Four Little Princes

Exploring

The four little princes took very little time to get settled into their new home. They were very eager to explore the castle, so Zarc assigned each of them a bodyguard to protect them from injuries and let them explore.

Each of the dragons picked a little one to go with. Dark Rebellion went with Yuto, Starve Venom followed Yuri, Clear Wing tailed Yugo, and Odd-Eyes held Yuya's hand as they explored. There was so much to do and see, and the little ones were in awe of everything.

Yuto squealed when he saw the coral reef through a massive window, and toddled over to it to get a better look. He pointed at a fish, and looked up at Dark Rebellion. "What dat?"

"That's a parrotfish!" Dark Rebellion said, smiling down at him. Yuto looked back at the fish in fascination and said, "Pawwowish!" He looked quite happy with his new knowledge.

"Oh, look over there, Yuto!" Dark Rebellion said, pointing. "There's some dolphins!"

Yuto gasped and looked where Dark Rebellion was pointing. Sure enough there was a baby dolphin swimming nearby with its mother. The baby dolphin seemed intrigued by the little eggplant, observing him through the window in interest. Yuto toddled closer to the window peering at the dolphin eagerly.

The baby dolphin seemed to take a liking to the little prince, and began performing some tricks. It did a few somersaults, then some spins, and then leaped out of the water and made a big splash. Yuto squealed in excitement, clearly enjoying the show.

"Wanna get a closer look on the surface?" Dark Rebellion asked Yuto. Yuto looked up at him with shining eyes, nodding eagerly. Dark Rebellion chuckled and picked him up, carrying him toward the stairs. The baby dolphin followed, clearly eager to see more of the prince.

* * *

Yuri, meanwhile, had found his way to the library, and was toddling around excitedly. He tried to pull a book out of one of the bookcases, but could barely move it. Starve Venom chuckled and patted his head. "You want me to read you a book, dear?" he asked.

Yuri nodded, looking very seriously up at the dragon. "Book," he said solemnly. "I wike book. Wead, pwease!"

Starve Venom smiled and took the book that Yuri was trying to pull out. He checked the title to make sure it was an appropriate one for a child. Interestingly enough, it was actually a collection of child-friendly versions of fairytales. The dragon was very relieved, not wanting his little prince to be traumatized by the gorey original versions.

Yuri began toddling over to a big comfy armchair near the library fireplace, then looked up at Starve Venom expectantly. He was clearly waiting for the dragon to sit down in it. Starve Venom walked over to the chair and sat down, and Yuri began attempting to climb into his lap.

The dragon smiled in amusement and picked Yuri up, gently sitting the little cabbage in his lap. He opened the fairytale book in front of the little one, and began reading the first story.

"Once upon a time..."

* * *

Yugo had wandered into the banquet hall, looking happily at all the pretty artwork and tapestries and other decor. Then the smell of food caught his attention. He began following his nose, making his way into the kitchen where a feast in the new princes' honor was being prepared.

"Oh, hello there!" the head chef said, noticing Yugo, his bodyguard, and Clear Wing. "Is this one of the new little princes?"

"It is!" Clear Wing said. "This is little Yugo!"

"Welcome to the castle, Prince Yugo!" the chef said, bowing to the toddler. "Would you like a treat? We have some freshly baked apple fritters, if you want one?"

She picked up a homemade apple fritter and took a bite out of it to show that it was safe to eat, before offering it to the little blunana. Yugo squeaked in excitement and snatched the little cake, happily taking a big bite. He wiggled in delight at the yummy fruity flavor. The fritter was drizzled with cinnamon honey, and Yugo's face started getting a little messy.

"Is it good?" the chef asked, smiling down at Yugo. The little prince nodded, taking another big bite.

"What do you say, Yugo?" Clear Wing asked, smiling at his little one. Yugo looked up at the chef and said, "Dank you!"

"You're welcome, your Highness!" the chef said, internally squealing at the cute little toddler.

* * *

Yuya was wandering around the castle, gazing in wonder at everything around him, never staying in one spot for too long. Odd-Eyes was honestly quite impressed that such a small child could run around so fast. The bodyguard assigned to the little tomato was having a little trouble keeping up with him.

Yuya finally came to a complete stop in the throne room, staring up at Zarc's throne in awe. His bodyguard finally caught up to him, panting for breath. Yuya looked up at Odd-Eyes and pointing at Zarc's throne. "Big chaiw!"

"Yes, that's Daddy's throne," Odd-Eyes said, smiling down at Yuya. Yuya looked back up at the throne, before slowly toddling over to it. He reached up and pulled himself up onto the seat and sat on the throne, smiling cutely up at the dragon.

"Oh, you probably shouldn't be sitting there, your Highness!" the bodyguard said quickly, hurrying over to take Yuya off the throne. But before he could, a voice rang out from the doorway, "It's alright! He's not doing any harm!"

The bodyguard immediately bowed as Zarc entered the throne room. The king walked over to his throne and smiled down at Yuya. "Look at you, you look just like a proper king! All you need now is your own crown!"

"Daddy!" squealed the little prince, reaching up for Zarc. Zarc chuckled and picked Yuya up, replacing him on the throne and setting his little one in his lap. "I'll arrange for the royal crown artisan to make you and your brothers your very first coronets first thing tomorrow morning. I'll also have the royal throne artisan make you boys some chairs to sit in by my side."

Yuya wiggled happily, snuggling into Zarc. "I wuv you, Daddy!" he said, looking up at the king with an adoring gaze. Zarc smiled down at him. "I love you too, Yuya!"