The Heir Of Dreams And Curses

Where I do something heroic at last

During the next few days, I still felt very confused. I knew I didn't belong to this realm, just like Edgar. But I barely recalled my own name --- I thought it was Ryan, or Patrick --- and I didn't want those people to think of me as a Prince, even though it seemed as if they couldn't help it.

Those days, I talked for hours with Edgar about any topic, except our families, a sore spot for each of us. I did remember a little of my family life, in fact. I just had a huge row with my adoptive mother before I found myself in that strange world. Edgar seemed to know things about his family he wasn't telling me.

Then, one day, a guard told me he was wounded too deeply to talk to me. I asked for explanations, and I was shocked to find out Edgar had been whipped for talking to the Prince.

I didn't want Edgar to find out those people considered me royaly that way. I intended to tell him sooner or later, but for the moment I was happy he was the only one who saw me for who I really was --- not the Prince and not the bastard.

Nia seemed to be of the idea that Edgar and I should stop seeing each other --- I kept nagging her with all the information I knew about him: the way his dark hair curled on his neck, the depth of his blue eyes, the way light seemed to come from him when we talked, his faint Cornish accent.

Then, one day Nia told me something that upset me.

"You and Edgar are already eight years old," she said. She was a little older than us, a teenager, but the age difference seemed like a lot more. "People of this country get a name change when they turn eight. You need to find yourselves a courtesy name, one that you can use."

"I want to be called Ryan," I replied, still a little unsure of my own name. "I don't care about courtesy --- people will have to call me like I want to. I'm the Prince."

Nia huffed. "It's better if you do the ceremony, trust me."

"Fine," I said. "Only if I can talk to Edgar first. And when the time comes, we'll be given our names together."

A few days from then, Edgar and I were outside the palace, in the golden dunes. The castle was shimmering rainbow hues under the sun. It was scorching hot. I missed England.

"Prince Ryan," Nia proclaimed --- I'd chosen her as the person who would baptize us with our new names. "I declare that, from henceforth, your courtesy name will be Derry, the name of a hero in Irish stories. Tell us why you chose this name."

I didn't want to look at the crowd so I looked at the sand. "I chose this name because to be the Prince that I want to be, the one who abolishes slavery and who is a hybrid from another world, I need the strength of a hero."

Nia nodded, and bathed my head in shimmering water that looked like liquid glitter.

"Servant Edgar," she added. "I declare that, henceforth, your courtesy name will be Armin, a name that means hero. Tell us why you chose this name."

I heard murmuring from the crowd.

"I chose this name because it matched the Prince's," Edgar replied. "When I asked him for permission, he told me this name was perfect for me."

The crowd couldn't help but cheer at that. But when I heard someone else speaking up and saying it took Edgar a lot of guts to name himself something like that, I gave him the stink eye.

One day, it occurred to me that, perhaps, I was spending too much time in that world. I barely remembered where I was from and who I was. And though I had great feelings for Edgar, and I was slowly growing into my role as a King, I decided to tell Nia the truth --- that I was leaving.