Prince Nicholas

This was utterly ridiculous.

"Is it truly necessary for me to dress so formally when we are going to the village, Lord Tessensohn?" I frowned, tugging at my cloak of ermine in discomfort.

"Of course, Sire. The people must be made aware of your authority first, so that they can respect and accept you," Lord Tessensohn nodded vigorously, "your formal attire would clearly impress upon them on whom you truly are — the Crown Prince of Monrique, and future King of this realm." He announced the last few words with a grand flourish.

I looked on at the elder man dubiously, as the open carriage proceeded on at a slow pace towards the village. In truth, I should be feeling rather grateful that I was made to wear a suit with multiple layers of coats and a thick cloak of ermine that kept me warm in such freezing weather.

Instead, I felt like a fool.

"Well, Your Royal Highness," Lord Tessensohn began again, beaming jovially, "as you already know, Tessensohn is the duchy of jewels. Our people mine the ground and the slopes of the volcanoes, Mount Elizabeth and Mount Beauchamp, for many gems such as diamonds, rubies and sapphires. History states that even the Crown jewels were made from the gems unearthed from these volcanoes."

He gestured to the magnificent, snow-capped volcanoes on the other end of the duchy, which loomed over the village like the Lord of Death himself, clouded by mist.

I nodded distantly, fascinated by the volcanoes more than Lord Tessensohn's words. Mount Elizabeth and Mount Beauchamp were the only volcanoes in Monrique, and they erupted as often as once in ten years with great violence. When they lay dormant, however, they were popular attractions, because of their beautiful snow slopes and the myths that shrouded them with a unique mystique that drew people to them like magnets.

"We have arrived at the village, Sire," Lord Tessensohn announced at that moment, snapping me out of my thoughts, as the carriage rolled to a stop.

I looked around to see the villagers of Tessensohn all out of their houses and huts, lined in straight rows of two, making a pathway between them that stretched on for miles. Lord Tessensohn, the six Captains and I descended from the open carriage.

At once, I knew that something was wrong. The whole village was too deadly quiet.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Lord Tessensohn barked at the villagers.

They obediently applauded at once.

The applause was polite and muted, and although they were smiling, I could tell that their smiles were forced. Some were openly staring at me with a sullen expression, as they clapped their hands together for the sake of doing so. Most of them merely looked tired, with their faces smudged with soot and dirt from mining for hours.

Even small children were now standing still with their mothers silently, watching me with something close to fear.

"Welcome to Tessensohn, Your Royal Highness," a man in his forties stepped forward towards me, handing me a bunch of Camellias, plastering a mechanical smile on his face, "we are most delighted by your visit to our humble village." The words were carefully rehearsed.

I accepted the flowers hesitantly. "Thank you," I stammered out, "it is most kind of you to welcome me thus." The man merely acknowledged it with a bow and another perfunctory smile, and stepped back into his position in the rows.

A few more people stepped forward after him, one by one, to tell me how glad they were to see me, how I took after my father in every way, and so on. Each of their responses were so meticulously and carefully worded that it was bordering on falseness.

The atmosphere was weighing down on my shoulders heavily with dread and resentment, despite the lifeless attempts by the people to make it lighter.

Lord Tessensohn continued to grin as jovially as ever beside me, oblivious to the depressing mood in the village. He surveyed his people with superiority, barking at someone once in a while to tuck in their shirts, or stand up straight.

The whole welcome felt like a military exhibition.

Soon enough, we were led by some of the miners deeper into the village and also to the mine sites. The process of mining underground and the various jobs of the miners were explained to us in detail.

I gave them my full attention when they spoke and frequently asked them questions on the aspects of mining that I was curious about. At times, their dulled eyes lit up at my curiosity, and they even gave me genuine smiles when they answered me.

During the moments when I thought that I was getting through to them at last, Lord Tessensohn always interrupted with a nonsensical comment of his own that implied his total lack of knowledge of mining in his own duchy.

It always brought back the neutral, formal masks on their faces, much to my disappointment. I could even sense the Captains behind me getting restless and irritated with Lord Tessensohn.

Throughout the day, I could not be rid of the feeling that the people of Tessensohn were unhappy and dissatisfied with the monarchy as well as with Lord Tessensohn.

And I, on the other hand, was unhappy and dissatisfied with the whole day and with Lord Tessensohn.

"Lord Tessensohn," I began, as we made our way to Tessensohn Manor at the end of the day, "why were the people so formal today?"

Lord Tessensohn regarded me with surprise. "I was of the opinion that it was a welcome befitting a Crown Prince, Your Royal Highness," he answered in bewilderment, "they were required to be formal to give you the respect that you deserve, Sire."

I shook my head, and allowed the matter to rest. He did not understand. He would never understand. By the Lord, I had embarked on this Potential Quest to learn about the way of life of my people - more than I ever wanted to find a bride.

Instead, he had them pretend to be something that they were not.

It was a village, for God's sake!

Where were the children who were supposed to be playing catch around the village, and making snow angels in the snow that covered the ground, and throwing snowballs at each other?

Where were the womenfolk who were supposed to be crowding in the market, bargaining prices for the vegetables and meat, and gossiping outside their huts?

Where were the menfolk doing odd jobs around the village, laughing, chatting and smoking cigars by the corners of the streets during their breaks?

Instead, all I saw today were puppets made to act out a scene that was very unlike their normal way of life. If Lord Tessensohn insisted on this for the coming week, then it was going to be an utter waste of my time here.

"Your Royal Highness!" a high-pitched voice squealed just then, "thank goodness you have returned!"

I jerked, startled. Have we returned to Tessensohn Manor so impossibly soon?

Lady Olivia was hurrying towards us from the front door, exhilarated. "Your Royal Highness, which gown do you think I should wear this evening for the ball?" she beamed at me with excitement, almost clinging onto my arm as I descended from the carriage, "do you think I would look nice in a pale pink evening gown? Or a forest green one? Oh, what about — "

"You would look beautiful in any gown, my dear," Lord Tessensohn came to my rescue, touching her head fondly, as he descended from the carriage as well.

"Certainly," I muttered, shooting her a tight-lipped smile that bordered on the edge of a scowl.

I was not in the mood to tolerate her at this moment, but how would the poor, innocent girl know that?

Oh, yes. By looking at my face properly for once.

As usual, however, she was completely oblivious to my body language that was currently screaming at her loud and clear to leave me be.

'Oh, and Your Royal Highness, Mama wanted me to ask you what you would like for dinner," she began once more, leaning closer than it was appropriate towards me, "would you rather have tomato soup as the appetiser, or a mixed vegetable soup? Or chicken soup is also fine, if that is — "

"My wife's speciality is chicken soup, Sire," Lord Tessensohn offered, "I would highly recommend it. But her mixed vegetable soup is also — "

"My apologies, Lady Olivia, Lord Tessensohn, but you will have to excuse me. I need to get ready for the ball," I came up with an excuse on the spot.

Extricating myself from her hold on my arm, I strode swiftly towards the Manor, before they could catch up to me and disrupt the little sanity that I had left.

"But Your Royal Highness — " I heard them call out.

I kept striding on without a second glance.

***

The Lady Knight

"Five of a kind," I smirked, setting my cards down carefully so that all of them could see, "straight Aces."

The letter 'A' stood out proudly beside the diamond, clover, spade and heart cards, as did the joker which substituted a wild card.

A collective groan rose up among the Captains, as they threw down their cards in frustration. In the meanwhile, I happily gathered all the sweetmeats we had bet in the beginning of the game towards myself.

After the Captains had returned from the village, they had merely freshened up and had gathered in my study, still exhausted from riding all day. They had not looked too happy from their trip, but I did not question them about it. If it was anything serious, they would have informed me about it.

Thus, I had an idea to cheer them up, and soon enough, we were playing poker to pass the time until it was time to go down to the Ballroom for the ball. Army officers were not allowed to gamble with money, so we were using sweetmeats instead.

To the seven of us sweet-toothed army officers, though, sweetmeats were more valuable than money.

"How do you always win, Ma'am?" Captain Morrison sighed heavily, leaning against the wall.

"Those were the last of my sweetmeats I had brought with me for the Potential Quest," Captain Everard mumbled ruefully as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"I might share mine with you if you promise to be nice to me for the next few weeks, Everard," Captain Dupont glanced at him impishly, "I still have some left."

"Fat chance, Dupont," Captain Everard shoved Captain Dupont, scowling.

"Remind us why we agreed to play poker with you, Ma'am?" Captain Wellington was gazing longingly at the pile of sweetmeats beside me.

"It is because the whole lot of you were greedy for more sweetmeats than you already have. Now you have lost what you had as well," I snickered, "and as to why I always win — that, you will never know." I waggled my eyebrows mysteriously, much to their amusement.

At that moment, my study door flung open, straight into Captain Morrison's face, who was leaning against the wall beside the door.

"Ouch!" he yelped in pain, his voice muffled by the door.

A whirlwind of black rushed inside uninvited in the meanwhile, before the door slammed shut once more. Captain Morrison was rubbing his nose, scowling, but my eyes were focused on the newcomer.

He was dressed in a glossy black suit that was now very much creased. His black overcoat was crumpled, his cravat was loose, and the two top buttons of his white, full-sleeved shirt under his waistcoat were open, revealing pale white skin. The cloak of ermine around his broad shoulders was about to fall off, and the Crown of gold set upon his dishevelled dark brown curls was lopsided.

This unkempt appearance was so unlike the Prince that I could only stare at him.

"Save me, Julie," he breathed heavily, closing his eyes as he slumped against the door, "save me, s'il te plaît."

The Captains frowned at him as if he had lost his sanity. Only Captain Morrison was glaring at him, rubbing his red nose that now resembled a clown's.

"Pardon me, Sire, but you should knock before you enter a chamber," Captain Morrison grumbled sullenly, "people might be standing behind the door."

Everyone, including myself, ignored him. "Who is Ma'am supposed to save you from, Your Royal Highness?" Captain Everard queried, intrigued and amused by the Prince's predicament.

"Who else, Captain Everard? Can you not think of a few?" the Prince answered dryly, still panting, "Lord Tessensohn, Lady Olivia — "

I chuckled at his desolate tone, shaking my head. "I knew it," I remarked in triumph, standing up, "did I not warn you in the forest? But what did you do? You simply laughed at me."

"All right, all right, I am sorry," the Prince surrendered, holding his hands up, "you were absolutely right to have warned me, and I was completely wrong to have laughed at you. Happy? Now help me!"

"But what do you want me to do?" I frowned, "at this moment, even His Majesty cannot save you from spending this week with the Tessensohn family."

"I know that. However, that is not the pressing issue," he explained, sounding quite agitated, "it is the ball that is the problem now. I cannot spend an entire evening listening to Lord Tessensohn and her talk on and on."

The desperation in his dark grey eyes promised trouble ahead.

However, what could I do? The decision was not in my hands. There was silence for a moment, as my Captains, even Captain Morrison, gazed at him with pity and sympathy.

Suddenly, Captain Everard's eyes lit up. "If you do not want to go to the ball, Sire, then you do not have to go," he mused, with a mischievous glint in his eyes, "everyone is entitled to their own free will, yes?"

"What are you talking about?" I turned to glance at him quizzically, "His Royal Highness does not have a choice in the matter. He has to attend the ball. He is the main guest."

"Or does he truly have to?" Captain Everard waggled his eyebrows, turning to me.

"What do you have in mind?" the Prince looked at him with hope before I could reply.

"Ma'am mentioned that she and her friends used to do this at the Socials held in Louvre and Roche when they were younger," Captain Everard shot me an amused smile, "I propose a modification of that said plan." His eyes twinkled.

I tilted my head, musing. Hmm.

He continued to explain. "The Prince can go to the ball in the beginning and welcome the guests as usual. He can dance one dance with Lady Olivia, and converse with a few guests, before slipping out of the ballroom through the back door and return to his chambers. We will assign a few of the Manor's Corporals to him for his protection, " Captain Everard planned, his eyebrows furrowed in concentration, "with all the music, dancing and drinks, no one will notice the Prince's absence. We can also attend the ball dressed up as aristocrats and mingle with guests, such that the attention on the Prince is diverted."

"Us? Going to the ball?" Captain Morrison laughed humourlessly, "impossible. We are army officers, for God's sake, not one of them puny noblemen."

With the exception for Captain Dupont and Captain Everard, the rest of them agreed with Captain Morrison.

"Men, we swore fealty to this young lad here," Captain Dupont reminded him, "this is the least we could do for him and prove our loyalty. You all have seen what Lord Tessensohn and his family members are like. Would any of you be willing to leave him in their clutches? Or rather, would any of you be happy to be left in their clutches, were you in the Prince's place?"

He always had a point.

"Nay, we would not," Captain Morrison muttered.

"So that is the plan, then? I truly cannot thank you enough, Captains," the Prince perked up happily, "all right, I will leave the ballroom at, say, eight - "

"Hold on," I intervened before any plans could be put in place, "what if the guests did notice the Prince's absence? What would you do then?"

"Then we could simply put about that the Prince is ill, and that he has taken to bed for an early night," Captain Wellington put in helpfully, "worry not, Ma'am, we will ensure that none of the Tessensohn family checks on him until the end of the ball. No one will suspect anything."

The Prince nodded vigorously along with Captain Wellington, trying to reassure me to go along with the plan.

"All right..." I trailed off, "but what of me? I am afraid I cannot go to the ball with you all. Lady Olivia despises me, and I despise balls on principle."

"Mayhap you can take the evening off?" the Prince suggested, "do whatever it is that you do on your free days. There will be sufficient corporals guarding me here."

All the Captains began to chuckle. I shot them all a dirty look.

His forehead creased. "Did I say something wrong?"

"Nay, Sire, you did not. Most of my beloved colleagues," I pursed my lips, "are of the opinion that I am a slave to my work – stop it, Everard!" I punched Captain Everard's shoulder, who was sniggering a little too loudly.

He did not heed me in the slightest. "Slave is too mild a word, Your Royal Highness," he rubbed his arm, rolling his eyes, "Ma'am has always given away her free days all too freely, ever since she first joined us as a cadet."

The Prince's eyes grew round. "Julie, you have never taken leave since you enlisted?"

I thought about it. "Well – "

"Of course not. Even when our superiors used to force her to take days off, she would volunteer to polish our boots, or sharpen all our swords or run errands. For some odd reason, she genuinely enjoys being at the barracks," Captain Morrison recalled in amusement, "but for the longest time, we thought she was simply doing it to butter up our superiors."

"I remember," Captain Percival, who was the oldest among us, smiled faintly, "you lot were not too fond of her at that time, were you?"

"That is putting it too mildly," Captain Morrison laughed, "we absolutely hated her back then."

I rolled my eyes. "Good to know, gentlemen. Good to know."

"One would think she would take some time off after she worked through the ranks to the very top," Captain Everard noted wryly, "but nay, Ma'am still does not have an existence outside of the army."

The Prince tried to suppress it, but a chuckle won out anyway. I scowled at them both.

"I do have an existence outside the army!" I put my hands on my hips.

Captain Everard raised an eyebrow. "Indeed? What are some of your hobbies, then, Ma'am?"

"For one, I beat all of your miserable bottoms at poker," I pointed out, "that kind of practice had to come from somewhere." I smugly drew the pile of sweetmeats I had won earlier closer to me.

Groans went up around the chamber, as everyone was reminded of their loss afresh.

"Too soon, Ma'am, too soon," Captain Everard sighed comically, "now how am I to impress all the ladies at the ball later? You have robbed me of all my confidence."

"I wish I can help you win them back from her in exchange for the favour you are doing me," the Prince was amused, "but I have been told I am terrible at poker." He smiled ruefully, as he adjusted the collar of his ermine cloak.

Captain Everard nodded, and sighed once more into the silence.

Inthe meanwhile, I frowned. Ermine cloak? Why was he wearing ermine on such an ordinary day?

"Your Royal Highness?" I spoke up, shattering the silence, "why are you wearing ermine? There was no state function today, was there?"

The Prince's gaze snapped up to mine, startled, before he looked down at his cloak.

"Nay, there was no state function," he shook his head, "Lord Tessensohn insisted that I dress as formally as possible, and all but forced me into this cloak when we went down to the village. He wanted me to...assert my authority to the people." He scowled, clearly confused and angry.

At once, I knew. I knew why my Captains had been in such a bad mood when they returned, and why the Prince seemed dissatisfied with the entire trip.

A wry smile formed on my face. "And how did that end?"

"Whatever do you mean?" he frowned.

"I mean, how did the people of Tessensohn receive you when you met them dressed thus?" I made myself clear.

His eyes lit up, as he realised that I had an explanation. "They were so cold, Julie - so rigid, so formal, and it was quite unlike when we went to Louvre," he confided, worried, "I could tell that they disliked me. Although they were polite and I found nothing to fault in their welcome and their tour around the village, the entire trip felt as if I had gone to a military assessment." His deep, velvet voice sounded unbearably sad.

There was a moment of heavy silence, as he sighed.

"This is not how I want to proceed with the Potential Quest," he admitted, "I want to know my people for who they are, without any pretence." He ran a hand through his hair, frustrated.

His problem was a very simple one, and it could be remedied easily. However, if it were left unattended for too long, it might grow bigger. He had to make peace with his people as soon as possible.

For that, I had an idea.

However, there was an awful lot of things that could go wrong. For instance, I would have to sneak him away during the ball without the knowledge of the Manor staff and the Tessensohn family. If we were caught, it could lead to huge trouble, not only for me, but also for the other Captains as well.

Yet, teaching him to be a good King in the future was more important, and only for that, I decided I would take the risk.

I turned to my Captains. "Here is what we will do," I proposed, "Captain Everard's plan still stands. All of you will attend the ball, mingle with the guests, and distract the Tessensohn family as much as possible, and the Prince will slip away at eight. However, instead of hiding in his chambers, he will accompany me for a little trip on my evening off." I smirked at Captain Everard.

"An evening off? What a drastic change in ten years," he nodded approvingly, "I like it."

The Prince raised an eyebrow. "A trip?"

Captain Dupont, however, looked worried. "Ma'am – "

"I will take full responsibility for his safety," I promised all of them, "there is no need for anyone to accompany us either."

Captain Dupont nodded, but did not seem entirely convinced.

Ithen glanced at the Prince. "As for you, Your Royal Highness," I smiled kindly, "please forget all that Lord Auguste told you today. At eight this evening, when you slip away from the ballroom, return to the Manor and change into your casual attire. A long-sleeved shirt and breeches would do. And for the Lord's sake, leave that crown and ermine cloak behind in your chambers. Meet me at the entrance of the Manor after that."

"All right, but where — "the Prince started to ask, but I shook my head.

"No questions. You will find out soon enough."

***

Prince Nicholas

Whew. I had not thought I would be able to escape that stifling ballroom.

Lady Olivia would not cease clinging onto my arm, Lady Tessensohn would not cease singing her daughter's praises in my ears, the other aristocrats present would not cease clamouring to speak to me at the same time, and mothers and daughters alike would not cease scurrying behind me to make my acquaintance - until I had excused myself to use the bathing chamber, and slipped out of the Ballroom.

I had never thought I would be happier to breathe in the fresh, crisp, cold air outside.

Before anyone noticed me, I crept to the Manor to change into my casual attire as Julie had instructed me to. With pleasure and a great deal of satisfaction, I unceremoniously stuffed the ermine cloak in my sack, and threw the heavy crown of mine to the other side of the room.

Grabbing a flask of water that I always kept with me, I proceeded down to the entrance of the Manor. However, there was no one there, and even with the dim light from the candles, I could not see well.

"Julie?" I whispered into the air.

I never did like the dark. Even the light from the candles were not making me feel any better about standing here alone.

"I am here, Your Royal Highness," a familiar voice spoke to my right, chuckling.

I turned around to find a petite figure standing next to me, whom I had not noticed earlier. The sight that greeted me, however, caused me a great deal of surprise.

Julie had traded her normal army uniform for a white, long-sleeved shirt like mine, loosely tucked into a pair of breeches. The black beret which she always wore over her tight bun was also gone — she had now braided her golden brown curls in a one-sided French braid. Truth be told, she looked much younger, slightly more feminine dressed thus.

However, the sword that usually hung at her waist retained its position.

"You...look different," I tilted my head, observing her.

She broke into an impish smile. "Is it a good different, or a bad different?" she pretended to twirl around like the ladies in the ballroom.

"Fishing for compliments, are we?" I teased, chuckling.

She crossed her arms, satisfied. "Nay, I was fishing for your smile. You look much nicer this way. Come now, let us leave." With that, she grabbed one of the lanterns hanging above her and strode forward.

I did the same, hurrying to catch up with her. "Where are we going?"

"You will know soon enough," she remained mysterious about it, "patience is a valuable virtue."

Ismiled dryly, but did not press the issue. We fell into a comfortable silence, as we walked down the dark road out of the Manor grounds. Soon enough, however, I began to feel that same cold feeling of terror creep over me.

My fear of the dark.

There was truly no civilization for miles, and even the village was quite a distance away from Tessensohn Manor. My tight grip on the lantern shook, as I tried to remain at ease and calm myself down.

Julie is here. If anything attacks you, she will try to save you, or ask her Captains for help. You will be fine, I told myself, but it did no good.

I felt so ashamed of myself. Which rational man, about to turn three and twenty years of age, would still fear the dark as I did?

"Your Royal Highness? Your Royal Highness?" I felt a hand on my arm shaking me forcefully.

I blinked, my vision focusing on Julie. "Yes?" I looked down at her, frowning.

"I have been calling you so many times, but you were in your own world," she seemed worried, "is something the matter, Sire?"

Had she? I had not even heard her.

"Nay, I am all right, thank you," I shot her a convincing smile and averted her piercing gaze to the dark way ahead.

She did not move. "You are lying," she remarked softly, following my gaze to where I was looking, "you are perspiring so much in winter, and you seem as if you have seen a ghost. What is the matter, Your Royal Highness?"

I did not answer her, and began to walk on with the lantern. I heard light footsteps behind me as she tried to catch up with me. One stride of mine equalled three of hers.

"Wait for me, will you, Your Royal Highness?" she huffed, panting, "some people have small legs by nature. In any case, you do not know where we are going." She glared at me, annoyed now.

"So where are we going?" I snapped, harsher than I intended to, "there is absolutely no one for miles, and it is so dark, too. I know not whether we are even heading in the correct direction or not."

Her eyes widened in realisation. "The dark," she repeated quietly, "of course. My sincere apologies, Your Royal Highness. I had truly forgotten."

"Why are you sorry?" I was confused now.

"I know you fear the dark. Even in our childhood, you insisted on lighting all the candles on the way to your bedchambers at night," she recalled quietly, "and you refused to play hide and seek with Richard and your friends when they pestered you to. It did not require a genius to figure out what was wrong."

Shegrew lost in her thoughts for a moment, before she shook her head and returnedto the present. "I should have remembered, Sire, but it has been so many years," she smiled sadly, "I am truly sorry. Here, you may have my lantern if it makes you feel better." She offered me her lantern, with no judgement or mockery in her warm eyes.

I was surprised once more. "You mean to say that you knew something so embarrassing about me, and yet, you did not make fun of me for it in front of my friends? Or use it to blackmail me when we were younger?" I was disbelieving.

She pushed her lantern into my other hand. "I know how fear feels, Your Royal Highness," her voice was sad, "and I know how paralysing it can be when it haunts your living nightmares. I am not so cruel that I would mock you for it."

With that, she walked ahead into the dark, shoving her hands into her pockets.

"What do you fear to that extent?" I caught up with her, curious, "I will not laugh at you or mock you, I promise." I vowed, staring straight into her eyes.

Her shoulders tensed a little at the question — very slightly, but I had caught the tremor. She remained silent for a long while, debating with herself, before she released a deep breath.

"Ice," she admitted, gazing at the snow that lay all around us, "I fear the ice, the hailstones, the cold water. Almost everything that comes with the winter season. They remind me too much of -" Her voice broke, and she stopped herself, her expression hardening.

A wave of sympathy washed over me.

It was exhausting to be afraid of something that was always around you. I knew the feeling. For me, at the end of each day came the night, the dark and all my nightmares - and for her, at the end of each year came the winter, the ice, and all her nightmares.

I offered her my arm now, hesitantly, half-expecting her to reject it as she had this morning when we had gone for breakfast.

Instead, she broke into a small, slightly embarrassed smile and placed her hand in the crook of my arm, before we walked together down the cold, dark road.