"Welcome to the castle, Your Highness. The King has been expecting you." "Glad to be here." "This way please". The prince nodded.
As the butler led the way to the King's study, the prince took his time to check out the insides of the castle. This is said to be his first time in this great castle, in this kingdom apparently, though he had heard about the great Melbowen. The untouched Kingdom.
It is said that the people of Melbowen had the power of nature. They could control anything that could sprout from the earth. However, to prevent the abuse of this power, the King and Queen could take away the power, through a ritual only known to the royal family. It's their most sacred and carefully hidden secret that even though the King has had the opportunity to take away some power, it was never known to the people as whoever is unfortunate to have their power taken is banished. The person loses his or her memory and is forgotten by anyone and everyone as if they never existed.
For this reason, the kingdom was untouchable. Everything was in order and for centuries peace thrived.
The castle stood on a green hill. One could tell that this was no ordinary castle. It was a marvel of architecture and magic, a testament to the kingdom's unique power to control nature.
The castle's exterior was a sight to behold. Its tall, imposing towers reached for the sky, while its sturdy stone walls were adorned with intricate carvings.
Inside, the castle was a wonderland of magical designs and decor. The grand hall was filled with strange carvings made with a mixture of green, turquoise, white, and dark blue colors which seem to tell a story of the people.
Getting closer to the study, the prince noticed that the walls were adorned with murals of forests, rivers, and mountains, which was almost, if not the same as the view out of the castle.
The prince was quite impressed. "We are here". the butler said. Just like the doors they passed by the door to the King's study had carvings of an oak tree which looked so ethereal. This was quite bigger than the ones they passed. It was simply magical.
(Knock knock) "Come in" Meeting with the stern gaze of the King. who was seated on a white wooden chair with the back spread out like vines joined together. The top end of the chair was curved to the back but long enough to reach the head of the king.
The butler said after bowing slightly "Your majesty, the prince has arrived". "So I heard, let him in". The prince entered the study and with that, the butler excused himself as he left the two in the study room closing the door behind him.
"Welcome Prince Ryan" "Your majesty," he said with a bow. "Have a seat." With that, the prince took a seat across from him. "I am not going to beat around the bush Ryan." "I invited you here for an important reason." "Which is?" Ryan said with a brow raised. He might seem like an easygoing person but there was this aura around him that speaks (Don't fucking mess with me). "I want you to marry my daughter".
(Silence...) The room became tense. Ryan had a questioning look on his face with a frown as well. "What do you...." "Look, before you say anything, let me finish" the King continued cutting Ryan off.
"I am fully aware that your kingdom is in chaos, blood, fighting against blood due to the thirst for power. I know your entire family is against you being crowned the king even though you were your father's favorite. Unfortunately, He couldn't crown you himself before his death".
Ryan's face became hard, and anger was visible in his eyes. " How the hell were you able to gather such information". Ryan was done being polite.
After the death of his father a few months ago, Ryan had done everything to keep the Blueburne kingdom intact as his brothers and sister tried their best to ruin and make things difficult for him, but he made a promise to his father, and for that, he couldn't give up. Not now, not ever. The people were fully aware of how the King adored his lastborn. He was the King's favorite after all and not just that, he was the people's favorite as well.
There was nowhere the king went that you wouldn't find the young prince with him. He was his right-hand man. It could be said that the king did this to train his young son. Yet he did it subtly. He could care less about his useless four sons and lazy daughter.
They did nothing but bring him shame.
"I have my ways. I need you Ryan and you need me too. Help me to help you. In the end, we both win. Let's form an alliance."