Tall, raven-haired, broad-shouldered Prince Darien was destined to be king.
It wasn't just in his blood; it was in his character.
Everyone knew it. He was domineering, possessing great leadership skills.
He was usually kind, but his vice was his short temper when it came to unimportant people. If you were royal or significant in his life somehow, he was very gracious towards you. But if a negligible person got in his way or broke the rules, they would suffer severely.
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"Oh Darien, you really need to work on that temper," His mother advises, while brushing her hair in her bedroom. "It's bad for your image and if you are going to be courting soon, no respectful woman is going to be attracted to an easily angered brute." She states coolly.
"Mother! I would appreciate if you would not refer to me as a brute." He replies with broken confidence as he sits down beside her.
"Continue your behavior," she takes a delicate breath. "And it will be true." She calmly replies.
Prince Darien sighs. "Mother, I'm not that bad." He looks up at her. "True, I'm disrespectful towards the unworthy, but to anyone that matters I'm very well mannered."
His mother nods and sighs. "Well, on another note, I have organized a ball, on the evening of the last day of the week. There will be princesses from all around, even Princess Serenity from the Moon Kingdom will be there."
She continues brushing her silver locks without a reply from her son, when they hear a crash from outside. Startled, she jumps out of her seat, dropping her hairbrush.
"If there isn't a decent justification for that, someone's going to pay." Darien exclaims in disturbance. He walks hurriedly out the door, curious as to what caused the racket.
"Here we go again." The Queen sighs as she follows him out of her chamber.
They walk down the enormous flight of stairs, and through the main door.
As they reach the exterior of the palace, they see a girl in a tattered tan robe, with a hood covering her head near the front door. She looks up. Her beauty is very apparent, even through the dirt on her cheeks. Her violet eyes are large and stray pieces of her ebony black hair fall into her eyes.
Regardless of her beauty, Prince Darien brusquely demands an explanation. "What are you doing at the palace?" He glances at the broken flowerpots on either side of the doors of the palace. "Why are they broken?"
She stands up, then quickly bows down to one knee. "I—I'm sorry, your majesty... I didn't mean to break it... I came here to ask a favor of the gracious royal family..."
Prince Darien raises an eyebrow, then narrows his eyes and scolds her. "If you are of no royal or important background you are not welcome at the palace, and you definitely have no right to ask the sovereigns of the kingdom for any favors!"
"Son, need you be so harsh on this poor soul? Do you have no sympathy?" his mother interjects.
"Back off Mother, I'll deal with her." He replies composedly.
"Fine. She's in your hands now." She sticks up her nose and returns inside, instructing some of the servants to clean up the mess the girl had made.
Left alone with the prince, she stands up again, her head tilted down a little. "So you're saying you will not help me?" she looks down mysteriously.
Prince Darien shakes his head. "There will be no such action. Go, I forbid you from entering the palace grounds again. If you leave now, nobody needs to go through any unnecessary additional troubles."
The girl nods and pulls down her hood. Sliding out of her robe, she reveals a beautiful navy sequined gown, the sleeves flowing out. Her face is flawless, dirtless.
"You need not know what I was to ask of you anymore, but I will grant you the information regarding your punishment." She says with a cold look on her face. "I am Dionysia, the goddess of compassion. I have been searching for a kindhearted prince to grant one wish to. But, so far, they have all mistreated me. You included. Along with the rest of them, you do not deserve to know your punishment. But, for your sake, I will not leave you ignorant to your curse."
Skeptical, he remains standing, ignoring what she just said.
"Do not be disbelieving of what I have just informed you." Her eyes narrow and her magic initiate the buckling of his knees, compelling him to bow down.
"I'm sorry, your grace. I was unaware I was in the presence of a beautiful divinity. I beg of your pardon." He apologizes, repentant of his previous actions.
She shakes her head. "I myself am sorry, but it is too late. You have shown me your coldness towards the minor inhabitants of your empire."
She closes her eyes. A beam of golden like radiates from her hand and shines onto his. His hands glow and the light passes through his body, through his veins. He looks at his hands, oblivious to the magic passing through them. When her eyes open again, she explains to him what just happened.
"What I have just done, is considered a blessing by the greedy. But let me assure you, it is a curse." She continues to look at him with unforgiving eyes. "From your mere touch, will the thing you love most turn to solid gold. Do not take this lightly, for the thing you love most shall very well be living." With that, she waves her arm and disappears.
He looks at his hands, greatly shameful of what he just did. He storms through the palace doors and up to his room, slamming his door on the way in.
How am I... going to find a wife...