The Prince of Aincrad - Beginnings

Chapter 9: The Two Princes

Chapter 9: The Two Princes.

Asuna was stressed. Four days came and passed without her prince waking. She'd been reassured several times (by Yulier and many other servants and guards) that it was normal, but Asuna couldn't believe them. After all, who'd the heck in their right mind think it's normal for their Prince to suddenly collapse?

She shook her head. Crazy, absurd idiots. Yup. That just about summed up more than half of the castle staff's sanity.

"Normal, my arse." Asuna irritatedly muttered to herself as she climbed up the stairs to her Prince's room. She didn't know whether to feel worried for him or feel frustrated no one else was really worried. Well, sure the Prince was almost sixteen, but his shortness for his age made her constantly forget he was a teenager. Not a twelve-year-old gi-er...boy.

Once she reached the door, she noticed something was a little off. Yulier had told her several times to always close the door completely for some unknown reason, but today, that door was slightly open. Asuna bit her lip as her gaze swept her surroundings. It all seemed normal and she only saw a small servant boy coming up the stairs with a tray of fresh fruits in his arms.

"Ah! G-good morning, M-miss Asuna!" the boy stammered upon his arrival, clearly surprised to see her there. He was wearing a white button down tucked in and light brown overalls. Strangely, there was a leaf stuck in his silver hair near his ear. "How are y-you this m-morn-ning?"

Asuna gave the boy a smile to ease his nervousness. "I'm doing fine, but you don't need to be formal with me. Just call me Asuna."

"R-really...?" he asked hesitantly. He was shaking so much that the thin plate on the tray started to clatter slightly. Asuna bent her knees to his level and rested her hands on them with a small nod.

"Really." she confirmed. As if a spell suddenly broke, the boy smiled brightly and his shaking ceased. He was suddenly comfy with her. Asuna hid her shock as she patted the boy's soft hair, discreetly removing the loose leaf. Oddly, he vaguely reminded her of Kazuto's personal servant. "What's your name?"

"Morgan! And I'm twelve!" he added cheerfully. Asuna blinked.

"Oh. When I was thinking about a twelve-year-old, I wasn't actually asking for one." she muttered to herself. Morgan raised an eyebrow.

"Uh...did I come at a wrong time?" he asked.

"What? Oh, no! No, no, no. You're fine!" Asuna rushed as she stood up. She returned her attention back to the door and spoke offhandedly. "I'm just here to check on His Highness."

Morgan beamed up at her. "Same here. Aunt Yulier sent me up here since I had nothing to do."

Asuna's hand froze over the handle as her head snapped in the boy's direction, her eyes wide. "Aunt?!"

The boy gave her a confused look. "Well... yeah. My aunt."

She stared at him for a good ten seconds before snapping out of her stupor. "Ah, never saw that coming."

Asuna ignored Morgan's utterly perplexed look (that clearly said, "What the heck...?"), and opened the door. A bundle of white was suddenly thrown at her with a sheet of paper neatly sticking out. She caught the huge bundle of blankets and grabbed the paper in alarm. "What in the blazes?!"

But that wasn't all. For some strange reason, the bundle of blankets moved. Morgan's baby blue eyes widened in fear as he slowly took a step back. Asuna stared at the slowly unraveling bundle in her arms with a twitching eye. She could see something black underneath all the white and her curiosity got the better of her. Asuna leaned in for a closer look. Suddenly, the bundle exploded and an abnormally large crow popped out of it with its wings stretched away.