The Forgotten Prince

Goodbyes

           Sending his eldest daughter into the hands of a murderer was, to say the least, not King Alexander's idea. At all. It had been that scumheaded Lukas Vessac's.

          Lukas Vessac.

          Literally the king's least favorite person on earth right now.

         Less than three weeks ago, a message from King Mallis of the Daltoria had arrived at the palace, demanding a royal be sent for 'diplomatic' purposes only. A two-month 'visit' was what was being requested, two months of a royal staying across the sea to 'strengthen the ties' between the two empires.

         Alexander thought it was total rubbish.

        The king had initially been outraged, but had eventually realized that the rival king wasn't going to take no for an answer. They didn't call him King Mallis the Bloodstained for nothing.

         At first, the plan had been to send some nobleman's son and claim that he was royal, but then Lukas Vessac had helpfully stepped in and offered a solution. Why not send Vara, the eldest child? King Mallis would be more than happy with that, and wouldn't dare touch the crown princess. Obviously. It wasn't like he'd been the youngest of nine children and somehow was currently on the throne. It wasn't like the elven king, Thacemor, had sent a son six years ago and the boy still hadn't been heard from. It wasn't like Mallis openly hated Alexander and his line. No, none of that was true, and Alexander had nothing to fear because Mallis showered his subjects in riches and had never, ever murdered a single one of them for not agreeing with him.

       Riiiight.

         Alexander was gripping the stone railing of his balcony so hard that, if it had been glass, he might have shattered it. He looked down at his white knuckles, and sighed. There was no going back, so he might as well stop worrying about it.

        He walked back into his chambers, shutting the door behind him. The cold wind that whipped across the sea had to be kept out all costs. Alexander went to his wardrobe and opened  it, running a had through his short brown hair. He grabbed a thick fur coat and threw it around himself, heading for the door. It was bitterly cold this time of year, and anyone who walked around without a coat was a fool.

        The king got as far as the staircase, then was stopped by a hand on his shoulder.

      "Where are you going, father?"

          A female voice, but not Vara's. It was Victoria, his second daughter. She would stay right where she was, as far as he was concerned.

          "I must see your sister. Where is she?"

          Tori shrugged. "I don't know, I haven't seen her since early this morning."

          Alexander nodded, then turned to a passing servant. "Where are my eldest son and daughter? I must see them in the throne room at once."

          The servant gave a quick nod, then ran off to find the prince and princess. They would no doubt be in the middle of something 'important.'

         The king hurried off to the throne room, hoping his children would listen to the servant and come to his summons.

         Alexander paced in front of his throne, anxiously waiting for his eldest children. The idea he'd had would affect both of them, so it was important both heard what he had to say.

         At last, the long-awaited prince and princess arrived. Jon, with his blond hair and freckles, wore a long sleeved, fur jacket that covered his upper body, an elegant shirt only just visible beneath it.  Vara, with short, carrot-red hair, was dressed in pants and a shirt suited for travel, as well as a long fur coat that reached down to her ankles.

         "My son," the King said, nodding at the boy. "My daughter." He turned to the girl. "I am glad that you came so quickly."

        "Not that we had any choice," Jon muttered.

        Alexander chose to ignore the seventeen-year-old's disrespect, and got strait to the point. "As you well know, Vara is being sent to Daltoria for a time for... diplomatic reasons. This is unavoidable. However, I do not feel comfortable sending a young woman, especially my daughter, into another empire alone."

        Jon sighed, not hiding his boredom. "Do we seriously have to talk about this again? If you're really worried about it, just send her a bodyguard."

       "Better," Alexander countered. "I'll send my eldest son."

      "Yeah, that's a good id... WAIT, HANG ON! I'm  your eldest son!"

      "Indeed."

      A big smile spread across Vara's face. "You're going to send him?"

       "Yes," the king answered. "If he's going to be helping run the empire one day, he needs some experience that can only be gained by going out and doing something."

       Jon looked as if he'd drunk a gallon of sour milk, but Alexander's mind was made up, and nothing was going to change it. If his son did nothing but loaf around the palace all day, the empire his forefathers had worked so hard to build would come crashing down once he was king.

       "Better get packing, son. Your ship leaves in two hours." 

      Jon sighed and drifted out of the room. They heard him go upstairs and shout: "Bring my bags! I am going with Princess Vara to Daltoria!"

      The ship's sails billowed in the wind. It was the dead of winter, and a frigid, icy wind swept across the snow-covered empire. The sea was black and choppy, and small, freezing cold waves washed over the feet of the royal family. Vara and Jon were bundled up even more than everyone else, in their traveling clothes. 

      Alexander sighed. The long-dreaded day had come at last. His daughter was leaving. He wouldn't see her for another two months. 

      The king turned to where Jon was standing, still looking less than happy about the entire situation. It would do him some good to see something outside of his father's empire. That boy was amazing at politics, but wasn't good for much else. Maybe this trip would change him for the better.

      Vara hugged each of their family in turn, saving her father for last. When she did get to him, she threw her arms around him for a full twenty seconds. 

      "I'll miss you," Vara whispered.

      "As will I. Be safe, my daughter."

      Vara nodded and stepped back. "Goodbye." 

      Jon simply waved, and the two of them climbed up the gangplank onto the ship. They cast off, and the ship sped toward the horizon. The rest of the royal family went inside, but Alexander stayed on the edge of that frigid dock until the ship bearing his son and daughter was out of sight.

      "For the glory of our king, be safe, my children," the king whispered. Then, with a heavy heart, he turned and walked back to the castle.