A Pirate And The Prince

Chapter 1

My life had been clear from the moment I was born. Then my destiny was decided once more on my fifteenth birthday. A day when our kingdom held a vote on who would be the next in line for the crown, me or my older brother Colin.
I had won the vote by thirteen votes.

In some kingdoms, the crown automatically fell to the oldest but our parents, the current king and queen, had always held the opinion of their subjects at high standards. And so they had decided to listen to the people.

I was currently in my study, reading some of the concerns that the town people had written to the palace about. One of the many responsibilities that I had to carry out as the crown prince.

And as much as I enjoyed hearing about their concerns, and coming up with ways to fix them. Sometimes I just wanted to tear a paper to pieces and set the previously mentioned pieces on fire.
Perhaps if I was lucky enough, the flames would burn me as well.

I let out a frustrated sigh as I set a paper -asking us to set a law where one's neighbor's cattle was not allowed to leave, dropping to other people's properties- to a pile of denied requests.
Did people truly have nothing better to do?

I let out a groan just as the door opened.
“Knocking was invented a long time ago, you know that right?”
I ask my guard and unofficial adoptive brother, Benjamin.

“Now, where's the fun in that?”
He asks, voice and expression amused, as he leanes against the now closed door.

Benjamin had joined the royal guard training as an orphan, when he had been a child. Catching the eye of my father, the king not long after.
He had been assigned to act as my personal guard because we had been close in age, and we often trained together because of it. After years of loyalty and hard work, Benjamin had been moved to live in the castle. From there he had become a part of the royal family, and I fully considered him to be my other brother.

“It's not about fun, but about me knowing you're about to enter.”
I inform him while taking the next paper from a pile to my right.

He sighs and walks closer until he's in front of my desk. He takes the paper I had just put down and starts reading. a few seconds later he snorts at the requests, like I had wanted to as well.
“Someone seriously expects the royal family to write a new law just because their neighbor's cattle shat on their property?”
He asks me with a note of disbelief.

“As vulgarly as you found the need to describe the request-”
I give him a pointed look.
“Yes, they do. And much more.”
I gesture at the pile of denied requests and run a hand down my face.

Benjamin simply rolls his eyes at my jab.
“Vulgar? Please Casper, I know vulgar and that? Not it.”
He shakes his head with a small smile.

“You know what I mean.”
I sigh and put my fountain pen into it's holder before stretching my arms above my head.

“Yeah, whatever.”
He waves his hand dismissively with the same smile still on his face.
“Ready to finally do something other than paperwork?”
He asks, but he's already halfway to the door.

I don't comment, and follow closely after.
“Am I ever?”

I am still stretching when we reach the yard. Benjamin already has his practice sword in hand. Swinging at the air in calculative moves when I finally shake my body, to lose the last of the tension in my muscles.

He grins at me when I finally retrieve my own wooden version of our swords, the one we use to practice.
We move in silent understanding, first going through moves and techniques side by side.
After we've built up a sweat, we move to stand against each other.

“Ready, your royal highness?”
Benjamin asks with a grin on his face, but I’m not smiling.

Ever since I have met him, Benjamin has always been better at sword fighting than I am.
A fact I've spent years trying to turn around, so far unsuccessfully.

“Less talking and more practicing.”
I say, just so he won't distract me.

He doesn't comment back but he does take the first swing, which I successfully dodge.
For a while we swing, slash,  and charge at each other easily. almost lazily.

Then I charge at him with some actual force and speed, and he lifts his sword to protect himself. Making the swords's wooden edges collide with an audible knock.
we're both trying to push each other's sword away, and it's a battle of raw force at this point so I put everything I have into the one motion.

So focused on the task of keeping his sword away from my face, although made out of wood. I miss Benjamin’s foot that comes up and kicks me in the stomach, in what I would consider a dirty move.
I'm caught off guard and he uses that moment to swing his sword, the tip missing my face by mare millimeters.
I lose my balance and land onto the ground on my back.

“That’s one more win for me.”
I hear Benjamin say, a self-satisfied expression on his face.
While I'm still catching my breath on the ground.

“If you call fighting dirty a win? then by all means celebrate your dishonest victory.”
I pant and wipe sweat off my forehead. I glower up at my guard and best friend.

He offers me a hand and I begrudgingly let him help me up from the dirt.
“Lisen, there are no rules in fighting. Be it sword-, fist-, or gun-.”
He says looking more serious now.
“At the castle and in pretend fights in front of the people, feel free to follow every unwritten rule out there. To keep up face, and to appear as the beloved crown prince that you are.”
Benjamin places his hand on my shoulders and his face is uncharacteristically serious.
“But Casper, never forget. Outside these walls in the real world. It can, and will be about living and dying. And there are no rules in the game of life.
You do anything and everything you have to, to come out alive, because the people out there do not care about you.
Use anything you can. Scratch and bite if that's what it takes, play as dirty as you can.”

I blink at Benjamin, completely speechless for a moment. And although there was no question, he's still looking at me expectantly.
“I understand.”
I managed to say stiffly.
Realistically I've always known that what he just said is true, but I think I only now understood just how true.

His face and demeanor noticeably relax when I acknowledge his speech, and before long he's smiling again in his usual way.
“Alright good. Now, want to go eat something? I'm starving.”
He asks with a familiar grin. 
And I agree even when dinner wouldn't be served for a few more hours, and we would most likely have to try and sneak something from the kitchen.