Prince Piper watched from the steps of the castle in Far Far Away as his younger sister, Fiona, only ten-years-old, was swept away out the gates; bound for the dragon's keep until she found true love's kiss. He turned to his mother at his side and lifted his silver and ebony flute, running his tongue across dry lips before playing out the question that swam through his head like a school of wayward fish. "Will we ever see Fiona again, Mother?"
Fiona was Piper's younger sister by almost eight years, and she'd also been a miracle for the royal family. After Piper had been born and declared mute, his parents had been told that more children were impossible. Piper, being a young child, had wished on a star every night for a brother or sister. Finally, two months before Piper's eighth birthday, his parents had declared that they were giving him a sibling. But by then, he'd given up the notion, and resigned himself to being an only child.
His mother, Queen Lillian, turned to look at her only son and released a regal sigh, "I don't know, Piper. The curse on Fiona is a powerful one. And only true love's kiss will break it. But we must be optimistic."
Piper thought about his next words carefully. He inhaled, and then said through the flute, "Is there nothing we can do to help her?"
His father, Harold, standing to his left, touched his shoulder. "We've tried, Piper. But Fairy Godmother was very specific that only true love's kiss was the answer."
Lillian looked at him pointedly. "You understand. Don't you?"
Piper looked down at his flute, unable to agree. Also unable to disagree. He knew his parents required an answer. But he didn't have one. So, he did the only thing he could do. He ran down the steps of the castle, and toward the garden, his cloak fluttering in the breeze. He raced through the garden, past the gap in the hedges he'd made years ago that led off the castle grounds, across the hidden wood bridge he and Fiona had made across the thinnest part of the moat when they were children, and to the forest.
Piper fought sadness and tears the whole way to the secret hideout he shared with his little sister. Correction, the secret hideout he used to share with his little sister. Fiona was gone. And the few friends he had were the servant's children. Hardly suitable for a prince. And he couldn't make friends with any of the villagers.
Apparently, the king and queen didn't believe that he could take care of himself.
Piper couldn't tell his parents how wrong they were. He had a flute that could bend people and animals to his will. If he chose to. And Fiona could turn into a vicious ogre at nighttime. Sure not a twenty-four-hour ability. But, still effective. But their parents still coddled them like infants.
Piper stopped in the middle of a familiar patch of trees and turned to the third tree on the right. The one with the ladder of knots in the trunk. He separated his flute, still clutched in his hand, and slipped the pieces into his belt, at his hips, then started to climb the trunk of the tree.
He reached the wide ledge shaped section of tree trunk hidden by branches and pulled himself over the edge. Grateful for the branches hiding the ledge, Piper drew his knees up to his chest and wrapped his hands around his ankles. He rested his chin on his knees and focused on a green leaf in front of his face as he unconsciously fiddled the round piece of hammered silver suspended from a chain around his neck. Fiona had proudly given him the necklace the day before, saying that it was something to remember his little sister by. "It's for your birthday, Piper!" She'd been too proud and excited to let him speak. "Do you like it? Do you? Do you?"
Piper had answered with his usual smile and hug. Then they'd played princesses and dragons, her favorite game, for the rest of the day. Piper, who was always the dragon, had let Fiona, the princess, escape every time, just as he always did. After the twentieth game, Fiona had gotten tired and fallen asleep, and Piper had tucked his little sister into her bed for the last time.
Am I ever going to see my sister again? Piper thought, turning his attention to the piece of silver around his neck. If Fiona could only know how much the simple piece of metal meant to him. But, Piper was a mute, so he couldn't voice his gratitude. But if he had been able to talk, he would probably have been speechless. It was a catch twenty-two. Piper pulled the two halves of his flute from his belt and clicked the pieces together, intending to play his sadness away. Licking his lips, Piper was about to raise the mouthpiece, when he heard the clip-clop of horse's hooves below him. He lowered the flute and crawled to the edge of the ledge, silently pushing one of the branches out of the way, glad that he was too high for anyone to see him.
Looking down at the road, he watched as a group of a dozen knights appeared, one man on horseback, leading Piper's saddled horse. As he watched, the only knight on horseback held up a hand, halting the group, "Search the area. We have to find the prince."
Piper swallowed, not really wanting to leave the safety of his hideout, but unable to defy his parents. The only reason a group this large of knights would come looking for him would be if he was desperately needed at home. He reluctantly separated the two halves of his flute and returned them to his belt, then pushed back the branches and carefully began the descent from the ledge to the ground.
He leaped the last few feet to the ground and turned to the group of knights. "Ah, Your Highness." The man on horseback said.
Piper nodded to the armored man.
"Your parents request your presence in the castle library." The man indicated Piper's horse. "Posthaste."
Piper nodded again, walking reluctantly to his massive, black Clydesdale stallion, Arco. He pulled himself into Arco's saddle and took the reins that the knight tossed over the horse's head to him. He dug his heels into his horse's ribs, clicked his tongue, and leaned over Arco's shoulders as they tore down the road, Piper's cloak catching the wind. Arco's large, white-feathered hooves dug up clumps of dirt and stones as his long-legged stride ate up the road back to the castle.
Any other day, Piper would have enjoyed riding his horse; but not today. Why? Because Fiona wasn't around to ride her own horse with him. Penelope would probably never be ridden again. Piper took the road out of the forest toward the castle gates. He directed Arco through the castle courtyard to the stables and pulled him to a stop. Swinging his leg over Arco's hindquarters, Piper slid to the ground and handed his reins to a waiting stableboy. With a nod to the boy, he turned on his heel and walked out of the stables in the direction of the castle steps.
As he walked into the castle, a servant waited to take his cloak.
Piper didn't stop walking as he released the jeweled clasp at his throat, holding his cloak around his shoulders. The heavy wool fell into the servant's hands and the man bowed then turned and walked briskly away.
Strolling through the halls of the castle, Piper stopped at the door of the library and hesitated. He took a deep, fortifying breath, and pushed open the wide door. Piper pulled the two pieces of his flute from his belt with a possibly unnecessary flourish and clicked them together. He looked around for his parents, spotting them by the fireplace, their heads together. Raising his flute to his lips, he inhaled and announced himself: "Mother, father."
His father looked up first. "Ah, there you are, son. We have news for you."
He sucked in a deep breath, "What news? Have you reconsidered and are bringing Fiona home?"
Lillian shook her head. "No, dear. Fiona isn't coming home."
Now Piper was nervous. He thought about his next question carefully. "Then what's the news?"
Lillian smiled. "I believe you're aware that your eighteenth birthday is in three days?"
Piper nodded.
"Well, a man's eighteenth birthday is the most important birthday of them all. So, we've decided to hold a royal ball in honor of the occasion."Piper's father said proudly.
Piper licked his lips and replied through the flute, "Alright." Something pulled at his mind, but he couldn't figure out what it was.
Harold stood. "You're one step closer to ruling Far Far Away, my boy"
There it was. Piper's parents were holding this ball to help prepare him to rule Far Far Away. Piper kept a smile on his face. He wet his lips and played his next sentence carefully. "I can't rule, father. I'm not ready."
Harold walked up to stand in front of Piper. "You will be, my son."
Piper sighed, then nodded in defeat.
His father patted his shoulder. "We'll continue this discussion at dinner."
Piper forced a smile, then turned and ordered his feet to walk steadily out of the library, through the deserted castle halls, and up the stairs to his bedroom. He gave up the pretense of a calm and collected prince as soon as he closed the door to the privacy of his own room. He raised his flute and played out his sadness, anguish, and frustration until he couldn't see through the tears and his lungs burned from the exertion.
He'd had two things taken away from him today. His little sister, possibly forever. And his freedom was about to be taken away. Then again, he was the prince of Far Far Away. He'd never had complete freedom. Having his every move observed.
Piper lowered his flute from his mouth and brushed the tears from his eyes with the back of his hand. He trudged across the room to stand in front of the mirror mounted on the wall above the low bureau. Setting his flute gently on the smooth, polished wood surface, Piper stared at his reflection in the mirror.
Was this the face of a king?
Right now it was the face of a distraught teenager who'd just lost his only sibling. And who was about to have the weight of an entire kingdom placed on his shoulders.
As Piper pulled his hat off of his head and ran his fingers through his jet-black hair in frustration, he thought about forsaking his duty and abdicating the throne. Running away from the kingdom. The crown. The obligation. His parents.
He looked down at his flute, the silver glinting at him in the rays of sunlight reaching in through the open balcony doors to his right. Would his life have been different if he hadn't been born a prince? Piper shook his head and set his hat next to his flute, turning away and walking through the open balcony doors to the railing. He rested his elbows on the carved wood and hunched forward, looking down at the trees below.
His bedroom faced the back of the castle and the woods, which, in Piper's opinion, was much better than the other hundred and ninety-nine bedrooms in the castle. Near Piper's balcony was a road, and every once in a while, he would stand on his balcony and there would be a traveler on the road. And on nights he couldn't sleep, he would come out on his balcony with his flute and play until he fell asleep. And even then he'd see the occasional traveler. As the day when Fiona would leave loomed closer, Piper had found that there were more and more nights that he couldn't sleep. And more and more nights that he'd come out on the balcony with his flute.
Piper looked down at the road below him and felt a longing to go for a horseback ride as he saw a cloaked rider canter down the road. He followed the rider with his eyes, then dismissed them from his mind when they disappeared into the trees. Piper turned and walked back into his bedroom and moved to stand in front of the fireplace, staring into the crackling flames, his arms crossed in front of his chest. He was far too restless. Looking at the clock, Piper saw that it was only two in the afternoon. Fiona had left an hour ago. And dinner was at seven. There was more than enough time to sneak Arco out of the stables and go for a ride. And if he got caught, well, he had an enchanted flute. He could bend the guards to his will. If he chose.
He was going for a ride. Mind made up, Piper turned and walked purposefully to the bureau and separated his flute, slipped the pieces in his belt, then looked around for his cloak. He found the garment draped over a chair and wrapped the heavy material around his shoulders, snapping the clasp into place at his throat.
He strode out of his bedroom and closed the door silently behind him. Then took the halls that would lead him to the gardens, out of the gardens, and to the stables. He grabbed Arco's bridle and saddle and as avoided the stableboys as he prepared his horse. Piper led Arco out of the stable and hauled himself up into the saddle. Clicking his tongue, Piper dug his heels into Arco's ribs and jolted as the horse shot forward into a freeing sprint.
Just as they'd done on the ride in, Arco's shoes clattered on the cobblestones, and Piper prayed that no one would hear the noise and look out a window. He turned Arco into the courtyard and saw the castle gate and pushed Arco faster with his heels, wanting to get past before anyone could stop them. They were almost to the gate when a cry went out behind them. "The prince is leaving without a guard! Close the gate!"
No! Piper yelled in his mind. The gate began to lower, and Piper pushed Arco even faster. Arco snorted and seemed to spread wings. Just as they were going under the gate, Piper had to duck or risk losing his head. But they were outside of the castle. And Piper released a sigh as he looked back.
Were his parents really that obsessive? It would seem so. If they would call for the gate to be closed on him to keep him from leaving the castle without a guard. Then again, he had left the castle unguarded once today. Either way, he didn't care, he was outside of the confining castle. Now he just had to get out of the town. He pulled his hood over his head and rode toward the other end of town.
Something scared Arco, and Arco reared, unseating Piper. He fell from Arco's back and was on his feet in an instant. He lifted his arms and tried to grab his horse's reins and reach Arco's head to calm him. But Arco was too scared by whatever it was to calm down.
So, Piper pulled out the pieces of his flute, clicked them together, wet his lips, and began to play the soothing melody that he knew would calm Arco down. Piper didn't need to bend Arco to his will. He just needed to calm him down.
A few strains of the song and Arco's rearing and whinnying ceased, and he dipped his head in a bow to Piper. Arco's rearing and whinnying had drawn a crowd. And Piper's music had caused whispering. But Piper didn't notice. His full attention was on his horse, and calming him down.
Piper finished the song and lowered his flute, separated the two halves, and returned them to his belt. He walked up to a now quiet Arco and patted his neck. I think that's enough adventure for one day. He said in his mind. He turned to the crowd, who stood around in wonderment. He looked at them all with a puzzled face. Then, he realized why they were all staring at him, his hood had fallen down when he'd been thrown off of Arco's back.
"Prince Piper." A brave young boy stepped forward and bowed.
"Forgive me, Your Highness." Another person said, "Why are you in town?"
Piper looked around at all of the puzzled faces. It seemed the villagers didn't want to see him. He tossed the reins over Arco's head and stepped to his horse's side. He climbed onto Arco's back and steered his horse in the direction of the castle. The crowd parted and he kicked Arco into a run, tearing through the streets of Far Far Away.
He didn't slow his horse until he was at the gate.