A Week to Midnight

Stories of the Prince and the Pauper

The kingdom of Esthe, located just to the North of the forest of Darl, had been ruled by the Estelle royal family for over a two hundred years. Each generation passing on the title of ruler onto the eldest son, or in the cases of no male heir there have been occasions where the first-born daughter had taken the role.

The ruling habits of the monarchs of Esthe were highly dependent of the belief systems of the current ruler, though it was suspected that those outside of the direct royal line were often heavily involved in the ruling decisions. It is suspected by many that the single monarch is merely a figurehead, a marionette that is being controlled by the puppet master that hides behind the curtains.

The next heir of the throne of Esthe was Prince Florian Estelle.
Florian is an image of noble beauty that his mother and father had been determined to perfect ever since his birth. Emerald eyes were framed by a soft, alabaster face that was spotted only with a single beauty spot under his left eye. Sandy blond hair that was highlighted with the occasional dash of brown that fell to his shoulders when he did not have it tied behind his head. His height did not live up to many of the expectations of those who may have had the opportunity to meet his predecessors. Standing at five foot six and with a delicate frame only reinforced by a fragile immune system developed during childhood, he was not considered much of a threat in the eyes of visiting gentry. Though this could often have been played as an advantage by the young prince whose education had pushed him to focus on the use of a silver tongue.

Despite being well versed in language and literature and knowing his way around the political arena that his parents had often paraded him throughout, it was undeniable that he was a sheltered boy. Florian knew little of the world outside of the palace's walls. He knew next to nothing about his people, beyond that many were farmers and millers, and he had a face that no peasant would be able to distinguish from any other child born with a silver spoon within their mouth. Florian also had a terrible habit of panicking when around too many people, complaining to his mother that he felt a sense of exhaustion when being forced to be around others for extended periods of time.

Florian was not selfish, not by nature. However, he had been raised in a community that had always allowed him to have whatever he may have desired within a specific moment. How was he to know that the apples that he threw away unfinished had been harvested by an elderly man who was barely earning enough money to feed his sickly wife? No one had told him that the fine silken cloak he been gifted by his uncle had been crafted by a young woman who could not read or write, and would often have to dip her worn and calloused fingers into filthy water in order to keep herself from bleeding onto the garments.

He was completely oblivious to the fact that his name brought distain to the hearts of any one of his poorer subjects who may have heard it spoken in hushed tones in the bars and taverns that were lucky enough to have clientele. At the age of nineteen the young man was a bird locked inside a finely crafted cage of gold and his song brought only misery to those outside of his coop.

The week of his twentieth birthday was drawing nearer and his mother had the servants working nonstop to plan and arrange the weeklong celebration that would bring in Florian's coming of age. It was of no question that it was Florian's mother, Queen Emelia, who was the most excited about the party planning, where Florian himself was exhausted by the mere thought of such an event.

Florian had always been used to small gatherings with only a handful of people. He was very rarely in a situation where there were more than ten people in the room with him, and it was even less likely that most of his company would be strangers. Now his mother was insisting on inviting members of noble families from all over the world, at least, as far as he was concerned, it may as well have been the entire world.