Oh look, an author's note. This is starting out great. First off, sorry, but this isn't a Fanfic. It's an original fiction, but wattpad never seems to get you any views so here I am on fanfiction net.
Second, I have about 12 chapters done on this already, but I'm only posting one at a time. This is my first actual-trying story. Sorry if it's a bit boring or slow at times, but I don't think it's too bad. It really just boils down to your patience I guess.
Also, P.S. :
The people are not made out of fruit.
I sat cross-legged on the red carpet hall floor, and pressed my ear against the center of the large wooden door of the meeting room, listening carefully for any conversations I could hear. I wasn't exactly supposed to do that... but I wasn't exactly NOT supposed to. Well... except if you count my father telling me ten years ago, 'Don't listen to our conversations whenever we talk in the meeting room. They're private.' Besides, I wasn't going to tell anyone, now that I was older. Probably. Besides, I was bored. Sitting in my room getting ready for thirty minutes while my father sat discussing me with three other adults wasn't exciting. At all.
"Are you sure they are all prepared?", said the first one, with a voice that was so serious, if I had to listen to it for three minutes, I would have fallen asleep.
"Completely! Melanie will make a fine leader!", said the second.
"My daughter is perfect. She's the spitting image of myself."
"Mac will make a great...person-in-charge!"
"It is impolite to speak so informally during a meeting, Lord Apple."
"Lighten up Mango, he's my son!"
That was my father, and the three other lords (and ladies) speaking. Speaking about the upcoming ceremony. My name is MacIntosh Apple, next in line for the throne of the Apple Kingdom. I prefer to be called Mac, though, since MacIntosh is way too long. I'm actually nineteen, one year over the age, but according to ancient traditions, each heir was supposed to be crowned the next ruler at the same time as the others, and since the heir to the melon kingdom, Melanie, I think her name was, had just turned eighteen, it meant we were all above the required age.
I pressed my ear a bit closer to the door. They were talking in hushed voices, and I couldn't hear what they were saying. After a bit, I stood up in frustration, and walked back down the hallway towards my room. A few servants passed me, bowing, and saying, "Good morning, Prince MacIntosh.", in that voice that sounded like it had been recorded, and played over and over again, or something. On most days, I would turn around and say, "Just call me Prince
Charming", in a British accent or something like that, earning an awkward look, and the servants hurrying away.
Right now, I was too busy. Thinking about how boring this all would be. In total, all I had to do was get in a 'princely looking suit', wait, and wait, and wait until the meeting is done, attend a boring ceremony that sounded so much like a wedding it was almost creepy, and meet the other heirs. If the meeting gets out early, and they don't find you ready, waiting all 'prince-like' in your room, there's going to be hell to pay.
"Hey, prince charming!" a voice called from down the hall. "Let's go play some video games!" it was my sister, Mary, who was about 4 years younger than me. She had bright yellow hair, green eyes, and freckles, like me. I always beat her in video games.
Most of the time.
"I can't!" I called back to her, " I have to wait in my room!"
"HAHA, I know, sucks to be you!"
"I'll FRY you next time we play, you'll regret this!"
"Haha, but I always beat you!"
"LIES."
Mary laughed really loudly, and went screaming down the hall, which you might be concerned about, but I assure you, it was normal. For Mary.
It had taken forever, in this huge 'house' that I lived in, but I was almost back to my room when I stopped in my tracks. I already had on the "princely suit." I had put it on about an hour ago. 'It's always good to be prepared early' my mom had said. But what if it would take forever for my dad to finish up? He always seemed to drag meetings on an extra few minutes just for socializing. So... what if I could listen in for just a tiny bit longer?
I turned around on my heels and head back for the door to the meeting room, passing maids and butlers, with no sign of my sister(except for a bucket of water balancing carefully over the maids' room door).
Well, I was back to the door. I couldn't hear anything though. Not even a voice. They must have been whispering so quietly, I would have to be sitting on the table to hear them. No, I would have to be right next to their mouth. But they had to start talking normally eventually right?
5 minutes passed. Any time now...
10 minutes passed. I was beginning to wonder what the hell kind of life changing thing they were talking about.
15 passed. I was fiddling with the edge of my sleeve, and turning my princely gloves inside out.
20 minutes passed. I had named the door Dorothy.
30... You know what? Who cares? I was overly curious now. If I leaned close enough maybe, just maybe I could hear what they were talking about. I put my ear against Dorothy. But, as it always turns out for me, it didn't work. I just needed to lean closer...
Just a bit closer...
I swore I could hear voices, but it could have just been my brain being all weird and expecting what I wanted.
So just a tad closer.
Too close.
Dorothy gave way, and I fell right into the room with a loud "OH FU-". There I was, with my face and chest on the floor, and with my butt in the air. I raised my head hesitantly, to see all four of the lords -and ladies-, looking at me. I wanted to put my head down, and worm slowly out of the room, but instead I ended my entrance speech with "-dge".
"Well.. isn't it nice that Prince McIntosh had to.. remind us of the end of our ritual.", said the one with the strict face and the greying orange hair. I recognised him immediately as Lord Mango.
"R-ritual?" I asked, heat rising to my face. The lady with the kind face and dull green hair giggled, which I didn't blame her for, as I had to admit, if I was on the other end of this, I would be taking a picture by now. Lord mango exhaled sharply.
"The thirty minute ritual that is mandatory to all soon-to-be-former lords and ladies, to show their acceptance for their heirs. It's an ancient tradition. And quite honestly, If I were Lord Apple, I would be taking mine back, mandatory or not."
The lady with the perfectly purple-red hair, and the almost ageless face snickered. That was Lady Grape. I didn't know her well, as I didn't know the others. Maybe even less. But I hated her.
I cleared my throat. "Well, wouldn't you look at the time, I've gotta go, seeyabye." As I was running out the door, my dad somehow grabbed ahold of my princely collar. He teleported, most likely. I turned slowly, a sweet 'please don't kill me, daddy' smile on my face. He also had a grin on his face, but it was clenched, and his eyebrows were twitching in anger. I was DEAD. My dad turned back around to face the others.
"I hereby declare this meeting over." My dad said. All the others had no objection.
My dad let go of my princely collar and swiftly grabbed onto my ear before I could run. He then dragged me be the ear down the hall back to my princely chambers.
"OW da- OW ow OWW Dad let GO ow.", I said in between cries of pain. After a long trip of pain we arrived next to the door to my chambers. My dad let go of my ear, which I imagined to be all red by now.
"I'm very disappointed in you, Mac."
"I know.." I said, looking down at my toes.
"No son of mine should get caught eavesdropping."
"Boy, I never got caught eavesdropping when I was younger." My dad said, laughing. "Especially not in rituals. Which brings up the topic: Why even?"
"I wanted to hear the sounds of ritualization." I said dryly.
"Sure. But anyways, since I need to raise you 'correctly', as your mother says, what you did today is landing you a spot helping the servants clean the bathroom."
There. I was dead now.
"But that's so GRooOOoSSs..."
"Good."
"But-"
"Good. Clean the bathroom by this Saturday." Well, that gave me six days to procrastinate. I'm sure the me six day from now won't like it though. My dad laughed.
"I can't believe YOU'RE going to be the next lord of this kingdom," He said, "What a nightmare. Wake me up soon."
"Shut up."
"Ah-ha, I'm just kidding!", said my dad hugging be a bit too tightly," I'm proud of you."
"Et oh of ee."
"The ceremony is at 6:00 tonight. Don't miss it!"
And with that, my dad left me alone in the hall.
I sat in front of the large, circular, and fancy-ish stage. It was in the direct center of the castle, because meetings were often held there. Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you. The Castle is actually 4 castles connected. The Apple Kingdom was in the north-west, the Melon Kingdom was in the south west, The Mango Kingdom was in the South-East, By the sea, and the Grape kingdom was in the North-East. each of them connects in a single castle in the center, blah,blah,blah. The only doors to the other 3 castles though, are through the meeting room, which is heavily guarded, so I haven't been able to wander their halls yet.
But anyway I was sitting in the front row of the Apple section of the audience. The meeting hall was decorated with flowers, which was obviously the work of the Melons or Grapes. Maybe even the Mangoes or Apples, if they were high. It even looked like a wedding. Part of me wanted to joke and say "I do" when my dad would ask "Do you promise to uphold the traditions of the Apple kingdom?".
Each of the soon-to-be-ex-lords was giving a long 'thought out' pointless speech. Yes I get it. It's a huge event, but let's just get it over with, okay? I got bored and looked at the front rows of the other audiences to catch a glimpse of the other heirs. The Melon one was a smallish girl with bright green hair that went down to her shoulders, clipped back in a watermelon hairclip. She wore a bright green dress that hung down to her heels, with a bit of frill hanging off, and had bright pink eyes, that looked excited but also hopelessly nervous. She also had 'innocence' painted right over her face. Not literally. I turned to the Mango one, directly across from me, behind the stage, which was so large I sort of had to peek my head over it. I hoped the others directly behind me didn't notice. They probably did, considering my butt was in their face.
Anyway the soon-to-be-mango-lord was a guy, probably an inch or so taller than me. He wore an orange 'princely-suit', and honestly he probably didn't need anyone to tell him to put it on. He looked like he was trying to look princely, but he looked a bit nervous, and a bit embarrassed, judging on how his face was red. He had ginger hair tied into a thin ponytail that was draped around his shoulder. He looked a bit less serious than his father, which was sort of a relief.
The last one, over in the grape audience took directly after her mother. She was obviously bored, and obviously trying to show it, fake yawning and staring into her hand mirror, occasionally applying makeup or lip gloss and observing how it looked on her. As were some of the people in the audience. I hated grapes, they were too stuck up. Her purple hair was pulled back in a tight bun, with perfectly trimmed bangs. She was wearing a long pale purple-pink dress that you would see in a princess movie. Not that i've seen one...
When I looked up from my casual people-watching, My father had finished, and I was called to the stage.I answered a couple of boring questions, nodded my head a few times, recited a speech i mostly copied from the internet, and basically tried not to yawn, because I was watching the clock from the corner of my eye, and it was at least 15 minutes.
"Do you promise to uphold the traditions of the Apple kingdom?" I smirked when I heard my father say that, remembering the "wedding decorations".
"I do."
