The Swan Prince

Grinning, his hands gripped the aged storybook, its pages yellow in demonstrating its age and a repair had been done on the spin of the feeble thing from years of use. Still, how many had read from this old times pages in using the same dog-eared corner to fold the edge to show the last place read, blemishes of many tiny hands on the once pristine silver in turning the page to follow the trail of the heroes in their epic tales to save the hidden kingdoms of the book.

He smiled, picking up her yawn. A generous intake of honest air to stay awake for a moment longer to make sure the handsome prince came to recover his dog from the troll’s plan to devour the feeble creatures! She blinked as the fey lights dimmed to alleviate the light in a passing twilight to any open eyes. Whimpering as a pup for its mother, she lay back on the down pillows under the silk sheets of pale lavender that helped in her desire to sleep in the hugging warmth they now made around her little body.

“Vallll, I don’t need to sleep now!” she whined, reaching doll-like fist clench to rub her eyes in the war of snooze. “Can’t I come to the celebration? It’s your birthday!”

Laughing, her brother’s amethyst jewel eyes glimmered in the delight of his little sister trying to fight for the sake of his birthday. “Sorry tadpole, you can’t for this part. As a princess, and as a little lady, you need sleep little love!”

His bard’s voice filled the room, silk and profound as any ocean in keeping things obscured from those seeking to more. Valor, Prince of the Kingdom of Erdin was turning 16 and was to be declared Heir to his father’s and mother’s crown tonight! Some might think he would be out in the celebration, smiling and charming young doe’s in a flare of flirt tonight! Just, that was a no.

Standing a few hours out of tonight to read to his little sister Kyla as he did every night from her delivery would be something he would not stop for anything. Valor merely grinned in a perceiving older way in the delight of Kyla falling to the Caretaker of Dreams.

Shutting the ancient book, Valor simply grinned in pushing away a delicate tuft of brunette hair from her forehead as she only nestled harder into her blankets in a gentle mew of a kitten in being content and safe. Casually putting the novel down, he uncrossed his sinewy legs to stand and move as hushed as could to make sure she would sleep and flow away in her dreams. Even now, the entire sounds were their shared exhale and a meager echo of a clock in the study next to her room their mother used.

“Good night my little dove,” he said, smiling and lowering the fey lights to a near dead glow in waving his hand down in claiming his magic to him.

Sneaking out of the room, he made sure to keep as silent as he could to open the door and slide out in keeping the light of the hallway down as much as to slide out and delicately shut the door. Hearing the click, the ward of the door glittered a delicate violet in showing it was up and bracing to go if anyone might try to come into his sister’s room outside of those of family or friend.

Getting his shoulders loosen under his white satin shirt, Valor only cracked his neck in hearing his bones pop from the abrupt movement. Noises reached down the hallway, those of yelling of the cooks in making sure the fest would be ready, those of people laughing in the ballroom and the clicking of wine glasses with the music playing, begging to be dancing too on the golden polished floor.

Valor leaned on the silvery wall in letting the coolness of the stone soak into his back. For the last six weeks, all he had done was the practice the ritual and words he would have to say to become the Heir and the speech he would give after it was all done.

“Nerves of steel much prince?” an earthy tone echoed in the hallway, traces of humor lacing it.

Peering up, Valor smiled half-heartedly at his best friend Luke. His deep red hair shined in the low light to look on fire. “Your mom sent me to get you ready Val.”

Rolling his violet eyes, the young man shoved himself from the wall to stand straighter with a bashful smile. “I’m always ready Luke!”

Luke only smiled, his bottle green eyes lighting up as.......

He jolted awake, blinking for a moment as the half moon shimmer from the ripples of his body. Those memories already were leaving his mind, making him unfilled. Arching his neck, the swan looked around at the night world cast on the lake. Picking up on the smaller details most of his kind would miss, seeing and recalling only it seemed he could recall.

Would that one come in the morning? With those sweet scraps of bread and kind low tone he used when talking to the swan. Paddling a little to move closer to the sandy bank to the deeper reeds. He was looking at the moon in the sky in stretching his long delicate neck to watch more.

Soon whispered in his body, of what the moon would bring once she was full. Recalling a man’s smile, a mother touch, and a child’s laughter.

Soon.....