Prince William
"Prince William, time to get up," said a familiar voice as I groaned, annoyed, while pulling my blanket up to my face.
"Groaning won't save you. Now come on, before you're late," the voice repeated, chuckling this time.
I slightly rolled my eyes before taking a deep breath and pulling my covers away from my face as I looked up to see our steward Isaac.
Isaac has been our steward for as long as I can remember; he's been here since my uncle Axel was born. At this point, he's more family than just a castle steward.
"Alright, Isaac, I am up," I said as he looked at me sternly and raised his eyebrows.
"Oh, you sure remind me of your father, William," Said Isaac, chuckling as he was helping me put on my robe.
"I am his son for a reason," I said as I began to walk toward my closet to look for my clothes.
"That you are, William," he said as I shook my head.
I have been told my whole life that I look and act a lot like my Father, and to this day, I still haven't had the satisfaction of understanding them.
I did inherit his green eyes and black hair, and technically, I am the only one who did.
Edward looks like our Mother; he inherited her blue eyes and chestnut hair, while Elizabeth is a mixture of both.
Like Mother, she has chestnut red hair, but like me, she has green eyes and fair light skin.
It was when I went to the library that I noticed a portrait of our grandmother, the late Queen Elizabeth of Whelsire.
Then I realized Elizabeth looked precisely like our grandmother. It's a good thing they named her after her; that name does suit her.
Looking around my closet, I found the perfect clothing for today's training.
After picking up and quickly changing into my training clothes, I walked out of my closet to see that Isaac already made my bed as I frowned at him.
"You didn't have to do that, Isaac," I said as he raised his eyebrow, and I sighed. I knew very well what that meant.
"Thank you, Isaac, but I could have done it myself," I said as he smiled.
"That I know, but we are late. Your parents are waiting for you at breakfast, and then you have your training lessons with Sir Anthony," he said as I sighed.
"Alright then," I said as we walked out of the room, and I noticed the time on the hallway clock.
It read 7:30 a.m. 'I thought we were running late,' I thought as we arrived outside Edward's room.
"Go on ahead, William. I have to check on your brother. He may be on break, but a Prince is always on time," he said, and I couldn't help but chuckle.
"Make sure my sister is also up," I added as he smiled, and I went to the dining hall.
Unlike my siblings, I usually didn't like getting up early in the morning. Even though it's a later time than when I was in school, I still don't like getting up early.
Elizabeth and Edward usually get up more quickly, and I think they get that from my Mother; at least, that's what she says.
However, Elizabeth can sometimes be like me when it comes to waking up in the morning. During school breaks, she prefers to sleep instead of waking up early.
Which I completely understand. My siblings attend the same school, and I'm the odd one who attended another school.
Like my Mother, I graduated from Ever Realm Academy since I am my Father's heir.
While Edward and Elizabeth are both in Corinthian Sports School, I find it ironic that at least one of the three of us went to a school our parents did.
However, just because we went our separate ways after Royal Prep doesn't mean we neglected our duties.
For instance, yes, I went to Ever Realm Academy to be trained to become the next king of Whelsire, but Edward and I were still trained there during that time.
My Father never pressured or forced us to attend a school we didn't agree with, and we chose our schools freely.
However, that didn't mean we were off the hook. As princes of Whelsire, we trained daily to improve our fighting skills.
It was one of my and my brother's duties as princes to learn how to fight with swords and pass obstacle courses.
We had our private instructor, Sir Anthony, but occasionally, our Father or grandfather would join in and train us.
On rare occasions, even our Mother would join in. At first, I didn't believe she knew how to handle a sword, but she proved me wrong.
After that, even Elizabeth wanted to learn how to use a sword, which almost gave my Father a heart attack.
She is his little princess, and this is dangerous man stuff that, if not handled with care, she could hurt herself.
Unlike Edward and I, our parents and grandfather became her instructors to ensure she wouldn't hurt herself.
At first, I was against it because, although I may not say it, I don't want my sister to ever be in danger.
This is why I decided it would benefit her to know; you never know when she may need to defend herself.
Walking into the dining room, I notice my Mother helping Izzie set up the table before looking up at me.
"Good morning, William dear," said my Mother as she walked over to me, smiling and hugging me as I embraced her back.
"Good morning, Mom," I said before returning from her embrace.
"Did you sleep well, darling?" Asked my Mother as I nodded, smiling.
"I did, and you?" I asked her. She gave me a small smile and nodded as I raised my eyebrow.
I wasn't close to my Mother, but I knew well when something bothered her.
"Mom, what is it?" I asked as she smiled and shook her head.
"Nothing to worry about darling…" she started, but I cut her off.
"No, Mom, it's bothering you, and as the crowned prince, I have the right to know what's going on with our kingdom," I said as she smiled and cuffed one of my cheeks.
"Sometimes I forget how much you have grown; I still see you as my little boy," she said, smiling.
"There's been a little bit of trouble with some kingdoms regarding the trade system," she added as my eyes widened.
"Like?" I asked as she sighed.
"Some people are not respecting the trade system treaty," she said as I nodded.
This wasn't good news. The trade system was designed to help and unite kingdoms, but if people didn't follow the treaty, this could lead to war.
"Everything is fine for the moment; your father and I are doing our best to prepare and make sure they don't screw us over," she said as I nodded.
"If there's anything I can do to help, let me know immediately," I said as she smiled and nodded.
"Of course, darling," she said, smiling.
"William, I'm surprised to see you here this early. I thought you'd still be sleeping," asked GrandDad as my Father laughed.
"Pay up, Dad," said my Father to my GrandDad as he rolled his eyes.
"Who would have thought that William would be up and about early this morning?" Said my GrandDad as I smirked.
"Well, I have practice this morning," I added as he smiled.
"Besides Dad, the children are on break," said my Father as Mom nodded.
"We try to let the children sleep in, but you know Isaac," said Mother, slightly giggling as Dad and my GrandDad nodded.
"He's always on schedule," added a familiar voice as we turned around to see Elizabeth coming in smiling.
"Good morning, Mother and Father," she said as she hugged them before going to our GrandDad.
"There's my Elizabeth," added GrandDad as she hugged him proudly.
"Good morning, GrandDad," she said before approaching me.
"The favorite has arrived," I said as she smiled and rolled her eyes at me.
"Good morning to you too, brother," she said as she hugged me and sat down.
"I'm surprised you're up this early," I said as she looked confused.
"Me? I'm always up early. It's you. I'm surprised to see this early," she said, smiling.
"That's because I have an early morning of training," I added as she looked at me frowning.
"Uh-huh, sure," she said, smiling.
"Hey, I'm early too…" I started, but she cut me off.
"But not at this time," She added as I smiled.
"That's because I don't need to, sister. I don't have school, only royal duties that don't begin at the same time as your school time," I said as she rolled her eyes, smiling.
"That's why I am so glad I am almost done with school," said a familiar voice as I turned around to see him.
'Edward,' I thought as I looked at him and smirked.
"Good morning, family; how are you all?" Asked Edward but stopped and looked at me surprised.
"Do my eyes deceive me? William is up this early?" He asked, clearly teasing me.
I shook my head while he sat in the chair next to mine.
"Good morning to you too, little brother," I said as he smiled.
"It truly is an honor, brother," he said as I rolled my eyes.
"Izzie, please have them bring out the breakfast now that we're all here," said Mother as Izzie nodded.
"For once," said Elizabeth, smirking as Edward laughed.
"Elizabeth, Edward, behave; you're not five anymore," scolded Mother as they nodded.
"Yes, mother," they both said as I smiled slightly.
Edward turned 18 not too long ago and was getting ready for his graduation, while Elizabeth is turning 16 in a few months. However, they still act like they are five sometimes.
"Are you ready for graduation, Edward?" Asked Father as he nodded.
"I am; I can't wait and see what adventures lie ahead of me," he said as I smirked and ate my food.
My little brother has always had that sense of adventure and exploring; I think he inherited that from our Mother.
"Do you have any plans for what you will do or where to go after graduation?" I asked as he shook his head.
"Not really. I'm thinking about heading out and exploring on my own, but I'm not sure," he said as I nodded.
"Going to practice today?" I asked him as he nodded.
"I am before I hit the village later today," he said as I nodded.
"What a coincidence, Mom and I are also going to the village today," said Elizabeth as I raised my eyebrow at her.
"Why are you going to the village?" I asked her as she smiled.
"For one, today is the day I read to the children," she said, smiling as Mom nodded.
"And we're taking some fabrics to help them with the cotton shortage so they can make dresses for the winter," said Mom as my eyes widened.
"We have a shortage of cotton?" I asked, looking at Dad as he nodded.
"Slightly," he said as I frowned, confused.
"Why?" Asked Elizabeth, confused.
"Didn't uncle produce a lot this crop season?" Asked Edward as my Dad and GrandDad nodded.
"He did, but there was a bit of trouble that resulted in him losing cotton this year," said GrandDad as I looked at Dad, nodding.
"What happened?" I asked.
"Someone tried to sabotage his cotton," said Mom as Dad nodded.
"Thankfully, that traitor was caught, but sadly, he doesn't have enough crops for this season," said Dad as GrandDad nodded.
"The orphanage lady isn't happy about that because they use the cotton wool to sell scarfs, mittens, and hats for the orphanage," said Mom as I nodded.
"That is why we are taking fabric to them," said Elizabeth as my parents nodded.
"It's not the best, but it will do for now," said Dad as my GrandDad nodded.
"Why don't we use sheep wool for the rest of this season's crops?" Asked Elizabeth as my eyes widened.
"That isn't a bad idea. Why didn't we use sheep wool?" Asked Edward as I looked at them with my eyebrow raised.
"There's not enough," I simply said as Dad nodded.
"Whelsire has grown so much that we simply do not have enough wool for everyone," said Dad as Mom nodded.
"At this point, we would be deciding who does and doesn't get wool," added Mom.
"Besides, not many people will agree, and it can cause a shortage of many other supplies," said GrandDad as I looked at my siblings.
"People could become greedy and bring the kingdom down," I said as they nodded.
"Not to worry, kids. Your Father and I will solve this issue just like we always have," said Mom as Dad nodded.
"We have one of the best trade systems in the Ever Realm, with many resourceful kingdoms and friends," added Dad as Mom nodded.
"Your majesties, you have a letter that has arrived from the king and queen of Corinthia," said Isaac as my parents looked at him.
My Mother opened the envelope and began to read the letter, smiling as she showed it to my Father, who also smiled.
"Looks like our troubles are through," said Mom as Dad nodded.
"It seems our friends have sent us enough cotton supplies to last until the next season," said Dad as I nodded.
"Fantastic news!" Exclaimed my GrandDad as my parents nodded.
"What a safe," said Dad, chuckling as Mom nodded while we ate breakfast.
"William, when you are through with your lessons, I would like to have a word with you," said Dad as my Mother and I looked a bit confused.
"Sure, Dad," I said as he smiled while Mom continued to look a bit concerned.
"Is everything alright, Dear?" Asked Mom, worried as Dad nodded.
"Of course, dear. Nothing to worry about," he said, trying to hide the obvious.
I looked at Mom, who clearly wasn't convinced by Dad's response, but I decided to let it go momentarily.
Once I finished my breakfast, I looked over to Edward, who was clearly also done eating.
"Ready?" I asked him as he nodded.
"Ready, brother," said Edward, smiling as we got up and left to train.
"Good luck," said Mom as we smiled and nodded at her before leaving the room.
Once we arrived outside, our trainer was already waiting for us with all the equipment out.
"Glad you made it, gentlemen," he said, smiling as he handed us our swords.
"Are you ready?" Asked Edward, smirking as I slightly chuckled.
"Always, little brother," I said, smirking as the training began.
King Hugo
After breakfast was over, I made my way to the throne room to begin attending the villagers.
"Your majesty, are you ready to begin?" Asked Isaac as I sighed before smiling at him.
"What do we have today, Isaac?" I asked him as he opened his scroll and began to read.
"Not much, your majesty. We should be done very soon today," he said as I smiled.
'Thank goodness,' I thought as Isaac signaled the guards to let the villagers in today.
It wasn't that I wasn't happy about attending the villagers; it was more about having to solve easily fixable problems.
For example, once, I had to solve an issue with two farmers because one of the farmers' animals kept going into the other one's land.
I mean, come on. They're animals; they don't know any better, and he can't expect the owner to babysit them all the time.
Luckily, I knew my wife could speak with the animals, so she had her friends go speak with them about entering the man's land.
"Your Highness presenting the village constructor," said Isaac as he bowed at me before speaking.
"Your majesty, it seems we ran out of wood to finish the new school," he said as I frowned, confused.
We had an infinite amount of wood from our land and got more from our trade system with Zumaria.
"We could simply use the bricks to finish it off, but without the wood, the structure won't hold stronger," he said as I nodded.
"No, it's alright, sir. Do you happen to know how much wood you'll need?" I asked as he thought for a moment.
"We need at least 500 pieces of wood to finish the whole school; however, 200 would be fine to finish the building," he said as I nodded.
"I will ensure you guys get the wood material to finish the building and then provide more to build the furniture in the future," I said as he smiled.
"Thank you, Your Majesty," he said, smiling as I nodded. He bowed and then left.
"Next, we have Miss. Ashley. The orphanage instructor," he said as I was confused.
Usually, Sofia would take the concerns of the orphanage unless it had something to do with the building itself or construction.
"Your majesty," said Miss Ashley as she curtseyed.
"What can I help you with, Miss Ashley?" I asked her as she stood up to face me.
"Your majesty, it seems we ran out of cotton to make the children's clothing; I talked with your wife but heard nothing," she said as I looked at her, confused.
It was then that I remembered Sofia telling me that there was a new woman in charge of the orphanage who wasn't very friendly.
"Yes, I do remember my wife, who is in charge of the orphanage, having mentioned it, Miss Ashley," I said as she looked surprised.
"Rest assured, Miss Ashley. We will send you the cotton as soon as we get the shipment we are waiting for," I said as she smiled.
"Thank you, Your Majesty," she said as she curtseyed and left as I looked at Isaac, who nodded.
I knew very well that Isaac was thinking the same thing as I was, and I couldn't help but chuckle.
"Who's next, Isaac?" I asked as he looked at the scroll.
"Miss Dolores, the village's church organizer," he said as I nodded.
Once the doors opened, a woman walked in with a young girl who looked the same age as my daughter.
"Your majesty, my name is Dolores, and this is Aria," said Dolores as she and the girl curtseyed.
"Welcome, Dolores and Aria. What can I help you two with?" I asked as Dolores smiled and took a step closer.
"Your majesty, we are having some difficulty with the church's roofing," she said as I looked confused.
"You see after that big winter storm hit us a few months ago, it damaged the roof, and it's starting to come down," finished Dolores as I nodded.
"Don't worry, Dolores, I will ask the Royal constructor if he could spare some men to fix it. If not, I will send personal men to help," I said as she smiled and nodded.
"Thank you, Your Majesty," she said as they bowed and left. I couldn't help but wonder about the young girl.
Ever since I had my daughter, I couldn't help but see her in all the young girls, which is why I thought very well about certain decisions before making them.
I turned to Isaac as the next one came in, then the next, and the next, and the next one.
I will not lie; it did feel long, but not super long like other times. Isaac was right; this time, it was lighter and more effortless.
"That's the last one, Your Majesty," said Isaac as I smiled.
'Thank goodness,' I thought as I was about to get up from the throne chair when the doors burst open, and I looked to see a man running without breath.
Without thinking, I quickly ran towards the man who was not only out of breath but also losing his balance as I caught him, preventing him from falling.
"Isaac, bring this man some water!" I exclaimed worriedly as he and some servants ran to a nearby table to fetch the guy some water.
Once Isaac brought me the cup for the man, he began to drink the water as if he had never had any before.
"T-Thank you, y-your majesty," he said, stuttering slightly as I tried to help him, but he shook his head.
"Don't worry about me, my king; I need a moment to sit and rest. I came running from the borders of Whelsire with a message," he said as my eyes widened, surprised.
"What message is that?" I asked, concerned, as I kneeled in front of the man, who took a deep breath before speaking.
"The guards wanted me to inform you that they need help," said the man as I looked confused.
"Help? From what?" I asked as he shrugged.
"I am not sure; they just said they needed help, and then I heard the sound of swords clanging against each other," he said as my eyes widened.
'Swords clanging against each other? Help? Oh no, I did not like the sound of that,' I thought as I took a deep breath.
I looked at the man worried, nodded, and smiled. I helped the man try to stand up, and he quickly stood.
"Thank you so much. Do not worry; I will handle it from here," I said as the man smiled.
"Isaac, please have the carriage drop this man off at his destination," I said as the man interrupted me.
"Oh no, your majesty. There's no need for that, I can…." He started, but I cut him off.
"I insist. You came all this way, and it nearly cost you your life to deliver this message. Please accept my help to return to your home safely," I said as he thought momentarily.
"Alright, Your Majesty, just because I know you and the queen don't take no for an answer when it comes to us," he said as I smiled and nodded toward Isaac.
He was right; Sofia and I wouldn't take no for an answer when it came to our people, especially if we knew it would help people.
"Thank you, Your Majesty," he said as I smiled and nodded.
"Thank you, brave man, for coming all the way here to deliver a message," I said as the man smiled and disappeared with a guard.
"Isaac, have the stabler boy set my horse and tell the general to meet me in five minutes with some soldiers," I said, facing Isaac.
"Right away, Your Majesty, shall I inform the queen?" he asked as I shook my head.
"No, I will inform my wife and then meet the General in front of the palace," I said as he nodded.
"As you wish, Your Majesty," he said as I nodded. Then he left to deliver the message while I went to find Sofia and Dad.
As I walked around the palace, trying to figure out where I would find them both, I remembered that Sofia was going to go to the village today.
I quickly walked to the palace's front doors and found them standing there talking to Elizabeth and Izzie. As I walked towards them, I saw Elizabeth turning to face me, smiling brightly.
"Daddy, are you coming with us to the village?" She asked, excited as I shook my head.
"Not today, Sunshine; I need you to please wait in the carriage while I talk to your Mother, sunshine," I said as she looked confused.
"But Daddy," she started, but Sofia stopped her.
"Go wait in the carriage, Liz," she said as our daughter nodded and left.
"Something wrong, Hugo?" Asked Dad as I nodded, and Sofia's eyes widened.
"What happened, Hugo?" she asked worriedly as I sighed.
"There's a problem at the border, and I need to go investigate it now," I said as her eyes widened.
"What? What happened?" she asked, confused and worried as I shrugged.
"I don't have all the details, but I need to leave now. I'll send Isaac to prepare my horse and call the General," I said as their eyes widened.
"I do not like this, Hugo; it almost sounds like an attack," said Sofia as I smiled nervously and shrugged.
"I am coming with you," said Dad as I shook my head.
"No Dad, I need you here to take charge while I am gone," I said as he shook his head.
"You can't go alone, Hugo!" exclaimed Sofia as I smiled at her.
"I will not be going alone; I have the General going with me," I said as she looked worried.
"Your majesty, the horse is ready," said Isaac as I nodded.
"Thank you, Isaac. Let's go," I said as Sofia and Dad followed me to the castle's entrance.
As I walked from the front doors, I saw my horse ready to go along with the General and some of the men he gathered.
We walked down the stairs as they followed me to my horse, but before I climbed on, I turned around to look at Sofia, worried.
"Don't worry though, I will be right back," I said as she looked at me with fear in her eyes before hugging me tightly.
"I will be back, I promise, Sof," I said as we parted from the hug, and she nodded.
"Come back to me," she said, worried as I smiled.
"Always," I said, pulling her in for a quick kiss before turning to look at my Father.
"Take care of them for me," I said as Dad smiled and nodded.
I quickly got on my horse and began the journey to the borders of Whelsire with the General and his army.
'Dear god, I hope this isn't what I am thinking about,' I thought as we rode through the forest.