The Lamp

Chapter 1

Raguul's POV:

I woke up in cold sweat, shivering a bit at the cold night air. Great, I fell asleep on the roof again. Picking up the worn jacket that I had used as a pillow, I stretched my taught limbs and wrapped the thin clothing around my body. Ever since that night, I would always get the same dream every time I fell asleep. It was a constant reminder that I was being hunted; that one day, someone would decide to pick up a knife and slit my throat. The way they did to my mother. I can still hear her screams for me to run as the palace was melted away by the flames set by our enemy country. Shuddering at the memory, I dropped into my room through the open wall to join my sleeping monkey in his slumber.

--
Groaning at the feeling of someone poking at my waist, I sluggishly swatted at their hand. Who in their right mind would be trying to wake me up at this hateful hour? I opened my eyes but squinted immediately after from the light streaming through the holes in the roof. Looking around, I noticed my pet monkey sitting on my stomach. I sat up.
"Sol, get off," I grumbled as I pushed him onto the ground next to my mat. He blinked his eyes twice, before leaping towards my face.
"Argh! I said get off!"
"Ragi! Are you up yet?" Muta called. I glared at the monkey before replying to the old fisherman downstairs.
"Yeah, what is it?"
"Today's the day, the one you've been talking about for years!"
The one I've... been talking about...
"Oh!" I shot up so fast, that I ended up falling right over. A light chuckle came through the stairway.
"I know you're excited, but keep your energy in check please!"
Had the stairs not been made of stone, they would have broken from the way I crashed down them. "Thanks for the reminder Muta!" I yelled over my shoulder as I dashed out into the busy streets of Carun.

--
The bumble of excited citizens rang through the street as hundreds of colorful banners waved from the windows of the houses. For the first time in since the raid of my home country twelve years ago, the one and only prince of Inaam would make his appearance in the capital city.
As I waltzed around the milling people, I stopped in front of a storyteller, who was standing on a barrel to act as a stage. Blending into the small crowd, I tuned into his tale.
"When our kingdom, the all mighty Inaam, won the century-long war with Boru, our king ordered all princes of Boru to be slain. However, only three of the four princes were killed."
     I snickered a bit before he continued.
     "We all know that sneaky prince is out there, plotting his revenge."
At this, I had to choke back a laugh. I couldn't understand why these people were so obsessed with a boy who has never been seen. Unless they didn't know that.
A passerby knocked into my shoulder, shaking me out of my thoughts.
"Today is the day!" the storyteller continued, "Today, we show that coward fourth prince our true power. We have hidden away our prince to train him to be the strongest in all the land, and today, we are not afraid. Today, we will hunt down the fourth prince!" The crowd roared in agreement, as I slunk away from the storyteller.
I wasn't excited about today for this so-called hunt for the fourth prince. Although I spent most of my life in the country that destroyed my own, I had lived long enough in the Borunian palace to know that the fourth prince was only a rumor. My mother was a simple palace gardener. She and all the other palace maids always told me that there was a fourth prince, but after a few years, I stopped believing them. No one had ever seen the prince before, not even a bedroom. Yet, they were whispering about his existence.
     Truthfully, I was only excited about today because I wanted to see a glimpse of the prince of Inaam. A while back, a rumor started up about how he was the blessed prince with the golden eyes. Apparently there can only be one blessed being in existence at a time, but I don't buy it. I know what I saw that night. There has to be a second golden eyed boy. That silly prince would have never saved me from the fires his own kingdom set. It doesn't make sense. All I need now is the proof that my savior wasn't him. Sighing, I closed my eyes and leaned against the nearest wall, losing myself in my thoughts.
All of a sudden, a loud cry hollered from the stall next to me. Before I could react, a strange, tall man tumbled towards me and knocked us both over on to the ground.