Honor Bound (Dragon Prince Fanfic)

Nano-15.1 ~ Hallows Celebrations

Title: Hallows Celebrations
Characters: Callum, King Hallow
Genre: Family, Hurt/Comfort, Slice-of-Life
Summary: A young Callum gets a major scare on the day of the hallows celebration.
Note: This was written for WattNaNo's first 2015 challenge.

Why did he choose to sneak out of the castle?

Callum wished he didn't know the answer to said question, yet the young step-prince knew the answer all too well. The very words step-prince explained how he currently felt about his mother's marriage to King Harrow. The young boy felt like an outsider, yet some in the castle treated him as an interloper. The place he belonged didn't seem to exist anymore.

In fact, if anything Callum felt invisible.

King Harrow and his new queen went about planning the hallows celebration like the king always did, and the servants in the castle bustled about taking care of the preparations. Callum found himself left to his own devices or otherwise the utter boredom of a four-year-old.

He tried approaching the advisor's children, but when he asked Soren and Claudia if they wanted to play with him Soren simply burst into laughter and fell over. The young Crownsguard in training mumbled something about the importance of training and the words step-prince while Claudia elbowed him in the ribs. Callum glanced at the ground, before taking off.

Since he obviously wasn't wanted around the castle because he was the step-prince, Callum decided to leave.

Leaving was simple enough as nobody noticed the four-year-old roving the castle grounds. He pulled his small cloak around him tighter yet snuck some treats into his bag from the kitchen. Heading into the nearby village, he found himself awed by the displays being set up.

Soon, the sun started going down and the town became washed over with eerie lantern light. People in costume started coming out in costume, yet so did the king's soldiers. The people in the village seemed bothered by their presence and Callum found himself left wondering if something was wrong.

The child darted around the crowd and pulled his cloak tighter, so the soldiers would tell King Harrow he'd gotten in their way. Glancing up, he saw one of the villagers adorned in costume and soon more joined, yet the soldiers still remained a presence which bothered the villagers.

Callum slipped through the crowd, deciding it best to leave completely before heading towards the forest edge. He found himself sitting on a log, a sniffle escaping his lips. His young mind tried remembering the previous hallows celebrations, yet everything came to naught.

The young step-prince couldn't remember the past celebrations, let alone what his father was like. He clutched his bag closely, looking up at the castle which was now lit with the same eerie glow as the village. Callum wiped his nose before diving into the treats he'd snitched from the kitchens due to his young stomach growling.

He took a few bites, yet didn't wish to eat anymore. His young mind drifted to where he might go. Aunt Amaya always listened despite not having the ability to hear, yet she was far away guarding the breach. She wouldn't be back until the queen took her place guarding the breach, yet everyone wondered if the queen should still act in such a manner.

A deep sigh escaped Callum's lungs. The sounds of nighttime forest creatures rang in his ear, yet the night time chill started seeping into his small body. His head began to nod off when a sound made his head snap up. His small body already shivered, yet it shivered even more upon hearing the sound. It sounded like a mix of the wind yet Callum honestly couldn't be sure.

He turned his head and looked for a source.

A shriek left Callum's mouth upon seeing a cloaked figure. His bag dropped to the ground and he found himself hurtling back towards the village as tears ran down his eyes. Everyone seemed to take notice of the small step-prince, yet seemed pleased to see him. They reached for him, yet this made him become even more frightened, particularly since some of the costumes were of bloodthirsty elves.

The fact they had five fingers should have told him they weren't elves.

He continued running as fast as his little legs could take him, only for a pair of strong arms to sweep him up from the ground. Callum let out a screech, only to find the person pulling him towards their chest. One calloused hand pressed lightly against the back of his head and he heard the person's heartbeat.

"Shush now Callum. You are safe now."

King Harrow's voice did prove somewhat calming even though the fright in the woods still plagued his mind. The king's calloused hand started rubbing the back of his neck as he held the small child gently in his arms.

"My apologies my lord." The sound of the kingdom's made Callum yelp and bury his face into the crook of King Harrow's neck. "Apparently I frightened the young prince. More precisely, it looks as if I frightened him a second time tonight. I found him carrying this bag."

"Callum, you weren't trying to run away were you?" his mother asked.

Callum shook his head in the crook of the king's neck.

"Oh. We're you trying to go on an adventure on your own?" Callum nodded his head as the king continued to rub his back. "Well, that must have been a very scary adventure. For a moment you had everyone very worried. If you decide to go off on an adventure again, you should tell me or your mother. Maybe you could take Soren with you."

Viren cleared his throat, almost indicating Soren was supposed to be training rather than playing.

"I'm quite sure Soren would love spending time with the prince and seeing nothing bad happens."

"Oh yes. He is after all training for such tasks with the Crownsguard, so I do believe having the privilege of escorting Prince Callum around would be a great honor for him, your majesty."

"Well, I think since it's well past this little one's birthday, and he's had such a fright that the queen and I will bid everyone an early night. Perhaps next year all three of us will be able to enjoy the celebrations in full."

King Hallow carried him back. It was also King Hallow who tucked him in, which was strangely enough his mother's task before she'd married the king. Callum of course didn't think much of this.