King Conrad sits in his throne studying a map. The King, usually put together, is desheved as he runs his hand through his hair. His forehead wrinkled and his black/grey hair sits messily under his crown. Leonard, the King’s right hand man walks in and bows and then stands up.

“Here is your daughter as you asked, Sir.” Leonard says.

“Thank you, Leonard.”

Princess Alanna walks in wearing a beautiful red dress with a gold crown with rubies and pink diamonds in it. He hair is long and dark and put up into a simple yet elegant ponytail. Her skin is flawless as is the rest of him her body. Anyone could fall for her based on looks alone.

“You wanted to see me, father?”

“Yes, sit next to me and watch me deal with a prisoner.”

“Captain Taylor, send in the prisoner.”

The Captain walks out of the room and returns with 4 guards. Two of which carry a prisoner. The prisoner is around Alanna’s age. His hair even messier and more disheveled than her fathers. Blood drips down both sides of his face. One of his legs appears broken. His face covered in gnarly bruises.

“He won’t talk, sir.” One of the guards said.

“I t-told you, I don’t k-know what my… my father’s p-plans are.”

“Wait the prisoner is the prince-“

“Yes, my darling.”

The king turns his attention back on the prisoner.

“You better tell me what I want to know or you will continue to suffer.”

The prisoner remains silent.

“Father, no. What will happens if you accidentally kill him? His father will retaliate harder than ever and our kingdom will suffer.” Alanna says\

“Dammit, she’s right. Take him to the medical bay or we may never see the end of this God forsaken war.”

The guards take the prisoner out of the room.

“Captain Taylor, once he’s done in the medical bay take him to the dungeon.”

Captain Taylor nods and leaves.

Later that night, Alanna sneaks down to the dungeon. She walks over to the cell with prisoner from earlier. She holds a medical bag. The prisoner opens his eyes. The blood on his face harden and the bruises looking even more gnarly. His leg is swollen.

“What do you want?” He asks as he spits out some blood.

“I knew my father lied about getting you medical attention.” She says taking the key from the guard that fell alseep.

She opened the cell and and sat next to him. She opens the bag and pulls out a cloth and some disinfectant.

“This might sting a little bit.”

He winces as she rubs the cloth against the side of his face. His piercing brown eyes meet her hazel eyes.

“My name is Alanna. What is yours?”

“You don’t know my name?”

“My father thinks I’ll be safer if I don’t know anything about our rivals. Though I don’t see the harm in knowing your family’s names seeing as I’m not allowed to leave the castle anyway. I do know your father’s name, but my father doesn’t know that.”

“Sounds like we grew up with same rules.”

“Everyone wants to be a royal, but they don’t know the price that comes with it.” Alanna says.

“My name is Wes.”

Alanna pulls out some bandages and puts them on his wounds. She pulls out an ice pack and hands it to him.

“It should help the swelling.” She says

“Thanks” he says.

Alanna turns her head to the entrance of the dungeon.

“What is it?”

She hears voices getting closer.

“Shit, it’s Captain Taylor.”

Wes gives her a look.

“What?” She says packing up the medical supplies.

“You cussed.”

“So?”

“I’m just shocked, my father taught us that royalty shouldn’t cuss.”

“My father taught me the same thing, but as you can tell, I’m not a stickler for the rules.”

“Another thing we have in common. Fuck, they’re almost here.”

Now it’s Alanna’s turn to give him a look.

“What, you didn’t think I actually listen to my father, did you?”

She laughs quietly and rolls her eyes and she leaves his cell.

She puts the keys back into the guards pocket.

“I don’t want you to get in trouble Edmund.” She says to the sleeping guard.

She pokes him to wake him up and swiftly leaves before he sees her.

“Edmund! Were you sleeping on the job again?” Captain Taylor asks.

“No Sir.”

Captain Taylor looks at Wes.

“He wasn’t.”

“You’re lying.”

Wes looks at him perplexed.

“You’re all fixed up, and what’s this?”

Captain Taylor takes the ice pack.

“The Princess.” He says looking at the guards behind him.

He turns back to Wes.

“Let’s go to the interrogation room again and see if you will spill your father’s secrets.”

“I told you, I don’t know anything. My father doesn’t confide in me.”

“We’ll see about that.”

Alanna quickly hops back into bed before her personal maid comes to wake her up. She hears a knock on her door and puts on a tired voice.

“Come in, Gracie.”

A plump woman with greying dark hair and warm smile walks in.

“Good morning, your majesty.”

“Good morning.”

“Once you are ready, the king would like to see you in the throne room.”

“Okay.”

Alanna walks into the throne room.

“Alanna, Captain Taylor says you helped the prisoner last night.”

“He doesn’t know what he’s talking about.”

King Conrad holds up the ice pack she gave Wes.

“Dammit.”

“Alanna! A princess-“

“A princess does not cuss. I know father, I’m sorry.”

“No more fraternizing with the prisoner, you hear.”

“His name is Wes, and if you keep torturing him you are going to kill him.”

“That is not your problem, sweetie.”

“It is my problem, I am the future queen and I want my kingdom to have a future, a bright one.”

“I forbid you from seeing him. That’s the end of it.”

“But father-“

“The. End. Of. It.”

Alanna leaves the throne room in a huff. She goes to the highest tower and goes into a room that has a desk with a map of the stars and various concoctions in bottles on a bookshelf and a couldron next the desk. A woman sleeps at the desk.

“Calista!”

Calista jumps up as she hears her name. Calista has cocoa brown skin and brown eyes with a shaved head. She wears a scarf with an intricate design over a simple black dress.

“What do you need, Princess?”

“I need your healing capabilities. A prisoner, he will die with my father continuing to torture him.”

Calista nods.

“Take me to him.”

Calista follows her to the dungeon to Wes’s cell. Inside Wes lays unconscious.

“Wes!”

Alanna takes his wrist.

“Hurry, Calista. He’s barely breathing.”

Calista hovers her hands over him and shuts her eyes. She starts speaking in a strange tongue that doesn’t sound like any human language. Suddenly, Wes’s injuries disappear. Alanna see’s his face and her heart races.

“Wow.” She says

Wes wakes up.

“Wow what?” He says

“I’ve just- this is the first time I’ve seen what you look like.”

“You like what you see?”

Alanna blushes.

Wes laughs. He looks toward Calista.

“Who is this?”

“This is the royal mystic, Calista. She healed you.”

“Thank you.”

Calista nods

“You’re welcome, your majesty.” She says to Wes

Suddenly Calista gets a shiver and her eyes turn black, pupils and all. Within seconds they are normal again.

“What is it Calista?”

“What’s going on?” Wes says.

“She just got a vision.”

“It’s nothing you need to worry about. I need to return to my room.”

“Wes, let’s go to the gardens and talk. Follow me.”

“He’s going to be trouble for us.” Calista says as Alanna and Wes leave.