Bastard of Fate

The Handsome Prince

CHAPTER 2
***CHANDLER**
    Chandler walked to the back of the shop where he kept paints and some magical supplies for embellishing armor and weapons. He was deep in thought, mostly about the prince with golden locks and bright blue eyes. He shook his head, grabbing the paints and shining solution and striding back to where Alexandre was waiting beside the table with his armor on it.
    They were almost done with his armor, having gotten most of the dents and scratches out. Now he just needed to shine it and paint the royal crest on the breastplate.
    "I'll just trace where the old paint was, even though it's faded by now," He told Alexandre.
    "Alright. So, I've been wondering. You seem rather young to run a blacksmith's shop alone and be so successful already"
    "Actually it's mostly Aaron, the blacksmith that lives upstairs. He's old and sick by now but I owe my life to him. He found me on the streets when I was about four and took me in. He needed an heir since he has no children of his own"
    "Oh wow. You're an orphan then?"
    "As far as I know. I live in the rafters pretty much," he pointed up into the corner where some planks were nailed together up near the roof. A ladder lead up to it and you could see an unmade bed and a chest from the floor.
    "Okay. Well I think the armor is good for now. Thank you, what can I pay you?"
    "Oh don't worry about it, sir. Aiding the prince is payment enough"
    "Nonsense," Alexandre scoffed. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a gold coin, pressing it into Chandler's palm. Their fingers touched for a moment too long before Chandler stuttered,
    "T-thank you, Alexandre". He had never owned a gold piece before and when he managed to tear his eyes away from the prince he gazed down at the shiny coin.
    "Good day, Chandler"
    "See you, Alexandre". Chandler tried to ignore the small pang of disappointment as the prince strode out the door, leaving a very confused and very starstruck blacksmith behind him.
***TIME SKIP***
    It was two weeks before Chandler saw Alexandre again. Chandler was working on a new style of sword, bringing down the hammer onto it to straighten out the metal when he heard the door to the shop open behind him.
    He turned, surprised to see the prince who's cheerful face and lean frame had haunted his thoughts and dreams since their last meeting, "Your majesty!" he said, "What brings you back here so soon? Where's Bart?"
    "I gave him a break today. He is a loyal servant and deserves a rest"
    "What can I help you with then?"
    "I am in need of a new sword. You do more than fix armor, correct?"
    "'Course. If you'll let me take some measurements I can get started right away. You gonna stay while I work?"
    "I have no other business"
   "Good," Chandler said, a bit to his own surprise.
    "So, I've told you a bit about myself. What's something I should know about you?" Alexandre asked.
    "Well, there's not much to tell. Never knew my folks, don't even have a crest and all I know of my heritage is my last name. Michason"
    "I'm sorry," Alexandre said, looking apologetic. Chandler shrugged,
    "It's fine. I have Aaron and he's father enough for me. Now, what style of sword would you like?"
    Hours passed as they talked of nothing and everything. The subject moved to Alexandre's family as Chandler was folding the metal of the sword,
    "I have a sister and a brother, Lily and Jack, though I'm sure you knew that. The royal family's secrets are never kept for long. Lily is ten and Jack is fourteen, both of them adorable as anything you've ever seen"
    "That's nice. They part elf and dwarf too?"
    "More elf than anything. Lily is adopted by my mother from my aunt. We don't know who her father is"
    "Oh okay. What's your father like? He seems like a good man from what I've heard. Lowering taxes on the poor and providing jobs for the jobless"
    "Yes, he's a very good king. Now I just have to live up to his standard," Alexandre sighed a little, "He wants me to marry King Dyer's daughter and unite the two human kingdoms. He wants me to create better relations with the elves and dwarves and he wants me to stay as far away from dragons as I can. Wretched creatures"
    "Hell yeah. What about the nymphs around the Tree of Life?", Chandler asked with a small smile.
    "They're too weird. I'll just leave them alone for now," Alexandre laughed.
    "Heh, yeah. I dated one once. Her name was Holly, she was visiting from the Tree of Life Lake. Strange things, those nymphs. She was very... talkative. And clingy. Couldn't do it for long but she left anyways"
    Chandler saw an unknown emotion flicker in Alexandre's eyes at the mention of his old fling. He decided to push a little further to try and figure out what that emotion was,
    "What about you? Any love life for the prince?"
    "Oh, me? No, not really. Father wants me to 'save' myself for King Dyer's daughter. I've never even met the girl, for all I know she could be thirty-something and have a horrid personality"
    Chandler smiled a shrugged, just finishing placing the pommel on the sword. "Anything else you want on it? Maybe a few jewels or magical runes or sigils?"
    "No jewels, please. I don't like all that fancy crap on me. What magical rune of sigil would you suggest? And who do you get the magic from? I thought the humans gods, Xymon and Sylvia didn't grant magic?"
    "I'm actually not sure. I send out prayers and someone answers them. I've always had an affinity for magic though. Sigils are my favorite, as well as offensive spells. Not that I need them all that much"
    "Alright. So long as you're not getting it from Jargon, right?," Alexandre chuckled.
    "Heh, yeah. Slithery lizardy bastard," Chandler laughed. Jargon was the god of the dragons and the source of the most powerful dark magic. The elven goddess was a close second. With her magical gifts of light and healing, Elvira was often the first goddess a newcomer to magic went to. Helmfield, the dwarven god, was often just ill-tempered and didn't do much for magic users. Xymon and Sylvia stayed out of magic altogether, believing that people must learn to help themselves with their natural gifts.
    Even though Chandler wasn't completely convinced that he wasn't getting his magic from Jargon, he allowed himself to laugh with Alexandre before gabbing a carving knife from his rack of tools. He had to work quickly before the metal cooled too much,
    "So what? You want a phrase or single word?"
    "A single word should work"
    "A rune, then. Protection? Offense? Defense? Speed? Strength? Rage?"
    "Protection, please"
    Chandler nodded and carefully carved the swirls and soft edges of the rune into the metal of the sword near the hilt. Once he was done he set aside the knife and hovered his hands over the rune. He closed his eyes and focused, asking whatever god that was listening to infuse the sword with power.
    "Great gods of Atishman and Ered Lithui... protect this prince... help him to know the path that he must take, help him to avoid danger and help him to defeat all enemies who cross his path... keep him from harm... please...," he murmured quietly.
    When he finished he felt as though someone had sucked all of the air and energy out of him in one great whoosh. Chandler's shoulders slumped but he gave Alexandre a pleased smile, "There you go, my prince"
    "Wow... you're good at that. You seemed so focused and devoted. How long have you been practicing?"
    "Since I can remember"
    "What did you say?"
    Chandler gave a small smile, "That, my prince, is a secret"
    "Oh come on," Alexandre said with a small pout. He leaned in just slightly towards Chandler, "You can tell me, my blacksmith. I am royalty after all. You wouldn't disobey a prince"
    Chandler swallowed heavily, nervously shifting on his feet, "O-of course not, sir," he said as a blush tinted his cheeks.
    "Then spit it out," Alexandre now had a grin on his face as he leaned in so far that they almost touched. Chandler almost had a heart attack.
    "I-I just asked the gods to protect you. What would we do without our prince?," he tried a smile.
    "Hmm. Alright," Alexandre said before leaning back again, still grinning. Chandler breathed out a sigh and forced himself to relax.
    "Well, I had better be on my way. Perhaps I'll see you again?," Alexandre fished out yet another gold coin and tossed it to Chandler, who fumbled before catching it, eyes wide.
    "That would be nice. See you later then"
    As the prince gathered his new sword he gave Chandler one last smile, showing off his perfect teeth before he headed out of the blacksmith shop. Chandler forced his eyes away from the prince as he left.