The Fae Prince

Chapter 1

The land of Faerie had several names but all pertaining to the constantly growing yet unchanging beauty of the realm. Once a wild land, it had been under the rule of the Seelie Court for several centuries which is but a blink in the time of the Fae. The Seelie Court settled in the area that would come to be known as the Kingdom of Levanter. 

The Kingdom of Levanter was small, forested, but peaceful. Their military power was frail at best, the army and its soldiers mostly there to maintain order, formalities and protect the people from the occasional assault – but rare were those who dared to attack them. After all, they were the Fae, born of gods and demons, an ancient race of Wild Magic, contradictionary by nature and definition. They had no need for military strength when they had ancient and powerful magic to aid them. Their magical frontiers couldn’t be breached by normal people, and those foolish enough to attempt an assault never made it past the gates of the city.

Despite their somewhat reclusive yet capricious nature, however, the Fae had opened trade routes with neighboring kingdoms, and they had good relationships with them. The resources and goods exported from Levanter were rare, appreciated and cherished by all, so no monarch would be stupid enough to risk losing them by foolishly invading. 

Fae people rarely left their forest – not so much because of a law or an unspoken rule, but rather because they were so intrinsically linked to nature and their inherent magic, and leaving for an extended period of time could make them ill. As such, younglings who were more adventurous than their older peers often left with the intent to explore the world but, eventually, they all returned – most of them doing so because the world they dreamt of seeing wasn’t as bright or kind as they hoped it’d be, or simply because their very nature couldn’t stand being away from home any longer.

Such was the life for Felix, Crowned Prince and sole Heir to the throne of Levanter, he had attempted such a journey in the hopes of learning more about the world they lived in, and bettering himself so he could become a greater leader once the time came. Unfortunately, being of royal blood, his bond with the enchanted forest was even greater than that of his peers. As such, barely two days after his departure, his comatose body was brought back by his panicked guards and friends, and only woke up three days later.

Needless to say, Felix never tried to leave Levanter again.

The young prince was a soft and gentle creature, as if kissed by the Sun itself upon birth and bore his unique sunspot freckles as evidence. His very nature was like sunshine, constant and warm to his people. He was loved by his people, loved by the Wild, and loved by magic. He had been blessed with a rare gift – the gift of Healing – and his beauty and abilities were renowned even beyond the borders of their realm. He was kind, and caring, and many theorized that he had been blessed by the Sun God Apollo himself – and never did the normally capricious and arrogant deity do anything to correct them, which only served to cement those theories.

Despite growing into a wonderful young man, however, he still had a lot to learn before becoming King. Thankfully, his grandmother wouldn’t give up the crown for another few centuries, so he still had time to focus on his studies and his growth.

Today, however, was a slow day. Growing and learning could wait until he was done reading this new adventure book one of his friends had brought back from his many travels to the outside world.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Felix hadn’t even noticed that he had fallen asleep at some point during his reading, the book having fallen on the floor at some point. A little disoriented at first, he slowly sat up, grimacing as his spine cracked in protest. Falling asleep while sitting on the windowsill wasn’t a comfortable position, though it certainly wasn’t the first time it happened.