Gemini Reges - A Prince and the Pauper Retelling

HRH André

The past twelve hours had been eye opening for the young prince. Following his narrow escape from the guards, the Mage had led him to a small ramshackle bunch of hastily constructed tents where whole families were living impoverished. Every single person had purple eyes. It was not like the evil Mages André had concocted in his mind, instead he saw people, his people, suffering for something they were born with. André recalled how Felix had froze beside him when he saw the guards. He noticed the same fear in the eyes of those around him whenever there was a noise heard outside their camp.

Over a watery soup, André had mused aloud, "how could the King let his own people suffer in this way?" Felix's mentor overheard him.
"According to the King we aren't his people, not anymore at least."
"Not anymore? What happened then?" André pressed, Mages were the one topic off limits.
"The Queen was murdered."
"By a Mage," André finished solemnly. Felix's mentor glared at him.
"The world is like a magical theatre where fairytales and realities intertwine. In the King's fairytale she was killed by a Mage, but she wasn't," The Mage spat back, "Mages don't kill their own."
"My... The queen was a Mage," André asked, surprised he entertained such an insane question. The Mage narrowed his eyes at André's slip up before answering. "Of course she was, she was my sister," the Mage answered sadly, pulling out a locket with André's mother inside. He could see the family resemblance both with the Mage and with himself. He had an uncle he never knew about. Their conversation had ended as André was ordered to bed.

The next morning the camp was alive with news. André's eyes ached and his vision was blurry. He enquired a young girl what everyone was talking about. "The prince has been arrested for sorcery."
"Felix," André breathed as he hastily got dressed, somewhat difficult with his terrible vision. His uncle stopped him at the edge of camp enquiring where he was going. "To the palace. I have to save him, I have to save Felix," André regretted the words as soon as they came out of his mouth. The grip on his arm tightened painfully. "What do you mean Felix?" André struggled to find an answer. His eyes burned, he squeezed them shut. When he opened them the world was one white blur. "Why can't I see?" André panicked. He fumbled for the vial of dye Felix had left with him. Someone snatched it out of his hand. "Who are you?" His uncle growled. André begged for the vial to be given back. His uncle refused until he told the truth. "My name is André, I'm the real prince. Now please give me the dye," André cried blindly grabbing for the dye.

In a instant the Mages turned on him. "Enough," his uncle yelled over the others. "The prince will remain in our custody until we decide what to do with him. Until then I will tend to his blindness and retrieve information from him." André began to protest as he was dragged away.