Chapter Four: The K and the Q

The king was a hairy man. Both harboring a beard and mustache, he walts in with a definite air of royalty.

Surprisingly, he looked very young.

For a father I mean.

His golden hair, which contrasted from mine, was neatly brushed to the side. He wore something slightly more appealing than my getup and his demeanor seemed relaxed.

This is to be expected from a king, of course.

"Your mother and I have decided in honor of you to hold a Ball for your eighteenth birthday." The king tells me. "We'd like you to come down to the hall and help our royal decorators prepare, shall we?"

I nod hurriedly.

"Yes."

The king smiles and walks out ahead of me.

"Then come along my son, the quicker they start the faster we can arrange everything by tomorrow."

My eyes go wide by the suddenness of it all.

"Tomorrow!?" I ask.

The king nods.

"Why yes of course. Your birthday is by a mere couple of hours so I suppose we make haste."

I spot Narra smiling unabashedly at me from where she stood invisibly.

She mouths, "Go!."

And so I do.

Following the king, who is supposedly supposed to be my father, I descend the spiral staircase, and through long arched hallways.

The servants all stood in an organized lines and bowed as we past. My father the king ignored them, looking straight ahead.

I couldn't help but feel as if the servants who bowed at our feet were secretly scowling at us under their breaths.

There was a tension in the air that just told me so.

When I peaked around to see the serious expression on the king's face, Narra appeared and scolds me silently.

She floats beside me without any indication of her being seen.

She straightens her back, indicating for me to do the same.

"Walk like a Prince." she mouths slowly close to my ear."

I scowl at her and mouth back, "I am."

She disappears.

I continue to walk, this time aware of how I do.

With a head held high like the king, and my chest puffing out in bravado, I do my best to keep a serious face.

On the inside, I couldn't help but ridicule how utterly ridiculous this is.

I almost run into the king when I see that he had stopped.

"We've arrived." he tells me.

'Yeah no kidding,'

The two guards who stood in front of us, opened the gold crested door for us.

The king nods at them briefly and walks in.

I do the same, still trying to keep my face straight.

They nod back in acknowledgement then return back to their post without a word. .

Inside the room many people dressed just as ridiculously as I am, rush by me. They have already gotten to work with decorating the hall without me.

"What is this!" The king bellows with a voice I didn't know he was capable of making.

Everyone freezes in their places, suddenly looking scared. One by one they all drop what they've been doing and bow, and I mean bow as in down to their hands and knees.

The air is very tense as the whole room erupts into series of, "Your majesties."

Then suddenly a woman's voice is heard through the midst.

"Richard darling."

The queen struts up in a widely strewn about gown, with a displeased look on her face.

"They have done nothing wrong, they are only doing as I've told them which is to get a little bit more done before our dear son arrives."

The queen smiles at me sweetly.

She's was pretty in motherly kind of way. Her chestnut colored hair was tied tightly into a bun and her eyes were big and full of curiosity and excitement.

"Oh just can't wait until my cute, little prince turns into a man tomorrow."

She runs over to me and gently lays her palms on my chest.

"I promise you darling, this party will be everything you wish it to be."

She cups my cheeks next, and I can't help but feel her genuine love for me as her son, even though I just met her.

I smile sweetly back.

"Why of course it will!" the king exclaimed all a sudden. "You might even find a lucky temptress to pass on your mother's title, yes?"

"Now Richard," The queen scolds the king, now reaching for him. "What are you insinuating huh?"

"Well," he laughs. "I found mine haven't I?"

The queen smiles back quite seductively.

"I do hope so."

I can't help but cringe at the obvious flirting they were doing right in front of all these servants and decorators who still bowed in front of us.

Do I dare say anything?

They're embracing each other, seeming to not care whether they're at the center of attention.

Should I?

Still embracing.

I should. This has gone on for longer than I can bare.

"Mom, Dad... um I mean father, didn't you say we haven't got much time left? Let's start, yeah?"

The King and Queen break apart and both face me.

"Oh yes! Of course." the king says.

The queen speaks up.

"Charming darling, you've got everything handled yes? With the decorations? You wouldn't mind if me and father step out for a little while, do you?"

Gosh, aren't they obvious.

"Um, no I guess." I say trying not to smile knowingly.

"Great well, we'll take our leave now." The king says, backing out of the room with the queen gripping onto his arm.

I nod and smile as they exit the room.

Soon I'm left alone with the decorators. They still had their heads hung low, on their hands and knees. 

I look around for Narra, for some guidance, but she doesn't appear.

Damn, what the hell do I do? I ask myself. They're still bowing and the silence is awkward as hell. Maybe I should call out for Narra, she should hear me, right?

I shake my head, visually playing out how stupid I'd look and sound If I'd suddenly just yelled out Narra name and she doesn't appear still.

No, this is all down to me then, for real.

I sigh. Do I really have to do this?

I take a deep breath and hold my stance.

"Um... you may rise now, this is really unnecessary at the moment, don't you think?"

Slowly, all of them look up at me questionably. They still haven't stood up yet.

I start to shy away from their imploring gazes but I stop myself.

I suddenly feel Narra presence, yet I still don't see her anywhere.

Then suddenly her voice echoes around the room.

In an enchanting voice, she narrates.

"The Prince tells his fellow subjects to gently rise, apologizing on behalf of his parent's abrupt exit."

"Get back to work." the prince says.

Narra stops talking and suddenly something compels me to open my mouth.

"Get back to work." I say, copying Narra automatically.

The crowd in front of me all stand and simply go back to their work, listening to my words.

Narra speaks.

"And so all through the night, the preparation for Prince Charming Ball took place. The invitations were sent all over the realm for every young girl and princess to attend. Prince Charming soon heads for his chambers, awaiting a new day."

The giant silver clock that hung dead center in the room, began to shake. The hands on the clock fast forward as time speeded up to almost 12 o'clock. The men and woman who helped decorate the Ball, rush back and forth in front of me in time to the clock.

I'm suddenly compelled to leave the room. Probably back to my room I'm guessing. Just like what Narra said... or narrated.

So I do, I leave the workers to their work and step out into the hall.

The two guards nod a goodbye to me as I leave.

I nod back and quickly descend the halls.

The maids and servants seemed just as busy as I left them, but they still took their time to stop what they were doing and bow as I passed.

Not knowing what to do, I nod and smile appreciatively, all at the same time knowing that they all seem to secretly hate the royal family.

Maybe it's jealousy? I think. Or they're just plain bitter.

I tell myself not to bother so much and just continue with the plot. The quicker I finish this tale, the quicker I can go home. That is if I can.

I hurry up the spiral staircase which again seems to go on forever, but finally I reach the top.

In my rush though, I don't see the little boy quietly mopping the floor on his hands and knees, and I suddenly trip over him.

The floor quickly rushes up to my face, and I land with the 'oof.'

The fall could have woke a giant according to the number of eyes that suddenly pierced mine in horror.

The maids have froze, and the little boy looked as if death had claimed his already.

Rubbing my head, I sit up completely unaware of the monumental atrocity that had played out.

"Sss--sorry your majesty! I'm so so sorry, please don't banish me! I'm so sorry." The boy began to sob quietly.

He bows at my feet.

"Please punish me! I'll take any punishment. Please don't banish me. I am sorry truly your majesty!"

He sobs harder, as the maids around start whispering about the fate of this little boy.

"That poor child." one said.

"He had a long enough life." The the other said.

"Lord." another muttered.

I couldn't bare this little incident becoming such a big event. I quickly stood, and held out a hand to the boy.

"Please stand."

This is embarrassing

The boy still bows, not trusting my words for some reason.

The maids watch in dire fascination.

"Please kid, get up." I beg to him under my breath, trying to ignore the excruciating stares.

He looks up, his eyes and bloodshot and nose watery.

"Come on stand, I'm not mad. I promise."

I reach out further for his hand and give him a reassured smile.

hesitantly, he took it.

I pull him off the ground, and dust him off, seeing the amount of dust and debris stuck to his rags of clothing.

But then he stops me.

"No your majesty you mustn't touch something as horrendous as me." He swipes away his tears suddenly sounding more determined. "I'll take whatever punishment you have in mind. I have done you a great wrong that mustn't go by unscathed your majesty."

I stand there quietly, not knowing what to say to this soul selling little boy.

"Um, kid that's not really necessary. I just wanted to get to my room and sleep. Let's take as if this embarrassing little event never happened okay?"

I start to turn away and hurriedly leave but then I felt a small tug on my shirt.

I turn to face the boy again.

His eyes plead with me.

"Mother would not take me home knowing this fateful act had occurred, so please make repay my debt."

"Uuum..." I drag out the word, not knowing what to say.

"Just do it." Narra whispers besides me all a sudden.

Even more embarrassingly, I jump a little by her sudden appearance.

"Quit doing that!" I snap at her.

While at the same time, the boy starts to tremble in fear at my words and the maids and servants try to cover their shock.

I look apologetically at everyone, especially the boy, who looked almost as pale as death itself.

"No, I wasn't..." I tried to explain but I changed my mind.

"Fine, um what's your name again?"

The boy hangs his head sadly

"I do not have one, your majesty."

"You don't? Then what do people call you by?"

"Just boy, your majesty."

"Well, then I hope you don't mind if I call you by however I choose?" I say trying to sound fancy.

"Call me as you wish, your majesty." The boy replies.

"Okay, how about..."

I think for a moment.

"Pip. You remind me of that squirrel from that Disney movie. What was it called again? Well...Anyway, you're Pip.

"Yes your majesty." He agrees bowing his head.

"Now give him something to do that is worthy of his crime." Narra tells me instructively.

I give her look that said, "really?"

She nods, and everyone looks at me expectantly .

"Okay fine, kid." I address. "Your punishment will be..."

Everyone looks on expectedly.

"How about becoming my temporary bro?" I asked him.

Eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"Bro?" Pip repeated.

"Yup, bro." I nodded.

I could sense Narra's confusion in the air, not knowing how to interpret this into the story.

"Your majesty, if I may ask, what is a bro?" The boy Pip asked.

I smile.

"It means friends that are very tight."

"Tight friend?" Pip inquired. "What must a 'bro' do in order to fulfill your demand?

It feels like I'm explaining everything with these people.

"I'll show you."

I go up behind him and grab his shoulders. Using my hands as a guide I push him forward down the long hallway

"First off, you're coming with me."

Reviews

[Ember Smyth]

Please write more! I am thoroughly enjoying this book so far, but there is no more to read!! :(

[Barbara Tennyson]

'Both harboring a beard and mustache, he walts in with a definite air of royalty.' This is a good example of a misplaced modifier: Both WHAT harbor a beard and a mustache? Generally in English, words like 'only', 'both' and other adverbs should be close to what they modify: Harbouring both a beard and a mustache.... makes sense if only ONE person is the intended subject. If it were two people each wearing a beard and a mustache, 'both' would refer to THEM, and not to the beard and mustache.
Also, it's 'waltz', as both verb and noun. ...he waltzes in....

"Okay fine, kid." I address. "Your punishment will be..." --Dialogue tag sentences have a standard form. Here, this should be: "Okay fine, kid(COMMA)" I say(COMMA) "(NO CAPITAL LETTER) your punishment will be..." --If you want the jargon of grammar, who says whatever was said makes ONE complete sentence. A sentence has only ONE first letter which is always capitalized. The only exceptions are the pronoun 'I' and proper nouns --names. What was said is "Okay, fine, kid, your punishment etc..." and who says it is the narrator.