Prolog ~ The tale begins
The lost boys x princess!reader
warning : reader is the princess, forced marriage, no use of y/n, fluff, comfort, attempted assassination, a little angst
Summary : Once upon a time in a kingdom the king with his only child was the princess of the realm. A young woman is the king's hope that his line will continue because after all, she too must marry, but she was not told that this marriage would come sooner than she would have liked. The bells and joys of the wedding ring out and a new royal couple rises to the inner incongruity of four men who pay more attention to the princess than they should. For all is not right in this fairytale wedding and dead bodies may appear before the marriage bond has even been consummated.
info : So the start of my second tlb - mini series i'm very excited because i could just write so much about the thing. The themes, characters and everything else i hope you all like the prologue and see you next week for part two of the six part series
series - masterlist
tlb - masterlist
Part.1 , Part.2 , Part.3 , Part.4 , Part.5
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The story begins with Once upon a time...there was a kingdom in a faraway land full of possibilities, lands, houses, knights, towns and villagers. An old kingdom with many good and bad dark times but a kingdom that has existed for generations until this day.
The crown with blood-red rubies on the head of King Max, who had received it from his father and who from his is to the conqueror of this land who had his roots in distant Transylvania.
A king with sternness towards his enemies, with understanding for his people, a just man to his vassals and a father to his daughter, his only flesh and blood.
The princess of the realm, the only heiress to the throne who would take it on her twenty-first birthday when her father died one day. But that would take time, the king full of health and goodness for a daughter, the man who remained loyal to his first wife and swore to remain unmarried until his death. ,,You are the best of your mother," he used to say when he looked at his daughter, the same loving eyes, the sincere smile and the beauty that surpassed everything.
But it wasn't a shadow of war that settled over the land, no, there were always such things, there were daily hardships among the population and requests to attend meetings always came via the ravens.
No, it was the time that dragged over the land, it was the tradition and the natural rules that his daughter had to marry. ,,If you want to take this throne in the name of your husband and rule by his side, you need his hand and his presence...without this, I am powerless too, my child" his words were full of truth, but they hurt worse than any prick of an embroidery needle in her finger.
Pain that made her turn away from her father's calls, ,,I want to be alone father" she had only said and had walked past him out of her own room, knowing that she was only condemned to walk around until the king was gone.
Her eyes blinked away tears of anger, anger at tradition, at nature, at her sex which always seemed to weaken no matter what she did. Reigning in his name is like a gilded cage, she thought, raising her eyes to the sky as she stepped out onto the courtyard.
A few wispy white puffy clouds could be seen, the sun was coming out and warming her skin and a few birds were singing. It was peaceful and quiet for how long?
She was no longer a naive young girl who believed that everything belonged to her as she had always been told in the songs. No, every time she looked at herself in the mirror she didn't just see her mother's words, the spoken image, it was the time she saw.
With each winter that came and went, she grew older and more like a highborn lady, the princess of the realm...with a burden of hundreds of people on her. But I will not rule no matter how much I am charged, it will go to my husband she said innerly, not that she wanted to have everything on her own, carrying the crown and taking care of the girls she had accompanied all her life was a task she gladly took on.
But her friend Lady Star, a married daughter of a lord and vassal of her father, already had a son. She was the same age as she was when she had her son, the heir, at nineteen, an age that was perfect, as the masters and healers always called it, but it was an age that only frightened her even more.
,,Still nothing at twenty-one, either I'm blessed with luck or I'm poorer than I thought", she murmured and walked on across the courtyard past the servants who lived and worked in the castle.
But she knew that would change soon, perhaps there was still the coming midsummer in which she could enjoy nature with outings on horseback or a meal in the meadow with Star.
Her thoughts and fantasies were interrupted, however, when she heard the sounds of a sword fight. Turning her gaze to the practice area, she smiled as she saw the fair-haired knight and leader of the Kingsguard, Ser David.
Not only someone who had accompanied and protected her for ages, but also someone who had shown her the merits of the common people at one time or another. Slowly approaching, she watched as he demonstrated the best moves for a duel for the new recruits who were only a few years younger and he could have been a recruit himself.
But in his mid-twenties he had been appointed commander by her father himself, and not only had he proven himself in battle, he also had the strategies to show for it.
A natural leader. He always looks like he's having fun, she thought as she saw the slight grin on his lips as he seemed to swing the sword effortlessly, almost like an excited dance as he went around his opponent and struck.
The sparks like lights appeared again and again and his bright hair shone in the sun. He was a true knight from the love stories she read from time to time at night when sleep would not come. But then he took another swing and she saw it in his green blue eyes, the victory like a sparkle when he knew he would win and his smile became almost satisfied.
With a muffled clang from the sandy ground of the fenced square, the recruit landed on the ground and the sword beside him. ,,You fought well and-" he paused as his gaze met hers he had finally spotted her and the younger ones hurriedly followed suit and a half-sounding ,,Good day princess" came from the youngsters who hurried away as they saw the nod of their commander who picked up his helmet from the ground and came over to her.
She smirked, ,,They're more startled than mice," she commented and looked after the offspring who hurriedly disappeared into the King's Guard building and did God knows what again, words that also made David smile.
Nevertheless, he bowed to her personally, his hands gently caressing hers and placing a kiss on the back of her hand, ,,My princess, what gives me the honor? Or have you just come to see how little mice run?" he asked with a wink, which she dismissed with a roll of her eyes and she hooked onto him as they walked across the courtyard together. But he didn't seem to feel the tingling on her skin that his touch caused or were his eyes not on her hand?
Pushing the thought aside, she was silent for a moment before she began again, ,,I always like to come and watch you, a commander without training would be a shame...no, to be honest, I ran away from the king," she confessed, avoiding his worried gaze, sensing that he wanted to stop, but she braved it and he continued to walk with her.
In the end he always did what she wanted, he was just a knight and she was his princess. She saw his questions in his eyes and knew what he would and wouldn't ask.
But before he could open his lips, they heard the barking of dogs running towards them. ,,Looks like the hunter is back," the commander muttered, looking towards the gate through which their mutual friend and royal hunter Dwayne was riding on horseback.
His dogs Arthur, Jack and William, who had always been at his side since he took over, were gentle animals with friends and beasts to enemies and prey.
Detaching herself from David and leaning towards the animals, she stroked the soft fur of each one, which nudged her hand with their damp muzzles and wagged their tails happily.
But her delight was not spared, the dogs wanted to practically hug the blond and kept jumping on him, which amused the princess. She knew that David liked the animals, but with so much affection he seemed almost overwhelmed, hardly imaginable since she had seen him so responsibly before.
,,That's enough now," came the voice of the black-haired man who had dismounted his horse and was leading it by the reins behind him towards them, but he too hid himself with a ,,My princess...Commander" before a slight smile crept onto his lips and the tension of hunting and duty left him when he was with his friends.
His dark brown eyes and black hair were mysterious like the cloaked figures in stories, but his confidence and gentleness with animals was something that had always appealed to her. ,,Was it successful?" the blond asked, looking past his friend to the horse, which had a number of strange animals attached to its saddle and back, almost enough for a feast if one were to walk off the traps.
A nod came before Dwayne indicated he would take the horse to the places and his friends followed beside him, ,,More animals than usual good for us and good for my companions...the king has asked for a lot of meat" he admitted after a moment of silence as they arrived at the stable and the stable boys took the kill from the horse and carried it to the kitchen apparently they had been instructed to do so.
,,More meat? Winter is still so far away he didn't fear another famine," David mused, leaning on the wooden rail holding up the roof while Dwayne just shook his head and stroked his horse but the princess was beginning to feel uneasy. Her lips opened to let Dwayne know the reason for her uproar outside, and suddenly there was a stirring in the hay one stall over.
The three of them watched curiously as a blond tousled head of hair and the sound of bells could be heard and none other than the court jester Paul stood up. ,,Well, that was a nap...oh princess, it's so nice to see you all naked without any straw," the blond man said and rose with a broad smile at his own words before he moved away and put his jingling cap back on and put an arm around the knight's shoulder.
Suppressing a grin and rolling her eyes at his once again bad puns, she was hardly surprised to find him in the straw the last time he had fallen asleep on the castle tower high up by the banner. ,,Nice to see you drunk fool sober again," David replied and fished some straw off his and Paul's clothes that had stuck to them, ,,And not on a tree," ,,Or the tower," Dwayne and the princess replied before the group laughed at the confused expression on the fool's face as he shook his head and his bells rang.
The group not only smiled at the mostly eye-rolling jokes of the court jester, who, however, had his nose more in smoking substances and alcohol than in reasonably good books that would teach him to laugh.
The friend joined the group, not only was his stomach rumbling for food, but the straw seemed to be too picky for him after his intoxication, making his tousled hair look even more disheveled and messy, ,,Such behavior in front of the princess," she reprimanded, tapping the bells on his scarlet cap with her finger as Paul fished the last of the strands out of his hair.
The group next to her, each of the castle servants usually walked next to the princess since she was little, she had insisted. How could you have a proper conversation when your servants and friends were always several steps behind you, annoying and useless? The friends were almost complete, only one was missing who was usually to be found inside the castle anyway, Dwayne's remark about the meat, an even drunker Paul with even worse jokes and David who already had new recruits something was wrong.
Something was wrong as if a summer thunderstorm was in the air and would hit the land with a shock when no one expected it, ,,We're going to get Marko I need your eyes and ears something is going to happen" she said and headed for the next best door into the castle and her slightly confused friends followed her everywhere not only as subordinates, protectors and maybe more.
,,Our eyes and ears are here," the blond said with a chuckle and the others just sighed again at the fool's not-so-good words, ,, You mean the extra meat, the early recruitment and Paul's even worse condition aren't a coincidence?" Dwayne asked, ignoring the younger man's miffed look.
But her nod said enough So he's noticed too, she thought, wishing inwardly that she had paid attention rather than oversleeping and missing out on the weaving lessons by always picking up words of gossip. As the group of four walked through the castle, the men behind her followed the etiquette not only to avoid the punishing looks of the king but also to avoid setting a bad example for themselves.
The closeness they had to the high-born lady was already cause for enough talk…of any kind and relation. ,,Another tournament, even if one was made for you only a few moons ago, princess," the commander of the guard murmured in a calm voice and leaned towards her, ,,Perhaps, but I doubt for me my father the king will have made decisions without me on the council… a council without a place for me," she added and suppressed a sigh.
She was the royal blood, her father's heir and just because she didn't have a tail between her legs and carried a sword, such talk of politics and trade was none of her business, ,,It would only bore you and fill your head with more nonsense daughter" were her father's words as he ordered her out of the room in front of all the councilors, a shame she took from him to this day.
She loved her father and knew what he had been through, what burdens lay on his shoulders and yet sometimes he could not see the potential, as she felt, because of his blindness to her body.
Shaking off the thoughts, they walked down the stone stairs, the light of the sun present in the castle, but the further down into the cells they went, into the corridors of horror of his rooms, the darker and colder only the torches and lanterns soaked in fire showed the way.
A path they all knew they all knew the way to the one small room he usually stayed in when he wasn't putting his fingers to metal bloody instruments of torture.
The two guards downstairs saluted and let the princess through but closed the way for the other three, ,,Let them through I command it" she muttered with a sigh and a wave of her hand she appreciated the loyalty of the guards there had been enough fights in the time the king had been killed by his guards and worse.
They had all been down here before, the chill familiar and the muffled voices behind the renewed door told them all they needed. Walking into the small room where Marko lived, complete with bed, table, boxes and a few other things, seemed almost like a mouse cage as the four of them made their way inside. ,,Lovely and snug," commented David, who had already banged his sword against the furniture several times and Dwayne's whip caught on one of the chairs, ,,Now normally our bat comes to us not us to him," interjected Paul who sat down on the table and the princess sat down on the bed and was surprised to find no knife there
They kept quiet, either not knowing whether to comment on the bare furnishings, Paul's frayed hair with scattered hay still in it, Dwayne who was smiling too little again or David who was about to take out his pipe and smoke. ,,He seems to be doing his job well," she mumbled as they heard a particularly guttural cry of pain that was only amplified by the stone walls, which the three of them responded to with a ,,He's well, Princess," before it fell quiet again.
It was almost amusing whenever they were down here they hardly dared to speak or it took a moment it seemed like a good retreat from the duties and the sounds were a change from always just the hopeful fussing around.
But after a few more moments of the room becoming a tavern, David smoking, Paul making bad jokes, the princess lying on the bed and Dwayne tending to his carving, the door suddenly opened and Marko almost slammed the door in the juggler's face, ,,In the name of Satan what's going on here….good day princess," he added, bowing to his lady who rose from his bed more hastily than anything else.
The blond curly hair lips immediately curled into a grin which, with the blood spattering his face and hands, gave him a truly gruesome but above all adorable expression. ,,What an honor to be visited down here, is there something you need a tooth? Finger? An arm? Or an ear?" he enumerated and she looked in the small bag at his side as he tucked it away in a box, knowing that he was hiding his little specials there.
Something macabre, but it sent a pleasant shiver down her spine as she thought back to the harsh stories he had told her. The young torturer Marjo had taken over the trade at an age when others might have gotten sick of it, but no, he was just the devil himself and had been able to get lots and lots of information that way.
Blond hair like an angel, a calm spirit among new people and enemies but just as big a fool as Paul was when he was with them. ,,An ear for the dogs next time," Dwayne murmured and after a short search Marko tossed him a small leather bag in which the said object was probably located. ,,Extra big and tough for the hellhounds," Marko winked and joined David who put his pipe away so as not to envelop them all even more in smoke, especially so that the lovely rose scent of his lady didn't evaporate.
Marko placed his instruments on a cloth, the blood and pieces of hair and skin were visible on it but it hardly bothered anyone, ,,So why do you need me princess?" he asked and his bright eyes were on the dress wearer who was smoothing her fabric.
,,Have you heard or heard of any information about a tournament, an attack, an ambush or something big?" she asked, getting to the point, unable to shake the feeling inside her that something else was going to happen, something that would affect them all.
Marko leaned his head against the cool wall and thought for a moment while he cleaned his hands and face with a cloth, ,,No, no attack or ambush, at most smaller lords your father's concern. The tournament season is still here but no whispering there either unless-" he was about to continue talking when the door flew open and poor Paul was trapped behind it as a guard stood in front of it, ,,The king wants to see you princess immediately," he said, not caring about the grumbling Paul holding his nose.
What does he want now? the question popped into her head and she nodded, walking past her friends who nodded at her and David assured her, ,,We'll wait for you princess" and the men dismissed her with a bow before she walked back up the stairs alone, past the flames of the torches, through the corridors adjusting her clothes and jewelry and hoping the smoke wasn't too obvious before the door to the throne room was opened for her, ,,The princesses of the realm my king! " echoed through the grand hall with its tapestries, statues of her ancestors and weapons belonging to legendary heroes.
Moving forward, she curtseyed to her father and was surprised to see several advisors and a messenger standing in front of the throne, who greeted her with a greeting. ,,You wanted to see me father?" she asked and saw Max rise from the iron throne and come towards her, a gentle smile playing around his lips and giving him a few wrinkles around the eyes, he seemed to have truly grown older in recent years.
He came to her, suddenly clasping her hands and pointing to a hidden screen, ,,I know it will come somewhat suddenly but the kingdom will not be ruled by me forever. I'm getting older and times are changing and you are my only flesh and blood" he began, not paying attention to her increasingly confused look and the nodding of her innermost tightening more and more Surprises were one thing but this morning's conversation was something else entirely.
,,Yes, Father, but please, what would your Grace like to get out of this?" she asked as he walked around her again, his still cheerful smile fading slightly and he let out a heavy sigh before placing a hand on her cheek, a gesture he only made when he was burdened by something.
A gesture that only made her more uncomfortable and the words that followed gave her a blow that knocked the ground out from under her feet. ,,I as the king have decided to give you my legacy after my death my lands, titles and coins will go to you…as soon as you have consummated the marriage with Prince Michael of House Emerson when the full moon appears" the words left the king's lips, a command, an act of torture for his daughter whose own confidence turned to shock.
She backed away a few steps but her father reached for her hand instead and pulled her in front of the painting as with a wave of his hand the cloth was lifted and she looked into the portrait of a young man perhaps the age of her friends curly hair and a hauxh of a smile on the painting…but above all it was one thing not her wish and desire.
It was not her decision, her heart that did not desire him, her love and body should not belong to him, not in a few days as she realized with horror that there were only a few days until the full moon. ,,Isn't he a wonderful match for you? I heard he has a younger brother and his mother is said to be very spirited," the king continued to talk to her, seemingly oblivious to her fears and emotions, instead pulling her into an embrace when she could do nothing but nod appathetically.
Because in the end what was left for her to do being a princess had its advantages, you had more power than others, you were treated well but the marriage, the privilege and honor, the childbed was what she suffered…she gave her heart to someone she didn't want because the heart in this story already belongs to four people who protected it.
In this story that begins with a once upon a time, there always has to be a twist, a twist that would happen. A marriage between two houses, old and powerful, harbors not only happiness and fortune but also danger, a danger that lies in the air like the words written on these pages.
But what it will be that happens to her and who dries her tears who knows…maybe it will be the handsome commander with his urge to protect her or the calm and engaging hunter who would follow her everywhere, maybe even the nar whose jokes always make her laugh and whose jokes have always accompanied her or is her heart in the end with the highly skillful torturer with his stories that rob her of sleep.
Which heart did the princess choose in this story at the end between the four who have been with her all her life or the promised prince charming who might not be so horrible after all? Who should know except the eyes that will be found in the next chapter?
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@misslavenderlady , @palomam18 , @rl-nancyholbrook , @ghoulgeousimmaculate , @oceansrose2002
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