The Weak Prince (Book One in the Weak Prince Duology)

The Weak Prince

Jonathan sighed, looking out the window. His clothes hung on him like rags on a beggar. He hadn't changed since he had gotten there. He didn't know if a month or an year had passed. He had stopped counting the days when he realized it was all pointless. No one saved a prince. Princes were supposed to save themselves. Or damsels in distress. When he was little, he used to read stories about daring knights in shining armour on white steeds, saving princesses from evil green dragons. There was in fact a dragon that had captured him. And the dragon was indeed green. More dark green, but green nevertheless.

A cold breeze played with Jonathan's blonde hair. Suddenly, he saw a small figure. His tower was so high, he had a perfect view of the grounds of the dark castle he was imprisoned in. Though the grounds were mostly woods after woods of dry, skeleton-like trees. The figure dashed through the trees. Jonathan leaned over the window sill, trying to get a better view of the figure. It looked like a person riding a horse. And not just any person, a knight! Jonathan's blue eyes shined with hope.

The knight's horse stopped abruptly in front of the castle as an ear-bleeding screech filled the sky. The dragon came into view, its dark green scales shining in the moonlight. As the knight stepped out of the shadows, Jonathan saw that the knight's horse was actually brown, with a black mane. The armour, on the other hand, was shining brightly, reflecting the moon up in the clouds.

The knight dismounted the horse, then raised a sword, shouting something unintelligible. The dragon blew a gust of fire at the knight, who raised the shield in defense. The shield had a crown of dark pink roses painted in its middle. The knight motioned for the horse to hide, then ran into battle.

The dragon blew flame after flame, but the knight was quicker. The knight ducked under the dragon, sword in hand, slashing the way through. The dragon wailed in pain, blowing fire into the air. Jonathan couldn't help but feel a little sad for the dragon. Dying sure wasn't pleasant. When he looked again for the knight, he noticed that the knight wasn't under the dragon, but on top of it. The knight was running on the dragon's spine, holding onto the spikes so they wouldn't fall to their ultimate death. After a few seconds, the knight reached the dragon's neck, then delivered the final blow, impaling the sword in the dragon's neck. With a final wail, the dragon fell on the ground, dead. The knight hopped off the dragon, then ran to the entrance.

Jonathan spun around, facing the door. He could already hear the knight's footsteps, echoing inside the now deserted castle. After a few minutes, he heard the doorknob spin. Yet the door remained locked. A few tries later, the knight gave up. Jonathan inched closer, just as the door fell out of its hinges. Dust filled the room. After the dust settled, Jonathan finally saw the knight's silhouette up close. The knight was taller than Jonathan with a few inches. Finally, the knight took off their helmet, revealing their true face. The knight had curly black hair and skin the colour of wood.

"Who... Who are you?" Jonathan asked.

"Alexander. Hérnandez," the knight answered. "My friends call me Alex. Nice shirt, by the way." he added. Jonathan glanced down. The once blue shirt was now torn and burnt, and the once puffy sleeves now hung like sad balloons.

"Uh... Thanks?" Jonathan said. Alex scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "You know what? Just... Let's go." the prince said, taking his coat, heading towards the door.

"Wait," Alex said, grabbing Jonathan's wrist. Jonathan felt his cheeks heat up, as if he had a fever. The prince looked at Alex. He seemed genuinely worried. "What's wrong? Are you alright?" Jonathan tried to free his hand, but Alex just tightened his grip. "Please... You can tell me... I... I won't judge." And that's when Jonathan snapped.

"Oh, really? You won't judge? And what will the rest of the world do? Throw a parade? No! They'll judge me! My own parents are ashamed of me! They think I'm weak and worthless! I bet they even told you I'm a princess! They don't care about me! They don't love me!" Jonathan broke down crying. He sat himself on his mattress, not caring about the springs in it. He put his head in his hands, sobbing. He felt Alex sit himself next to Jonathan, but he couldn't bear to look at him.