October 30, 1984

I had a peculiar meeting with the eight year old Crown Prince today during my meeting with his father. While the King and I were in the Planning Room going over plans and outlines for the construction of a dam to keep the waters of Lake Yara from spilling over its borders, the Crown Prince came running in with a look of fear on his face. I couldn't help but look at how his eyes shone. I had known the prince ever since the day he was born, but had never really bonded with him. He always seemed cold and a bit distant, but considering his tough childhood, I couldn't blame him. King Bowser was certainly shocked as his son scampered into the room, and not to mention annoyed.

"Ludwig," the King began "what are you doing? Don't you know when I conduct business that--"

"But Lemmy is hurt!" The Crown Prince shouted, ignoring his father. He was quite good at that.

I rose to my feet. "Hurt? Where is he?" I asked.

"We were playing outside and Lemmy fell! His left arm is bruising--"

"Outside by the courtyard?" Bowser asked, the agitation in his voice now showing.

"Yes. I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Ludwig cried out. "It wasn't my fault! I'm sorry!"

"Calm down, young man!" I said, with smile. "I'm sure your brother is fine. Boys your age bruise all the time while playing." I leaned down next to the boy and stared into his blue eyes, now brimming with tears.

"I'll go and see how my son is. Kamek, you watch Ludwig." The King rested a trusting hand on my shoulder, then departed. I turned my attention back to Ludwig at this point. He was saying "I'm sorry!" over and over, as if he had unintentionally caused his little brother's injury. I stand corrected--half brother.

"Ludwig, tell me what happened. You know you can talk to me."

"I-I don't know what happened. I was play wrestling with Lemmy, and when I went to grab him he shouted out that...that..."

"That what?" I found my voice growing tense with curiosity, as if I was expecting the poor boy to say something I wanted to hear. Without even realizing it, I held him by the shoulders and kept gazing into brilliant blue eyes. "You can tell me." I pleaded.

"That I had burnt him...that my touch had burnt him." The Prince's voice was nothing more than a whisper at that point. The words were as shocking to him as they were to me. He held his head low, like he was staring at my shoes, although his eyes were closed.

My gods, he said he burnt his brother just by touching him. I knew my instincts were correct about this boy. "Ludwig, are you sure that's what happened? Maybe he had hurt himself before and you accidentally touched the bruise--"

"No, it wasn't there before when we first started playing." He paused, raising his head and right hand. "I felt it. When I touched him, I felt his skin burning."

What I was hearing was too good to be true! Well...not that Prince Lemmy was hurt, mind you, but that I was right about Ludwig all along. Still, I had to put all doubts aside. "But I'm touching you right now and you're not burning me, Ludwig."

"You didn't get me mad though." As he said this, a devilish gleam appeared across his face whether he knew it or not.

At his words I could not help but gawk. "So you hurt your brother unintentionally you think?"

"I know I did. I'm sorry. It was an accident!" Ludwig then looked into my own eyes and raised an eyebrow. "Hey, I've never really noticed it before, but your eyes glow like mine do, Kamek."

I had to practically restrain myself from jumping up and down at this news! Young Ludwig had discovered that he was a sorcerer...or at least that he had powers that no other little boys his age had. "Yes Ludwig, we both have the same eyes. Has anything like this ever happened to you before? Something that you neglected to tell us?"

"No, not that I remember. Kamek, can we keep this a secret?"

"A secret?" I asked. "You don't want me to tell your father?"

"No, I don't want him knowing."

"At least not yet. I understand. This will be between us sorcerers."

Ludwig smiled when I addressed him as a sorcerer. He was such a handsome boy, and greatly resembled his late mother. "That means I might be like you, right Kamek?"

"With training, yes. Your mother was a great sorceress, you know that right?"

"Yeah. I just don't want to hurt anyone again."

"It takes a great deal of training, young man. I shall teach you when you are ready."

Ludwig looked down again and cracked another small smile. "Maybe the King will pay attention to me now."

At that point in the conversation, the King returned. He said that Lemmy told him it was a bruise, and he had gotten it when wrestling with his big brother. Even Lemmy lied to protect Ludwig. Why he did that I don't know, considering he is only five and a half. Another thing that struck me was how the Crown Prince referred to his father as "The King", and not as "Daddy" or something of that nature. Bowser's neglect of the boy is already taking its toll, but that doesn't matter. If Ludwig does discover the full potential of his powers, which I am to make sure of, he will not need a father by his side. He could have all of Lunaretine at his feet.

November 7, 1984

Queen Adora made an announcement to the Royal Council today-that she was pregnant. Again. It seems to me all that woman does is help create babies and deliver them. It's like the King just wants to keep her preoccupied. He took the news quite joyously, and made a huge deal of it, telling all the council members how proud he was. Out of the corner of my eye I could see the stone-faced Crown Prince, his look clearly displaying disgust. In a way I can see where Prince Ludwig is coming from. His father acts as if he was never married to another woman, and refuses to even bring up the name "Monika".

The younger Prince Lemuel was shocked at the news as well. With eyes bulging, he turned toward Ludwig and exclaimed in a whisper, "But we just got a new brother. I don't want another one!"

At his brother's outburst, Ludwig broke his scowl and chuckled. One of the Council members (Remir, if I am correct) turned and angrily glared at the two princes. I too felt like laughing. A little over two years ago, the King and Queen welcomed Prince Roy into the world, which caused quite a stir among the children. Lemuel certainly didn't like the idea of having another brother, and Ludwig was indifferent. I was seated next to the princes, and as the Crown Prince still wore a slight smile on his lips, I turned towards them and grinned. Lemuel looked at me and again began to giggle.

"Roy is enough trouble." He whispered to me with a smirk. "He throws up all the time, and he smells."

At the younger prince's words, Ludwig couldn't help but to laugh out loud. It was a sound from him which I have not heard in a long time, and it was music to my ears. I myself had to stifle my laughter as the Council, King, and Queen turned their attention to us. I quickly ripped the smile off my face and directed my eyes toward the King, who was angered by his son's exclamation.

Adora raised an eyebrow and addressed the boys, "Ludwig, what's going on?" She asked in a stern voice. Her hands were resting on her belly, as if she was trying to protect her unborn child from the silly antics of its future brothers.

"Nothing at all." Ludwig quickly regrouped himself and answered back in a very formal manner. "I'm sorry."

Lemuel placed his hands in front of his mouth in order to muffle the sound of his laughter. That boy is always smiling or giggling over something, even if there is nothing to laugh at. He strikes me as odd sometimes, but he does have a wonderful sense of humor, and says the right things at the right times, so to speak.

"Nothing is wrong, Mother. I made Ludwig laugh, it's my fault." Lemuel explained while trying to stop his uncontrollable chuckling.

"Oh, really? Well what were you two laughing over? It must have been very funny to produce such an outburst!" The Queen was now glaring solely at Ludwig.

"Yes, please inform the Council." King Bowser added, also staring at this eldest son.

Of course...I thought. Always blame that poor boy for everything.

"Do you really want to know?" Lemuel asked, fidgeting in his chair. He glanced at his big brother, who was staring back defiantly at his father.

"Yes, we'd like to know." Councilman Remir butted in, turning around to face all three of us.

Never one to back down, Lemuel grinned again. "I said that Roy throws up and stinks."

At his words, the Council tried to remain silent, but I heard a few laughs and comments here and there. The King and Queen were not amused. Ludwig had to lower his head to hide the smile on his face.

"Kamek!" The King called out.

"Yes, your Majesty?" I answered, standing up.

"Would you kindly escort these children out of here? They are disrupting the session..." His words trailed off as he again stared at the Crown Prince. It was as if Ludwig felt his father's ice cold glance through his skull, because his head shot up immediately. I honestly think that the boy was just glad to be getting out of there. He was never one for formal events.

"As you wish, sire." I motioned for the princes to stand up, "Let's go, boys." As I started to lead them out, Prince Lemuel waved "good-bye" to his parents and wore a smile from ear to ear. At only five and a half he was quite the practical joker.

We exited the Council Room and began to walk down the hallway back towards the Princes' chambers. "That was quite a show you put on in there, boys." I said in a strong, condescending tone. Both brothers looked up at me, Lemuel with a shocked expression. Grinning, I started to laugh. "You sure upset your parents, and the entire Council in one shot."

"Yeah, that was great! Those things sure are boring." The younger Prince started to skip ahead of Ludwig and I. "From now on, I'm going to do that at every meeting!"

"I really dislike those things," Ludwig muttered, his eyes focused on the ornate rug which we were walking on. "The majority of the time I'm never paying attention."

"But your young Highness, you're going to have those fancy Council meetings too someday! You're our future King." I said, placing an arm around the boy's shoulders.

"I don't want to be King." he nonchalantly answered without looking up.

I was a bit stunned by Ludwig's words. What prince doesn't want to become a king someday? "You say that now, but when you grow older--"

My words caused the Crown Prince to look up at me and snap, "I said I don't want to be King!"

"I'll be king if you don't want to!" Lemuel exclaimed, still trotting ahead of us.

"Fine Lemmy, you do it." Ludwig told his brother. "It seems like such a boring job anyway."

Deciding not to argue with the boy, I shook my head and forced a smile. "Fine, do as you wish."

An awkward silence filled the air now. I waited for the younger prince to skip further away from us, so he would not be able to hear what I was about to ask his big brother.

"Ludwig?"

"Yeah?"

"Have there been any more..." I struggled to find the right word. "...incidences?" He looked up at me and shook his head negatively. "Before I noticed the burn marks you left on Lemuel's arm." At this point in the conversation I stopped walking dead in my tracks. Ludwig stopped too and gave me a curious look. "What I meant to say was...that for such a young boy, you left quite a mark. Your father hasn't questioned you about it?"

"No, not at all. He just ignores me as usual."

"Yes well, that's his loss." I said, partially to the Prince, and partially to myself. "Remember what I told you, when the time comes, I shall train you."

"I remember." He looked up at me and cracked a small smile.

"Good! Now, off to your chambers, your Highness." I wrapped my arm around his shoulders again and we continued down the hallway.

After dropping off Prince Ludwig at his room, I returned back to my quarters, where I am writing at this minute. Even though the Crown Prince says that there haven't been any more "incidences", I could sense he was lying. I think he is experimenting with his newfound powers on his own, which can be a dangerous thing, especially considering the amount of power I believe he possesses. All I can do for now is wait until he wants to tell his father, then I can begin training him. The days following the burning incident I contemplated teaching the boy in secret, but figured that if we got caught it would be my head paying the price. I believe Ludwig will open up soon, and when he does, it will have been well worth the wait.

December 31, 1984

Although King Bowser hasn't mentioned anything to me about a party, tomorrow is Prince Ludwig's ninth birthday. I remember years ago this date was a huge event in Dark World. Sadly, that was when everyone thought that the baby prince was going to be a magnificent sorcerer. Now that he has proven them wrong, because they are unaware of the truth, tomorrow shall be an ordinary day. It saddens me to see a young boy's birthday go almost ignored, but something tells me that even Ludwig wants it this way. Over the past few days the Crown Prince has seemed troubled, but I have not asked him about it. The King, for what I can tell, has taken no notice at all, and Queen Adora is too occupied with her pregnancy to even care. What I do know is that King Bowser is to have a meeting with the Alterian King Leirelat sometime next month. This leads me to question the stability between the Kingdoms of Alteria and Oceanside. It has only been a matter of months since the two almost broke out into war, and our King and King Leirelat talking with each other leads me to believe that an alliance may not be far off. I hope that a conflict can be avoided. Wars often tear countries apart, and in our case, the Eight Kingdoms may become divided over who sides with whom. This situation reminds me of what happened five hundred years ago. Dark World and the Kingdom of Sands were involved in a huge war, which in our time goes by the simple name of The Destruction. As its name implies, both Kingdoms practically destroyed each other, and not to mention the other six! The story explains that Dark World wanted to expand its borders beyond The Dead Continent. (The Dead Continent, was very aptly named. Everything on this land was and is still dead. Very little plant and animal life, barren soil...basically it's very difficult for the continent to support life on its own), so an expansion was in order to ensure to lives of her people. The Council at the time (there was a king back then, but he ruled only in name and had very little power) was a ruling representative government, and decided that the best place to, put it nicely, "take over", would be a region of land north of the Kingdom of Sands. None of the eight kingdoms had claim to this land, so the Council saw it as a perfect opportunity. Only one problem stood in the way, and that was The Kingdom of Sands itself. They had a government similar to Dark World's, and their Council objected to our "intrusion", giving the reason that even though the land didn't have a rightful owner, it was still theirs. It had something do to about an ancestral place to them...that I'm not too sure. Arguments were made on both sides, until finally Dark World sent an army to the free region and declared it theirs. Whether sending in an army was the right thing to do is still being debated, but The Kingdom of Sands quickly retaliated by sending their own army to the territory. The troops from our kingdom easily defeated the soldiers from Sands, and after that, they declared war on Dark World. The remaining Eight Kingdoms all had to take sides, families became divided, and chaos ensued. This marked the first time that the art of sorcery was used in battle, and the effects were of mass destruction. After almost thirty years of fighting, The Kingdom of Sands and her supporters collapsed, and Dark World was victorious. An empire was born when our kingdom not only took over the original territory which the war was based on, but conquered the weakened Kingdom of Sands as well. From then on, the rest of the kingdoms feared Dark World and the power she possessed. That was the story of The Destruction in a nutshell. Needless to say The Empire lost control of the Kingdom of Sands about one hundred years ago, but that's a whole other story in itself. All tangents aside, back to the Crown Prince. The boy seems to be very troubled. I don't want to come out and confront him about it, since I feel it isn't my business. Although I've known him all his life, we haven't started to become close until the last few months. I'd rather wait until he feels comfortable enough with me to ask him about what is on his mind. My curiosity about the issues bothering Prince Ludwig will have to be put on hold for now, but I do hope to see the boy tonight.

January 2, 1985

Just as I suspected, the Crown Prince's birthday passed by uneventfully, except for the small reception given for him after dinner. King Bowser had a special birthday cake made for the now nine year old Prince, and the whole family gathered. Since I'm practically a part of the Royal Family ever since becoming Head Administrator, I was invited as well. I saw a side of Prince Ludwig last night that, as far as I could tell, he was trying to hide for a long time. It all started after a grand New Year's dinner in the main dining hall. After remaining silent throughout his entire meal, Ludwig promptly hopped up out of his chair and exited the hall. Neither the King or Queen noticed, but Prince Lemuel's eyes followed his brother. I waited until everyone else was finished eating to question the presence of the birthday boy.

"Your Majesty, Prince Ludwig left in a hurry. Do you think there's something wrong?" I asked.

"Maybe it was the cooking..." I heard Prince Lemuel snicker in a low voice to his younger brother Roy. Although the two year old Prince probably couldn't understand his sibling, he laughed anyway.

"Kamek, why don't you go check on the boy? After all, it is his birthday and we did prepare him a nice cake." The King answered rather calmly, not even looking up from his dinner plate.

It's the Crown Prince's birthday and all you did was bake him a cake! I angrily thought. "I'll go and see if he's alright." I stood up and began to exit the hall.

"Make sure he comes back. We're celebrating his birthday, after all." Queen Adora cooly added, placing her hands over her now showing belly.

I turned back to face the monarchs, "Yes, your Highness." I wanted badly to give the King and Queen a lecture in child rearing, but decided to keep my mouth shut. My council was only needed in business affairs involving the Kingdom, not in raising children.

My search began in all the obvious places I thought I'd find the Prince. First I checked his quarters, but he wasn't there. Next came the Social Room, which is basically a giant living room, and he wasn't there either. Then I remembered that Ludwig had recently started to take piano lessons, so I checked the Music Hall which contained his grand piano. He was nowhere to be seen there. Becoming more and more exasperated with my search, I began to wander the numerous halls of the giant castle aimlessly in hopes to find the boy. Without any idea where I was going at the time, I began to walk into the secluded east portion of the castle. Once realizing where I was, a grim thought came over me. This was the part of the castle where Queen Monika died. It was her favorite part of the palace as well because of the view it had. Since the Queen's death, this section of the castle was closed off and all of Monika's belongings were kept here untouched. It consisted of three rooms--a master bedroom, a tinier version of the main Social Room, and a small, but generous, library. I could tell that this place had been left unmoved for an extremely long time by the amount of dust on the furniture and in the air. This was Queen Monika's personal chambers, and I had no right being there. Even in the past while she was alive I rarely came into the eastern wing of the castle. Just as I was about to turn around and make haste, I heard a soft voice coming from the library. The words that were being spoken I couldn't understand because they were muffled, but I could tell that the voice was emanating from Prince Ludwig. Quietly, in an order not to scare the boy, I walked over to the half closed door and peered in. There was the Crown Prince, sitting on the floor, legs folded under him, staring up at a giant painting. At the angle I was at I couldn't tell what the picture was of, but it seemed to hold Ludwig's attention. Unaware of my presence, the Prince continued to converse with the painting. I wish I could've understood what he was saying, but I did make out a few words, such as birthday...nothing special...doesn't care...miss you...Mom. Gods, he was talking to Monika! I finally realized that the imagine he was conversing with was an oil painting of Queen Monika that was made years ago. Previous to her death, the huge painting used to hang on the wall in the main Social Hall, and after she died it was promptly moved here. Come to think of it, there's very little evidence of the late Queen that still remains in the castle, except for the east wing. I was lost in thought and didn't realize that I had accidentally leaned in against the door, which caused it to suddenly creak. The surprised Prince quickly stopped chatting and looked up. At the sight of me I could tell he was a bit annoyed, but not angry.

"Hello your Highness. Your father sent me to look for you since you exited the Dining Hall rather quickly." I gently explained. I didn't want to startle the boy any more than he already was. "Are you alright?"

Ludwig turned away from me momentarily, looked up to the painting of his mother, then focused his large, haunting blue eyes on me again. "Hi Kamek," he simply greeted.

Cautiously I moved one foot into the doorway. This was Queen Monika and Prince Ludwig's space, not mine. "Would you like to be left alone? I can tell your father that you're not feeling well and retired for the evening."

"No, it's okay. You can come in, I want to show you something."

"Are you sure? I don't want to be intruding on you, your Highness."

"No, please come in." He motioned with his hand for me to enter the room. I did, then partially closed the door behind me. I didn't want anyone else to hear what was going on, especially not the King. If he found out his eldest son was conversing with a painting of his dead wife he would not be too happy. "I've been coming here for the past few months." Ludwig explained.

While walking over to the Crown Prince I looked up at the painting of Queen Monika. It was rather large, probably about six feet long. In it, the late Queen was dressed in a decorative blue gown, sitting down in an equally elaborate chair, cradling a newborn baby. "I remember when that painting was done. You were only a week old, and it was hard to keep you quiet while painting." I cracked a smile and looked down at the Prince.

"I come here and talk to her, Kamek. She doesn't answer back or anything like that, but I'd like to think she's listening to me wherever she is now. Sometimes I think she's the only one that does listen to me." the Crown Prince told me, without taking his eyes off the painting.

"I understand. You know, you look a lot like her, Ludwig." I knelt down next to the Prince then pointed up at the portrait. "See her hair color? You've both got light brown hair. Now look at her facial structure, you two are almost identical! And those eyes, you've both got those large blue eyes. The eyes of a sorcerer."

"I know, she was a sorceress. Do you think I could ever be as powerful as she was?"

"Why not? She is your mother, and the power is passed from parent to child. Without a doubt you'll be just as powerful as she was, and probably even stronger."

"I hope so." Ludwig paused. He finally tore his eyes away from the painting and faced me.

"Kamek, what was my mom like?"

It was a simple question from a curious child, but I had a hard time summing up the answer. "Your mother was a wonderful woman, your father didn't deserve her. I'm not sure how much you know, but I'll fill you in on what I'm aware of. She was from a noble family in Dark World, a very rich noble family. The news of her being a sorceress caught on like wildfire, and it certainly didn't escape the ears of your father. At the time, the King was only a Crown Prince, just like you are right now, Ludwig. Not only was he the future ruler, but was very ambitious. Naturally your mother made a great candidate for his wife, so they eventually got married. Your mother had been my good friend for a few years at the time, and I was very shocked about the engagement and marriage. Back then I was just an ordinary Council member, I didn't really have much power. Morrison was Head Administrator, and he was fond of your mother too. She was very caring, but could be quite fiery. That's another trait of her's which I think you inherited."

"Why did my father have this picture moved?" Ludwig asked.

"That I don't know."

"And why does he forbid anyone to come back here? It's weird, but I feel it's like he tries to erase my presence like he erased my mom's."

Those were pretty strong words from a nine year old. Ludwig wasn't stupid. He's extremely bright for a boy his age, or as the King would say, "perhaps too bright".

"Your father doesn't realize the mistake he's making." As soon as I said that I realized the mistake I was making. The King must have been wondering where we were by now. "Ludwig, I have to go report back to your father. What would you like me to tell him?" I asked getting back to my feet.

"Tell him I'll see him tomorrow." The Crown Prince replied, turning his attention back to the portrait.

"Alright. I won't say a word to anyone about you being here."

"Thank you."

I made my way back to the door, then turned around to face the Prince again, "Oh Ludwig, Happy Birthday." I warmly smiled.

The boy looked up and smiled back. It was a small smile, but it did make me feel better. With that I left the Queen's quarters and returned to the Dining Hall. Of course the King questioned what had taken me so long, so I made up a story about Ludwig not feeling well. Queen Adora and her King both seemed indifferent and retired to their chamber for the remainder of the evening. I think the two younger princes gladly ate the left-over birthday cake.

The events of last night helped me to delve deeper into Ludwig's mind. Now I saw how greatly he missed his mother, although he was only two and a half when she died. I only hope that his newfound powers of sorcery will help give him the attention he so greatly needs.

February 19, 1985

King Bowser called me into his chambers earlier this evening, a request which I found extremely odd. Usually no one was allowed in such a private place except the King and Queen themselves, so naturally I feared something terrible was wrong. Upon entering the chamber, I found the King standing at his Queen's bedside, clutching her right hand while she had the left over her four month pregnant belly. She appeared to be in a state of pain, her small brown eyes half shut.

"Your Majesty, what do you request of me?" I asked, making my way swiftly towards the bed.

"Kamek, Adora has been having cramps in her abdomen. She's four months along now, so I fear that something must be wrong,"

"How long has she been having them?"

Queen Adora answered herself. "Just for the past few hours. I've never felt anything like this before. Is my child in danger?" She questioned, her eyes now wide open staring right at me.

"Well, I'm not a doctor, but I may be able to sense something. Here, let me check." My powers of sorcery have granted me spectacular, and sometimes, unusual abilities. While under the Council of King Bowser, I have helped along the pregnancies of both his Queens. One of my gifts is being able to sense if the unborn child is in danger, when it's due, and even predict the sex. Sorcery is quite a strange thing! I gently placed my hands over Queen Adora's belly and lowered my head. At first I heard the Queen begin to protest, but her King promptly shushed her up. It didn't take me long to diagnose the problem. "Your Highness, there is nothing to fear. Not only is your offspring safe, but you're carrying twins." I reassured with a smile.

At my words, Queen Adora looked up at her husband, still with a half worried expression on her face. "Are you sure, Kamek? I know you've never been wrong before, but--" The King started.

"I am positive. The cramps she's getting are natural since she's carrying twins. You should be glad!"

"Twins? My Gods!" Adora exclaimed, finally breaking out into a laugh. "And they're safe?"

"Yes, they're fine, your Majesty."

"For my wife's sake, I hope you're right." King Bowser squeezed the Queen's hand.

"Do not fear. Didn't I accurately predict the birth of your previous three sons without any complications?"

"That you did, Kamek. We are grateful."

"Now that everything is back in order, I ask for your permission to allow me to return back to my chamber. The Queen needs her rest." I humbly requested.

"Of course, thank you for everything." The King nodded his head at me in respect.

"Yes, thanks Kamek. Having a sorcerer around is such a privilege, I don't know what we'd do without you." Queen Adora smiled at me. Any praise that came from that woman made my skin crawl. I still cannot accept the way she treats Prince Ludwig. King Bowser is certainly no better.

With that I took my leave and made my way back to my quarters. Upon returning I was shocked to see Prince Ludwig and his brother Lemuel waiting in front of my bedroom door.

"What are you boys doing here? It's late." I asked, opening up my door.

"We know you were summoned to the King's chamber. What happened?" Ludwig questioned.

"Yeah, what's wrong?" Lemuel chimed in.

"Come in, I'll explain inside." I motioned for the princes to enter my room, which they did without protest. I closed the door behind them and turned around to see the two seated on my bed. "Nothing is wrong, boys."

"Then why did my father want you there? No one is allowed in there, not even us." Ludwig asked, his bright blue eyes focused on me.

"Did something happen to the baby?" Lemuel interjected in a tone that sounded almost... happy. Ludwig noticed the sudden joy in his little brother's voice, and turned to give him an angry scowl.

"No, Lemuel, nothing is wrong." I answered, then my tone turned a bit sarcastic. "In fact, I'm sure you're going to be delighted to hear that she's having twins!" I knew that would certainly get a reaction out of the boys.

"Twins? Aw, man!" Lemuel whined.

Ludwig raised an eyebrow. "Two newborns at once doesn't sound too nice."

"I figured you two wouldn't be happy." I smugly said.

"Well, I know I'm not happy!" the younger prince hopped off the bed and headed over to the door. "Newborns stink, they stink even worse than Roy!" With that he walked out.

"How did the King take the news?" Ludwig asked, gazing up at me.

I sighed. "He took it well, Ludwig. I'm sure he's happy." The Crown Prince was silent, but I could hear him release a long breath of air. "Hey, I have an idea."

"What, Kamek?"

"Have you ever ventured outside this castle?"

At my question Ludwig's expression turned to one of disbelief. "No, no I haven't. Why?"

"Are you aware what waits outside? Outside of these walls?" I decided to change the subject and bring up something I knew the prince would find interesting.

"Not really, I've just seen pictures and stuff..." The rest of Ludwig's sentence trailed off, but then he picked his head up and grinned widely. "But I'd sure like to find out!"

I laughed and walked over to the Prince, who was still seated on my bed. Kneeling down I rested my hands on his shoulders and immediately noticed the change in his face. He now wore an expression of excitement as he looked into my brilliant green eyes. "Ludwig, you have no idea what you're missing! There are skyscrapers that go on for miles, and highways, crowded with cars, trucks--"

"And it's so close!" The boy's voice was suddenly filled with joy. For once he sounded like an actual nine year old, and not the cynical man trapped in a child's body that he usually resembled.

"Yes, yes it is! All this is in the Capital city of Dark World, which is outside of the castle's walls. Everything in here seem's so simple, doesn't it?"

"So boring."

"Exactly. You've never seen what this kingdom is really made of. It has many cities scattered all over the Dead Continent, and it's Capital is not too far away! How about I take you there tomorrow?"

My question caused the Prince to jump up out of his seat. "Really? We could go?" He asked, his voice tense with excitement. "Do you think the King would allow it?"

"I've gone into the Capital many times, I'm sure he wouldn't mind."

"He probably wouldn't even notice I was gone." Ludwig added dryly, but then brushed off his sudden bout with sadness as quickly as it came and the smile returned to his lips. "What else is there, Kamek? Can we go into the tall buildings? Are they bigger than the castle? How many people live in the Capital?"

The sudden rush of questions from the Prince caused me to laugh and I rose to my feet. "Your Highness, there are buildings even taller than the highest towers of the castle! And about eight million people live there."

"Eight million!" Ludwig exclaimed. "That's so many, how do they all fit?"

"They manage. So is it final, are we going into the Capital tomorrow?" I asked, even though I knew I didn't have to.

"Yes! I can't wait to tell Lemmy--"

"Ludwig, I wouldn't tell him yet. He might get jealous. I only want to take you this time. Maybe next time he can come along." I advised.

"Oh, it's alright. I won't mention anything, as long as you and I go!" The Crown Prince smiled at me and his large blue eyes twinkled. "But how are we going to get there? I don't want to take the Airship. I hate that thing. Just looking at it scares me."

The means of transportation for the Royal Family is the great Airship, which is literally a flying ship! It is maneuvered by many propellers and can exceed the speeds of the jets which are used for regular transportation. Why the Family decided to stick with using the Airship is beyond me, considering that there are high tech planes available. I suppose the Airship is used more as a symbol of the Family since it's been in use for over one hundred years now. Whatever reason why it was kept in use was beyond me, but what I did know about it was that Prince Ludwig disliked riding on it. Perhaps he has a fear of flying or heights?

"Well then young man, how would you suggest we get into the Capital?" I asked, eager to hear his suggestion. He pondered for a moment, scratching his head. It was an amusing sight.

"Err...I don't know."

"Then the Airship it is, but we'll only be on it for a little while. The ride isn't long." I reassured. "Now you must get going. It is late and we have to be up early tomorrow. It's going to be a big day for you!"

"Kamek, thank you." His tone suddenly got soft and he modestly looked at me.

"You don't have to thank me, Ludwig. It's a shame you've never seen what the outside world holds. All your life you've been stuck in here..." I let the rest of my statement go unfinished, not sure of what else to say. Actually, I knew exactly what to say, but not to Ludwig, to his father.

"I'll be going now." The Prince turned to look at me one last time and the bright smile returned. "I'll see you tomorrow, Kamek!"

"Good night, young man."

After exchanging pleasantries I retired for the night. Tomorrow is going to be such a great day. I hope to show Prince Ludwig more in one day than he's ever seen in his entire lifetime.