Fit For a King <Lashton>

Five; Paisley

L U K E

With my bow and arrows still slung over my shoulder Sparrow and I made our way down the neat cobble streets towards the slums where my family lives. When the prince stopped me I felt my heart stop, poaching in the woods can be punishable by death if you're caught too many times. Otherwise you just get thrown in a dungeon cell. 

Let me tell you, they weren't pretty. I've spent a week there once for stealing because mother and father couldn't pay the bail fee. It was torture, the guards refused to feed us anything other than stale bread and dirty water, both of which I refused to eat. 

My only query about my encounter with the prince was why he gave me all that food and the new bridle and saddle I think it's called. We never had one for Sparrow and then now she did. The bridle even had a metal bar that goes in her mouth so you can control the horse better, personally I thought it was cruel but I'm just a peasant boy who has no say in anything. Ashton even had the stable girl clean Sparrow, the mare's mane and tail were actually white and you could see the golden colour of her coat easily without having to peer through layers of mud and grit. 

Across her golden back sat five baskets, they were filled to the brim with food, what looked like some new clothes and some real blankets. It was amazing, a proper blanket was a luxury for most of us peasants but to have one gifted from the prince himself? That had never happened before.

•

Mother and father hadn't believed me when I told them of what had happened during my meeting with prince Ashton. They thought I had stolen the goods until they discovered some foods that they didn't know existed like a strange and sour yellow fruit or some fancy salad type dish that I had no way of getting my hands on. 

Once they had gotten their minds around the fact that the prince had in fact gifted me these items, we ate. And we ate a lot. Yes, we did save most of the food we were gifted but we still ate more than we usually would. 

The small gemstone sat in the pocket of my tattered trousers as we feasted and still while we laid out the new blankets. They were thick and velvety and warm too. Although we had the thick blankets, we still slept in our usual arrangements of limbs. 

•

All my siblings had fallen asleep when I finally pulled the gemstone from my pocket. It was a fairly small stone with a pale blue colour, just like the pool where Sparrow and I played, it was cut in a circle shape and the way the dim light shafted through it caused the faint beams of light to ricochet and reflect onto the thin walls around me. 

It reminded me of when they let off firecrackers up at the palace for everyone to see, beautiful and bright. It was a sight to see really and I simply could not get enough of it. 

•

It was a day or two later when I was out riding in the forest again but this time with Lucinda sat behind me. She was perched on the back of the saddle that the prince gifted to us with her thin arms wrapped around my waist. I was uncomfortable to say the least and I didn't like it but mother said we had to if we wanted to be grateful for the prince's gifts. 

Believe me we were but this saddle was uncomfortable and the bridle felt unnatural after using the homemade yarn one that father made and I had been using since I could remember. 

Sparrow didn't seem to like it either, having a metal bar in your mouth didn't seem appealing at all. Her constant chomping and snapping at it only made it more obvious. 

I slowed Sparrow to a halt near the edge of the pool and climbed off before helping Lucinda down after me. 

"M'lady." I said jokingly as she landed on the ground. 

"Why thank you good sir." She replied playing along and even gave a curtsy.

 We both started laughing as I began to take the saddle off of Sparrow along with the bridle. The mare nudged me with her nose as if to say thank you before making her way to the edge of the pool. 

One hoof after another she stepped into the refreshingly cool water. I followed after the mare once I had stripped down to my undergarments.

"You coming Luce?" I called out to my twin. 

"No, I'm good here for today." She replied and gestures to the log she was sat on. 

I nodded and dove under the water. I knew why she wouldn't come in, she was scared of it. More she was scared of drowning and I had no idea why. As I swam across the bottom of the pond and around Sparrow's hooves, my mind drifted to the small gemstone that was hidden back at home and the boy who gifted it to me. Growing tired of swimming when the sun began to sink lower on the horizon, I climbed out of the pond and sat next to Lucinda. 

"You look like your waiting for someone." She commented. 

"I kind of am." I replied and tugged at the grass beside me. 

"The prince?" She asked. 

"Mhm." I nodded. 

"But why? He's a prince and you're a peasant." Lucinda said. 

"You're a peasant too." I muttered. 

"That's besides the point, he has everything and we have nothing. Give up on it Lucifer." She said sternly. 

"I know but-" She gave me a look. "I guess I just wish that he would find me again. Maybe even want to be a friend of mine." I told her. 

"Luke, he would be your only friend." She reminded me. 

"A boy can dream Lucinda. A boy can dream." I muttered. 

//

Woop so this is the 3rd update in 2 days on this story there could even be a 4th. 

I was sitting at some stupid Christmas party when I was writing the end of this lol. But that's all from me for now :)

Peace out Girl Scouts!