1 BOOK 1(HIS MISFORTUNES) CHAPTER 1 ILL OMENS

In the late heart of the night, the moon fully out, the weather was so windy that it tossed the far away trees to and fro. There sitted the old castle on the high grounds of Miranda. It's craked walls could tell it was really old.

In this huge castle, lived a royal family of three. The King Lord Randolph, his wife Queen Ashlyn and their only son Prince Alexander.

The latter aged nineteen, young, vibrant, intelligent,soft hearted and gentile in nature but brave and so good looking that all maidens drool over him though he never looked their side, his father feared if he would ever fall in love with any woman, for the young prince seemed to love books even more than women.

His love for books had gained him the nickname lord or the library from family, friends, nobles and enemies.

The entire inhabitants of the great castle had retired to bed except the young prince, who was in the library searching for a particular book, he scrambled the books all around

"Oh dear me! Where have I kept this book?" He asked himself frustratedly

"I am sure I did return it here" he assured himself as he continued to search

"Ah..ah there you are" he muttered silently like he was whispering to the book, he picked it up and strolled out of the library, leaving it a complete amazing mess.

Still focused on the book, he found his way to the main hall and from there he began to hear footsteps approaching behind him, he stopped suddenly in his tracks then he slowly turned around and pulled out his sword

"Who are you that follows me?" He asked and went silent for few minutes but surprisingly, he neither heard the footsteps nor a reply

"Well maybe just my imaginations" he thought inwardly, continued reading his books and took the stairs leading to his chamber which was on the second floor of the east tower.

When he approached the doors of his chamber, he felt something urge him like a force or a voice perhaps telling him not to open the doors, he paused and pouted his mouth like a shy girl.

He stood there for a while, with his arms folded across his chest and his pouted mouth twitching around like he was thinking about something.

Even though Alexander was a boy, he sometimes exhibited a girlish attitude, he would pout his mouth, blink his eyelashes rapidly, sometimes he would flip his shoulder length brown hair into the air. But still, he was extremely strong and brave, he never loosed in a battle.

After standing there for minutes, he finally opened the door just to meet the most disgusting shock of his life.

His green eyes almost falled off because of the disgusting sight before him, he gnashed his teeth in anger in complete madness, even though what he saw was nothing but cockroaches. About hundreds of them were having a party on his bed, their awful smell took complete charge of the air almost making Alexander throw up.

He turned to leave the room but stopped when he felt something crawl all over him, he looked at his body and felt irritated at the sight of the cockroaches crawling all over him.

He began to stamp his feet, jump around as he struggled to get them off his body

"Get off me messengers of doom!" He shouted, still jumping. Suddenly he slipped accidentally and rolled down the stairs. His back began to ache him badly, he groaned in pain as he rose up from the marbled floor and dusted his body with his book.

Like an aim accompanied, the cockroaches abandoned him, he became horrified

"Proclaimers of ill luck, made me stumble down the stairs then abandon me in pain" he hissed walking to a near by window and continued reading again.

He paused suddenly, he seemed to be hearing a sound " what sound is this that I hear?" He said as he listened more then looked out the window, only to find hawks hovering around the castle continuously, while he watched, an owl hooted by his left.

"What is all this bad sighting?" He asked becoming frustrated as he tossed the book roughly onto the ground

"Even yesterday, I had seen rats climb the thrones in the throne room, vultures on the roofs and this night, cockroaches in my bed and now hawks and owls. I need not to be told that evil is about to befall my kingdom but I do not know what this misfortune shall be, I certainly hope it will have nothing to do with fighting I am not ready to go to the battle field or shed blood, I have spent most of my youthful days fighting wars and I have become tired. But to inquire, I shall have to visit my fortune teller tomorrow" he thought within him, staring into nothing in particular.