The tragedy came in the form of a small, white envelope with a maroon seal.
Twelve year old Elliot was quite enjoying the lovely weather when he heard the sound of hooves upon the cobblestone pathway. Believing that his father was returning from his travels, he turned from his ginger foal, green eyes lit with excitement and expectation. However, the lad's expression quickly fell as he saw a member of the Kingdom's Watch trot forward on his uniformed, white stallion.
Eyeballing the bright purple plume upon both rider and horse's head and the near matching purple and gold lace harness and outfit, the young boy walked forward, meeting the messenger half way. Settling the horse brush onto the ledge of the fountain, he stared curiously at the rider.
Taking off his hat, the Watch cleared his throat, brushing a hand through his dark hair. Finally, he dismounted, digging within his saddlebag for the delivery. The letter was handed to Elliot quietly, accompanied with a solemn, pitying look.
Elliot didn't want to open it.
"What is this?" He demanded quietly, not bothering to look down at the envelope.
"A letter." The young blonde gave him a dry stare. The rider shifted nervously.
"Yes, I know it's a letter," he stated impatiently, not realizing the letter was now wrinkling within his grasp. "I want to know the contents."
The messenger suddenly looked rather uncomfortable, looking anywhere but towards the boy. He glanced up, saw something, then looked back down. Elliot had the suspicion that his step mother, Lady Tremaine, was watching from the window on the second floor; she was always there, watching Elliot tend the horses or play in the courtyard, gaze cold and void of any feelings towards her stepson.
"Maybe I should hand this to your mother." Elliot tensed.
"She's not my mother," he snapped, holding the letter closer to himself. When the messenger continued to look out of sorts and unsure, Elliot allowed his eyes to fall to the envelope.
Taking a deep breath, he lifted it slightly, studying it, before slowly opening it. His fingers trembled, making a jagged, shameful job of tearing it open. The Kingdom's Watchman, obviously uncomfortable, inclined his head first to Elliot, than to Lady Tremaine, who continued to watch from her window, before mounting his horse once more and guiding out of the courtyard and back down the narrow path.
The letter was short and simple; they didn't waste time with pleasantries and sugarcoating. His father was dead. He had been thrown from his horse as he was on his way to the next town to sell his merchandise. His head had made impact with a rather ill-placed stone and killed him nearly instantly. They were sorry for the loss and offered their condolences.
Elliot felt his knees give out. The world quickly jumped up to meet him.