need to be kept safe, alive, if I’m going to succeed the throne, but this is something that I need to do.”

            James sighed and shook his head. He raised his hands and then suddenly smacked his cheeks. Neil stepped towards him in shock, then stopped when James raised a hand.

            “Sorry, Your Highness. I just needed a moment.”

            “Right…”

            James took a deep breath, exhaled, and then looked Neil in the eyes, his own filled with determination.

            “Sir, if you wouldn’t mind, I would like to accompany you on your journey.”

            “…Huh?”

            “I want to go with you, sir. Please let me join you,” James responded, bowing deeply.

            “What? Why would you-?”

            “I was moved by your words, Your Highness. I wish to help you on your path to becoming this country’s next great king.”

            Neil was taken aback by James’ declaration.

            Does he really understand what he’s getting himself into?

            “You do realize that, when we return, you’ll be tried for aiding me and likely executed.”

            “…I'm aware of the possibility.”

            “I plan to become a wandering adventurer. We’ll be living frugal lives, traveling the country, and fighting monsters. Are you sure you’ll be up for that?”

            “Yes. I’m sure it will help us both grow stronger.”

            “You’ll be stuck as my personal bodyguard and assistant. I’ll be your only traveling companion. Is that really something that you want?”

            “I fail to see the issue, Your Highness.”

            It doesn’t look like he’s going to waver on this. I’m surprised he committed so quickly though.

            “Alright. Fine. I’m on my way to meet with the person who’ll be helping me escape tonight. We need to hurry, or else we’ll miss our chance. Come with me. We’ll see what he has to say about this.”

            Neil turned and began walking towards the rendezvous point, with James following close behind. The two approached the sparring area on the side of the castle and spotted a tall figure in the darkness.

            “You never said it, Your Highness, but who are we meeting with?”

----------------------------------------

            The man stepped out from the darkness under the tree and greeted the two as they walked over to him.

            “Good evening, Your Highness. I assume you’re all ready to go?”

            “Yes, Sir Andrew. I’ve packed my pouch with a few pairs of clothes and other essentials. Do you have the rest with you?”

            “I do, but who’s your friend here? I don’t remember you saying that you’d be bringing someone else with you.”

            “James, sir,” the guard said as he stepped forward. “I just offered to join His Highness on his journey.”

            “Is that so…?” said Andrew, glancing over at Neil.

            “It is, Sir Andrew. I was planning to go alone, but James has convinced me that he can be of use and assist me on my journey. It would be…nice...to have a companion.”

            Andrew looked James up and down, then at Neil again. Neil tensed up but didn’t waver as he looked back into Andrew’s eyes. Andrew closed his own and let out a sigh.

            “Well, it’s honestly a good idea. We don’t want anything bad happening to you. The only issue is that I only brought enough supplies for one person.”

            “That won’t be an issue, sir,” James replied. “I can pull my own weight. We can make do until we get a steady income as adventurers.”

            “If you say so...” Andrew trailed off, somewhat exasperated.

            Andrew walked back towards the tree and pulled out two bags. He returned and handed over a bag to each of them.

            “This bag has some money for you to use to purchase food, lodging, and whatever else you might need. It should last for a little while unless you spend it all at once on something unnecessary or have it stolen,” he said, handing the bag to Neil, who promptly put the bag inside his satchel. “This one has some supplies that you’ll want to have while you’re traveling around. It has cooking supplies, fire starters, and basic medical items, along with a few other things. Make sure you don’t break them or use them all too quickly,” he explained as he handed it to James.

            “Thank you, Sir Andrew. I wouldn’t be able to do this without your help.”

            “It’s an honor, sir,” he said, bowing.

            “Please, raise your head. And call me Neil.”

            “It’s an honor…Prince Neil.”

            Neil chuckled. “Just Neil is fine, but that’s a good start.”

            “Right… We should probably get you two on your way right about now. Your ride out of here will be leaving soon.”

            Andrew led the two young men to the loading area for carts, wagons, and carriages coming in and out of the castle. The location was used for delivering food, supplies, and entertainment to and from the castle, with the stables and storage space for the carts and carriages located nearby as well. Although many of the carts had already left, there were a few still there that were getting ready to leave. Andrew led the boys over to a wagon covered by a white sheet.

            “The driver has already been informed of the situation and has been paid handsomely for their silence and cooperation. I’ll let them know that you’re onboard and ready to go in a minute.”

            The three said their goodbyes once more, checked to make sure that they had everything they needed, and then boarded the wagon. The wagon driver arrived a few minutes later, said hello, and then left the castle grounds. Neil peered outside the flaps on the back of the wagon, watching the castle shrink in the distance.

            And so, the journey begins…