Chapter 1
In the highest room in one of the towers of the Asthaterian palace, a young man was sitting in front of the only window, looking at the hustle and bustle going on in the courtyard. The boy had never seen any of it from up close; he didn't even know what exactly the tiny people were all doing down there or who they were. In fact, Blaine Anderson hadn't left this room since he and his mother had been brought there twenty years ago. He had been too young to remember any of it, but he did know how they had ended up in there from what his mother had told him.
Ever since she had died unexpectedly when he was fifteen, Blaine had been all alone. Except for the guards standing outside his door, of course, but those never came in. The only visitors he had were the castle's servants and a few scholars who provided him with books to keep him from going completely insane in this small room. But the scholars never stayed long enough to start a decent conversation and the servants seemed to have been ordered not to discuss anything with him apart from the weather. The only one who dared to go against this was a servant girl named Tina, who brought him his food.
Still, Blaine knew he was lucky. He hadn't been killed, even though he was of no use or value to his keepers. Of course, they wouldn't have wanted the murder of a child on their conscience, but he was an adult now. Yet, for some reason, he was still here and he was given food and things to keep himself occupied with. So, except for his freedom, he had everything he needed. And he was grateful for that, despite the resentment towards the Asthaterian king his mother had tried – and failed – to instil in him. The same king who had always kept his promise to Lord Anderson and had treated them like guests instead of like the prisoners they actually were. The only difference with real guests was that Blaine could never leave his room.
Which was also the biggest problem. There was nothing Blaine longed for more than to be able to get out of this room, to explore the world outside, instead of just reading about it in books. He wanted to find out what it was like to feel the warmth of the sun without there being a window in the way. He wanted to see the tiny figures that were running around the courtyard far below him from up close and discover what they did there every day. He wanted to hear the sounds, breathe in the smells. And he wanted to meet new people so that he would finally have somebody to talk to.
Ever since his mother had passed away, Blaine had been incredible lonely. Granted, she hadn't always been the best company. There had been days when she had been moody and depressed and had hated the whole world, which had only become worse the older Blaine got and the more he started to look like his father. But still, he hadn't been alone and he had known there had been at least one person who loved him, not just tolerated him. Of course, Tina did more than just 'tolerate him', but she seemed to be the only one who cared about him as a friend and who always made time for a quick little chat before she had to go back to her work.
And then there was also William the healer, who had once saved his life when he was a child. Whenever the man was in the neighbourhood, he always made a point of visiting. More often than not, he came with the most interesting stories from his many travels and, in a way, he had almost become some kind of father figure to Blaine. When they had first met, Will was still a relatively young man, trying to prove himself, and little Blaine had been in desperate need of a healer.
"Blainey? Time to wake up."
From somewhere very far away, Blaine could hear his mother's voice, but his eyes felt way too heavy to do as she asked. It was also stiflingly hot, which didn't really help. The cool hand he felt on his forehead did, though, and he leaned into it hoping it would cool him down a bit.
"Oh, dear God."
Blaine whimpered when the hand left and took its coolness with it.
Joanna Anderson quickly walked across the room and frantically knocked on the door, outside of which two guards were permanently stationed. One of them opened the door in surprise.
"My son is ill. He needs a healer right away."
At first, they looked at her in suspicion, wondering whether it was a trick. But, then again, she had never posed any problem before, so one of them went to the king to deliver the message. After a while, he came back with a servant who was carrying several towels and a bowl of cold water.
"Where's the healer? I asked for a healer. My son has a dangerously high fever. Some cold water won't be enough."
"My apologies, my lady. It seems our healer is not present right now. So, until they have found someone else or until the messenger has reached him, we'll have to make do with what we have."
Joanna sighed deeply.
"Fine. But they had better find a healer fast."
They set to work making the towels wet and draping them over Blaine's overheated body. Through it all, the boy was barely conscious. But despite their best efforts, his fever didn't go down much, and by the next morning, it had even risen again. After two days, Joanna was at the end of her rope. She had barely slept and Blaine wasn't getting any better. To make matters worse, the healer was caught up elsewhere and couldn't come back right away.
The opening of the door broke her out of her thoughts. The same servant that had helped her the past days entered, followed by a young man with short curly hair.
"Lady Anderson," the servant – Lisa – said with noticeable relief in her voice. "They've found a healer."
After a very short introduction, Will immediately began unpacking various herbs and mixing them. The boy in the bed was weak, and he knew he had to act quickly if he was going to give the kid a chance at surviving. While he and Lady Anderson were waiting for the medicines to kick in, Will learned a lot about the sad living arrangements of the proud Eirenian noblewoman and her son. By the time Blaine was finally aware again, after several more days of worrying and fearing for the boy's life, Will had become very fond of him and his mother. Another two days later, the kid was bouncing around the room, chattering their ears off as if he had never been sick in the first place.
Ever since that first time, Will had tried to visit as often as possible, which was about once or twice per year. He had even been there when Blaine had lost his mother. Even though he had been too late to save her, he had stayed as long as he could in the aftermath, knowing he was the teenager's last source of comfort.
Blaine missed Will. He hadn't seen him in almost a year and was looking forward to his next visit and to forgetting about his own boring life for a while by immersing himself in Will's numerous tales. However, unbeknownst to Blaine, his boring life was about to change drastically.
A great distance away from where Blaine was caught up in his reflections, king Burt was staring morosely out at the courtyard down below. He had just come from a meeting with his council and was waiting expectantly for Kurt, who was due to return from his hunting trip soon. Realising he was very likely about to ruin the rest of his son's day, Burt hoped that the trip had gone well. He had a very important issue to discuss with him and, with some luck, Kurt would be in a good enough mood to at least hear him out.
Kurt had always been a very strong-minded boy and now, at twenty-one years old, a certain royal confidence had settled over him once he had passed the awkward teenage years. On top of that, the boy had also inherited his mother's beauty and her inherent kindness, making him a charming and generally well-liked young man.
Finally, Burt saw the subject of his thoughts arrive in the courtyard and dismount from his horse with a wide smile on his face. He waved briefly when he noticed Burt standing by the window. Then, he turned back to say something to Sam, his right-hand man and best friend. They had met as children, when Sam's father had sent his eldest son to the court as a page, and the two had been inseparable ever since. They had trained together, always challenging each other to do better, and quickly became two of Eirenia's best swordsmen. They were so in tune with one other that they sometimes seemed to be one person instead of two. With that kind of friendship also came trust so deep that Burt himself had only experienced it with his late wife. They told each other everything, from the most banal anecdotes to their deepest secrets, and Burt knew Sam had been the first one to whom Kurt had admitted that he was attracted to men.
In Eirenia, homosexuality was generally accepted. It was even established in the constitution that every man and woman had the right to marry whomever they liked, regardless of gender or social status. In practice, though, the commoners didn't often mingle with the nobility and the landed gentry still tended to try arranging political marriages for their children.
Burt himself had been lucky. He had met his wife Elizabeth when she had been working as a seamstress in a village not far from where he had lived at the time – before he became king and moved to the castle. He had courted her for a year before she had finally relented and had agreed to marry him. Burt had been lucky because he had had a marriage based on love. And he wanted the same for his son, but he knew Kurt's options were more limited. Homosexuality may be accepted, but that didn't make it common. Excluding those that didn't mind pretending to be gay in order to gain a higher social status, the list of admirers to choose from was very short.
Burt sighed. Time to face the music. He sent Stephen, his servant, to get Kurt, who came in several minutes later, still grinning broadly.
"There's my boy. How did the hunting go?"
"Hey dad," Kurt said brightly. "It went great. Sam and I chased this huge boar. It took us almost an hour to catch it. I think the cook said he was going to roast it tonight."
"Sounds good." Burt already looked forward to the meal, but right now, there were more important matters at hand. "Listen, son, there's something we need to discuss. Why don't you have a seat."
Kurt sat down obediently, curious as to what his father wanted to talk about.
"I had a meeting with the council today," Burt started. "They think it's time for you to get married."
Kurt let out an incredulous little laugh.
"What? No, absolutely not."
"Kurt, you're the crown prince. If something happens to me, you'll become king. You need an heir."
"No, I'm not ready to get married. I haven't found the right person yet. Besides, there's no hurry. It's not like I'm going to become king tomorrow."
"You can't know that," Burt responded patiently. After all, he had seen this argument coming. "And you know I've given you as much time as I possibly could. You're twenty-one, Kurt. Most guys of your age are already starting a family."
"Sam isn't," Kurt retorted.
"But Sam isn't the only heir of the king. He's given up his title in the hope that he'll one day become the future commander of your military force. He doesn't have an obligation to produce an heir."
Burt followed Kurt with his eyes when he stood up and started pacing around the room.
"The council has given me a deadline. You have to be married by the time you turn twenty-two."
"But that's only a year from now!"
"I know. If you haven't found someone by then, they will find a partner for you."
"They can't do that," Kurt yelled indignantly.
"I'm afraid they can, son."
"No! I can't find my future husband in only a year, dad. You know I don't want to marry just anybody. I want love, dad, like you and mum. You can't force that."
Kurt looked at his father with a pleading look in his eyes, willing him to understand his predicament. And Burt did, but he also knew he couldn't change this.
"I'm sorry, Kurt." He stood up and walked to his son, laying his hands on his shoulders. "I wish I could give you more time, but I already postponed this for as long as I could."
"I just want to marry someone I love and who loves me in return, who wants to be with me for me, not because of my position. Is that too much to ask?"
"No, of course not." Burt pulled his son into a comforting hug. "And maybe you'll still find your prince charming in time. I really hope you do."
"Who knows," Kurt said dejectedly, pulling away.
"What about that Chandler guy you met last year? He seemed nice."
"Oh please, he's a stuck-up little arse-licker who's only interested in me because I'm the crown prince, just like the rest of those pretentious status seekers who think they're better than everyone else," Kurt muttered darkly.
"At least he was actually gay," Burt chuckled.
"That's really not helping, dad. If only Sam were gay, he'd be perfect."
Before Burt could answer, they heard an urgent knock on the door and Stephen came in.
"Your Highnesses. My apologies for interrupting but there is a messenger from Asthateia waiting for you in the main hall."
They followed him out of the room to the main hall, where the messenger knelt before them when they approached him.
"Your Highness. I come from Asthateia, where my sources have informed me that king Christopher has passed away. His son, prince Sebastian, has now taken the throne. But that is not all, sire. Rumours are that the prince was in fact responsible for his father's death."
Burt was astounded by the news. Apparently his decision to send some spies to the other kingdom many years ago had finally paid off.
"He killed his own father?" Kurt asked disbelievingly.
"Well, of course there is no evidence, my prince, but they think the king was poisoned, possibly by his son."
"What do you think?" Burt asked. "Do you think Sebastian is capable of murdering his own father?"
"I do, your Highness. If I may speak freely, I have studied prince Sebastian's behaviour for years. He is a cruel man, who only cares about himself and gaining power. I have no doubt he would get rid of anyone who stands in the way of his goals."
Burt nodded thoughtfully.
"Thank you. Good job. We'll have to discuss this issue further with the council. When are you going back to Asthateia?"
"I will be going in two days. I will continue to keep an eye on the situation and let you know as soon as there is more news."
"Thank you."
He dismissed the spy and sat down in his chair deep in thought, the issue of Kurt's marriage forgotten.
Let me know what you think of this. The second chapter is already written, it just needs some editing, so that will probably posted sometime next week.
