Outside My Comfort Zone (Original/Reuploaded)

Prologue

I've spent my whole life in a castle.

Well, that statement is a bit exaggerated, I'll admit that, but it's pretty much true.  Being the next in line for the throne, my parents have wanted me to be fully educated on how to rule a kingdom ever since I was a young boy.  My father would teach me all about the history of our kingdom, the kingdom of Boiling Rain.

Now, your probably wondering why the heck we would name our kingdom that.  I mean, boiling rain?  That sounds terrifying and painful.  We obviously don't have boiling rain that spills from the sky on rainy days, oh no.  That would just be horrible.  Allow me to educate you on the history of how our kingdom to be, and just why I've "been in a castle my whole life".

There are many kingdoms in Ninjago, and there are some democracy-ran cities as well.  There never used to be independent regions, though.  Times have changed since the days of the Serpentine War, and kingdoms stopped fighting for rule over Ninjago after they realized it was pointless.  Instead, they sectioned themselves off into different regions that they would each have rule over, and this created opportunities for the rise of city construction.  This is actually how Ninjago City— the capital of Ninjago— came to be.

Now, about my kingdom.

Twenty-three years ago, the prince of the Kingdom of Phoenix married the princess of the Kingdom of Aqua Nova. It was an arranged marriage. It was during a time when food and money were becoming scarce.  Most kingdoms in the Northeastern regions were suffering because of it, but Phoenix and Aqua Nova were suffering the hardest.  With the kingdoms combined, the current Kings and Queens negotiated to share their resources together and live in peace.

The prince and Princess only met three times before they were married.  Their parents then stepped down from rule and handed the responsibility of running the now united kingdoms over to them.  The new married couple then decided to rename the kingdom Boiling Rain, in honor and unison of the fire and water meanings behind the separate kingdom's original namings.

Three years later, the new King and Queen had their firstborn son.  They were overjoyed, and so was the kingdom.  After two years of having their little prince wander around the halls of the glorious castle, a baby princess was born.  The son was thrilled, the parents even more so.  And in that moment, their small but wholesome family was complete.

Now, your probably wondering who I am.  Well, if you haven't figure it out already, my name is Kai Smith, Prince Kai Smith.  I am the firstborn son I mentioned not too long ago.  My sister is Princess Nya, the little girl, and my parents are King Ray and Queen Maya.  All together, we are the Boiling Rain kingdom's beloved royal family.

But now, back to how I said I've spent my whole life in a castle.

I've only ever been outside the castle to wander around the city, a city that is walled off from the outside world, mind you.  In the city, there is s small bit of untouched land on the western side of the kingdom, or down the gray brick streets of the marketplace. I've never been outside of the kingdom's glorious large marble walls, stretching in a ring all around the kingdom. But, when I do go out, I like to go to the untouched land called Willow's Prairie.

Willow's Prairie is a long stretch of land reaching all the way to the wall, and it takes up 2/5 of the kingdom's land inside the wall.  It's like a nature park, except the only man made things in it are a couple bridges that are placed there to hover over a river that runs almost all the way around it.  We usually don't try to control the wildlife or growth there too much, usually leaving the place alone to really stay natural.

Willow's Prairie is my favorite place to go because of it's big beautiful prairie filled up with long, lush green grass and pale pink daisies. Some of the flowers grow in thick patches, and some grow as singular buds unsurrounded by others.  But, either way, the result is absolutely breathtaking.  There is a pond around the center of it filled with goldfish, frogs, minnows, catfish, lily pads with big beautiful flowers on them, and more! There is also a steep hill more on the side of it, with a huge willow tree that's been there for the past ten years. The tree was actually planted as a gift to me for my tenth birthday, so I feel rather connected to it.

Although I've been stuck in a castle my whole life, I've never really wanted to see the world outside the castle. It just doesn't interest me. I mean, what's so great out there that I can't find my in here?  Plus, my whole life has revolved around politics, so it's not like I have anything better to do.  The same story went for my parents, and the same is going for my sister. After all, a King— or Queen in my sister's case— must put his people above all else, my father had said over multiple occasions.

But, who knows. Maybe once I'm king I'll have business to attend to in other kingdoms. I mean, I am of age now. I'm free to take the throne with no trouble at all when my parents decide to step down. I've been preparing to take the throne my whole life. It's all I've ever wanted, all I've ever really known. I know what I'm meant to do. I'm meant to be king. And that's perfectly fine with me. The only thing is...

My parents say I need a wife in order to fulfill that destiny.