I can't love you // DreamNotFound

Chapter 1

"I don't want to do it!" George glared at his parents from across the wooden table, tightening his grip on the edge.

"George, it's only a speech! You just have to stand up there and read a few paragraphs and you're done! You won't have to do anything else but sit up there." His mother tried to convince him, before looking over at her husband, "Besides your father and I will be right up there with you."

"You know I hate speaking in front of everyone." He pleaded with his mother, but she didn't waver.

"It will be good for you to do something out of your comfort zone, everybody practically forgets we have a son with how little we see of you." His father tried.

George shook his head, "Can I just sit there please? I'll do anything else. I'll clean my room! I'll clean the entire castle! Anything!"

His mother ignored his plea and stood up, "End of conversation, this isn't the end of the world and you know it isn't. Now either you say that speech or we take away your privileges to go to the library and explore for two months. What will it be?"

George stood up as well and took a deep breath so as not to yell at his parents and get in worse trouble, "Fine, I'll say your stupid speech." He said evenly, turning abruptly and walking out of the room.

As he left the room, his parents sighed and turned to each other, "I don't understand why he doesn't want to be the King, I love being King, yes it's a lot of work but it's worth it in the end. I don't know what I'm doing wrong, Lea." His father put his head in his hands and closed his eyes.

"It's not you, Wilbur, and you know that, don't be so hard on yourself. We can't change George and I wouldn't change him for the world, I just wish he wasn't so lonely and would enjoy life more, maybe make a friend." Lea rubbed Wilbur's shoulders, "Let's get some rest, dear. We can worry about what to do with George in the morning."

And leaving it at that, Lea threaded her arm into Wilbur's, leaning her head on him, and they retired for the night to their bedroom.

--

George rushed off, annoyed and tired. He didn't ask to be prince, and he hated how people wished to be in his place, they didn't understand. He was always tired from tutoring, planning, training, and sitting in boring meetings with his father for hours on end. The most sleep he had gotten in a while was 7 hours, usually it was, at best, 5 hours.

As he winded his way down the hallways, the dying sunlight streaming through the tall windows lining the corridors, George decided against going to the library, as he never knew if somebody was in there and he wanted to be completely alone.

Instead he stopped by his room for his sky blue cloak and rushed to the courtyard. He didn't want to be lost in the dark on his way to the cave. Shrugging his cloak over his shoulders, George eyes the gates where two guards leaned lazily on their swords.

He shouldn't have much trouble leaving. He smiled to himself and crouched next to the wall, where he pushed aside thick vines of ivy to slip out into the forest surrounding the castle. The forest went on for miles in every direction and it was a wonder George never got lost in all his exploring adventures.

He had gotten lost one time, but had managed to find the cave he used now and stayed there for the night, eventually finding his way back in the morning. He had gotten in so much trouble for that.

George strolled down the faint path he had made by many trips through the forest and glanced around him.

A deer raised its head to peer at him from behind a fern, but sensing no threat it went back to grazing. Squirrels raced up and down nearby trees, and birds sang their last evening songs. George couldn't help but smile, the forest accepted him a couple of years back when he was known as being kind to the inhabitants and the plants, and ever since he had grown closer to the animals, even some being comfortable enough to go up to him.