Sebastián

s i x t e e n

Fransico

As a child, the one thing that I was exceptionally talented at was not combatting, leading, or anything athletic, but herbalism, botany. The single most useless skill to have when being a member of the royal family. It didn't really help you lead a species. Or do anything at all. I was constantly bullied as a child, especially by my cousin, Sebastián, who's everything I'm not.

    Sebastián was the son my Father wishes he had, but instead he got me, a boy who is not very good at anything except being a tree hugger.

    My Father made sure to remind me of this any chance he got. I suppose that's why I went mad. Why I was sent to a crazy house. I'm not blind, I'm not deaf. I hear what people say about me, I read what they write about me.

    They said I was a psychopath, a sociopath, I killed the King and Queen because I was a poor excuse for a prince. All that and more.

    The people always come and go, I had friends, but after the death of the King and Queen, they turned on me. Everyone has always left me, shut me out, sent me away. But why? Why am I the insane one?

Why aren't all of these people are the insane ones? All they care about is political prosperity, winning battles, and asserting dominance. It's like none of them have any humanity. No personality. The heavy crowns they wear sit on empty heads, empty bodies. Living hollow shells of people.

    Most nights, when I can't sleep, I go to the garden, where once beautiful greens flourished and thrived. Now all of those greens have turned into various shades of brown, except one specific part, where all the flowers were kept. While I was away, so was any memory of me, no one took care of my garden, no one gave a second thought of me. The only reason the flowers are alive is because they have their own separate garden, and I guess people care about flowers more than herbs and such.

    Now my perfect cousin has his own perfect mate who will be the perfect Queen and they'll live in their perfect castle filled with so many possessions yet so empty of most things.

    The members of the royal family remind me greatly of my favorite plant, hemlock. Their stems are hollow, their flowers look beautiful but the plant is poisonous. Very much like the royal family.

    One tiny plant. That's all someone needs. One tiny plant and you die. Paralysis, of every muscle until it reaches your lungs, making you not able to breathe. No one is aware of the power plants have, something that looks like a pretty flower can easily kill you.

It's sickly beautiful.

    There are lots of secrets in this large castle. It's incomprehensible, how a group of people can be so inhumane. I don't believe they have any emotions, just the need to have power, assert dominance, as I said earlier.

    "Cisco?" A soft voice calls from behind me. I turn around to see the haggard woman that is my mother. She was not old, just worn out and my father really doesn't do anything to help her. He even makes it worse.

    "Mom?" I squint my eyes in the unlit greenhouse, the only source of light being the bright moon shining behind me. "What are you doing out of bed?" I hurry to her side, helping her walk. She was weak, I'm not sure when it happened, but she used to be full of energy. We would play games and have fun all day. Now she can barely walk on her own.

    "You know I worry knowing you're awake." Her calloused hands brush a stray piece of hair out of my face. "You need sleep" I look down at the ground. She was right, she's always right. I wish I would've realized before.

    "I'm sorry mom, let's just go to bed now" My mom nods in agreement and we slowly make our way to my room. She gives me a kiss on the forehead before retreating to her own room, most likely worried about how my father would react if he found out she had left the room.