Lost Prince

Chapter Two

"Derek, bed time. C'mon, no more T.V" Sarah's patience was wearing thin with her boy as he sat stubbornly in front of the television.

"No." he responded and turned away from her, back to the show. Caligo watched the entire exchange from the dining table, smirking at the mother and boy.

"Derek, I said no more." Sarah said, before walking forward and turning off the T.V.

The response was immediate. There was screaming, and crying as Derek expressed his opinion on the matter. Sarah suddenly looked a little overwhelmed by Derek's abrupt mood change. She tried to calm her boy down, kneeling on the floor and holding out her arms to him, but he only continued to throw his tantrum. Dogs from across the street started barking and Sarah's efforts didn't seem to be doing anything. Sighing, Caligo stood and strolled over to the child. Sarah ceased her efforts as she noticed Caligo walking closer. Derek also began to become quieter as he saw her approaching.

"Derek," Caligo spoke calmly, towering above him, "how old are you now?" The boy sniffled and wiped his eyes before holding out 5 fingers. Caligo nodded and looked at the T.V. "5 years olds like you Derek should not be crying over something that will still be there tomorrow." Derek nodded and looked at the floor. "Now say sorry to Mum and I will take you to bed."

Derek turned solemnly to Sarah and continued to stare at the floor. "Sorry Mum." Sarah held her little boy and told him it was okay, and that she was proud of him, then Caligo picked him and carried Derek to his room. She pulled back his pale blue covers, and laid him beneath the sheets, before pulling them back over him. She then turned to leave.

"Aunty Cal, can you tell me a bed time story please." Caligo looked down at the small boy looking up at her from under the sheets, his big blue eyes innocent and pleading. Caligo nodded, and sat down on the chair beside his bed.

"Once upon a time, there were two neighbouring Kingdoms. One was ruled by a King and Queen whose reign over their Kingdom was good, and great. They were adored by all their subjects. The other Kingdom was ruled by a Queen whose rule was just as great, but unsettled many, including her people. Never had the two Kingdoms warred, but they had never agreed on allies either. The King and Queen's Kingdom had a baby, a young boy, of whom they were very proud of. They loved him very much. Once enemies of their Kingdom had heard of the birth of their baby boy, they saw an opportunity to wound the King and Queen in ways they could not recover from." Caligo cast a glance down at the young boy, checking if he was still awake. Blue eyes stared intently at her.

"Keep going!" Derek pleaded. Caligo chuckled and obliged.

"They had been fighting off their enemies for 3 months, losing men for their young boy. They soon came to understand that so long as their boy was around, these incessant attacks would not cease. The very thought broke their heart, but they knew they could not keep fighting. The Queen then decided who to ask for help."

"The other Queen!" Derek exclaimed excitedly. Caligo smiled and nodded.

"Yes. She travelled alone, as to not draw attention to herself when she travelled to the nearby Kingdom. She was greeted at the gate by guards, who escorted her to the Queen's Castle. She begged, and pleaded for the Queen to help her, to help her son. She told stories about how the King and she could barely sleep at night, scared their son's life would be taken away forever."

"Did the Queen help her?" Caligo nodded.

"She did. The castle was under attack the night the boy was taken away. The dark Queen was summoned to the castle using an ancient spell, and she took the boy. The King and Queen had cried for their child, but they knew they would see him again, one day."