Kingdom of Thorns

Prologue

    Once upon a time, there was a beautiful kingdom of flora and fawns that was ruled by a tyranny king and an overbearing queen. Though this beautiful kingdom was said to be the most beautiful kingdom of all lands, if one looked closely at the lives the citizens of the kingdom lived, one would see that the said beautiful kingdom was, indeed, a rotting one instead. Using the beauty of the many flowers that encircled the kingdom, the land successfully hid its thorns from the rest of the world. This was a secret that the tyranny king and overbearing queen wished to hide from the rest of the world to show them that their land was the best of the best and that it was absolute perfection.

    The tyranny king and overbearing queen had 7 children, 4 sons and 3 daughters.

    The eldest child, their first son named Keifer, was the heir to the throne thanks to birthrights. He was skilled in swordsmanship, archery, literature and was known by the many knights, soldiers and all the young boys in the kingdom as the “King of War”. However, he was best known for his wrath and his red eyes that glowed whenever blood was shed in war. He was most cherished by his mother, but his father was indifferent to the next upcoming king.

    Their second child, a daughter by the name of Maple, was a frail princess who was at the doorsteps of Death's door due to a sickness that was uncurable. There were many rumors passed around along the servants in the castle as well as the commoners in the kingdom that around the time of her birth, she was cursed by an evil witch who was jealous of the beauty the girl possessed, hence why she was so frail in health and must be taken care of at all times. This was said to be the reason why the king and queen always made appearances with Maple and/or Keifer by their side; to watch them both closely.

    Their third child, another daughter by the name Peony, was the one that many knew for being a rebel. Everywhere she went, trouble would occur and with every word she spoke, only insults would spew. Out of her siblings, she was the loudest and the rebeliest, which made her stand out from them. There was a rumor one time that said that Princess Peony caused a war due to her recklessness and her rude behavior. However many still questions as to why she was so loved by her parents despite her ways.

    The fourth child, their youngest daughter by the name Narcissusa, was a young princess who was loved very much by both her mother and father equally. Despite the name she was given, she was selfless, kind, giving and very understanding. She was not vain and was considerate to everyone, perhaps too kind for her own good. However when it came to the poor, she would turn her backs to them and treat them lower than the dirt that they both walked on. To her, the poor were nothing… or as what she was taught.

    Their fifth child was a son that blessed the royalty family the moment it was born who went by the name of Ash. Some said that the moment this young prince was born, the heavens shone so brightly as a sign that God was smiling down to the Earth. Some said that the moment the young prince was born, it finally caused the cold-hearted tyrant king to smile genuinely towards his children and wife. Some said that the first laugh that the prince let out when it was just a small baby was what caused the flowers to bloom and the plants to harvest on the first day of spring. Prince Ash was beloved by the people and was beloved by many kings and queens who came by to visit upon hearing these tales about him. However it is unknown why this young prince must always hide away from the crowd and was only allowed to make his appearance once a year; ironically, the first day of spring.

    The sixth child of the tyrant king and overbearing queen, a young prince who was named Yarrow, was said to be the most spoiled of all his siblings. For a total of 12 years, he was the youngest of the family and most beloved by all the servants in the castle until the youngest prince and child, Florian, was born. However despite the birth of Prince Florian, the young prince Yarrow continued his spoiled ways and showed no signs of changing his ways. He was born with a silver spoon in his mouth was often what his siblings would say if anyone was to ask them what they thought of their little brother. There were many rumors surrounding young prince Yarrow spoiled behavior among the commoners, one specifically saying that the birth of the young prince took a toll on the queen’s body and had nearly caused her death, and in order to repay the queen for her “hardwork” as per say by the king, the said person spoiled the young prince with gold and riches since then. Maybe the reason why he was so spoiled was a karma to the selfish ways of the royal king and queen.

    The youngest child of the family, Prince Florian, was born into the family unexpectedly. The announcement of the queen being pregnant with this prince was never made, and the only way the kingdom and the rest of the world came to know of this young prince was through his birth. With him being the youngest, he is the one most cared by the servants and his siblings. He is often in the care of Maple’s nursemaid which had led to Florian growing a strange attachment with his older sister. Many suspect that Florian was the secret love child of Princess Maple, and the tyrant king and overbearing queen have yet to deny these rumors. Despite this, Prince Florian was said to be a blessing brought among the kingdom by the said king and queen.

    Ever since birth, these young princes and princesses were taught only one lesson: aim for perfection. Everything the young masters and mistresses had to do were supposed to be perfect. They had to be the embodiment of perfection, or else face the wrath of their parents. They had to be seen as the perfect children the world wanted or else they would receive the cold shoulder from their very own family. The tyranny king and the overbearing queen had 7 perfect children. They were the perfect royal family that everyone looked up to.

    However truth lies underneath the skin…

    As the young princes and princesses get older, they become curious of the world that they were to never get in close contact with which unravels secrets never meant to be known, truth to be cast open and fear to strike the hearts of the beloved kingdom.

    “Every beautiful rose is protected by thorns. All truths and lies are like that when told or discovered. It’s either bear being pricked by it or just admire it. Your choice.”