Starting the day

I hold my stomach around the arrow shaft desperately trying to stop my bleeding, my body slowly getting colder. My thoughts started to drift, I was so close, I could see the tree line not even a meter away. A figure walks up to me. I can't see his face as my vision is blurry, probably from all the blood loss. He kneels down pulling out a knife.

"Young sir, young sir! It is time to get up you are late for your lessons, you have much to do." "Argh do I have to? I told mother many times that all these lessons are unnecessary." Langley pushes the curtains aside letting in all the penetratingly sharp rays of the sun as I groggily get up. I hate combat training, especially since I can never get anything right. Not to mention how much I hate my instructor, reading and writing is way more fun. Not that anyone around here can ever understand. "Sir, sword training is very important, it's what your family is known for after all." "Yes I know you never stop talking about it." I get out of bed to put on my clothes, they are specially made with silk, and a gold embroidery of my family crest, a phoenix. The fiery red that symbolizes the flames the phoenix rises from colors the whole shirt. All made with the best materials money can buy. "Follow me sir, master Ferdinand plans to teach you about stances again today since you can not seem to get the hang of it, unlike your younger brother who is already learning how to enforce his body." "Yes I know that's all you talk about as well, how my little brother is better than me and how much I am lacking." "I am so sorry sir that is not at all what i'm…" "Enough! let's just get this over with." I felt bad for raising my voice, I am just so sick of hearing how much my brother is so much better than me. "Of course sir."

I quickly walk towards the training hall, my butler following quickly behind me. The halls of my home could house at least 100 people all at the same time and has done so many times. My family mansion is bigger than all the buildings surrounding it, which should not be surprising as it is where my father the king of this region lives, although I am told compared to the other regions ours is in fact very shabby. I however find that hard to believe. My home has many rooms for our servants and many more for guests.

The stone walls echo as I walk and not for the first time I casually look at all the art and busts, each worth at least a hundred gold coins. "What a waste." "Sir?" "All these paintings and busts, why do we need all these useless things when our people on the street starve and fight for mere scraps?" I have always hated the fact that my family wastes most of our wealth on fancy food and so called works of art, especially when we could use that gold to help our people and keep them from starving. "Sir have you been walking around the city again you know his highness forbids you from doing that, especially since we are on the brink of another war." "I know when are we not at war, but are you going to tell him?" I stop moving and look directly at Langley to try and gauge his reaction. "Sir, you know I have to, it's all a part of my duties as your personal butler." I knew he was going to say that no one in this whole damn castle ever sides with me, they just do as they are told out of fear of my father. "You are dismissed Langley." "But sir, we are not yet." "I said you are dismissed." "yes sir, of course sir apologies sir." Langley scurries off to do whatever it is he does when he is not with me, probably reporting to my father on every little thing I do. I sigh as I continue alone to the training hall to go find my hellish of a training instructor to just get today over with.

"Well well well, look who finally showed up." Master Ferdinand is probably the strictest teacher in the whole of Verdinhale. He stands around 6 feet tall with enough muscle to rival a fully grown werebeast. His brown hair cut short and a full beard to boot. He is also a general that serves directly under my father. "Hello master I am sorry for showing up late." I bow to him to great as well as to show that I am sorry. Hopefully he will let me off easy. "Well I expect you to try twice as hard today, and as punishment twenty laps around the hall! well? Get to it." Never the one to waste his words as always. I quickly start my jog around the hall hopefully he won't notice if I take it a little bit easy... "Hey! No slacking get to it, faster!" Does he seriously want me to sprint these twenty laps? That's insane, especially since the hall itself is one of the biggest rooms in the entire castle, he's trying to kill me!

I have always hated my family's legacy, it's just not my style. I like books and figuring out problems. No one in this castle but me reads they just train their bodies never there mind, especially my brother who spends every waking moment of his free time duelng any and all. It is just so stupid that my family only ever decides to solve there problems with the sword. I even told them that but they never listen, they resent me for it, saying that the way I think is how the weak do things. In an effort to correct my "Wrong" way of thinking they gave me the hardest instructor they could find. He always makes me work twice if not three times as hard as a regular instructor would and I still can not get any better with the sword.

I collapse on the ground panting and sweating from all the exertion of running. "Get up we still have practice." Reluctantly I do so, slowly rising to my feet. Seeing that I'm up he throws a training sword at me expecting me to catch it. For my part I actually manage it, instead of letting it drop knowing that if it did he would make me run more laps. I get into the starting pose ready to get beat to a pulp, like I do every day without fail. However to my surprise Langley runs into the hall with a very worried look on his face interrupting the training before it could truly start. My instructor at first was mad at being interrupted quickly composes himself after observing the look on Langley's face. "The king requests an emergency meeting! He requires all necessary individuals to attend immediately." I start to go towards the meeting hall but Langley stops me. "I am sorry young sir but he specifically ordered me not to let you attend." I immediately get angry, my family always keeping me out of the loop. "My brother is going, is he not?" "Well yes but.." "Then I am as well." I brush past Langley not caring that he is following behind me blubbering about how I can't go.

I push open the meeting hall doors, a fumbling Langley right behind me. "You were told not to attend were you not?" "Yes father I am sorry for disobeying your orders I just felt.." "He said you are not to attend, brother." He spat out the last word like he has always done as if to make it a point that he hates me. "I am speaking to father right now Castel not to you." My lowly brother tsks and looks away from me as to try and make a point, I don't care however so I just look back at father and stare showing him I will not move. "Take him away and put him in his room until the meeting is over, if you fail again I will find a replacement for you. Surely you know what would happen to you if you do not meet my expectations." "Yes sir right away I am so sorry. Please young sir, follow me." In my furious state I glance at my brother, a smug look written all over his face. "Fine then!" I storm out of the room Langley following me closely this time to make sure I get there. "He just does not understand that I can be useful! All he acknowledges is the sword and it's wrong!" Langley wisely decides not to speak as he knows what would happen if father heard him. We get to my room and he tries to follow me inside but I close the door before he can. I am so enraged about what happened that I have to consciously slow my breathing. I pick up my favorite book from the table, the cover reads "Practical magic use for those who are ill informed." Reading always calms me down but not now, I toss the book at the wall there is no way I am going to stay in this room.