Arcadia
Chapter 1
It wasn’t the soft, warming light that shone through the open blinds in the prince’s east-wing chamber that woke the slumbering monarch. Nor was it the continuous chirping of the happy early-morning risers who made home in the nearby courtyard’s Great Oak.
No. Nothing of this particular pleasant spring morning was notably disturbing. Not even the habitual whistles of the day servants (who rose with the dawn) could be pinned loud enough to awaken what appeared to be a well-rested young man.
Yet something was off in the freshly rising land of Arcadia.
Somewhere deep down, without reasonable explanation, had Prince Louis instinctively feeling like something big was about to take place. Something with the power to change the course of what should be a simplistic, routine-based day.
Hard as he could to put a finger on the tension slowly rising in his stomach, and as much as he would of preferred staying wrapped in the fluffy duvet for a bit longer (feigning sleep and pleasant dreams), he knew the time of relaxation had well since past and saw no option but to at least begin to start welcoming the beautiful late-April day.
From a poetic point of view it was, after-all, glorious outside. After finally gaining the momentum to push back the baby-blue silk sheets, Louis quietly stumbled over to the grand window at the center of the room. He pulled back the thickly textured gold curtains and was graciously greeted with the same warm light that now shone through to every corner of his handsomely decorated chamber. The happily dazed ruler almost forgot about his weird premonitions by just staring through half-lidded eyes at the newly formed sight. His private apartments were strewn with imported silk the same color as his bedding, as well as painstakingly detailed gold trimmings. Everything was themed and marvelous; from his king-sized, four poster canopy bed, to his plush throw-rugs that garnished wooden floors, all beyond the comfortable living area, to the right of where he was standing, that was meant to impress and hosts guests. It was quaint and cozy with just enough lavish to compliment his rank; perfection in his eyes and just the way he designed it.
Though not the most powerful nation on the continent, Arcadia was very well off as far as independent kingdoms go. His father was a genius leader who, in his past twenty-nine years of rule, saw to it that the people, as well as the property, from border to border, was in pleasing shape. The Arcadians enjoyed little poverty, diverse tradesmanship, bountiful harvests, strong allies, clean water supplies, and an appropriately stocked army. In return, there was a sense of peace and harmony throughout the country. The monarchy earned the love of the people, who were loyal to the king, and promised to remain so under his gracious thrown. Looking out the window glass, past the for-mentioned courtyard, and into the countryside that lay parallel to his side of the castle, Louis was able to watch the daily schedule of the folk. At this hour he was right in guessing that the livestock was already fed and watered and now left to happily graze in the pastures on their own freewill. Children were beginning to make the trudge to school, merrily skipping in the sunlight, content with the realization that the few weeks of the semester were dwindling down. It was a wonderful scene. One that he hoped he’d be able to continue to witness after it was his turn to take over the crown. He’d never let a soul hear it from his mouth, except maybe Zayn, his trusted advisor and best friends since birth, but that is where one of his greatest fears lie. No matter how much preparation he received, and in these days of his early twenties was a lot, the building sensation of nerves (nerves that never fully disappeared, but lay waiting at the pit of his stomach) would sense vulnerability and attack. Somehow he could never shake the paranoia of being a disastrous king. His parents may have to watch the horrific downfall of a kingdom they spent their entire lives tirelessly building. He might never be good enough to take over all of the responsibilities of the job title; the people might hate him.
“Oh my, Your Highness!”
Louis was so far into his thoughts that he didn’t even hear the sound of the door opening, or the approach of Richard, one of the palace’s head servants.“I wasn’t expecting you to be up so soon. If I’d of known I would have had Claude here earlier to pull the curtains for you. That fabric is entirely too heavy to deal with first thing in the morning. You must save your strength, you’re expected to go riding with the caretakers to survey the north-east grounds around noon you know.”
Yes, Louis knew alright. And he also knew it was best not to argue the unnecessary reprimanding. Richard was a fantastic employee, working for the court even before his own birth. He saw to it that everything ran smooth as ice, on both normal settings and special occasions. The King and Queen may have had their duties in-line, but Louis was still a kid at heart, working to get his priorities straight. For that he was more thankful to the man standing before him. Richard kept him on track like clockwork. Part of Louis couldn’t help but feel that maybe he forgets he was about to celebrate his twenty-first birthday, but then again this is the same person who, once-upon-a-time, chased him out of the mud banks in the river before he had the chance to parade filthy and naked through his mother’s quilting room.
Biting down his reminiscent smirk Louis just simply lied, “of course Richard, that’s actually why I chose so get up so soon. I plan on a hearty breakfast and a chat with Zayn before making my way to the stables. So if you would excuse me, I should probably start getting dressed….”
“Before you do, young Prince, I did come here by request.” With that Louis had frozen on his attempt to escape to the adjoining bathroom. “The King would like to speak with you straight away in his library. Preferably, he mentioned, before breakfast.”
“Oh… of course. Did he happen to mention why?”, the ruler asked hopeful to the older man.
“Now dear Prince you know it is not in my position to question the King. Only an advisor would uphold business information. And yes, before you ask, I do believe it is business. I’ve known your father for many years and the library isn’t usually his first chose for an abrupt family meeting. He has been taking messages back and forth since sunrise I can tell you that.” Sensing the discomfort at the information, Richard decided to add, “oh but I’m sure it won’t be that bad. It is your birthday coming up soon, maybe there are just some formalities about appearances he wants to go through. Twenty-one is an important year after-all. Yes, now buck up and get suited. The quicker it’s all said and done the sooner you’ll be down in the meal hall smelling Ophelia’s famous pancakes. A lil’ birdie told me to keep an eye out for fresh apricots, yeah?” he winked at Louis’s attempt at a small smile.
“Yes, alright. I’ll freshen up now then.”
“Very good, I’ll send word down to the library. And please do not fret Your Highness. Who knows? Today might be the start of something new.
As Richard turned away and headed back towards the door, Louis couldn’t help but mumble back to the window “yeah…something.”
No. Nothing of this particular pleasant spring morning was notably disturbing. Not even the habitual whistles of the day servants (who rose with the dawn) could be pinned loud enough to awaken what appeared to be a well-rested young man.
Yet something was off in the freshly rising land of Arcadia.
Somewhere deep down, without reasonable explanation, had Prince Louis instinctively feeling like something big was about to take place. Something with the power to change the course of what should be a simplistic, routine-based day.
Hard as he could to put a finger on the tension slowly rising in his stomach, and as much as he would of preferred staying wrapped in the fluffy duvet for a bit longer (feigning sleep and pleasant dreams), he knew the time of relaxation had well since past and saw no option but to at least begin to start welcoming the beautiful late-April day.
From a poetic point of view it was, after-all, glorious outside. After finally gaining the momentum to push back the baby-blue silk sheets, Louis quietly stumbled over to the grand window at the center of the room. He pulled back the thickly textured gold curtains and was graciously greeted with the same warm light that now shone through to every corner of his handsomely decorated chamber. The happily dazed ruler almost forgot about his weird premonitions by just staring through half-lidded eyes at the newly formed sight. His private apartments were strewn with imported silk the same color as his bedding, as well as painstakingly detailed gold trimmings. Everything was themed and marvelous; from his king-sized, four poster canopy bed, to his plush throw-rugs that garnished wooden floors, all beyond the comfortable living area, to the right of where he was standing, that was meant to impress and hosts guests. It was quaint and cozy with just enough lavish to compliment his rank; perfection in his eyes and just the way he designed it.
Though not the most powerful nation on the continent, Arcadia was very well off as far as independent kingdoms go. His father was a genius leader who, in his past twenty-nine years of rule, saw to it that the people, as well as the property, from border to border, was in pleasing shape. The Arcadians enjoyed little poverty, diverse tradesmanship, bountiful harvests, strong allies, clean water supplies, and an appropriately stocked army. In return, there was a sense of peace and harmony throughout the country. The monarchy earned the love of the people, who were loyal to the king, and promised to remain so under his gracious thrown. Looking out the window glass, past the for-mentioned courtyard, and into the countryside that lay parallel to his side of the castle, Louis was able to watch the daily schedule of the folk. At this hour he was right in guessing that the livestock was already fed and watered and now left to happily graze in the pastures on their own freewill. Children were beginning to make the trudge to school, merrily skipping in the sunlight, content with the realization that the few weeks of the semester were dwindling down. It was a wonderful scene. One that he hoped he’d be able to continue to witness after it was his turn to take over the crown. He’d never let a soul hear it from his mouth, except maybe Zayn, his trusted advisor and best friends since birth, but that is where one of his greatest fears lie. No matter how much preparation he received, and in these days of his early twenties was a lot, the building sensation of nerves (nerves that never fully disappeared, but lay waiting at the pit of his stomach) would sense vulnerability and attack. Somehow he could never shake the paranoia of being a disastrous king. His parents may have to watch the horrific downfall of a kingdom they spent their entire lives tirelessly building. He might never be good enough to take over all of the responsibilities of the job title; the people might hate him.
“Oh my, Your Highness!”
Louis was so far into his thoughts that he didn’t even hear the sound of the door opening, or the approach of Richard, one of the palace’s head servants.“I wasn’t expecting you to be up so soon. If I’d of known I would have had Claude here earlier to pull the curtains for you. That fabric is entirely too heavy to deal with first thing in the morning. You must save your strength, you’re expected to go riding with the caretakers to survey the north-east grounds around noon you know.”
Yes, Louis knew alright. And he also knew it was best not to argue the unnecessary reprimanding. Richard was a fantastic employee, working for the court even before his own birth. He saw to it that everything ran smooth as ice, on both normal settings and special occasions. The King and Queen may have had their duties in-line, but Louis was still a kid at heart, working to get his priorities straight. For that he was more thankful to the man standing before him. Richard kept him on track like clockwork. Part of Louis couldn’t help but feel that maybe he forgets he was about to celebrate his twenty-first birthday, but then again this is the same person who, once-upon-a-time, chased him out of the mud banks in the river before he had the chance to parade filthy and naked through his mother’s quilting room.
Biting down his reminiscent smirk Louis just simply lied, “of course Richard, that’s actually why I chose so get up so soon. I plan on a hearty breakfast and a chat with Zayn before making my way to the stables. So if you would excuse me, I should probably start getting dressed….”
“Before you do, young Prince, I did come here by request.” With that Louis had frozen on his attempt to escape to the adjoining bathroom. “The King would like to speak with you straight away in his library. Preferably, he mentioned, before breakfast.”
“Oh… of course. Did he happen to mention why?”, the ruler asked hopeful to the older man.
“Now dear Prince you know it is not in my position to question the King. Only an advisor would uphold business information. And yes, before you ask, I do believe it is business. I’ve known your father for many years and the library isn’t usually his first chose for an abrupt family meeting. He has been taking messages back and forth since sunrise I can tell you that.” Sensing the discomfort at the information, Richard decided to add, “oh but I’m sure it won’t be that bad. It is your birthday coming up soon, maybe there are just some formalities about appearances he wants to go through. Twenty-one is an important year after-all. Yes, now buck up and get suited. The quicker it’s all said and done the sooner you’ll be down in the meal hall smelling Ophelia’s famous pancakes. A lil’ birdie told me to keep an eye out for fresh apricots, yeah?” he winked at Louis’s attempt at a small smile.
“Yes, alright. I’ll freshen up now then.”
“Very good, I’ll send word down to the library. And please do not fret Your Highness. Who knows? Today might be the start of something new.
As Richard turned away and headed back towards the door, Louis couldn’t help but mumble back to the window “yeah…something.”
Notes
So I think I'll just be focusing on this for the summer.I have more pre written and plenty of ideas, so just let me know if it's a waste of time or not.
You such a great writer! You have the talent keep up the good work :)
1/11/14