To Rule A Kingdom (discontinued)

Chapter 3

Warm sunlight streamed in the room, searing into Miles' closed eyes. He squeezed them shut tighter, wishing he could roll over and go back to sleep. The closer he was to the southern border, the closer he was to the rebellion leader, but the closer he was to death if it all went wrong. He sighed, sitting up and stretching. Saying he'd slept well was an overstatement. His back was sore from the lumpy mattress and his neck cricked from the uneven pillow. What did they stuff them with? Bodies of bad reviewing customers? Miles wasn't sure he wanted to know the answer to that. Hastily standing, he popped his back letting out a sigh of relief as he did so.

He threw his belongings back into his bag, trying not to think about the scolding he would get from Emma once he returned, and redressed, trying as hard as he could to re-establish order to his soft grey hair. Eventually, he decided that his once perfectly styled locks were past the point of saving, so he gave up, put on his glasses and headed out the door, handing his room key and the gold coins for payment.

''Good luck on your 'business' your highness.'' The Innkeeper said snarkily, biting down on the gold coins to check if they were real. Miles stopped and closed his eyes, taking in a sharp breath. He didn't say anything. Men like him were just jealous and trying to get him to react. He continued walking. Out the door. To the stables. He tried to just let his mind go blank, not to think about anything. But it just kept wandering. Wandering to the south. He really didn't like his plan, but if it freed his fathers' kingdom from his tyrant brother, he didn't mind. At least this way he wasn't trying to marry him off. The pure thought of his hormonally charged brother choosing who he was going to spend his life with worried him greatly. He shook his head. That wasn't going to happen. Julian would be off the throne before anything could become official and he was sure of it.

He untied Squares and pulled himself up onto her, giving her an affectionate rub on the side of her face.

''Let's go, girl, by tonight we'll be there,'' He said, pushing his messenger bag behind him and tightening the strap, ''And by tomorrow? We'll be homeward bound with an army ready to raise hell.'' He smiled, turning her around and walking her out the stable, bringing her to a gallop as they got closer to the town limits.

He rode and rode, trying to distract himself from all the possibilities tonight and tomorrow could bring. With relation to death, it was a constant companion as a royal. The question of who would succeed you when you die hung over your head and precautions always had to be taken just so no royal died. It was all insane. Miles had nearly become desensitized to any talk of death until his father had died, then even the mention of it scared him. If he died, no one would be able to abdicate Julian. If he died, no one would continue his fathers legacy and carry his name proudly. There was too many 'if's and 'but's involved, however, he knew if they weren't, everything would just happen. 'If's and 'but's is what made life balanced. Not everything could be constant. Everything had to have its alternate options. This situations 'if's and 'but's were a lot more obvious than of other events. 'If' he didn't do this, he'd die. But if this went wrong he'd die anyway. The variables and constants kept life stable, and stability was one thing Miles liked.

He took a breath and whipped Squares' reigns, causing her to speed up, galloping over the frosty mud. It was nearly spring, which made a hell of a difference in Callar. Autumns and Winters made everywhere a sheet of plain white snow. No schools opened for the full 2 months, you were lucky if you had even a single days work a week. The amount of snow was unbearable to most. Not Miles though. The icy flakes were welcome on his skin. The cool draft that drifted through the palace after a snowy night comforting him as he snuggled under his quilt, curling up around himself. It was bliss. Sitting on an uncomfortably leather saddle in the slowly warming climate, however, was not. He grit his teeth and lowered his head, trying to keep the wind from yet again slicing at his eyes. He knew it couldn't be that much longer until he arrived. He was ready to be off of Squares and in bed already, though it was only mid-morning. He shook his head and rode on, keeping his head ducked.

After 2 more hours of riding, he could finally see it. The city that sat on the outskirts of Callar. He sped up Squares, getting her to run as fast as she could towards the ever largening cityscape. Beautiful wasn't the word he would use to describe it, but it certainly was a sight to see. The wooden and cement houses were squashed together, huddling from the cold. Graffiti scarred all sidewalks and alleyways, however, it truly was a sight to see. He grinned, riding Squares through until the town limits before hopping off her and walking her to the stables right by the border.

''Not long now girl,'' He said, patting the side of her head, pulling out another rosy apple which she gobbled up greedily. He laughed and stroked her nose, loosening the strap on his bag. He took a deep breath and walked out of the stable, checking for any guards. Seeing none, he walked out relaxing his posture as to try and blend in as much as possible with everyone else.

Blending in with people is a lot harder than one would think, however. Especially when you're wearing a red button-up, among a crowd of dull brown shirts. It was a miracle no one had taken much notice of him yet. He slipped his hands into his pockets, another feeble attempt at trying to blend in. As he did so, he heard a loud deep shout from an alleyway to his right. He swivelled around. There stood a tall muscular man, his face seething with rage, his eyes burning into his being. Miles' eyes shot open wide, letting out a gasp in surprise. A burst of adrenaline sent him sprinting down the street, pushing through the general public to try and make a bid for freedom. His efforts, however, were proved frivolous as he was knocked down and a rag placed over his face. No matter how much he kicked and writhed, he was still held down. Slowly but surely, he lost consciousness, the last thing he saw before plunging into darkness was the assailants grinning face.

okeydokey that was fun. sorry it's been a couple days but i finally have a posting schedule! ill be putting it in my wattpad community tab thing and bio so if u wanna know what it'll be just check there! if ur on amino it'll be in my bio! if ur reading this on Ao3, it'll be in my bio as well! i'm going to go edit all these in now, so i'll see u all later!! byyee!!