The Beast Within

A King's Game: Chapter Three

Morning came with new troubles.

After a mercifully short breakfast with the king and his court, a servant brought me to the gardens, where I was pushed toward the scowling prince.

"Yer job 'ere," snapped the servant, an old woman who looked like she'd spent most of her life displeased, "is to make sure the little prince is entertained. Play wif 'im 'til I call ye both for midday meal. And mind 'is 'ighness!"

She curtsied with a groan and left us.

The prince crossed his arms and regarded me with hateful eyes.

"Dada went hunting," he said with a sneer, "and he's going to bring me back new toys. I break them all because they're never any fun."

I stared blankly at him.

"You're no different, you know. You're not special. You're just a new toy for me to break."

He was younger than me by quite a few years, but I imagined that even if we had been the same age he would have been considerably smaller. He looked malnourished, though I knew that was impossible given the feasts of his father's hall. The upturned nose set within his bony cheeks only enhanced his brattishness, and the purple under his unhappy eyes made it look as though he'd never slept a full hour in his life. He had a few premature wrinkles around his mouth caused by constant frowning. The elegant clothes on his body, no doubt made to fit his precise measurements, hung loose on his skeletal frame, suggesting he shed weight faster than a royal tailor could keep up with.

All of this made him look like an old man wearing the costume of a child.

"Well go on," he spat, "how do you intend to entertain me, dog?"

It would have been easy to despise him, but I could find nothing but pity for the prince. His father hadn't spoken a word to him during breakfast, not even to say good morning, and left without so much as a peck on the boy's cheek. There was no warmth between them, I surmised in little time, and for that I felt sorrow.

"What would you like me to do? I can sing—"

"Turn into the beast. I prefer the dog to you." He smirked before adding, "I'll have a peasant fetch a saddle so I can ride you around the gardens. And after I'll throw a ball for you to fetch."

"No, Your Highness. That wouldn't be a good idea. The wolf does as it pleases, and I don't think it would enjoy being ridden like a horse."

Nor would you like the outcome if you tested it with your attitude, I thought but didn't speak.

"You're saying...No...to me? No?" The word seemed foreign to him. "If you don't do what I command, Dada will have you beaten in front of the whole castle."

"The wolf isn't tame. I would fear for your safety."

"Looked tame enough to take orders last night."

"Only because it was cornered and had nowhere to go."

"That can be arranged again, dog."

He raised his fist, intending to summon a guard, but paused. He must have believed I would beg him not to do so, and agree to anything he desired, but I merely stared at him, neither challenging nor giving in. He could threaten me all he wanted. The wolf was not a child's toy, and if the prince was unable to understand that our time together would be misery. There was an awkward moment of waiting before the prince lowered his hand and scoffed.

If possible, his eyes held more hate than before.

"I'm going to tell Dada you refused, and we'll see if you're alive tomorrow."