MOTHER CHOSE ME

Bells. They would be heard throughout the kingdom. The campanologist would move his small and weak arms as best as he can and make sure the bell is rung three times. Every man, woman, and child will immediately make their way to the great hall and Father will be there to receive them. Father and maybe Marcellus if he is not busy begrudging me. Or maybe he would be crying in his chambers. I do not much care, as long as my people show up. Father would knock on my door and when I open the doors, he would say to me "My son, It is time". He would place his hands on my shoulders and tell me he is proud of me and how impatient he has been to see this day come. We would walk together to the great hall along with the guardsmen. Ser Arthur would be by my right and Ser Dwayne by my left. We will walk through the large doors that are almost a hundred feet long, past the smiling crowd all of whom are happy to see me, and we will stop at the steps. I would gaze at it as though I have never seen it before and Father will turn around to face the crowd, my crowd. Father will raise his cup and the hall will grow silent. The creaking sound of the doors closing would disrupt this silence but that is fine.

"Here he is", Father would say.

"My blood, my son, my heir" he would add.

"He who will be king after I have gone off to join our ancestors. He who would serve the people. He who would rule over this gracious kingdom. To the people of Oldstone, I give you your crown prince, and your future king, Prince Albus", Father would say at the top of his voice.

My crowd will cheer, and my knights will draw their swords and rhythmically bang them on their shields. It would be glorious; I would be glorious.

"Are you talking to yourself again brother?", a voice said from behind. I turn around and it was my brother Marcellus. "What does he want now?", I thought to myself. "Father has requested your presence in the clearing, you are to practice your swordsmanship with Ser Arthur", my miserable brother said.

I had not always considered my brother's existence to be miserable. I loved my twin brother once upon a time. We always liked the same things, and it gave us so much to bond over. We played with the same toys, we chose the same weapons for battle, we wore the same armor, we liked the same girls, and even had sex with them together on multiple occasions. It all went awry after Mother died and that devil our Father refers to as his brother, Prince Castian visited the capital. Uncle Castian spent most of his life in the northern part of my kingdom. He was married to the daughter of one of the insufferable northern lords, a marriage to secure their alliance and keep the peace. He visited the capital and of course had to whisper words of poison to Father, asking him to name the crown prince. Uncle Castian did not like me very much, otherwise, why would he suggest such a thing when he knew I and Marcellus were twins and there is confusion as to which one of us is the true first-born son, but I knew the truth; Mother told me I came out first. He must have wanted to sway Father to choose Marcellus. I always presumed it was that devious swine that put Uncle Castian up to it. But it matters not, Mother chose me.

My brother Albus and I grew up in the capital of Oldstone as Father was king, as was his father before him, and Kings have always resided in the capital since the kingdom of Oldstone was created. My brother and I both loved each other deeply and till today, I still do not know what sparked his hatred for me. I knew my brother always wanted the throne; he loved imagining himself as king, but I have never coveted the throne. Sure, it would be nice to have the power to tell everybody what to do, but my brother's love is more important to me than that. At first, I thought he hated me because mother died but that is not possible, he let mother die, not me. If anything, I should be the one who hates him for that. What am I even saying? I do hate him. He let Mother die. I am determined to take something he loved just as much as I loved mother from him. I will take the throne and become King of Oldstone. Mother would approve. Mother chose me.