Lamiroir ♡

They say that true nobility cannot be bought with coins or stolen from another, though many a foolish king will try, they will always end up terribly mistaken! True nobility is an attitude one must drape all over their soul before all else. A crown, after all, is just a piece of metal and a palace is but a hollow pile of stones! Strip all these good things away from a true prince, and what shall be left of him? Why, his honorable spirit shall remain perfectly intact. He will still carry himself with the sublime grace of the stars, despite having absolutely nothing to his name. Alas, it is a sorrowful truth that not every prince is taught such beautiful humility… But that is what it truly means to be noble.

Truth be told, our young Hallritt had come to learn of this lesson ever since he was old enough to hold a quill. Just look at him back then! He was surrounded by every opulent treasure a prince could ever dream of. Fortunately for our tender prince, he never took such luminous comforts for granted. As precious as those lessons and gifts were to his young heart, there was something more sublime waiting for him. Of course, it was known to be the pure and sincere bond he had come to share with others!

However, these precious bonds were certainly most hard to come by for our young prince. Hallritt was not allowed much liberty when he was younger, or more accurately put, he stayed tucked away as if he were fragile treasure. But, as years would quietly roll by, the golden gates were finally nudged open by just a fraction. If only you could imagine his wonder! He was finally permitted to look past his stuffy tutors and dusty books!

I should not delve too deep into the details of what would happen in the following years. However, in that short amount of time, Hallritt would come to make 5 other princely friends, each in neighboring kingdoms, and some kingdoms nestled not too far from his own. And what a radiant constellation of friends they became! For a boy who had spent most of his youth wasting away his days on learning the rigid rules upheld by royals, he was beyond thrilled to know he had five dear people to call his companions (or at least, the good majority of them). Assuredly, they made themselves certain that they'd all visit each other once a year, so their idyllic and priceless bond would never fade into memory. The distance of thrones could most certainly not let them drift apart! For one week out of the entire year, they would convene to bask in each other's company, sometimes more, but never less. To Hallritt, this single week was far more wonderful than all the shimmering presents he had ever received throughout his entire life. However, as time grew near for their next reunion, a new type of misfortune would befall upon their star-lit circle. And it all began with the smallest of secrets!

This particular reunion began like any other merry sojourn, yet it was no less special in feeling. They gladly dispatched all their affairs throughout the day. It was most definitely quite the spectrum! It would range from stuffy diplomatic matters to the joyous freedom of simple child's play, it was most exhausting. At the end of the day, however, they all gathered in one place and enjoyed the last of their fun together before retiring for the evening. However, for our story's sake… The night is still not over!

For the reason his heart had held, Hallritt was not so eager as to simply call it a night. He was lagging behind somewhere near the dimming corridors, and so was another one of his prince friends. He most certainly felt something off. It was not clear whether or not Hallritt was the only one who noticed, however, there was always something hauntingly absent in the smile of Romarriche. Though his friend was ever so gentle and keen on assistance, it was akin to watching a ghost mimic the living. His warmth seemed to be completely surface-level, for the touch of his hand is as cold as alabaster despite how fiercely he tried to tend to the fires of those around him. Our prince was never one to look the other way when a friend is suffering in silence, but what could this possibly be about? Fortunately for his curious heart, he remembered that Romarriche had quietly made a gesture toward him earlier, inviting him to speak alone.

"Hallritt, I have a few things of great importance to tell you," Romarriche mumbled. "But you must first swear two things, that you shall remain ever faithful to me, and that you shall not whisper to a single living soul what I am about to tell you,"

Upon hearing this, Hallritt would immediately take up the oath, deeply swayed by the solemn tone of his friend's voice. He could never dream of refusing a wish from someone so dear to him, and so he yielded with the absolute least of hesitation, scarcely thinking about the dreaded consequences such a secret might one day bring.

Assuredly, Romarriche kept his end of the bargain, telling Hallritt exactly what must never come to light. His confession consisted of three chilling truths. Firstly, for the past year, there existed a hidden sepulchre where he had built after his design in hopes to seek refuge from the outside world. Underneath the stones laid a trap-door, though as to what lay beneath that hidden threshold, Hallritt was left completely in the dark. Secondly, for the remainder of this week, Romarriche had wished to vanish completely, to take a desperate break from this world and his heavy royal duties. Surely, he must have been terribly weary of his caretaking "act" to go to such extreme lengths. Thirdly, no matter who might inquire, Hallritt was forbidden under any circumstance to reveal his whereabouts. With that, the hollow prince stayed silent, leaving Hallritt greatly puzzled by the bizarre secrets he had inherited. But no matter how much he pushed for answers, Romarriche gently dismissed his pleas, offering not a single shred of clarity. He merely thanked Hallritt for his unwavering kindness before bidding him a soft farewell and goodnight. For Romarriche knew well that the others would inquire about his disappearance, but, he was sure it was nothing our prince couldn't handle.

It should not matter too much, should it? It was only for the week, and then he would return, surely…

-

It was to no surprise that the following morning was extremely hectic. Hallritt had secured little to no sleep after parting ways with Romarriche, and the heavy weight of his exhaustion had not lessened a bit with the barrage of questions he faced once he had met up with the four other princes. It wasn't quite as if he alone were the primary suspect, for everyone was being questioned one by one. At first, the group simply assumed Romarriche was late to rise due to the previous night's revelry. But as the clock continually ticked away, it became exceedingly clear that this was no ordinary matter. Soon after, a frantic search confirmed that Romarriche had indeed gone missing, his chambers remaining completely untouched. Right then, they began to desperately hunt for any sort of lead, beginning with interrogating each other. It was an act destined to lead the group to their ultimate demise, perfectly disguised as pure love!

But I digress, let us cast our gaze back upon the dreadful predicament our prince had currently gotten himself into, for it was now his turn to stand before the looking glass of suspicion. If only you could feel the agonizing thump of his heart! It was terribly difficult for Hallritt to simply bite his tongue and refuse to reveal the truth to the others. By his very nature, our tender prince was entirely unpracticed in the art of deception. To craft a lie was like trying to weave a cloak out of invisible thread, and his stuttered excuses and frantic refusal to speak only served to paint a target upon his back. Nobody had seen him alone with Romarriche, and nobody knew that he had gone to bed late the previous night. So why was it that Hallritt was casting suspicion upon himself? Not a single soul in this room had any physical evidence of what had gone down that night, so why couldn't he just tell it to them straight and say he went to bed? Tragically, all he had achieved was implying that he was the last one in contact with him! He longed to tell them, but he must uphold his oath before all else.

He couldn't bring himself to say much more. By that point, the secret had been sealed behind his lips, bearing a burden as heavy as the weight of the distrust he cast upon himself. His friends were no fools either; they knew they had no proof, so they had no choice but to let him go. For the majority of them, it hurt to cast such suspicion onto someone who was most certainly innocent… All except for one.

Be that as it may, they had finally come to the conclusion that the best course of action was to simply go home. They wondered if Romarriche had merely travelled to the kingdom of another, or if he was intentionally in hiding. If that were the case, it should be easy enough to find him. It wouldn't be right to enjoy the rest of the week without him. If he truly were not missing and had just gone home, it was only right that the rest should follow suit.

Each with a heavy heart, the princes went back to their respective kingdoms. Hallritt, however, found that he could not simply rest within his own palace walls, not whilst drowning in the inner torment he had been harboring this entire time. If only you could see him, for there was no peace to be found in the heart of our tender prince. The memory of the small chat he had shared with Romarriche before his disappearance wounded him greatly. There must be someone he could confide in to ease this terrible burden. Someone who could benefit from knowing such information. But alas, the mere thought would ultimately bring forth nothing but trouble!

Now, where would our young prince turn? He thought there was no better person to approach aside from the long-time friend of Romarriche's, convinced that no one would be a better custodian for this secret than Merold. He wasn't exactly on the best terms with Hallritt, however, everyone else seemed to be entirely ill-fitted at the time for such a heavy story. And so, he had no choice but to put his pride aside as he made his way to the kingdom of his "friend." It was no easy task, no, not in the slightest. Unfortunately, our poor prince had no idea that he was riding straight toward the place of his own doom! It was not too long after his arrival that our sweet prince was suddenly seized by a grim detachment of guards. Naturally, he was utterly puzzled, demanding to know why they were acting so terribly unusual. And upon asking, Hallritt learned to his absolute horror that one of his friends, Merold, had placed orders for his immediate arrest.

It was true the two had been on poor terms, but what could Hallritt have possibly done so wrong to deserve a cold dungeon cell?! It must have been some bluff, surely, something to scare him into telling the truth. For indeed, nothing truly could get by Merold. The guards told him he would only be captive for a brief time, until Merold himself came down to have a word with him. And so, with tragic haste, he was carried off into a place where no light could reach him.

There were no past grudges between them that could warrant this, if I recall correctly. If anything, they should have put their differences aside. This was a situation that called for cooperation and a true, unbreakable bond. Not for friends to pit themselves against one another! Surely, Merold would show some mercy on him in return for finally revealing the secret.

But it was all to no avail. Once Merold arrived down in the prison, he asked our prince but a single time if he knew where Romarriche grew hidden. Hallritt hesitated slightly, but seeing how neglected and altered his friend looked, he ultimately relented, giving in and sharing every piece of what he knew. He told him exactly where Romarriche could be found. Oh, how our tender prince clung to the hopeful belief that, by sharing the truth, he would finally be set free! But alas, Merold chose to play it safe. He did not lift his order, instructing the guards to keep Hallritt bound in place until he could verify the truth of his words…

Perhaps he should have kept his word and stayed silent. The wait was absolutely agonizing. It would be no surprise to Hallritt if an entire week had passed while he stayed locked up in the dark. But at last, and much to his relief, he heard that Merold had returned from his fateful expedition. In all this time, Hallritt had been convincing himself that he would be set free no matter what. He had absolute conviction in his words and his belief. How desperately he clung to that fragile hope! But that hope was nothing but an illusion. What Merold offered upon his return was not the keys to his freedom, but the crushing order of his execution! But first, from Hallritt's very face, his right eye was to be stolen away. For if he somehow managed to escape the execution site, he could then be identified in no time. When our prince desperately gasped out the reason as to why, he was met with an accusation most terrible! The 'eye for an eye' treatment was tried and true in these harsh lands, but this was no lighthearted matter. Hallritt was an entirely innocent man!

Before he could even get a word out, he was cut off by another wretched allegation. "It was you who murdered Romarriche," Merold insisted, "you led him down beneath that trap-door to kill him in cold blood!" These words rang true to Merold's beliefs. He was so completely certain in his perspective, too, even without a shred of evidence! Truth be told, all he wanted was to get Hallritt out of his hair. He knew he didn't have any tangible proof. But with his own friend dead, and Hallritt being the last person seen with him, what else could an irrational soul be led to believe? To his blinded eyes, this was proof enough for such a monstrous crime. His hatred ran deep for the young prince before him.

Secondly, Merold's orders for Hallritt’s execution detailed that he was to be dropped in the middle of nowhere and beheaded, leaving his body to the birds of prey. Merold was deaf to all of Hallritt's defenses and pleas of innocence. His sentence was swift and merciless, ordered for immediate execution. Without wasting another second, he turned and left Hallritt to his demise with as much poise as one could summon at a time like this. Then, our poor, tender prince was stripped of his royal title, and with the flash of a sharp and cruel blade, his eye was gone too. He was meant to be marched to an area free of any inhabitants for his final moments; he expected as much, at the very least. However, Hallritt did not give up so easily. He believed that if he stood his ground a little while longer, surely the executioners would give way to their hearts and let him go. So, he tried once more, telling the executioners of what he still had left to live for, and how he was entirely guiltless. And indeed, the executioners did give way to their hearts, for they understood it was cruel to take away the life of someone who was not blameworthy, and of course, they themselves possessed no proof of his guilt.

Under orders, they had to act under the pretense that they were, indeed, headed to the execution site. They rode him out all the way to a smaller, distant province, until they found a spot suitable to drop him off where nobody could see. They gave Hallritt the most explicit orders to forsake the kingdom instantly and never return, lest the three of them all lose their heads. The executioners advised that he should console himself by thinking of the great misfortunes he had just escaped, and Hallritt thanked the two men dearly for their charity. Before they went off, they gave him the garments of a Kalander, instructing him to never take them off lest he wish to be discovered again.

From then on, Hallritt would take great care in making sure he traveled slowly and most cautiously, ensuring no enemy would find him. For the rest of his days, until his absolute end, Hallritt would live in complete paranoia. However, he still carried himself with the grace of the stars. His crown was gone, but there was no taking his noble spirit! For man may be stripped of his earthly kingdoms and hunted like a serial killer across the lands, yet the true measure of his royalty lies not within a golden palace, but within the unyielding sovereignty of his own conscience.

Do you recall those old, old fairytales from long ago? The ones that speak of beautiful princesses from faraway lands who wish with all their might for a true romance? But oh, how terribly unlucky! She can never ever find that romance because some mean, old wicked witch has ruined the fun! It is the exact kind of bright, shiny love that any young girl would want for her very own storybook (minus the nasty witch part, I’d hope!), and I am completely certain you know exactly what I speak of! Oh, yes! And the most important part of any fairytale, the grand moment when the princess’s brave knight comes in to save her from her scary predicament! Now she’s free and they spend their forever together, the ending is a perfect and lovely happily ever after! When you had first met Willmesh, you truly believed it was the magical opening page to your very own fairytale romance. You may not be a princess, but he was certainly your knight, and you were deeply in love with him! You seemed to be a perfect constellation of two, nothing could ever come between the two of you. He’d be devoted to you and his Lord for as long as the clock allowed time to tick. I am certain you whispered to yourself it didn’t matter what trials would come your way. Just as long as you were by his side, and that he loved you, what more could’ve you possibly wanted? It was your perfect sanctuary. 

By all means, you believed it to be a sight so beautiful that even the little angels up in the clouds would weep for it. It was completely ideal! Yet, you have come to learn with a very big, sad disappointment that things like this are far too good to be true. Your grand beliefs set you up for nothing but a bitter taste of regret! It’s terribly hard to recall the messy details of the quarrel, you really didn’t expect something so silly to ruin your sunny day! Moreso, you’d never expect that you’d be the receiver of such sharp and prickly words. There’s simply no way he could’ve looked at you and said “I don’t have any time for this,” that is just not like him at all! There has to be a giant muddle going on in places you can’t see. He doesn’t really feel that way about you, surely he doesn’t! That is just not how the pages turn in fairytales like these! To try and match this big, cruel world with your grand, starry-eyed ideals was a very noble thought, yet it simply cannot be executed. For no matter how much you tried to comfort yourself by building up silly little excuses for him, those excuses weren't real enough to chase away the heavy silence and the ache his words left behind in your room. You know exactly what your ears heard, and no amount of daydreaming could fix a broken heart. However... if we are being completely honest, you weren't the most gracious little angel about it either! What made the sting hurt even more was that he didn’t need a great big, heavy dictionary to say something so grand and crushing. Oftentimes, people take their sweet time and use up all the words in the world to say something that lasts forever. Perhaps he meant “I have no time” in the literal, ticking-clock sense as well. But wait! Please do not despair too much just yet! Fairytales have a clever way of hiding happiness in places you go to cry, you know? A lot of the time, the most important details are hidden away somewhere you’d never think to check! Thankfully, this time, those magical details weren't lurking like dust-bunnies underneath your bed, nor were they tucked behind some boring old household object. No, they were sitting right atop your vanity table!

Originally, you had sat yourself down on your little stool to fix your appearance after having cried for quite a long time. You cannot wallow in this gray sadness forever and ever, and it seems fate had the exact same idea! You didn’t exactly want to look in the glass and see how puffy your face was, that would just make your eyes feel prickly and start the tears all over again, you looked around for something else to focus on. And what else was there to spy? …Well, isn’t that odd. You don’t usually have sealed envelopes sitting around in your room, a good majority of people don’t. But you knew in your heart that this wasn’t some ordinary message delivered by a boring page.

You did hesitate on whether you should open it or not, because you had a very strong feeling exactly whose shaky hand this came from. But it is not pretty to be petty! Have hope! Maybe your wishful thinking wasn’t just a silly daydream after all! Sweep it off the table and open it quick! Right there inside, you would find a page filled with nothing but beautiful words. It would put even the finest, grandest storybooks in the whole kingdom to absolute shame... if anyone were to ask you, at least. How lovely it was that, even when he could not be by your side, he did what he could to gather the fallen stars of your fairytale romance! How pleasing it was that he took the time to write you a letter! The beautiful action itself spoke so much louder than any words he could have written upon the paper, and you would cherish that secret treasure forever and ever, until you truly reached your happily ever after. And how true it was, that a simple truth written down could sanctify even the most stubborn heart!

So by all means, let me amend the original statement! I believe this to be a true fairytale romance! A true knight seeks always to soothe a troubled heart. And your knight did right by you, dispelling the only evil witch who lived inside your thoughts so you could be free to live your own happily ever after! The pages did turn right in this fairytale after all, and I told you my fairytale logic would win! The world is full of people who use up all the words in the universe to say nothing at all, however, a single, sincere statement is always enough to save a troubled mind!