Monday, June 21, 2004

the rest of chapter one. enjoy!
I remember when the Nickel gang ran through town and set up base in the alleyways of Lowry, Hilay. They were robbers, murderers, and gangsters. They were scum and needed to be banished from town, so said the king (under my fathers advice). All the knights in the kingdom searched the city looking for these hoodlums. Every single one of them was run out of town. The kingdom was at peace again.
Until a few months ago that is. The Nickel gang made an exclusive return, to kill us. One day My mother and I were invited to a state dinner in the Grand Hall of the castle. After Queen Linda was beheaded, the king got lonely and decided to make sure it wasn’t his fault my parent’s wedding was falling apart.
On the way back to the house, my father asked his personal guards to leave us some time alone. After the guards were out of sight, men began to follow us. It was the Nickel gang. We ducked behind a merchant’s store and into the alleyway. It was a trap and they were waiting for us. We were almost killed, if only for the knights who heard the commotion. Then after the attack, we moved to one of the empty wings of the castle. That is when I lost track of my family almost entirely. My mother became entranced with parties and social encounters now that she no longer had to work.
“I think I’ve earned the right to relax.” She said, “I worked my butt off in those fields. It’s time I took a rest.”
That was the end of that conversation. In addition, any feelings of attachment I had to my family were lost. I had to get out of that life. There was nothing left for me there. One day I am expected to stay there in the castle, and take over for my father. That is not who I was to be.
Ever since the day I was born, I was an embarrassment to my father. I had white hair that never changed, never cut or brushed. I was a scrawny little kid, unlike my father who took pride in being an athlete when he was a boy. He takes great personal insult in my runt hood.
I never had any responsibilities. My life was paid for when I was born. I never had any schooling, and my mother rejected any help from me in the fields. “I don’t need any help from you, little man.” She said with a laugh.
That meant my life was carefree. Obviously, like any kid ten years old, I would naturally get into a little trouble. Because my father worked in the castle, whether or not the guards liked it, they had to open the gates for me. You see, I would wander the castle looking for people to annoy. I would search all the doors in the castle in search of something to do.
I found a garden one day where there were beautiful flowers and trees where I met face to face with Princess Larenda. Larenda spent most of her time away from her father and fiancé. The first time I saw her, she was leaning over to smell a rose. She had long, wavy, blue hair. She looked like an angel. She was the smartest and sweetest person I had met. She comes to this garden to get away from the man her father wants her to marry. “I’m only ten years old. I’m not ready to get married.” We spent a lot of time in the garden talking, especially after the attack on my family.
“Thankfully no one was hurt. I was worried when I heard what happened.” Since that day, our family has been treated as royalty. One day, one of the servants even called me “Sire.” My father happened to be passing by when this happened. He straightened this out immediately. He believed that I was the one that told him to call me sire. I was whipped. Any time I was ever in any trouble, I was whipped. This is when I stopped even talking to my father and mother.

One day when I was particularly mad at my parents, I was pouting in the garden looking to find Larenda. I just needed someone to listen to me. I sat down in the grass surrounded by flowers. I heard a voice beyond them. Someone else was crying too. It shocked me because the princess was the only one allowed in here besides myself, and I had never seen her cry before. She was always smiling every time I saw her. Many times guards stopped me from entering the garden.
Before I moved into the castle, none of the guards knew who I was and I especially remember one of them that stopped me. This big burly guard had been humiliated after been proven wrong when he mistakenly arrested a peasant. He thought the peasant was a member of the Nickel gang. The peasant was pardoned but the guards pride was destroyed. Now he was trying to get his reputation back.
He clanked in all of his armor up behind me and clapped his hand down hard on my shoulder.
“What are you doing here boy? You need to learn some manners. I must alert the king how you bribed the gate guards.”
“But sir, I work here in the castle.” I stared at the ground and bowed as I talked to him. I didn’t want him to take me to my father and the king. I had enough whippings.
“Oh, then why aren’t you working?” He tapped his foot waiting. I didn’t have an answer to this. Thankfully, the princess overheard from the other side of the door. Immediately she burst out from the garden door screaming.
“You’re late! I told you to be here five minutes ago!” She winked at me, then grabbed me by the arm and threw me in the garden and slammed the door behind me. I got up and cracked the door to listen. With her beady eyes looking innocent, she said.
“I’m sorry. He’s new, and I asked him to help me in the garden. I hope that’s okay.” I could see from his face now that he bought it. He bowed and walked off. I miss those days.
After reminiscing, I slowly crawled to the area where she was crying. Looking up with teary eyes, she looked in my direction. Right away she got up and ran over to me. I stood ready for a hug to comfort her, but instead she ran over and started hitting me.
“What are you doing here? Get out! Get out! Get out!”
Many times before when I came to the garden, she was not there. This special area is obviously where she came to be alone. I had never seen this part of the garden before. I left the garden and went to my room. I stared at the ceiling from my bed wondering what was going on. I rolled over and fell asleep.