"The Prince's Armor"
"When am I going to get my own armor, mother?" Prince Enrique rehearsed the simple question in his head.
"When you stop growing," his mother's voice replied in his thoughts, as that had been the answer every time the prince had asked.
He thought back to how long it had been since he last needed their tailor to change the measurements for his regular clothing and shoes. It had been a good calendar year, for sure. It was time to pop the question again, even if it would be at the risk of nagging the irritable Empress.
Unconsciously, he clenched his fist while presenting his case to the woman. "I'm a prince, mother. I should not have to borrow practice gear from the army. Or walk around the palace dressed like a kid who still needs to be sheltered."
"Look at you, Enrique! You're still not fully grown. Surely my son is going to be taller than that!"
Enrique turned his palms up before him. "I've been this height for a full year! Surely I'm not gonna grow much more than this. I'm an adult now, and I should have my own armor. And, I'm a prince; I shouldn't have to be seen in make-shift stuff."
Empress Teodora tapped her finger in contemplation. How many times he'd already asked this, and how many more times would he if she didn't appease him now? "Very well," she motioned to a servant. "Take my son to the armor smith and have him measured, but tell Ragazzo not to begin construction on anything until I give my approval."
Enrique resented her last statement, but at least one part of him was satisfied. As he was escorted from her presence, though, he wondered at what cost this satisfaction would come.
= = = =
He'd never seen the armor smith for any of his own things before. A different artisan was the family's personal tailor who made their shoes and clothing. Ragazzo also asked him if he was confident that he had stopped growing. The prince was tired of hammering that point into people, but he assured the man that he was positive.
"It's not only your height, young prince, but your build as well. Once you develop a man's set of muscles on you, you may find things not fitting as well as they used to."
Enrique really hated this guy. Surely the smith had been conditioned to be cold and argumentive from having dealt with others like Galcian, Gregorio, and even that snotty brat, Alfonso.
Enrique was thin and light…agile yet athletic despite the petite figure he had. He saw little chance that he would ever bulk up like some of the admirals and other noble men in the palace and armada.
The smith took measurements similar to the way the regular tailor did. He measured the width of Enrique's shoulders, the length of his torso, and even took measurements of his legs. It almost seemed as if he was taking too many figures, but Enrique just stood there while the so-called expert went to work.
The smith tucked his pencil above his ear and turned to Enrique. "All finished, young Prince. I will draw up several designs and present them to the Empress by tomorrow evening." He bowed courteously as a servant to the royalty.
Enrique had little to say but an unenthused grunt. "Thank you, sir," he forced himself to say before being escorted away behind the servant who'd brought him.
= = = =
Enrique avoided his mother as much as possible over the next few days. He assumed the armor smith had been true to his word and presented several conceptual drawings to the Empress regarding the gear he'd be making for her only son. He hoped that this wasn't going to turn into a case of "watch what you wish for", but with his mother calling the shots… He was just lucky he was getting anything at all.
A servant came and fetched him one day in the afternoon to tell him that the Empress and armor smith were requesting his presence in the artisan's shop.
Enrique put a new thought into his mind, telling him that perhaps things weren't going to be as negative as he feared. As he entered the elegant shop in the lower levels of the palace, he saw both of them standing before irregular shaped mounds on a table covered by cloth.
His mother smiled slightly, probably more pleased with herself than him at the moment. "I do hope this makes you happy, my son. I approved the design myself, and I'm sure it will serve you just fine."
"And your measurements are on file so that the pieces can be replicated as needed in the future," added Ragazzo.
The smith's servant / assistant helped Enrique out of his vest and boots. Then, he drew the cloth cover off of the artifacts on the table to present them to the young prince. Nearby, his mother's grin broadened.
Enrique's eyes narrowed a bit. He wondered if the armor before him was truly his, or if somehow the smith had created it from Gregorio's specs instead.
"This goes on first," the artisan brought the back plate to him and looped the straps around his body that held it in place until the chest plate was added and attached. The stiff metal formed a raised collar behind his neck, far enough away to allow him mobility but the cheek-high plates on the sides cut down on his visibility. Even the chest plate seemed big and bulky, but it was nothing compared to the broad shoulder piece. If Enrique didn't develop beefy shoulders on his own, carrying around the metal armor upon them would certainly bulk them up for him.
But so it was with the style of armor that some of the admirals and noble men wore. Thankfully, the boots weren't nearly as bad, though he imagined that they would also add unnecessary poundage to his straining body. The foot piece was heavy alone, covering the entire foot in metal with a few hinges for flexibility. The back of the boot came most of the way up the back of his leg, and the front piece formed a curved shin guard that rose up above his knees. They weren't as bad as they looked despite their own bulky size proportionate to the upper pieces.
However, when the prince tried to stand up in the heavy gear, he nearly lost his balance. A hand reached out and grabbed the back of the chair. His mother smiled.
"Don't worry. I had it made a little bit big for you because I'm convinced that you're still gonna grow a little more."
Enrique concentrated on the extra weight he was suddenly carrying and wondered how ridiculous it must have looked on his petite frame.
"So…what do you think?" asked the Ragazzo.
Enrique turned cautiously towards the mirror, keeping his balance much better this time. "It's…" he could say no more.
"You should be happy now, correct?"
"Mm-hmm…" Enrique nodded, knowing it was a lie.
= = = =
For some reason, he felt strange and a bit shy about walking around with his new outfit exhibited for all to see. Everyone respected him well, except Alfonso of course. Alfonso had snuck up behind him and gave him a playful yet hard whack on the back of the shoulder. This sent Enrique tumbling to his knees as he's been thrown off balance again. He gathered his foot up under him and knelt before Alfonso.
The bratty young admiral just snickered in his usual fashion. "One of the big boys now, eh, Prince?"
Enrique stood up and habitually brushed himself off. "What do you mean?"
Alfonso drew his sword and tapped its blade against the large shoulder piece of the prince's armor. "Not bad…" he teased. Enrique casually brushed the blade aside with the back of his hand.
"Put that thing away. You don't even know how to use it."
Alfonso sheathed his sword. "Talking big now, too, eh? Maybe there's hope for you after all." With that, the young admiral walked away while his pride was still intact.
Later that night, Gregorio found Enrique outdoors in a small garden outside the palace. The prince was wrestling his way out of his new body armor. Gregorio lent a hand.
"What's the matter? Don't you like your new armor?" he asked, pulling the plates off of Enrique's torso for him.
Enrique studied his friend's face, looking to see which answer would be best to give. "Mother had her hand in designing it," he said in a low voice.
"And what's so wrong with that?"
Enrique sighed, realizing he hadn't even been breathing comfortably under the weight of the bulky armor. "She didn't let me have any say in it. She made the smith design it a little larger thinking I have a ways yet to grow." He rubbed his hand into a sore spot in his midriff. "And its very uncomfortable in addition to being heavy."
Gregorio laughed. "It takes some getting used to, but you just wait and see…"
Enrique slouched his tired shoulders. Even his "uncle" was on his mother's side.
= = = =
Prince Enrique wore his new armor for days, every morning telling himself that "today" would be the day he got accustomed to its large and heavy fit. Each day ended with the prince feeling tired and sore. The irritated spot in his midriff grew as the way his body bent when seated caused the bottom of the chest plate to press uncomfortably into his skin. The thick, heavy shoulders never failed to threaten to throw his balance off.
Empress Teodora wouldn't hear of his whining about the fit. Not only was the armor too large and weighty for him, it wasn't aesthetically pleasing on his lean frame. Enrique also argued about the omnipresent studs of pop-rivets that seemed to be all over the place in the metal adding to the less than desirable appearance.
He nagged her so much, she needed a break from him and ordered the guards not to let him into her throne room. The prince no longer cared.
Even though he'd worn armor during his sword handling lessons, this set presented too much of a challenge for him to manuever in. He was sluggish in the fencing drills that Gregorio taught him, and it was there that he'd finally had enough. He tossed his sword down and wrestled with the armor's closure points. His "uncle" approached him and inquired about the prince's dissatisfaction.
"This won't do! She did this to me on purpose!" Enrique yelled.
"Did what?" asked Gregorio.
"Because I pestered her for so long about getting my own armor, she finally let me have what I wanted even though it was booby-trapped to backfire on me!" He loosened the shoulder piece and Gregorio lifted it over his head to relieve him of its burden.
"I highly doubt that."
Enrique sat on the floor and unlatched his armored boots. "Find a servant who can go fetch normal clothes from my chambers. I can't stand in these body-irons any more."
Gregorio did as he wished an then returned to him. By then, the prince was calmed down slightly from his outburst of frustration.
"If it helps, I know of an artisan who can make you the armor of your dreams, much lighter weight than this bulky style like I wear. But, your mother would never approve."
Enrique looked up at Gregorio, but the older man's eyes were turned shamefully away as if it had been a crime to mention what he had. "Who? Where? I'll go!"
Gregorio shook his head. "Your mother would never allow it. Forget I said anything."
Enrique bolted to his feet. "No! Tell me, Uncle! Who is this man you speak of?"
Gregorio slowly opened his eyes to the young prince. "He is an artisan who lives in Lower Valua. Not only would the Empress never approve, but I don't see yourself consenting to such an idea either."
Enrique put a fist to his heart. "It doesn't matter to me! Anyone who can get the job done, regardless of where they reside. Those who live in Lower Valua are people, too!"
Gregorio's eyes narrowed. It was his own fault for bringing it up. "You've always thought like that, haven't you? If it doesn't bother you so much, but please…don't ever tell your mother the truth."
Enrique nodded with conviction.
"We can't just go into Lower Valua like this. I will take you there tonight while the Empress sleeps, but we must be in disguise."
= = = =
Gregorio and Enrique snuck out of the palace that night, dressed in servants' clothes. A train took them to Lower Valua.
Once there, the prince let the friend of the family, whom he called "uncle" out of habit from years ago, lead the way. The prince had almost never been close enough to the slums to see it first-hand. Gregorio walked through the place as if he knew every road and every urchin that slept on the sidewalks.
Dantero's shop was fitting of the surroundings. Much darker than the shop in the lower levels of the palace where the family's artisans did their work. Gregorio did much of the talking.
He explained what the prince needed and even allowed Enrique to input his own ideas and preferences. The prince described what he disliked about the model recently made for him. Like the other smith had done before, this one took all sorts of measurements, but didn't once question the prince if he was sure he'd stopped growing. They left with the promise that the armor would be made within the week.
Enrique left the dark, cramped shop with a great feeling. Much greater than the feeling he had upon leaving the elegant workshop of the family's personally hired smith.
The trick would be to sell his mother on the new design of armor he'd be sporting around the palace in a few short days. And above that, he had to be sure she never found out the truth that it was made by someone from Lower Valua. That knowledge would convict him of the near possible worst sin and would surly throw him far into her disfavor.
It was her own fault, he told himself, for not listening to him. The Empress was too stubborn to change her mind and too prideful to admit she was wrong. Gregorio found him when the time came to inform him that they had to make a second trip into the lower city. Enrique was very excited about the prospect even though the remarkable artisan Gregorio referred him to was from the lower class part of the city.
The train ride seemed longer this time, and they were incognito once again. It was night, the time the prince usually slept. The excitement, however, kept him wide awake. He nearly found himself leading Gregorio to the Dantero's shop instead of the other way around.
The smith had the armor under a cloth, in similar fashion to the last time. The lumps under the cloth seemed much smaller this time around, which was assuring.
"It's strong and light weight," said the artisan. "I think you will approve. I am honored that a man of such status has come to an old wretch like me for his armory needs. I assure you, it is the same quality of that which your royal artisans are capable of making."
The suspense was killing Enrique, but he was willing to let the man talk.
The cloth was pulled off of the armor, and it seemed there was very little underneath.
"Some assembly required," the old man laughed as he picked up nine pieces in both hands and brought them to the recipient. The body plates alone were in many more pieces than the previous set he had.
The first piece was a low-cut metal collar made of a strong yet flexible metal that was stretched open to fit behind his neck, then allowed to relax closed. A fabric extension around the outer edge would get tacked into place as the other panels were fitted over it. Two halves of a chest plate fastened together with only a faint seam and were held in place by elastic straps from the shoulders that crossed behind his back. At the bottom, two narrow bands were attached with small straps that completed a circle around the lower end of the chest plate which only covered down to the bottom of his rib cage.
He had to slide his arms through the openings in the sides of the joined panels that made up the back plate. The curved metal wrapped around to the front plate where they were fastened down with two rectangular clasps, one on either side. Two slightly curved, horizontal shoulder plates were fixed into a joint on top so that they were low profile and yet would give and hinge with arm movement as needed.
The body was form fitting, even taking into account the specific curvature of the young prince's upper chest. The inside was lined with a soft, airy fabric that made the armor feel light against his undervest. As he moved, he could detect no pressure points or edges that would dig into his skin.
"Remarkable!" he said, modeling the light suit in the mirror.
All the seams were closed without using unsightly rivets. The smooth metallic surface was buffed to a just-right finish so that it wasn't obnoxiously shiney while also not excessively dull. The body was so well proportioned with his lean physique, at a quick glance one might not notice he had durable metal armor encasing his upper torso.
"I made boots for you as well…" said Dantero. Enrique kicked off his shoes and let the man fit the boots onto his feet. He'd been wearing underneath his servant's robe a form-fitting black one-piece jump suit with stirrup pant bottoms. Perfect for the shoes that had been made special for him.
The foot slid comfortably into a flexible shoe that was also lined with the best smooth and airy material, more comfortable than even a standard sock. The heel piece went on separate. Two additional plates were fastened closed around the base of the ankle one rising up his shin, bending slightly outward away from his leg as it went up as high as a few inches below the knee. The other behind the leg was half the height of the shin guard and curved backwards a bit to allow for some movement of the leg in the boot above the ankle.
Enrique admired his new suit in the mirror and instantly knew he liked it far better than the bulky junk his mother had designed for him.
"I'll take it!" he declared. "Allow me to…"
"Oh, no…" the armor smith insisted. "I can not accept payment for this. The honor of Sir Gregorio seeking me out for such a task is payment enough. I'm happy to have served…"
"You must take it," Enrique insisted, holding out some gold. "The materials had to have cost you something. People in this part of the city are poor enough. Allow me to pay your expenses."
He forced the old man to take the gold. "Oh, but this is too much…"
Gregorio stepped forward. "It is a gift from the Prince. You must accept it."
"Oh, sir…!" the armor smith fell to his knees.
"Arise, my humble servant," said Enrique. "You have done well and deserve to be able to lift your head in honor of your good deed."
They left the shop and returned to the train to go home. "What are you going to tell the Empress?" Gregorio asked.
The answer was something they pondered quietly for the rest of the ride home.
= = = =
Prince Enrique was not ashamed to walk around wearing his new, lighter armor. He loved the fit and the design. It didn't hinder his movements, nor did it weigh him down. And best of all, the seams were subtle for the most part, and rivetless. The clasps that held the front and back together were designed in a way that it enhanced the look of the design.
Servants were the first to see him in his new outfit, but they didn't say anything to him. They just regarded him the same as they ever would. It was Alfonso who was the first, other than servants and guards, to spot him in the new armor.
"Where'd you get that from?" the young admiral teased. "Bang a few dinner platters into shape for yourself?"
Enrique drew his sword and thrust the blunt end of the handle into Alfonso's ribs. He walked away satisfied that he left the brat doubled over with his hands covering what was sure to be a painful welt for the next few days.
Inevitably, his mother spotted him wearing the new, lighter weight body armor. She was quick to nag where he got it from, but he and Gregorio had already fabricated the story.
"Bring that man to me!" Teodora declared. "He does brilliant work! I want him working in my palace from now on!"
"Yes, mother. I will send…"
"And fire that washed-up smith, Ragazzo!"
"Yes, mother, but…"
"Anyone who can design such beautiful armor should be working for us."
"Yes, mother. Thank you, mother," Enrique bowed to the Empress.
He walked off with the next story in mind that he and Gregorio would have to agree on, as they had one big truth to cover up about the new-comer who was about to be hired for and respected by the royal family.
THE END
Writer's note UPDATE: I finally won Skies of Arcadia on Memorial Day 2003. I love the game, it was worth buying the Dreamcast just to have it. I love Enrique so much, I HAD to write a little story about my handsome prince!
© 2001, written by Zeng Li. Characters used in this story are used without permission from Overworks, Sega, or any of the creators of "Skies of Arcadia." tseng588@earthlink.net