Each year the Kingdom of Khearia throws a festival in remembrance of one of their most beloved kings who had tragically perished along with his wife and second son. His first son, Prince Fabian, was the only one to survive. Witnesses claimed his cro...
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They delicately nudged James into the cell. Even if the environment was designed to be uncomfortable for criminals, a bedroll had been laid on the ground as well as a box of books and activities to keep him entertained.
ㅤ'If you two are going to behave like criminals, I'm going to treat you like criminals,' their dad had said.
ㅤDespite their father's earlier condemnation of their actions, he'd granted them a loving mercy in the form of basic comforts that real prisoners wouldn't have been afforded. It was kind.
ㅤ"How long do I have to stay here?" James asked.
ㅤThe two guards mildly locked the door, their large burly bodies wavering in the dim light.
ㅤ"Until next evening, Your Royal Highness."
ㅤ"I see."
ㅤJames dropped onto his bedroll and rifled through the box for a pen and quill, pressing parchment into the dusty stone slabs. The dry hot air made the cool hard floor feel more comfortable than it should have been.
ㅤA lion. A real lion in the flesh.
ㅤThe vision of it rapidly fading, James carved long strokes into the page with the ink of his quill, rushing to capture the image to keep before it vanished. Long minutes passed by until his company decided to finally speak up.
ㅤ"Why did you have to go and let yourself get captured too, idiot?"
ㅤThe defeated figure of his brother in the next cell over was a murky silhouette in the torchlight. He was slumped against the rough stone wall, his knees bent up. Unlike James, he hadn't been given a place to sleep. It seemed their father thought he didn't deserve the right.
ㅤ"I'm just a boy. I was never going to outrun them forever." James snorted in dry amusement.
ㅤ"Well, now we're both in trouble. Good job."
ㅤ"You're still getting the harsher punishment," James gloated, faintly blowing on the wet ink. "I was negatively influenced by my older, wiser, brother who should've known better."
ㅤIt wasn't just a sleeping mat Fabian had been deprived of. No books, no toys, he'd been given nothing. They expected him to wait and do absolutely nothing.
ㅤ"Ugh," Fabian groaned. "They still fall for that bullshit."
ㅤ"Well, I wasn't lying," James lightly reasoned.
ㅤHis brother's sigh was long and desolate and James paid it little mind. He focused on his task. Despite knowing he had no talent for the arts, he hoped to etch every last little detail into permanence. Just because the lion had to die, it didn't make it any less valuable to James; even if a memory was all he'd be left with.
ㅤ"I wouldn't actually lock you up when I become king. You know that, right?"
ㅤFabian's gentle voice tugged James' attention away once again. Even when he looked over, though, Fabian hadn't moved. He was stuck in the exact same position, even now.
