After School

2.29 William I

September 1, 1246

"Yes, yes. My King brother is a cruel man. However, what can I do? He thinks of me as a retard, simply because I enjoy milking the cows in the royal garden to pass my time," Prince William Stevenson the First scoffed, his embellished shoes tapping the polished floor impatiently.

"Your Highness, you are indeed right," the prince's sire, Petur Iohannes II, swiftly replied. Petur suddenly jumped up when William's eyebrows shot up at that comment. The frail man shook his head frenziedly, which caused the scroll he held to drop on the floor.

"F-Forgive me, Your Highness. I meant you are right about His Majesty being, uh, indifferent regarding these situations! I-I did not mean to say that you are correct about His Majesty thinking of you as a retard. You are not a retard for enjoying the common people's activities, Your Highness!" Petur Iohannes II squeaked, his frail body quivering with nervousness.

William let out a deliberately loud sigh and traced his pale fingers around the gold carvings on his throne chair, which was significantly shorter than his brother's. His elbow rested on the golden arms and he hung his head to the side, hoping his disengagement towards the conversation could be seen.

"Nevermind that. I will not waste my time doing my King brother's dirty work and cleaning up after his drunken mistakes. That is final, Sir Petur," he declared to his sire.

Petur groaned and picked up the fallen scroll that had rolled off to the corner of the golden throne room. Once he retrieved the scroll, the Prince looked down on Petur, as he drummed his fingers against the arms of his throne, bored. Petur cleared his throat and rubbed his clammy palms against his leather pants, desperate to persuade the Prince.

"B-But, Your Highness, if I may add, this is an urgent task that only you can fulfill-"

"Oh, spare me the lies, Sir Petur. You and I both know King Wilson was simply too lazy, and possibly drunk, to complete a task like this," Prince William said, waving his hands dismissively. "Forget about it, Petur. Let us milk the cows together instead of engaging in useless conversations such as this," he suggested, as he rolled his head skyward and stared at the intriguing paintings above. Sunlight shone through from the panes of glass overhead, illuminating the golden room.

How dreadfully boring, he thought as his jade eyes fixedly studied the fresco paintings. The art dominated the ceilings and each stroke had a smudging quality that rendered the image watery, like a reflection in a rippled puddle. The painted common men tilted their heads up at the bright heavens, their eyes shining with ravish. The glorious yet mundane angels, popes, and saints looked down at the people, to bless. Kings and royalty were featured alongside these religious figures, and William vividly recalled his elder brother requesting this unflattering addition, years ago. After the royal artists finished painting, he and his brother stared up at the basilica for hours, awe-struck by the intricate shades and rich textures of the dyes. The young Wilson would always point out how divine the Kings and popes appeared, worshipping the angelic clouds above.

However, William didn't care at all about the repetitive saints that lined the ceiling. His eyes were desperate for something interesting, and when they landed on some strange people along the sides of the art, the child was immediately hooked. These distinct figures deeply contrasted against the rest of the God-like artwork, as if Satan had sneaked into their castle one night and added them himself. There was a woman, at the bottom of the fresco, lying provocatively next to a nude man with bat wings. Why is there an image such as this, amongst a religious piece of art? William still wondered to this day, scratching his head.

His keen eyes roamed the ceiling and found a group of menacing women hiding behind a man, in a position that suggested they were preparing to pounce the oblivious man. Such big noses those women have, William recalled thinking, as his eyes probed the bat that hovered in the air beside them.