PRINCE CHARLES POV
At first, when I was asked to follow the general to this place I was vexed, father had made it so evidently clear to me that he did not like me, but giving me the job of a common spy was rather too much, it was an order questioned by even the council of elites, a bunch of rich old folks that were easily convinced with a simple sentence.
"He will lead tomorrow and to lead he needs to know the affairs of the people what better way to acquire such knowledge than to live with them, he has Hector, and there is no stronger man in this kingdom"
That's what father said, I knew better, we both knew it was only a way for him to keep an eye on Hector and a way to keep me away from him and his throne. Father had always been so incredibly insecure, always afraid his throne will be taken from him, so he destroyed anything that might pose a threat to him or his throne,
I've seen him do it before, not only once had a member of the council of advisors gone missing after questioning their king, some suddenly getting a sentence for a crime they had never even thought of committing, I've heard he's done worse, far much worse.
But he can't kill me, because not only is he a greedy, power hungry, insecure maniac he is also smart and still wants royalty to pass down his blood line, and as I am his only legitimate son, I am guaranteed safety.
The general who is supposed to provide me with that security however did not even appreciate my company, he felt like he was watching over the kings puppet son, a title I had gained over the years for always following the silliest of father's instructions,
Little did Hector know that even till this moment I was still following orders from my father to keep tabs on him, that he was being checked on. It was best that way as he hated people keeping tabs on him, I had to submit reports of his activities here to father
I was about to send out the first report when Eva knocked on my door, she would have been in a mess had Hector seen her, he is a suspicious man, he would have started suspecting my true purpose of accompanying him, seeing that he has known my father for longer than I have, it would have been an easy guess, however miss Eva who came only to thank me would have been dragged into the matter.
I find it amusing how the people in this town lived there lives, like entertainers always trying to please, I have been taught differently to just do your job right, to deliver on the tasks you were given, because not everyone can be pleased.
That is what father taught me when I found that no matter how hard I tried, I could never make him love me, so I only delivered, did well at my job whether it be training or tasks and continue with my life without waiting for recognition.
It was in order to complete my mission that I was writing the second report to send them to father, I wonder what father would do when found out that Hector, the most influential military general who has a thing00King, gave out orders and punishment in the presence of royalty without first consulting me, and had on his own will spared a town of some taxes for years. II needed more details to report so I took the gamble of asking the only person I knew that would be willing to provide me with the information I needed, Miss Eva Woodson, it was a gamble, one I was ready to bet on.
"You want me to tell on the general?"
"Yes"
"What do I get for answering these questions your highness?"
She was actually proposing a deal, with me?, this lady was way more fearless than I thought, hmm, I'm impressed other women would simply do whatever I ask of them without questions, I still needed the information she was going to give, so I made her an offer she couldn't refuse. "How about your friend's safety".
Eva's bright blue eyes seemed to brighten, like I had just magically become her ray of hope
"What do you want to know your Highness?"
"Tell me about the general's visits to the green hills"
We sat there and she talked about how everyone in this town worked together to make sure the general has a pleasing visit, which sound like everything I was currently experiencing, nothing out of the usual except he was less aggressive when he came alone, I could already tell where his aggression came from, when she was done, the only thing I needed now was to know the generals planned activities
"Do you know anything about the generals plans during his stay here?"
She thought about it for a minute before replying
"No, I don't, but mother keeps a schedule in her drawer"
"Do you think you can get me the schedule miss Eva?"
"I can try"
That was a huge relief, although I could submit my report without the schedule, it would be complete with it.
"Thank you Miss Eva" I rose to take my leave
"Your highness, what about your own end of the bargain?"
"I gave my word but and I shall see to it that your friend meets no more harm as long as you can get the schedule for our stay here".
I went back to my room already exhausted and sleepy, I wrote down my report and about green hill town, filled with unsuspecting innocent civilians who try their best to live, rolled the letter into a cylindrical shape, wrapped it with a small piece of cloth, tucked it into my waist band and rested the night.