I opened my eyes with a smile on my face, the rays of the sun beat down on my skin sweetly. I had a beautiful dream with my darling Sashina the whole night. She is the sweetest.
I reached out to get my phone to look at an illustration that I made from how the author described her. It isn't perfect yet but with just a few more touches it will be. It is my morning routine to look at her first thing in the morning, that way my day would be better.
My phone was not on the bed. 'Perhaps I left it on the bedside table,' I thought and reached out my hand to touch the bedside table. As lazy as I am I find it too troublesome to sit up just to find my phone.
'It's not here either,' I thought. Sighing I forced myself to sit up cause my phone won't find itself and I need to look at my goddess.
"Good morning, Master Darkvale," I heard the minute I sat up. Tracing the voice that spoke I found an old man dressed in what looked like a butler uniform standing next to the bed watching me. There were a few young men behind him who had their heads bowed down.
"Are you talking to me?" I asked looking around the bed to make sure I was the only one there.
"Yes, young man," he said and clapped his hands twice in the air. The young men behind him exited the room in an organized manner heading to the door behind the old butler dude.
"What is going on?" I found myself asking.
"Whatever do you mean? You do know that you need to be in Aphidia before sunset right?" the old man asked me.
"Say what now?" I asked getting up from the bed. This crazy scene first thing in the morning is enough to get me completely awake and going without coffee.
"Then what are you have to live in Aphidia for the next six months as punishment from the King," the old man said.
"What, who paid you to do this?" I questioned him. "Whatever fool paid you to come to my house and do this. I will not spare you or your employer," I threatened.
"Lower your voice," the old man said in a threateningly low voice. "You might get hurt if you try to run before learning how to walk," he added.
The nerve of the old man to threaten me in my own house. Does he not know with whom he has come to mess. I will teach him such a lesson that he will always remember to stay within his limits.
"You.."
"It's time for your bath," he said to me. Before I could refute I found that he was already leading me through the door behind him.
"I won't go anywhere. You will have to do it over my dead body," I said sternly.
"That can be arranged," the old man said in an icy cold voice. "How would you prefer to die, poisoning or beheading, or perhaps you would like to be feed to your father's crocodile pet?" he asked me.
His words poured on me like ice-cold water, for a man who is old he sure knows how to scare a person to death.
"Bath him," he instructed after succeeding to get me in the bathroom.
"Say what now?" I asked again confused. Does he except me, a fully grown man to be washed by these young men in the room.
"Do you intend to bath with clothes?" he asked with his eyebrow raised. I have no idea what in the world is going on but thank goodness that I don't have a grandpa. I can't bear to imagine what my life would have been like if I have a grandfather like this old man.
I reached up to remove my robe which I was only not noticing that I had on. Gazing at the neat fabric, I can say for sure that it does not belong to me. It's rich people robe and I am a lot of this but not rich.
"I enter the warm water and let the young men wash me. It was that or get fed to a crocodile. Which brings me to the next question, who keeps a crocodile for a pet?
This place is terrifying and the people are no better. Having to stay here longer would drive me mad, especially with the old mafia butler man by my side.
" A penny for your thoughts?" the old man asked me.
"No."
"Don't even think of playing any games with me. Your father has tasked me to ensure that you stay in line for the next six months and stay in Aphidia so that is what is going to happen, young prince," he said.
The last statement caught my attention. Prince? Did you he just call me prince?
"How dare you give orders to your prince," I said getting up with my voice raised. If he wants to role play then that is exactly what we are going to do.
The young men who were bathing me gasped when I spoke, they moved back away from trembling with fear.
'What is wrong?' I asked in my head getting a bad feeling of the darkening expression on the old man's face.
"What. Did. You. Just. Say?" the old man asked. I could swear the temperature of the room went from room temperature to below sea level kind on temperature. I gulped.
The old man reached for the sword in his waist and raised it. I wasn't scared that much. I mean this is role play, there is no way that the sword is real. He swung the sword in the air and I gasped.
Not because of his good sword skills but the dang thing turned into a silver snake with three heads. The snakes hissed at me sending shivers down my spine.
"I believe you should be finishing your bath, your royal prince Nedryn Darkvale," he said sarcastically and my heart stopped beating.