Once upon a time far, far away there was a tiny kingdom that floated high above the clouds. The people who lived there lived happy and content. They slept upon the finest of clouds and saw the most beautiful of sunrises and sunsets. There was no place more ethereal than their home, the people all thought.
Except one, of course. Far, in the heart of their kingdom was the the royal Castle . In it lay the Royal family. Their Castle sat upon the biggest, fullest cloud and its gargantuan towers were magnificent . The king and his son, the Prince resided in the highest part of the castle.
The Prince was quite happy with his luscious life. He had people catering to his every whim. Beautiful women surrounded him whenever he walked by. Yes, he was was happy, but was he content? He thought to himself whenever he was alone, for such thoughts would have him punished by his father. The Prince longed for adventure.
Long ago, when he was just a boy- when his mother still were alive, she would roam the Royal grounds with him and show him many things. He missed her dearly, although he was not the only one.
His father had grown even more weary as the years went by. The Royal advisors worried on his health and he merely waved them away, scoffing at their inquiries. The Physician had grown indignant with his father, though clearly refused to say anything.
The Prince shook his head as he walked through the landscape, he could rarely sneak past the multitude of guards his father assigned to him. It was for his protection, a voice sounding much like his father said. He reached the edge of the kingdom and tried to peak past the clouds. His mother could be down there, somewhere. He pursed his lips. Such a foolish thought, he berated himself. For it could not be possible, the king had already decreed.
Something clanged softly to his right. The Prince jumped before he walked toward it. He grasped the hilt of his sword and felt the clouds sway beneath his feet. He let go of his sword as he saw a crudely placed lock on a small gate. Behind the gate were stairs leading...what appeared to be down. His breath caught. What if..? He quickly looked behind him and raised his hand. The sun was up high and a small shadow came. It was early. His stomach bubbled with such fervor, he almost thought himself to be ill. He could find his sweet mother. He would be back though, before his father noticed, he hoped. Such information given to the king would be disastrous, he thought as he walked down the grueling steps that lead to a place he knew not too much of.
44 days. It had been 44 days since the Prince had gone missing. The king had gone almost delirious with the search, having called his guards to scout neighboring kingdoms. The king, many noted in the Royal Castle, was in peril to such harm to himself, they had been too reluctant to let him go anywhere by himself. That was until he burst into such heart wrenching tears as one noble suggested his inevitable death. Those tears did not stop, for a long time no matter how many tried to comfort him. The Royal Physician had to sedate him! The advisors sent pitying glances to the king. Then, to the Royal physician for he had to watch over their King until he awoke.
The physician watched from his desk as the King shuffled around the bed miserably. He huffed in annoyance as the king attempted to what looked like, suffocate himself. "My King," he began. The king sniveled and the physician closed his eyes."My friend, this cannot go on for much longer, you know this.""First my Lady, The love of my life," he slurred, the affects of the sedative still there, "And now-now my son?" the Kings voice cracked. The noble physician pinched his nose and prepared himself for another depressing speech,"What more shall the world take from me, 'fore it see they have taken all? What more, my friend? Tell me!"The physician was not payed for this. Thankfully, for the hagridden physician there was a knock on the door. He quickly jumped up as the king groaned.
"Come in!"
"Leave us!"
The physician felt the conflicting emotion behind the door so he opened it instead. "What is it, guard?"
"A message," he said, "for the king." excitement laced within his tone.The physicians interest piqued. "What is it?"The guard, apparently unable to keep the air of mystery, blurted,
"His son, we've found him, or rather he came back! And not only on his lonesome, but with the Queen!"
The physician had barely began to say anything before he was pushed into the guard. He looked up to the king, in his night robes racing as if he was on fire."Good Lord!" the guard said, "I was not aware he could run so fast."
The physician was thinking more on the Kings clothes and the embarrassment it would later bring upon the royals of the castle.The king slammed the doors and his eyes quickly caught the tired ones of his son. He choked and ran to him, pulling him into his arms.
"You foolish boy. Have I not explained the terrors of running off on your own? Was I not clear?"A chuckle was heard from behind his son. A familiar one."From what I hear, you have made it quite clear for him and neighboring kingdoms, my dear."The king loosened his grip on his son. It could not be, he thought.But it was. He stared into the eyes he had stared into years before. Eyes that his son had inherited.
"Meredith?" he breathed. She nodded, eyes teary."Meredith!" he wept. Pulling her into a tight hug.
"Oh-oh my." her husband was loving man, but he had never cried openly. Clearly he had, as she looked around, many of the nobles had looked exhausted when he began as if this had taken place before.
She opened her arm wider for her son to join. Come tomorrow and all kingdoms would know of the arrival of the beloved High Queen.
