Beyblade Burst Adventures

A King's Ransom

In which we get to see the gang as residents of a fantasy world.

-----

"Hey, Dad!" A young boy called out, bounding through the halls of the castle and looking through the rooms he was allowed in. Of course, being the castle's, he was of course allowed in almost all of them.

The Prince was a boy with skin tanned from the hours he spent playing in the sun- save for the crimson rune of protection on his left cheek. He wore not-so-regal clothes, a simple white shirt with light blue overalls and some weathered boots. He wore a simple headband, gold discs connected by thin shafts of crystal.

He skidded to a halt in the hall, pursing his lips and staring off into space thoughtfully. Meanwhile, one of his retainers-in-training jogged up behind him, huffing and puffing.

He was a boy the same age as the Prince, born with hair as yellow as corn swept upright and hazel eyes. He wore a rust-red shirt that had the sleeves torn off with some simple black breeches, and a cape of matching color hung from his back. "Prince, I- I think we should just- just wait..."

"But I haven't seen him all day! Not at breakfast or lunch, and I don't know if he's gonna show up for dinner! What if he got hurt?"

The Prince's retainer held up one finger, silently requesting time to catch his breath. When his breathing had steadied he stood straight, cape fluttering slightly behind him. "The King might just be in a war meeting, Prince. And we both know how those can drag on."

The two grimaced, remembering the dreary war meeting they had attended. Any of the Prince's suggestions at establishing peace with any attackers were shot down right off the bat, and eventually the Prince had given up at even trying to participate.

"Yeah, I guess."

"And if he were hurt, he'd have been in the infirmary or his and the Queen's bedroom. Both were kingless."

"Oh yeah, that's true," The Prince mumbled. He thought about something for a moment, frowning as he looked to his retainer. "So, that must mean Mom is at the meeting, too, huh? I haven't seen her either."

"I guess so. Did you want to go check?"

The Prince nodded, and so the two children made their way to the war room. As they neared the doors they could hear voices clamoring over each other, sharp and biting, which was surely the sound of men arguing over the best way to kill another human being. The Prince felt his stomach beginning to churn as it always did whenever he neared this room, whether it was his intention to go in or not.

He carefully turned the knob and pushed the door open, stepping into the room. Almost none of these men respected the Prince, but he didn't dare act like he wasn't allowed in. The moment he stepped into the room, every voice fell silent and a dozen pairs of eyes instantly turned to the Prince and his retainer. The latter swallowed hard but didn't dare run from his charge's side no matter how much these men unnerved him.

"Uh..." The Prince gazed around, not spotting his father or mother anywhere. He was surprised to see that both of his locum retainers were in the room, accompanied by his other retainer-in-training, Kensuke.

Kensuke was the Prince's age as well, bearing long black hair and forest green eyes. He was dressed in an apple-green coat and with black pants, as well as a cute wool scarf he knitted himself. It had to be dyed a few times to attain the pink color it had.

"I thought my parents would be in here," Valt murmured in explanation. "I'm sorry for the intrusion."

The folks gathered in the room, knights and retainers and the retainer-in-training, all exchanged glances. Then Sir Shinoda, the top of the royal guard and one of the few knights who respected him, stood up from his seat only to kneel before the Prince.