The Mariposa

Chapter 4

Elyas- Present Day

I took decisive steps towards the royal hall of the castle. That's where all the important decisions for the kingdom were made, and I was determined to have my say, If I was going to be king one day, it was high time I made my mark on this kingdom.

Upon seeing me, the guards immediately bowed, before opening the doors. Queen Nesryn's head shot up where she sat at the end of the round table.

"Eli! I wasn't expecting a visit from you today. We were just discussing some matters related to the kingdom," she said with a smile, gesturing to the several members of the royal court sitting with her.

I nodded, smiling back. "That's great! Are we going forward with the plans for a transit system between the different tiers?"

It was an idea I had posed myself, considering the fact that right now the only transportation were the wings, and only the most expensive ones could go between tiers.

Queen Nesryn nodded. "Of course. Mr. Watson, why don't you show him the plans?"

I quickly came to the side of the kingdom planner of Arcelia. He slid a paper out of an envelope, before handing it to me. I smiled gleefully at first at what I saw. It looked like a train, but it was built like a magnet. It would use the buildings to move between tiers.

"How would we keep it from just sticking to the buildings?" I asked, still looking.

"We'd add inhibitors, of course."

"Won't it take a lot to get this up and going? It's pretty ambitious to essentially build a giant controllable moving magnet." I asked, glancing down at him.

"Well, we are raising funding through several wealthy organizations that have shown interest in this idea. The financial side to the plan is there as well, including the proposed rates for tickets. Which, I'm sure you'll find will be plenty to cover the costs of maintaining such a venture."

I furrowed my brows, moving my attention to that side. My eyes widened at the suggested ticket prices. I coughed, putting the plans back down on the table. "No one but the wealthiest in our kingdom will be able to afford such outrageous prices! There must be a mistake."

Mr. Watson opened his mouth to reply, but my mother cut in, one of her perfect brows arched. "As you've realized yourself, this is going to be an expensive idea. That is the price that is mandatory," she affirmed.

"Will the price go down as time goes by?"

She outright scoffed. "Why would it go down?"

"Then what is the point of doing it at all, Mother? The wealthy can already go wherever they want. They don't need this. This was supposed to help the lower tiers," I argued, my veins starting to pop with frustration.

She shook her head. "What you propose would completely dismantle the hierarchy of our kingdom, Elyas. Think."

It was my turn to scoff. "I'm not the one not thinking, Mother. Dismantling a hierarchy is a good thing. Right now, you sound much more like a dictator than a monarch."

With that one line, the energy in the room shifted.

My mother's head tilted, a dangerous tell I've known since I was a kid. "Guards. Will you be so kind as to take the prince back to his quarters? He's feeling a bit out of sorts," she said, her voice controlled and calculated.

I clenched my fists, looking towards the guards that were hesitantly stepping towards me. "I feel just fine, leave me be," I said firmly, daring them with my eyes to lay a hand on me.