Request Alert! We got a request from Mrsinkydeath! This story idea was so good that I decided to break it into parts. These will be parts 1 and 2. I'm not sure how many parts long this story will be, but I doubt it will be more than 4 or 5!^^ Anyway sit back, relax and enjoy this mini-story! Oops, also I made a few small changes to the plot for the sake of my fantasies of how I viewed the given story! Romeo and Juliet vibes, but they're not underage and desperate to kill themselves for each other, lol!

It is a day like every other: partially cloudy, yet fairly warm under the sun; the magnificence of the Walt palace shown jauntily within its rays. From afar, a traveler would feel at peace just by looking at the kingdom in all its glory. However, the kingdom, despite its glamour, was far from peaceful. Subjects and peasants walk as though they tread on thin ice the closer they get to the palace and the ever-changing palace guards remain as still as statues in fear of their monstrous leader.

The king, Walter III, is as tyrannical as they come. He never handles the palace duties and is quick to punish his servants and guards whenever one of his beloveds is displeased. As a king, it's no secret that he has many lovers, concubines some would say, but he only has one queen, Lady Martha. She was given this title once she received the physician's news of her pregnancy with the king's son. Not that pregnancy mattered to become Queen, but Lady Martha was the first lady to carry a boy after consummation, a sign from the heavens that Martha's aiding leadership will bring prosperity.

To celebrate, Walter III hosted a royal banquet for all nobility to attend.

Later, when an uneventful gathering comes to an end, the queen returns to her chambers for rest while the king heads for his study. On his way, however, he spots an old beggar lying on the ground near the Court House from the hall's window. Walter's face contorts to one even a devil would fear as he makes his way outside. He grabs the beggar by the collar and insults and threatens him.

"Do you think my palace and riches are for charity, you bloody old fuck?! You are lucky that I'm in a good mood to let you sleep on my ground! Your life isn't even worth the mud on my boots!"

The tyrant laughs as the confused beggar quivers in his hold. Feeling fulfilled, the king throws the poor elder back onto the ground and returns to his path to his study. 

The night went by fairly and when morning arrived, the court urged the king's presence at the morning meeting. Enraged, the king goes to the meeting to find the old beggar from last night standing amongst the court officials. The elder introduces himself as the famous fortune teller that his father trusted years back. Learning this, Walter's anger dissipates and he asks for his future to be told. He wished to hear every detail of his future prospects, but the teller caved when he looked into the king's eyes.

Reacquainted with rage, the king unsheathes his sword from his side and holds it to his neck. The teller stiffens and in a panic, he spills all he could pull from the king's future:

"Your future is not a good one, your highness! Your son will be born great, but his greatness may become your downfall! His lover will be a peasant that destroys the bond you and your son share! Your kingdom, Walt, will cease to exist and a man of trauma will take your head in a great war!"

The king is flabbergasted. Every word, every statement jabbed the king's stomach and chest like knives. He refuses to believe that his son would turn on him for a woman, the thought made his blood boil. He ordered for guards to take the teller away, but the teller didn't stop. He warns the king of his son's behavior to prove his truth, but it only upsets the king more. So much more that he uses his sword and beheads the teller.

"My son will not betray me! He will not marry a beggar! And there will be no great war!"

The king shouts with overwhelming rage. Everyone, the court officials and the guards, drop to their knees in fear of falling prey to his wrath. From that day, until the birth of the prince, a heavy, dark cloud stretched across the kingdom.

18 years later

Prince's PoV

The palace is bustling, unlike any other day. My birthday is just around the corner and my father made it his first priority to make my "coming of age party" the grandest celebration of all. To be honest, I'm a little nervous since this will also be the day I will meet princesses from other kingdoms as well as noble women of my own. Many noble fathers have been hinting at me choosing their daughters as my wife, but I never felt any romantic interest in anyone.

"Get your shit together! What are these flimsy piles of rubbish?! You are embarrassing the Palace of Walt!"

I sigh in annoyance when I hear my father's roaring voice down the hall. He's probably punishing one of the servants over a trivial matter, but I keep a distance from the situation. There's no use in arguing with my father on this, anyway. Any time I try to speak against him, he reminds me that he saved me from some future disaster that will fall upon the kingdom. I don't need to hear that again.

Deciding to avoid conflict, I sneak out of the palace and pick up my best horse. Going to the market wouldn't be a bad idea, it would help inform me of the kingdom's economic situation. As I walk through one of the more...penurious parts of town, I notice a man in a tattered cloak holding a basket of greenery. He looked like he was struggling a bit, so I rode forth to his side.

"Hello, young man!" 

The man looks back, a bit surprised. I take note of his cat-like appearance: long black tail, sharp claws and fangs that protruded from his ever so slightly parted lips. Around his neck was a large fur scarf that is sloppily knitted, but cute. He locks eyes with me and gives a small smile before his eyes trail downward and his polite face takes on a look of horror. He lets out a small squeak and drops the basket, backing away from me quickly. I pick up the basket and notice a name carved into it: "Samuel". I'm guessing that was the boy's name. I look over to him and feel my face heat up as our eyes meet. He fidgets where he stands before bowing quickly and turning away.

"W-wait! Don't go! You are Samuel, right? I've heard that name before. You share the name with the famous herbalist somewhere around this area."

The feline turns his head to me with an unsettling frown. He pulls out a small notepad from his pouch, on his hip, and begins to write. It was shocking to see a commoner knowing how to write since they usually have no funds for education, but I push the thought away as he finishes his scribbles and warily passes the notepad to me.

'Samuel is my master. I am just a herb collector and nothing more. I do not deserve to be graced with the presence of royalty.'

I find myself wincing at his harsh wording. His vocabulary is much better than I expected to the point where I am shocked. I look up at him and he tenses, his tail curls around his leg. Sighing softly, I return the notepad to him and an idea pops into my head.

"Don't worry, I'm just a humble guard of his majesty. He wanted me to survey the kingdom, including areas of... Lesser resources."

He uses his notepad once again.

'We do not lack resources. Our pockets lack money, but our lands are plentiful. We have crops just outside the kingdom.'

My ears perk up at this. So they aren't so poverty-stricken after all... We talk for a while and before either of us realizes it, it is nighttime. He scurries and gets his things together before bowing to me and running off. I try to call him back, but he's already gone. For someone who lives in the slums, he's surprisingly nimble... I think to myself as I decide to go back to the palace lest my mother and father worry. Before I take off, I look back one last time to where we both sat and notice a single herb on the step of the abandoned house.

I pray that we'll meet again. I think to myself as I snap the reins of my horse and race back home. As I get closer to the palace, images of the feline dance through my mind and heat rises to my face. I really want to know more about him:

The boy with the scarf.

PARTS 1&2 Complete