Ascendance // a DreamNotFound fanfiction WITH AN UNSATISFYING ENDING

Chapter 7: Dark Underbelly

[3977 words]

~Dream, Heir Guard of the Florean castle~

Maintaining a neutral expression in challenging situations was my strength, even in situations occurring at the royal family's dinner table. Although the locust swarm which drove me to seek a new career occurred two weeks ago, the devastating impacts were only now revealing themselves.

King Richard stated information gathered by messengers, including the current attendance rates at community schools. The blooming famine did not affect Tejan schools, and only mildly decreased attendance at Hassean, Minghamian, and Lundener schools. In the eyes of the royal couple, four out of five communities doing well implied their written application system for food rations was successful.

George did not speak much during the conversation until his father finished describing the superiority of the food rationing and educational systems. Dragging his dark gaze away from his crowded plate and shifting awkwardly in his seat, the prince blurted,

"How are the educational systems in Orlan?"

My interest peaked. King Richard's answer to his son's question may help reveal information about what was happening in my home. I had lived away from Orlan for two weeks, and already my head spun with worry for my mother, sister, and neighbors. George must have sensed me listening, because his gaze darted my way for a split second until the king answered,

"School attendance in Orlan is abysmal, my son, but it is no surprise. Half of Orlanian children did not attend school even before the locust swarm, and now only twenty percent of Orlanian children are enrolled in any school at all. Don't forget, Orlan is the only kingdom community without any schools for higher education."

"Why?"

"Higher education is unnecessary there. Orlanian kids grow up to be like their parents: farm workers, butchers, livestock farmers, and fishermen. Why bother wasting precious resources on unskilled workers who will eventually breed and replace each other anyway?"

When George's lips parted and no words came out, the queen offered, "What your father means to say is -"

"Silence," the king sharply interrupted his wife. "I was not finished. Know your place."

"Yes, my king," the queen accepted his retort, bowing while anger burned in her deep chocolate eyes.

My stomach churned. In a kingdom rife with power imbalances, even the castle itself was not immune to corruption. Contempt rotted the royal family itself from within.

Hesitantly disrupting the tension between his parents, George swallowed and asked quietly, "Are people in Orlan starving?"

"People are always starving in Orlan." With a dismissive wave, the king explained, "Half of the kingdom lives there. Either the kingdom can feed Teja, Hassee, Mingham, and Lunden... or it can feed Orlan. We must have priorities, and unfortunately, we cannot feed everyone. That is something you will learn when you mature, George. We feed our residents based on their skills and expendability. Peasants are replaceable, but educated folks like you are not. Do you understand?"

"Yes," George submitted with acute embarrassment. He did not ask any more questions.

Despite my disdain for the royal family's excessive wealth, I could not suppress a pang of sympathy for the troubled prince, who suffered for his own curiosity.

While the dinner table's political conversation continued, the castle's royal messenger Jacob subtly entered the royal dining hall and tapped my elbow to catch my attention.