The Mushroom Prince // DNF

1/The New Knight

The warm spring breeze drifted in through the open window near the bed, gently rustling the white curtains that enclosed a sleeping brunette male. The breeze danced across his pale skin, causing him to be pulled slowly into consciousness.

He squeezed his eyes closed for a minute longer, taking in the smell of fresh flowers and grass. Spring was his favorite time of year, and he especially loved the peaceful early morning hours. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and rolled onto his side, peering through the white gauzy curtains that surrounded his bed to look through the nearby window.

A small bird was perched on the sill, chirping happily, and the sun was just barely risen in the clear blue sky. The boy rolled himself off his bed, pushing the curtains open as his bare feet came to rest on his cold stone floor. The floor sent a chill up the boy's spine, making him feel awake and alert almost at once.

He pushed himself off of his bed and made his way across his room. He quickly shed his pajamas and pulled on a pair of brown pants, a white shirt, and brown shoes. He hesitated briefly before reaching for a long dark blue cape with a hood, knowing that he would need to disguise himself in case he should run into anyone outside of the castle.

He pulled a notebook and some pencils off of his dresser and dropped them into his pocket. He then made his way over to the closed door of his bedroom, pressing his ear against it to see if he could hear anyone outside. When he was satisfied that no one was immediately outside of the room, he slowly pulled open the heavy oak door.

He peaked his head out, searching up and down the long hallway, looking for the knight, Holden, that was assigned to watch over him. He had told Holden the previous evening that he wanted to sleep late that morning, so he wouldn't need to worry about waking him until later. The boy smiled to himself, pleased that Holden had chosen to believe this small lie.

The boy didn't especially enjoy lying to Holden, but he often felt that he had no choice. He was no ordinary boy, but rather the eldest son of the king and the rightful heir to the throne. That meant that he was constantly under surveillance, every move he made being watched. His father was always telling him that it was for his own good, that he needed to be protected, but the boy, George, longed for freedom. He cherished the moments where he was able to sneak away and spend time alone, it helped him clear his head and regain some sanity.

George slipped past the door quickly and began making his way down the hallway. He tried to keep his movements quiet, he couldn't risk getting caught. As he reached the end of the hallway, he took a sharp right turn. He smiled to himself as the window that he typically snuck out of came into view.

He reached the window and pushed the heavy glass open, pulling himself up onto the ledge, the breeze slightly rustling his hair. He pushed one leg through the window, gripping the edge for support. As he began to pull his second leg through, he heard footsteps echo through the otherwise deserted hallway. He paused, holding his breath, as he listened to the footsteps, assuming that it was Holden coming to check on him.

The footsteps didn't stop at his bedroom door though, and instead continued down the hallway, coming closer to George's location. Panic flooded his chest and he quickly attempted to pull himself back through the window, not wanting to get caught in such a precarious situation. He dropped back down onto the floor, landing on his feet with a soft thud, just as a tall blonde male dressed in green rounded the corner.

The taller male's piercing green eyes locked onto George, a smirk instantly forming on his face. He took a couple steps closer as he asked, "what are you doing over here?"

George felt his face grow warm, knowing he hadn't been quick enough. The window was still wide open behind him, and he knew that he had been caught by this stranger.