The Princes of Freedom

Chapter I

Lunoctis

I slashed ink onto my wrinkled paper accidentally burning out my only candle. I sighed watching the splotches bleed and run through all the creases of the paper. Mesmerizing, but at the same time ruining all my words written in the process. "Damn." I muttered, crumbling and throwing paper in the fireplace, then sluggishly grabbed another piece, and dipped my quill to write. Though after writing I could only see only dotted versions of the words. All my ink is gone. "Damn it." I groan, it seems like one disturbance after another, especially today. While I sit there contemplating my options on how to get ink my mind distracts me with a sudden wave of unpleasant thoughts.

I thought of me taking a carriage to a battle and seeing the bloodshed outside the walls of my father's kingdom, and how much I don't want to be apart of it. There's really nothing can do, I am the only son in my family and my father is growing old; my life is like the ink on the paper. Uncontrollable. The way we cannot control what happens just like ink irritates me. I don't want to be here. I don't want be a king or apart of this war, and I don't want to scribble onto this piece of old paper to my aunt that her husband has taken three rapiers to the heart and will not be back for his favorite meal. With his hearty laugh even for his age of almost five decades and 15 years of being my father's right hand. I fill my ink quietly and grab the quill shakily,

It pains me to write this in short notice, but your husband, my uncle, Theodore Salvador III has been ambushed in battle and has taken three rapiers to the chest. He will not return home.

Prince Lunoctis IV Of Ecyria

The quill breaks finishing the sentence and suddenly tears run down my cheeks and smear the paper. Not even the royalty is safe anymore. Who's next? My cousins and other relatives? My mother? My father? Me? The tears flow down my cheeks, huffing and puffing like a young child, but soon I regained composure and washed the tears away with my hands. Then glanced to my filled wardrobe and seeing my uncle's clothes he gave be before he left. The golden cape and silver boots spewing out of it, never to be filled again with the joy of his presence. My father will not be attending anything and my mother refuses for me to stay in solitude, but to be uselessly pampered through out the city and help our kingdom while they mourn, which I love with a passion, but... when does the prince get to mourn?

Never.

~*~*~*~

Leken

"Can you bring me that woman over there?" I point at this maiden with a soft flowing white gold gown. She glided through the hall like an angel trying to take flight with her feet gently patting the ballroom floor. She stands alone watching all the other common, rich, and royalty go by; her face gentle, but strained with worry. My heart jumps just staring at this sweet woman. With her skin a color darker than most women here at this prestigious ball I have to say, and her hair curled tightly in a shorter style for the blossoming season. It's different from what I've seen, and I'm smitten with her. After my servant retrieved this mystery woman I noticed her eyes a beautiful auburn with her lips full and covered in glitter. Her voice sounded like silk as she spoke calmly and intricately, "You called for me, Prince?" I smiled genuinely, moving my hellish long hair out of the way, if I were allowed to cut it I would in a heartbeat as I growl and fumble with it. The woman giggles turning away for a glance while I looked to her with a dark crimson blush bowing, "I'm sorry for my foolery..."

"Prince Leken, you are beyond allowed to have whatever foolery you want." She smiles a glistening perfect smile, and I'm completely in love, I grab her waist and spin to the dance floor, waltzing in a perfect harmony like we are one, and watching her cheeks fume red, "Prince Leken!"

"Are you blushing my maiden?"

"Are you blind?" She sighs while I chuckle at her dancing and gliding her in the center of the others of the ballroom, then spin her to her back while I hold her waist. "Where are you from? Your kingdom? Are you a princess?" The woman's eyes widen then close looking down at her flat, simple shoes, "No. I am not a Princess. I'm from Helgaen. I am a servant to the king there."

"I see. King Ulesses is very... interesting." I choke down the word "interesting."

"Interesting? Yes." She spins away from me looking into my face with a stare, "My king is very high maintenance and he wants his servants to be same. I am the highest servant there... but sometimes it can be-" She stopped staring down, but suddenly snapped up at me with her gorgeous smile, "I'm Diliah." The change caught me off guard, but her look and her voice enchanted me so that I allowed it, "Diliah." I repeated quietly spinning her off the floor as the music died and everyone cheered at the dance. I wave to the crowd, Diliah on my waist with a maroon blush and a light frown. Behind me my father, the king, eyeing me with a paled face, but I ushered Diliah to the balcony and shut the doors after watching my father walk away as quickly as possible.

"I have a question to ask you." I said seeing Diliah walk over to the marble balcony and lean onto the railing, watching the bright twinkling stars in the dark sky glitter with envy at her face, "What is it my Prince? The night is young. And this kingdom is absolutely beautiful."

"I know. It gets better by the day." I said cheerfully joining her, "Here on the balcony when the dawn breaks you can smell the fresh lilacs blooming with the rays on the sun. The feeling of the birds humming through your ears. Then, the sound of children's laughter as they come to play outside and their mothers not far behind. You hear the sound of the roosters crowing and the horses clattering on the ground. I usually just watch in solitude until my servants fly in." She laughed and cracked her pristine smile at me, "That sounds nice, my Prince. Your kingdom is very peaceful. Envyous to others." I grabbed her waist inching her close to me, and she leans on my chest taking a deep sigh choking a word, but abruptly turns from the balcony towards the door with a mumble, "It was nice meeting you, Prince Leken."

My face flushed white reaching out for her, and words spilled out of my mouth without a second thought, "If asked you to marry me... would you say yes?" She froze as I froze.

Time seemed to slow and the air chilled through me with a gut wrenching silence. The air whispered a hollow scream leaving goosebumps on back of my neck, and the sweat is wetting my hands. My heart is about to burst and body shook with fear until she turned around with a grimace, her beautiful eyes gleaming like glass but stale at the same time, "I would."

My body couldn't take anymore holding back, I leaped up cupping her cheeks with a gentle kiss. Her face warmed under my hands and her body went into shock before falling back onto the balcony railing. "Prince Leken?!" I skipped and trotted in circles with a quick hum, "Oh! I can't a wait to call you my Quee-

"I would marry you... if I loved you." I stalled with my skipping trying to speak aridly, but she continued with a sudden panic, "You see my Prince... I just met you and I'm no princess. I hear your father wants you to marry the Princess of Nightstar, one of the Five Kingdoms. She's very wealthy and a better component than me. I hear she can stop the war with agreement from her father." She mumbled, "I just don't believe you are really in love with me, I'm a servant and you're a prince."

My face grew ice cold, I felt the goosebumps of fear prick up my neck and fall on me like the plague; my throat was shut and my hands grew sweaty again shaking my head disapprovingly. Diliah looked over as pale faced as me until she twisted, and skirt whirled to the door, "I must go. My king needs my assistance." She grabbed the handle and I lunged for her wrist wistfully pulling her close and feeling her gentle skin... her smooth dark skin, and rubbing her tightly curled soft hair. I could feel her heartbeat racing like a horse in rhythm with mine. "I don't care Diliah, I don't care who are or what class you are. Or even the color of your skin." I caught her wistfully pulling her close with a gentle caress, "I know I love you, and I don't care what anyone says. Please fall in love with me!"

The door flew open, and King Ulesses himself was flurried with rage... and my father staring with a grimace, behind him was the Princess of Nightstar.