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Light peered through the blue velvet curtains, awaking Prince George from his peaceful sleep.
That was one of the things he loved about being royalty. Sleep.
A full 8 hours every night to be alone, no servants and tailors rushing in and out of his room to tend to his needs (which he really didn't have.)
George wasn't like the other royal heirs. He would call his employees by first name (which was uncommon) and would let them sneak food from the kitchen for their families to eat.
He tried his absolute best to make sure they were all getting enough rations and their needs were being fulfilled. Something about people working their entire lives being servants didn't sit right with him. These people had dreams, wishes. He wished the world was different. He wished it was fair.
Why should he be entitled to everything he owns simply for breathing? He didn't work for this. He didn't want this. In all honesty, as a kid all he would want was to play in the town square with the other kids. He didn't want fancy crowns or jewels.
Roll in the mud, have imaginary battles with sticks, hide and seek. He didn't care. He wanted it all.
He did have one friend during his childhood. 6 years give or take, meeting when they were just 11 years old.
They were thirteen when they found their favorite place together.
George would sneak out the palace at late hours, and meet his best friend in the woods.
Not just any part of the woods though.
It was an enchanting scene, breathtaking if you would ever seen it yourself. And that's what they loved about it. No one would ever see it. It was only for them.
It was covered by long pine trees and long vines. A charming lake in the center. A very small cliff like structure hung a few feet off the air, hovering over the lake. They used it as a diving board, doing every trick they could think of. The only way in was to crawl through a muddy rock opening. And who in their right minds would want to do that?
They did. Every single night.
It was an escape for the both of them. War had struck at this time period, affecting both of them. George was constantly nagged with training and protection at all times, and his best friend was in constant fear if the opposing side would attack the town square at any given time.
But the war came to an abrupt end after about a year and a half. The kingdom of Ravaryn coming out victorious. George didn't feel victorious, though. They had sent out more men than ever this war, many perishing. All of Ravaryns' soldiers would sneak George baked sweets at night, as well as sneak him out to play poker with them.
George didn't just lose soldiers, he felt like he lost family.
But George still had his best friend.
He smiled and closed his eyes, trying to remember every detail of his face.
Clay, he thought.
They were 16 when it happened. They had survived the war, a few months after though, Clay had disappeared. Vanished.
There was no warning, no goodbyes.
He snuck into the town, asking everyone in his path if he knew of his best friends disappearance. Not one person had any idea where he had went, or even who Clay was.
It was as if Clay had never existed in the first place.
George dreams every night of Clay randomly showing up. Appearing at their secret lake.
It had been four years now. He never did.
---
George groaned and threw a pillow over his face. He wasn't exactly ecstatic about today. His family was throwing a masquerade ball for the townspeople in celebration of marking 10 years since one of the worst wars in the history of Ravaryn. Why on God's green Earth would you want to celebrate that shit? , George thought.
It was brutal.
The Calamity. Thats the name they gave the tragedy. Hut and homes were sent on fire, with families still sleeping in them. Shops were broken into, and if you were unlucky enough to still be in it, you were killed on the spot. Children were ripped from mothers arms and public hangings were a daily occurrence.
George shook the thoughts from his head, not wanting to relive those memories.
He rolled out of his bed, though everything in his was desperately telling him to sleep for a few more minutes.
He pushed the curtains away from each other, allowing all the sunlight into his room, squinting at the intake of light. He absorbed a few moment of peace.
Tailors and servers knocked on his door, and walked in even though George hadn't responded.
"Hello, Prince George! We need your opinion on what you would like to wear to the masquerade ball tonight?", the elderly woman laid out three items in front of him.
George looked over the options, and his eye caught one in particular.
"The white and black goggles, please."
---
sorry for the republish! I had to revise some age mistakes :)
George and Dream are 19 in present day, 16 when Dream vanished, making it four years since. They met at 11, and since Dream disappeared their friendship lasted 6 years, 9 years if you want to count with Dreams disappearance.
for clarity, The Calamity and the war after Dream disappeared are two different wars!
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Case 404
Fanfiction"When you're met with the choice of love and death, choose death, for love will only kill you too." Kingdoms are terrorized when a secret organization takes the heirs to the throne hostage. When George gets captured, he falls into a world of secrec...
