Several days after the birth of the fourth prince, the young third prince was called into the castle’s throne room. As the young child entered, he found some ministers by the side with other numerous nobles. His father, the twentieth king of the Ascalia Kingdom, was seated perfectly on his embellished seat. Next to the left of the king was his mother, the queen. Two empty seats were to the right of the king, signifying the absence of his two older gifted brothers.
As the young child looked at the eyes of the various people around him as he walked, he could clearly sense some seriousness with a hint of mockery on their eyes. Some of them even sneered and jeered at the young child. Clearly, not a bit of respect was shown towards the kingdom’s third prince.
Even though the child already expected this outcome, he still couldn’t help but feel a tinge of loneliness deep within him. What person would not desire the love of others, more so his own family? Still, the young child walked towards the king with a smile on his face.
There were still some ten steps before the king when the men in armour wordlessly stopped him from his tracks. Left without a choice, the young child kneeled and bowed his head towards the king.
“Hopeless son of mine, do you understand why I’ve called you here today?”
The king’s voice was as kind and gentle, the way deeply loved by the people, though his words towards his blood were harsh. Not a single person in the throne room raised an eyebrow as they were already used to such treatment of the useless and stupid third prince.
“Yes, your majesty.”
More than half of the nobles let out their own laughter as the young child answered. Mockeries and insults were instantly hurled towards the still kneeling child.
“Silence!”
The room then turned quiet but the look of the nobles towards the young child still had not changed. The king continued on with his words.
“We all know here that you are just replying without even understanding anything, hopeless son of mine. If only you aren’t engaged with the second princess of the Lanissia Kingdom then I would have already thrown you away! The alliance resulting from your marriage is the only thing still keeping you alive so be thankful for that!”
“Dear, don’t you think that’s too harsh?”
The queen’s serene and lovely voice echoed out. It may have hinted some affection towards her son but just one brief look on the expression on her lovely and perfect face betrayed that fleeting thought. Not one even imagining such lovely and perfect face could display such expressions.
“As if he understood one thing we said!”
As the king and queen laugh, laughter soon erupted as they were followed by the many nobles inside. Even the rigidly-faced guards couldn’t help their own chuckles. The young child was soon enveloped by the oppressing and mocking air of the room and could only continue to keep his head lowered as he kneeled. His eyes weren’t teary but his heart felt like it was being wringed out.
But there was no hatred in his heart. Not one speck of hatred for the people laughing on him. If there was someone he should hate, it would be the ungifted him. He already accepted that he was the most useless person to have been born in the countless years that their family has ruled. He was just thankful that he was able to talk to and face his father and mother again, for only the third time in his life.
Upon his birth, the highest court mage evaluated him to be unable to harness the mana around him to use magic. The high priest also performed his divine test to the just born third prince but he could only sigh and shake his head as the heavens told about the third prince’s mediocre potential and fate. At knowing this, the cheerful and happy expressions of the people around him instantly changed and he was immediately handed over to some maids to care for him.
Only the old maid he was handed to was silently weeping for the third prince’s fate. To be treated unjustly just because he was born normal unlike the two brothers that preceded him! That was why she swore to take good care of the infant in her arms, loving him with all her might so that the child would not long for his parent’s love. But alas! Such sad fate that she was executed a month later after voicing out her feelings for the child’s unjust treatment!
And so, there was a continuous change of old maids caring for the third prince until he reached the fourth year of his age. It was then that he was left to fend off for himself. From finding food up to finding the place of his own sleep, he did it all alone. No, he was forced to do it alone as no one even dared or tried helping him. He counted himself lucky as he still had some common-looking clothes given to him years ago and some small sum of coins for his yearly expense. The coins were too much for the expense of one child but for an adult, it was too few. Still, the young child learned to become thrifty and was able to save some coins for later use. He did not know when the yearly sustenance for him would last so he could only save for the future, the stable and the storeroom becoming his sleeping place.
He wasn’t allowed to leave the castle walls. He tried asking but was not only not given an answer, he was also ignored. The whole castle at that point already knew at what treatment the third prince should deserve. Confined as he was, one of the few places he found comfortable was the royal library. Inside there, no one was able to throw him some mockeries and insults. The royal library was, after all, a rarely visited place. Only a few historians and especially allowed mages going inside to read. For the third prince, it was a haven of treasure and knowledge. It was also there that he spent most of his efforts and time, painstakingly learning how to read the kingdom’s language after two months. As free as his time was, he also learned various languages of the different races on the continent. The already dying and dead languages also unable to escape from his hungry thirst for knowledge.
With the royal library being pointlessly large, with books shelved everywhere, the third prince found his bit of sparse happiness. Though there were a few languages he could not perfectly learn as the materials and sources were few, he already became satisfied enough. It was because he only not learned about the language; he also learned some interesting history from them. There were also not a few exciting stories from the books he chose to read. He was in bliss as he found the answers from the books he read like how a kingdom was formed and destroyed, how a certain law came to be, and how to successfully manage your own people.
He was only just a tad bit sad that there would not be a chance for him to apply this knowledge as he was not fit to rule. He did not have the outstanding bravery and martial spirit of his eldest brother nor did he have the wits and wisdom of his second brother. The young third prince never felt envy, instead he felt proud of his older brothers. He was too amazed at how developed and formidable his older brothers should be as they were heralded as geniuses in their own fields.
Time passed by like that, as it was already the time when the young third prince was called. He still had his head lowered, enjoying and treasuring every second that he was able to be in front of his parents that were well-loved by the people. As a member of the royal family, he also had a tiny wish to be able to make the people happy, not just the kingdom he was born in but also the other kingdoms, empires, and numerous tribes on the continent. Just his only tiny and earnest wish.
“My useless sons, I now order you to manage our lands in the north. There you will spend the rest of your time until you are called. And when I say our lands in the north, I’m referring to the tiny little villages there.”
“Dear, there’s no way he’ll understand any words you told him.”
A friendly and innocent laugh sounded out from the queen’s sweet lips as she reprimanded her king.
“Ah, my queen, it was my bad. Now, useless son of mine, just take this scroll with you and follow the guards. Be off now, scram!”
“Yes, your majesty.”
The young child raised his lowered head and looked deeply at the king and queen in front of him. He was savouring the one last look of his parents, already knowing that the possibility of them meeting again was never high. After satisfying himself for a full five seconds, he raised his body up and turned around. Two men in armour stood before him and urged him to follow them to which he did so.
“Can he even read what’s written on that scroll? Won’t it be just taken from him easily?”
“Ahahaha! You’re right!”
“Are you hinting about something there?”
“I’ll leave that to your imagination!”
“””Hahaha!”””
As he exited the throne room, he was once again attacked by the mockeries and insults of the nobles around him. He did not pay them any mind as he was already clutching something important in his hand. It was the first time his parents expected something from him and even gave him a task to do! It was never enough to just describe what he was feeling with the word ‘excitement’. Even though it was very clear for him that the reason for being sent away wasn’t because of them holding any expectations from him. Still, he was just happy about that.
But first, he needed to do something first. Something that would certainly result in an indelible scar in his heart. This was something he had to do even if it was something he would never want to. He already heard her answer of loving this place so how could he, in his heart, bear to separate her and this place. It was his selfishness that bound her to him so it was also in his selfishness that he would have to bear such pain and sadness of separation in his heart. He already knew all too well that this kind of thing would eventually happen.
‘Can I bear to move along this colourless world alone?’
A question that had left him baffled. It was a question whose answer he would never find in any book. It was up to him to find the answer to that all for himself. And he had a duty to fulfil. There was only the choice to bury that question deep inside him as he would complete the task given to him.
The two armoured men and the young child continued their walk for ten minutes now. As the men’s strides were too wide, the young child could only run with his tiny body to follow their steps.
“What should we do about the guards?”
“His Majesty only told us to think of it ourselves.”
“You know that we really shouldn’t waste any of our men just for this kind of thing. True, we’re not at war at the moment but if a war somehow breaks out, we’ll need every single one of our men.”
“True, let’s just pick up some squires then. As long as we fulfil the guards’ quota then it’ll be enough.”
“Wise decision, my sir knight captain.”
It may seem too harsh to think that they were talking of something like this with the young child just behind them but for the child, he already counted himself lucky. He had thought that he had to make the travel all by himself and now that he learned that some other people will join him, then that was all for the better. No knights may accompany him but he was already fine with the squires.
With a smile on his face, the young child continued to follow the two men until they reached the training grounds in the castle. There were numerous straw dolls tied up to a stick on one side while the other side had the marks needed for the practice of archery. No horses were present because the training for horseback riding and horseback fighting was done on the wide plains outside the castle and the city. In here, the knights and squires were trained for sword and bow handling.
The third prince’s eyes were all around the place as he excitedly viewed the people training here. It was his first time in this place as he was not allowed before to even come near here. That was why he was making full use of the limited time he would be given to burn everything in his eyes.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
Of the people in the training grounds, there were some who wore their respective armours but there were more who were just wearing their basic attires. On the side with the straw dolls, the males of varying ages from as young as seven to as old as in the thirties were forcefully hitting with their wooden swords. Each of them was already drenched in sweat but they still persisted as they continued to hit with all their might, believing with every strength they’re gaining from doing so. Needless to say, the strikes of the younger ones were all too lacking with the strength or finesse of their older counterparts and the lack of skills were much evident but they’re trying to compensate it with the liveliness and feeling of achievement which was rarely found in the adults. All in all, everyone was giving it their all with their pride and honour, either swearing to protect the kingdom, their family, loved ones, or their own selves. All of them were the valued knights and future knights of this kingdom.
On the other side was the archery range. Like the side with the straw dolls, lots of men were notching arrows on the bows on their hands, aiming true straight to their desired targets. As the knights feared by the neighbouring kingdoms, this kingdom’s knights were well trained to handle the sword, the spear, and the bow. All of the knights were expected to be expert with these weapons. That was why being able to accurately aim for the target was a much desired skill for the up and coming knights. All of the already established knights were already tested and proven in their excellence to handle these various weapons. Whether on horseback or by foot, they should be able to demonstrate their might against all who stand against them and their king. This was also the reason for the very large respect the established knights were getting from the kingdom’s people.
“Stay here.”
One of the two men briefly said towards the young child before they went inside a stone building. The young child didn’t really mind to be told to stay here, in fact, he even liked the idea. He would be able to observe the happenings in the training grounds here rather than inside that stone building. Still standing up, his gaze swept around the whole training ground.
“Hey!”
A childish voice could be heard from behind the young child. He never turned around for he knew that the one being called by the voice wasn’t him. He was already too used by being ignored. He just continued to stand around and look at the people training themselves.
“Hey I said! Don’t just ignore me!”
It was the pulling of his clothes that distracted him from his concentration. As the pulling would seemingly not end if he did not turn around, he reluctantly did so. Although he was hiding his very surprised mind beneath his still ever calm and smiling face.
In front of him was another child, perhaps two to three years older than he was. On the boy’s right hand was a wooden sword which was just perfect for his size. The boy was also not wearing anything extravagant, only some plain clothes normally worn by the commoners. On his face was a curious face as he looked at the third prince.
“Why are you not holding a sword? Not going to train? Come, there are many swords there! Let’s go!”
The boy holding the sword excitedly tugged at the third prince’s arm. It was the first time for the third prince to meet a commoner child as he was confined inside the castle. All he met were the servants, the guards, or the nobles. Of course, all the children he met before were all nobles. He was feeling curious and excited about meeting a commoner child but his feelings of bafflement overwhelmed him more.
‘Why is this child not ignoring me?’
The young third prince thought for a few seconds as he concentrated on his thoughts.
‘Ah, he still did not know I’m the third prince.’
“I am told to stay here and so I will.”
The boy holding the wooden sword frowned and looked down after hearing the third prince’s words. Feeling a tinge in his heart, the prince immediately followed up on his words.
“Though I would very much like to see how well you do with your sword there.”
“Really?! Really?! I’ll show you how good I am! You speak funny though but let’s be friends!”
The boy’s face lighted up as fast as he became down earlier, making his earlier frowning expression seem as if it did not even happen. The smile of the boy was very bright and full of excitement and happiness of meeting a new friend. The third prince could only smile wryly as he knew that they would have to exchange their names and the boy would find out his identity. It may result in him being ostracized again but he did not very much like to lie about him to this new friend of his. Though young, he already knew the value of honesty and trust.
“I am the third prince of this kingdom.”
“Wow! Really?! Really?! That’s wow! I am Lark!”
The boy shook the young child’s hands as soon as their greeting ended which baffled the third prince. He could not help but to widen his eyes at the supposedly sudden change of the boy in front of him which never happened.
‘Is he still uninformed about my situation by the adults around him? Is it because he’s a commoner’s and not a noble’s child? What is the difference between the two?’
“Now watch me as I strike the evil down with this sword! I’ll be a hero and I’ll destroy all evil!”
The boy pointed his sword towards a not so far straw doll whose height was perfect for someone of the boy’s physique. Calling the straw doll evil with all seriousness in the boy’s eyes earned him some laugh from the third prince. The third prince continued to cheer on the boy as the boy moved towards striking down this evil enemy of his.
Though good things really did not last for the young child.
Soon after, the two men who the third prince followed showed up. The young child felt a little sad about the imminent parting between his just newfound friend but he already knew that he had a duty he had to fulfil. Even though what he would do would not bring any joy to his parents, just knowing that he was able to help them even a little was enough for him. Right now, he just didn’t want this new friend of his to become sad by him leaving to somewhere far north.
“You’re leaving now. Just go to the northern gate and wait for a little time for your guards to appear.”
The tone of the man who just spoke was very oppressive but the young child just smiled in return. It just fuelled further the notion of the third prince being stupid in his mind. He began to hate the child more as he brought disappointment to the king who he respects very much.
“Where are you going?”
The boy with the wooden sword, Lark, showed up next to the third prince. He was still hitting his evil enemy earlier but when he turned around to show the prince how good he was, two men appeared. One man talked to the prince and Lark felt that something wrong was happening so he ran towards his new friend. Although he could not really explain what that something wrong was as the two men were not hurting his new friend, he still felt he should really go there and do something.
“Yes, I’m going to leave this city.”
“Leave? When are you coming back?”
The young child paused for a moment for he did not know how to answer this friend of his. He continuously tried to find words that would not leave his friend sad. But before he got the chance to answer, one of the two men in armour spoke.
“Listen kid, he’s not going to come back. So just scram.”
“Why not?! Where is he going? I’m his friend so tell me!”’
“Oh? A friend?”
The man had a glint in his eyes as he heard Lark’s words. Then a sinister smile formed on his face. The third prince immediately and repeatedly shouted ‘Wait!’ followed by some more but he was just ignored as the man continued on with his words.
“Then would you like to follow this friend of yours on a journey?”
“Sure! Sure!”
“Well then. Hey, list down this kid’s name on the list of the guards bound for the north.”
The third prince was continuing on his effort to stop the man from speaking but he stopped after the man was done speaking. It was the first time that he felt something not good about being ignored. After all, it could very much lead to a tragic fate of this new friend of his.
“Now, just go to the northern gate and show the scroll. They’ll know what to do.”
The two men soon left, leaving the two behind. As the two men were no longer on the sight, the third prince called for his friend.
“Lark, there is no need to go with me. I’m sure that they won’t even notice that you did not come. No one would bother checking about it. You still have other friends with you, right? I’m only one friend for you and leaving behind all your other friends will make them all sad. You don’t want that, do you? And there are your parents too. I’m sure they will miss you so much so parting with them at your young age is definitely not going to be beneficial to you.”
Facing a barrage of words, Lark could only tilt his head as he tried to seep all the words into his young mind. It was only after a full minute that he was able to comprehend it all and answer back.
“I don’t have parents… No mama or papa for me. So no one will be sad. No friends too. Only you.”
“No friends?”
Judging by Lark’s personality, the third prince found it hard to believe that this young boy didn’t have any friends. His personality was bright; he was joyful, playful, and even friendly. If those traits would fail you to earn a friend, then what would?
“They all tease me as I don’t have papa or mama. They also say I’m stupid. I am stupid… and no one wants to be friends with someone stupid, they said…”
The boy’s watery eyes brought pain to the young child. In his heart he thought how fate could be this cruel towards such a good boy. Even though he also had no friends and he was ignored by almost everyone, he still had his parents. But the boy in front of him not only lost his parents, he also had no friend. The young child’s vision turned misty but he still held back the urge to let those tears flow. With a single strong pat on the boy’s shoulder, the young third prince spoke as he pointed to himself.
“You know what they call me? They call me the useless and stupid prince! See? I’m also stupid so it’s perfectly fine for us to be friends! No, aren’t we already friends? Come, let’s go! We still have a place we should be heading to.”
For the first time in his life, the third prince felt joy about being called stupid instead of just feeling indifferent about it. That was because by being stupid, he was able to become friends with a wonderful person.
The boy looked up with tears still streaking down his unsightly face. The young child in front of him did not avert his gaze as he still looked straight towards the boy. Lark could somehow feel that the third prince’s words were the truth and not like the words the adults always told him while looking at him with pity in their eyes. Their gazes met each other, trying to ascertain the friendship they had just formed.
“How long are you going to cry there for? Aren’t you someone who will become a hero and destroy all evil? I’ve read that heroes are all strong and do not cry just because of this. Instead, they will strive harder and become stronger. You want to be a hero, right? So stop those tears now and let’s go.”
“Yes!”
The two smiled towards each other as their hearts were filled with something new and something good; the joy of finding their first friend.