I'm sure by now that most people know the stories. About a young woman who wanted to go to a ball and meet a certain prince. Her stepmother won't let her. But she went with the help of an old lady some say was capable of magic, like a fairy. That she not only met the prince, but they fell in love, and she married the prince.
That story has been circulating for a while and gets more inflated, as it's told. There was even talk about a glass slipper left behind to lead the prince to her after she vanished at midnight. There are some more gorier stories being spread as well about cutting off toes and stepsisters having their eyes pecked out by birds.
First, a glass slipper wouldn't work. There's no give in glass. Nor did her stepsisters lose toes to get to the prince. That's a little grim. I mean, that's just a little too desperate. And no eyes were pecked out that I know of. How do I know?
She married my brother. He was the prince she married.
Never heard about me, did you? Of course not. I was ten years old when Christian met Ella. And yes, there was a ball held for Christian because he had to choose a bride. I was the third child born to our father and mother. I have a sister between Christian and me, only she died shortly after she was born. So, I was the second in line for the throne.
My name is Erik. According to stories, Prince Christian was this charming man, very handsome and brave. There was a name they would refer to him by, Prince Charming. I can set things straight about that, too. He was. Black hair, like our father, only Christian had green eyes, and I have brown. I have the black hair, too. And I'm not unattractive either. I think.
In some royal families, the second in line is often jealous and plots to get rid of their brothers to get the throne. I suppose I could have been like that, but in truth, I liked Christian. He was a great guy. He and I were well educated and taught manners and how to lead the people. I suppose it just never occurred to me to be jealous.
Besides, I had a ball of my own! But I'm getting ahead of myself. So, let me begin a little earlier.
I was not like most boys. And not just because I was a prince. That was enough, but I knew I could never be like the other boys I did know. My problem was the girls. It wasn't that I didn't like them as friends, I did! But I didn't sit about pining over every pretty little thing that passed by. Seeing them did not make my mind wonder what it was like to touch them, kiss them, or more! In fact, the idea of doing that repulsed me.
The truth about myself hit me when I was watching the men, the guards of our kingdom exercising. They would fence and wrestle and do all kinds of physical things for the possibility of going to war. Which was very possible as kingdoms were forming, and conflicts just happened. Our kingdom was A'Dore, and the neighboring kingdom was Blethos. And they were our biggest threat.
We had...an understanding for twenty years. They were a very powerful kingdom... but I didn't tell you about me. As the men practiced and exercised, they'd get hot. Well, off came shirts, and in the summer, they didn't care about modesty. They would take off more. They would often cool down by the river or lake, and sometimes they would strip down completely and swim naked.
To me, they were beautiful.
Most were young and strong, having muscles developed and, to me, the ideal viral men. Beautiful. They were the ones I wanted to touch and thought of kissing and doing more. But I didn't dare. I was taught that we didn't do that. That it was wrong and against our beliefs. But I watched them as often as I could.
When I was nineteen, I began training with them. To be a leader, you had to know many things, and being ready for war was one of those things. I enjoyed it! There were several young men who were told I was to be taught, so they spent many hours with me during the day, training my mind as well as my body. They were good teachers and good friends. The guys didn't have to be friendly with me because I was the king's son. They just did.
Then I was the king's brother when our father died, and Christian took the throne. I was twenty-two when our father died. Like almost every kingdom experiences when the king dies, border kingdoms test the new king to see if he is like the other king. Will he bend? Will he be as good a defender as the other? Well, Christian proved he was not only as good as our father and just as strong, but he also proved he was even smarter.
Our kingdom was a wealthy kingdom because our land was fertile and rich. We had many crops we traded as well as crafts by very good artists. But by this time, Christian and Ella had three children. A boy, Thomas, and twin girls Ada and Ana and all five were very happy. A year after our father died, I saw two guards doing something I was told was wrong. Yet I couldn't help but watch. They each had the other by their pricks in each other's hands and pumping each other until they exploded.
They were kissing as I dreamed of doing myself. I knew there were others like me but had not met one. Still, I just watched and did my own pumping on myself. They were not the only two exploding. If I came to them, they would fear execution. If I asked them to include me, they would fear the same fate. It was in my twenty-forth year my brother came to me as I was studying in my room.
"Erik." He began calmly. "You're already of age. Many years older than the year I married. Do you have someone in mind that maybe you would like to marry?"
I shook my head. "Not one," I answered. "I'm afraid, like you, I can't decide."
He nodded and sat in a chair near my desk. "The reason I ask, you, of course, know Blethos."
I nodded. "Certainly. Why?"
He sighed sadly. "They know they have no direct heirs for their throne."
I was surprised when I heard this. "None?" I put my quill down. "No king or queen had brothers or sisters that have children? No grandparents had siblings?"
Christian smiled. "There are. But it's written in their laws. If a person of noble birth is married to a member of another royal line, they can rule. And there are many that fill that slot."
My eyebrow rose. "So, if I marry whoever can prove their connection to the throne in a few generations, they become ruler."
Christian nodded. "And there are approximately one hundred and eighteen that fit that connection."
"One hundred and eighteen girls," I said sadly.
"Well..." he hesitated. "About eighty-one girls. The rest are men."
I sat up suddenly. "Thirty-seven men!?" I balked. "That's not allowed!"
Christian shook his head. "Well... not really. They will do it just to claim the throne, but it will be legal. But you don't have to do that." He said, hurrying to reassure me. "You can marry a nice girl from Blethos and still have a family. And that child will be a ruler. I'm just telling you there will be men in the line back some ways that will try to convince you to marry them if just for that reason. To become king."
I had never heard of such a thing. "Okay. But let's say I do. What happens then? There'd be no heirs. What's the reward if I do marry one of the men?" I got up. My mind working fast. The idea that one of them might be like me...it was too much to hope for. But would they see me as a way to the throne? Of course, they would.
"We would have an unbreakable alliance." Christian sat back. "Erik, there are eighty-one girls to choose from. I'm sure there has got to be someone you would be happy with." But he looked at me, having known me my whole life and had no clue about me. "Unless you want to marry a man."
Now, understand neither Christian or I ever spoke about any admiration toward anyone, male or female. We were taught not to by our mother that died when I was eight and by our father. He and I never discussed wanting to get with any girl... or guy. We were taught that was unseemly. But when Ella came to the ball for Christian, it was clear he was in love with her. I just knew that would never happen for me.
"I'm saying, Christian, I don't want to marry anyone. But if I marry, I know my heart won't be in it." I said simply.
He relaxed a little. "Okay. I don't understand it. You're a very handsome man. You're smart and articulate, and you were taught by tutors how to dance... You aren't shy about speaking to anyone..."
I shrugged. "I just don't get emotional about anyone. Maybe one day..."
Christian stood. "Don't count yourself out. You never know who'll be there."
I reached out to stop him from leaving. "What sort of ball will it be?"
Christian smiled. "We have time, but you decide." Then he sighed. "Choose carefully. The person you decide to marry will become ruler. You need to be sure they can do the job. It takes a special person to become a ruler."
I smiled, nodding, knowing what our father taught us. "Kindness of the heart, wrapped in intellect."
"When I met Ella." Christian grinned back. "I knew she was the one. She is beautiful, but her loveliness came from her heart as well. And she is smart. I knew she'd make a great queen." Then he leaned forward. "And she made me tingle."
My eyebrows rose at that. As long as I've known him. He never spoke about anyone like this. "Tingle."
He got up with a smile. "You'll know when it happens to you. And I know it will." He patted my arm. "How you want to do this, let me know. This is very important to A'Dore. And Blethos." He turned to leave. "But plan fast."
"Why did he agree to this?" I asked. "King Alexander is not old. He could marry and have more children."
Christian stopped. "He's not old." He turned and looked very seriously at me. "What I'm going to tell you must be between us. Only a few advisers know what I'm going to say. You know what happened to his family."
I'd been taught while I was growing up. King Alexander had a beautiful wife and two sons. Their other neighbors were the Creids. A monstrous people that lived in a mountainous kingdom. Some say they were barely civilized. Brutal. In a sneak attack, they launched an attack on the palace of Blethos, destroying much of the castle.
His wife and two sons were killed in the attack, which King Alexander never really recovered from. They successfully repelled the Creids and haven't been attacked since. Any attempts were met with equally brutal retaliation. They even attacked us on a few occasions because we had something they needed and wanted. Food. But that was foolhardy. We were too far away for any attack to succeed.
"He's dying," Christian said sadly. "His doctors are giving him a few years at the most."
I shook my head, truly heartsick at the news. "That's terrible."
Christian nodded. "It is." Then he touched the door. "But, as terrible as that is. This will broaden our kingdom. With you there, we could become one. A'Dore and Blethos together. We would become invulnerable. United, our armies would be unmatched."
The gravity of what I was to do hit me. "Then I will make the best decision I can."
Christian nodded. "I know you will." He walked out the door.
***