The Unlikely Prince

Janus

Hunter stared down at Princess Emerald with his mouth hanging open. Maybe the spell took a moment to break? Did he do something wrong?

He bent over to kiss her again, then stood and waited another couple minutes. Still, nothing happened, and his heart began to sink as he realized his kiss simply did not work.

But the fairies had specifically told him that a kiss from her true love would break the spell! Surely no one else could be her true love! They had grown up together. He had always loved her and he swore that she loved him right back! Surely his kiss should have worked...

But the truth was right before his eyes. He had kissed Princess Emerald of Lockheart, and she did not wake.

"Impossible," he blurted out, running his fingers through his hair. "No, surely I am her true love!" The thought of anyone else being her true love made a mix of anger, disappointment, and despair fill his chest. If he was not her true love...then who was? It could be anyone in the kingdom! It would be like trying to find a needle in a haystack, and he refused to allow every man in the realm to kiss Emerald. He knew for sure she would not appreciate that one bit! "I suppose I must pay the fairies another visit."

Seeing as that was his only option, he closed the curtain to hide Emerald once more, then started back down the tower. On his way up the tower, he hadn't been aware of his fatigue, as he had been so set on rescuing the princess. But now, it made it nearly impossible to go back down without tripping. His long trek there, his battle with the dragon, and the climb up had drained his energy.

It was nearly night when he had found his horse where he had tied her up just outside the thickest parts of the thorn vines. There was no safe place to stop and rest, so all he could do was fight to stay awake as he rode his horse back down the rocky cliffs.

"Who could her true love be?" he questioned himself as he rode along. He searched his brain for any answer, and by the time he came to a tavern along the road at the bottom of the cliffs, no possible candidates came to mind.

Sighing, he tied his horse to a post outside the tavern and went inside, too tired to continue his journey. Mackshire forest was still so far away.

He fastened his cloak around his shoulders and pulled his hood low over his eyes. It was a far off land and he doubted anyone around would recognize his face, but it was better safe than sorry. Who knew who would be in a tavern like this.

When he pushed the rickety doors open, the sound of countless voices all talking at once mixed with the clanking of tin mugs and rattle of glass bottles filled his ears. He cringed at the musty scents and dirty occupants, wondering what had possessed him to want to stop at a place like this. Exhaustion certainly did strange things to a person. Shaking his head with a weary sigh, he walked over the threshold and down the short flight of steps into the dimly lit tavern. No one noticed him as he walked up to the counter, where a young man with a blond ponytail stood washing a tankard with an worn rag.

"What can I do for you, sir?" the man asked without looking away from the mug.

"I need a room for tonight," Hunter said, leaning towards the man so he could hear him over the noise of everyone around them.

"That'll be five pieces," the man said, again not facing Hunter. Hunter grabbed the money out of his pocket and set it on the counter.

Finally, the man put the tankard and rag down to take the money, then he looked up at Hunter with a grin. Hunter tilted his head slightly. There was something about the man that seemed a little more...sophisticated than the average peasant. 

"I can tell your fortune for a bit more," he said, putting both hands down on the counter. "What do you say?"

Ah, thought Hunter, he must be one of those magicians.