Baited~ Book 2

The Lost Prince

There isn't much to say about this. There isn't some legend. There isn't a poster around saying have you seen this child. No, there wasn't anything. There wasn't anything because he was believed to be dead.

Believed but not proved.

The Lost Prince... What is there to say about him? He was always a hyper child. Hyper and violent. Or at least that's what his older brother would say. In reality, he was no more violent than his twin. He was simply more open about his desire for adventure. He wanted to be the guy that fought a million soldiers single-handedly and won saving the kingdom from its impending doom. Before the boy was even 5 he stated quite clearly he was not a prince. He was going to be a prince. He was a soldier. He was a knight. All that crown would do was slow him down. He didn't want it.

The prince was impulsive. He'd run into the woods looking for demons and dragons to fight. Mythical creatures of any kind would do. He wasn't entirely picky. He just wanted something to fight... to defend against. That was what happened that day to, not that the royal family ever said anything. 

Apparently, the twins were fighting again. One said that Dragon, demons, and hellhounds were all evil but fairies and elves were good. The other said good and bad was just made up nonsense. It was all pointless to throw a label on them all that mattered was what they did. For a 10-year-old boy, the lost prince was very set in his beliefs. 

"If an angel were to come down and kill father would you really say that it was good just because it was an angel? What if a Demon came to heel him, would you deny him a chance because he's demonic? And what about all those riders who have tamed a dragon?" The little boy was trying hard to get his twin to see what his thoughts were but they were just as set in their way. That just how they were raised. 

"Dragon riders are evil too." That was all the prince got in return.

"What if I said I wanted to be a dragon rider?" He didn't but the prince just wanted to know where he stood. It wasn't good.

"Then you'd be evil too and I would have to fight you. I'm gonna be a dragon slayer a true hero!" The prince left right after that, refusing to let anyone see his tears. How was this ten-year-old so much smarter than anyone else? It was all stupid. ALL OF IT! 

The young prince grabbed a large mace off of a display and dragged it all the way into the woods. He didn't care if he couldn't pick it up. He didn't care if he shouldn't have touched it. He was angry and he wanted to leave. 

He dragged it through the woods ignoring the voices around him as he struggled with the mace. Stupid older brother refusing to help. Stupid Twin for not trying to understand. Stupid good and evil crap. If being a knight means choosing a side then...

"I dOn'T EvEn WaNt To Be HuMaN!" The prince screamed at the top of his lungs as he fell to his knees.  

"Be careful what you wish for, young prince." A dark glitchy voice slowly filled the space around him as this shadowy fog seemed through the trees. "You may never know who is listening." The young prince shivered against the cold as the fog reached out like a hand desperate for contact only to disappear before it could reach the child. "...and words have tremendous power."

"W-Who are you?" The young prince clenched his fist hoping he looked braver than he felt at that moment.

"I do not have a name, Young Prince. I am merely... incomplete." The fog began to condense until its form vaguely resembled a man on his knees. "Are you afraid of me?" The prince just frowned as the fog man turned to look towards the castle a sighed.

"I can't be afraid of you. I don't know what you've done." The man looked back over at the kid as the prince smiled sadly.

"What if I said I was demonic?"

"Have you done anything bad?" The man shook his head and the prince smiled. "Have you done anything good?" Again a shake of the head. "Well, then you're just like me. Just... incomplete." the child narrowed his eyes as he stood up. "Why are you incomplete?"

"I was made incomplete... without a body. I was forced to stay in the woods so I could not find one myself. Why do you not want to be human?" The child crossed his arms and looked down at the dirt and grass.

"Because everything is ruled by whether your good or bad. It's stupid. Why should I have to have to choose?" A soft yet glitch voice rang through the air as the prince looked up at the sky. "Why should I be called bad because I stole a cookie? Why should I be called good because I planted a flower? What's the point? And what's with all this evil creature madness? Nothing is inherently even. Not me... and not you!" The prince stomped his foot for emphasis startling the fog man.

"I'm not... what?"

"You are not evil. I know... let's be friends. Maybe we can help each other." The young prince held his hand out his face going stern as his eyes shine with a seriousness a 10-year-old should not have. "You help me prove this world wrong... and I'll help you become complete."

"I do not understand." The fog man slowly reached up hesitating moments before he could touch his hand.

"Don't worry... like I said... We'll help each other." The prince closed the distance taking the fog mans hand and smiling as he closed his eyes feeling the rush of air flowing into him. "You give me the strength I need and I'll give you a body." The boy opened his once brown eyes to reveal electrifying pools of Chartreuse green. "A literal deal with the devil? Yes. Which of us is the devil?" The child laughed as he reached out for the mace picking it up easily despite it being as big as he was. "Me." They grinned as he turned towards the castle and screamed. The sound filled the place spilling far out of the woods that no doubt it was heard by someone. "What now? Now we leave. I was never going to be a prince anyway? From now on were just Remus."

(P.s Remus's pronouns are They them and they refer to themselves as 'we'."