At such a young age, the man in the iron mask was imprisoned by his own father. The king was ashamed of him for he was an illegitimate child of his mistress that wanted to remain in the castle.

But King Edward didn't want anything to do with her once he learned about the baby. His queen would learn about her servant's child and it would cause chaos within the kingdom. Therefore, he banished Isabella from the land and kept the baby in a confined room where guards were only allowed to look after him.

Once King Edward had a son with the Queen, he knew his second son, Prince Andrew would become his heir and not the illegitimate child he never named. And when that child became old enough to wear an iron mask, he was locked up in a tower and was nearly forgotten.No Name, as the young man in the iron mask was called, would continuously cry and murmur words for calls for help. The guards were instructed not to help No Name, despite his pleas.

However, a prisoner in the dungeon below knew of this prisoner His name was Merlin, a wizard of all sorts. And because of his magic spells, the townspeople of the kingdom wanted him tried for hypocrisy.

But little did they know that the wizard would be able to help No Name survive by his magic. And for years, the prisoner lived onward baffling the King and the guards, who eventually thought the boy would die due to lack of oxygen.

Then, the unfaithful day arrived, where both King Edward and Merlin perished the same day. No one knows why the two coincides happened but it must've been fate. The king's unjust ruling and the kind wizard's falling collided in old age.

And with this, the magic had stopped for No Name who was now a young adult. The mask he wore as a child, has also deformed his face as it was no longer fit for a lad like him. He'd often cry for he had a hunch that whoever kept him alive has now died.

That is until one night, a dark soul appeared before No Name and gave him a key. The dark soul wore a robe and her face was unseen. She told him to unlock his mask with it and for one night he will be free to roam around the castle. But it came with a price, something that No Name was not hoping for.

He had to kill his step-brother in his sleep and escape outside the castle gates by midnight.

But with a caring heart like Merlin, No Name refused to do what the dark soul said. Even if he wasn't purely of royal blood, he wasn't one to murder for revenge. He wished his father loved him too.

No Name touched his face once the mask was off and did not expect the outcome! He had no face!

Count: 497 words

Prompt: A prince or princess was imprisoned in a tower when they were young, and all their needs were taken cared of by magic but he was never allowed to have freedom. When they are grown they are visited by a dark creature that offers them a way out, at a price.

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Note:
Who do you think was the dark soul who visited No Name? It sounded a lot like his own mother, Isabella. Like a banshee crying out for her son who she only knew till her own death. Well, this is a Dark Fantasy entry, so I figured that's what this story could be about.

And yes, this is based on the real-life unnamed French prisoner. The story is also famous due to a movie of the same title that starred actor Leonardo Dicaprio. But like the Fallen Soldier buried in the 'Tomb of the Unknown', the Man in the Iron mask remains to be a mystery.