A Prince's Love

An Unexpected Discovery

"Father," the prince solemnly began as he sat in his throne. The teen ran his fingers through his shaggy, blond hair out of boredom. His emerald eyes followed the jester's weak attempt to amuse the king and prince.
"May I be excused? I've grown tired of watching this fool dance around the room. I wish to leave and ride my horse through the forest." The elder man glanced at his son's bored expression, and he gave a short nod. The king himself had began to lose interest in the jokes and dances.
"Very well, but you must return before sunset." The prince weakly smiled. He stood from the overly bejeweled seat and made his way down the stairs. Before he could reach the last step, his father spoke once more.
"One more thing, Arthur. do not converse with the poor. It's unsightly for a prince to do so." Arthur turned back to his father and bowed to him. The prince wasn't fond of conversations at all, so it wouldn't be too hard to avoid them.
"As you wish." He then straightened his back and made his way through the castle. Arthur occasionally looked at the all too familiar painting hung on the walls. He abruptly stopped at the empty space that would hold his next portrait. It didn't quite fit the room since it was such a large, empty space. The rest of the hallway was littered with portraits painted for everyone of the Kirkland bloodline.
"I do hope my future queen is able to rule." He muttered to himself. Prince Arthur had yet to find himself a suitable bride. All princesses, and those not of noble status, he had previously met didn't meet Arthur's standards. From the too chatty to the too quiet, and from there the too sweet all the way to the too rude. Princesses afraid to disagree or are constantly disagreeing with everything. A few had an IQ so high Arthur couldn't understand a word spoken to him. Then there were those who struggled to read a simple sentence in a book.
"I don't want to watch from the heavens as my empire collapses." Arthur continued to stride throughout the castle until he went outside. The bright sunlight made him squint in pain. He scowled at the sun as he made his way to the stables. Once he reached them, Arthur looked at the several horses trying to decide which one he should ride today.
"Fredrick is too flashy for the forest. Elizabeth is for formal use only..." Arthur paused in front of one particular stall, which was occupied by a brown stallion with black and white mixed into his fur. The horse was beautiful, but not an overly decorated show stopper.
"You seem fitting for today, Patches." He unlocked the wooden door and grasped the reins to lead him outside. Patches trotted behind his owner shaking his head to rid his face of flies. Arthur mounted his horse and smacked the reins. The animal neighed before racing into the clusters of trees ahead of them.

Arthur's tailcoat flapped in the wind as he went down the familiar path he had been told to take his entire life. The blond ran his fingers through his messy hair having no interest in fixing it anytime soon. His ride went smoothly until a fox decided to attack Patches.
"Get away! Filthy vermin!" Arthur grabbed the whip from his holster smacking the fox in the foot. The rodent let out a loud shriek only adding to Patches' fear. The stallion bucked nearly running into a tree before throwing himself on a different path. Arthur screamed as his body was tossed around on the animal's back. He tried to take control of the reins once more wanting to turn around and go home.
"Calm yourself! Patches! Do as I say!" Arthur clung to his saddle for dear life as he gradually become lost in the forest.

After nearly an hour of running, Patches came to a stop at a river to relax his aching muscles. A groan came from Arthur as he got off of his stallion. He stumbled when his feet touched solid ground and felt a sickening brewing in his stomach. He covered his mouth desperately trying not to throw up on his clothes.
"Oh, dear." He ran to a tree and vomited behind it. Arthur heaved and tried to stand straight after emptying his stomach only to tumble to the ground. He sighed and decided to let his stomach settle before getting up again. Arthur felt his emerald eyes growing heavy as they watched the clouds roll through the sky. He shifted before falling asleep in the grassy field.

When Arthur awoke, he heard two voices whispering to each other. One was louder than the other, so he only managed a one-sided conversation. The voices sounded quite young relaxing the prince slightly. Whoever the children were seemed to be talking about Arthur.
"Is he dead?" The loud child asked. A faint mumble was his reply. The prince did his best to pretend to still be asleep. So far the children were believing his act a bit too well.
"How should I know? I'm not touching him! What? Ugh... I get it... I'll grab a stick." Arthur heard the grass shuffle as the unknown child moved away from him. He kept his eyes shut and hoped they would leave soon. An odd poke came to his cheek causing it to twitch.
"He is alive! Hey, old guy! Wake up!" Tiny hands smacked across Arthur's face. He groaned and sat up to look at who disturbed him. Next to him were twins, for they were nearly identical. The only difference was one had strawberry blond hair while the other had honey blond. Also, the strawberry blond had violet eyes while the honey blond had blue.
"Keep your filthy hands off me!" The two children gasped in surprise. The quiet one backed away and kept his head down. His twin however put his hands to his hips stepping in front of his brother to protect him.
"What gives you the right to disturb me so rudely? Do you not know who I am?" Angry blue eyes glared at Arthur. The honey blond stepped closer and puffed out his chest to look stronger. Their eyes locked in a fit of fury as their anger towards each other grew.
"We actually don't! Quit being a mean, old man and show some respect if you're that important!" Arthur furrowed his thick eyebrows in anger. He couldn't believe a child could be so mouthy. He raised his hand in the air scowling at the young boy. The boy refused to back down while his brother tugged at his shirt to pull him away.
"You of all people should learn respect!" Arthur swung, but before he could hit the boy, the children had been pulled away. The person bowed to the prince out of respect hoping for some sort of forgiveness.
"I'm so sorry mister! Alfred tends to get carried away when he protects the house!" Arthur was going to retort when his eyes fell onto the person who had interrupted them. Sapphires locked with emeralds, golden hair gorgeously fluttered in the wind, and a soft expression a mother would have made the prince freeze.
"I..." The words in Arthur's throat refused to come out. The woman in front of him kneeled down to be face-to-face making Arthur turn pink. He gulped averting his gaze trying to calm himself. She noticed the pink coating Arthur's cheek and chuckled. Arthur felt as if he was melting in the presence of the woman. Once he realized where he was and what had happened, he coughed to clear his throat.
"I-It's not your fault. Some children just don't listen to what their being told." He glared at Alfred who childishly stuck his tongue out. The woman smiled and pulled them into her lap. She began speaking French to them to have a private conversation. Arthur couldn't understand a word being said, yet it sounded like music to his ears.
"Alfred, vous devez apprendre les manières, s'excuser." The boy pouted, but nonetheless turned to Arthur. Alfred kicked the ground looking away before speaking. His pout grew as he apologized to the prince.
"I'm sorry for being rude." He received a kiss on the head from his mother. Arthur let out a soft chuckle and smiled at them. His anger gradually lessened from the adorable apology and affection the boy had.
"Quite alright. I did let my anger get the best of me, which was not my intent. I hope I haven't offended you in any way." The mother smiled adding to her already overwhelming beauty. Arthur felt more heat rush to his cheeks as he felt his heart bang against his rib cage. He would have fainted if the children hadn't been talking loud enough for him to hear.  
"You haven't. These are my sons. Alfred and Matthieu." Arthur marveled at the nearly identical twins. Other than the hair and eyes, they could practically trade lives, and no one would know. He had mixed them up himself before she said their names.
"I'm Arthur." Before the lady could say her name, Arthur noticed how dark the sky was. His heart dropped replacing the happiness with panic. Simply imagining his father's rage from coming home so late scared him.
"I'm late! Do forgive me, but I must be on my way!" He ran to his stallion and mounted him quickly. The woman got to her feet holding the twins in her arms. Arthur got the reins before smacking them against the horse.
"Good night to you! It was a pleasure to make your acquaintance!" He hastily waved and began galloping back home. The mystery woman waved back running after Arthur for a short moment.
"Farewell! I hope we can meet again!" She shouted before Arthur disappeared into the thick forest.