Sacred Shield glared at him from across the table. Vigilant kept his ears pressed against his head and his gaze low. His cheeks burned from shame and he did not dare look into the Silveltian mare’s eyes.

“Ten gravely injured, five moderately injured, and twenty with minor injuries. What were you thinking!? You released a military-grade combat spell into a crowd of merchants, farmers, and workers! Do you have any idea what this means for the royal palace? Do you think my guards will be trusted to protect the populace when their own prince is throwing spells at them!?” Sacred slammed her hooves into the table and growled.

Vigilant covered before her gaze. “I’m sorry… They attacked us, I… I had to protect Nima...”

“You could have used a shield spell, a teleportation spell, or even a simple wall of fire! There were hundreds of ways you could have disarmed the populace without harming them! Lethal force is not prohibited for state enforcers, especially not for the members of the royal family. Do you wish for them to say you are a tyrant?”

“I said I was sorry! I was just… So bloody angry. They jumped us, the filthy peasant jumped us. They complained about taxes and whatnot, which I have no say in! I have no say in anything! They deserved that blast! They deserved a hundred more for even thinking about hurting me!” Vigilant growled and looked into Sacred’s eyes defiantly.

The Felreth looked at him in shock before she closed her eyes and shook her head. “Your mother would have been so disappointed in you...”

Vigilant’s anger subsided and it was replaced by shock and sorrow. He looked away from the Felreth and bit his cheek until he drew blood. He refused to break down and cry in front of the mare again. Sacred stood up from her chair and sighed.

“I will be removing Nima and Leah from the position as your bodyguards. They are the ones who took you into the city and they allowed themselves to be bribed by shells you do not have access to-"

"I can get those shells for them."

She glared at him before she continued. "They had a good income of a hundred silver shells a month, a salary most mares would die for, and still took the bribe. Nima and Leah will be patched up and then discharged from the guard."

Vigilant’s eyes widened. “What!? They showed great valor and courage by protecting me from the crowd! They were nothing but professional the whole time we were out! You can’t discharge them for that! Punish me, not them!”

Sacred huffed. “Disobeying orders. Accepting bribes. Failing in scouting out a proper route to get you back to the palace. They failed in their duties, whether or not they protected you.”

“I am the king! I demand you keep them by my side! That is an order!” Vigilant shouted and slammed his paw into the table.

Sacred’s gaze turned cold and she walked up to him. She leaned down and Vigilant swallowed thickly. He shook underneath her gaze and pressed his tail against his leg and his ears against his head.

“Not. Yet. You are not king yet, and if this is how you will act then I hope you will never get the throne,” Sacred hissed and walked away.

“Sacred I’m-” he began only for the Felreth to slam the door behind her on her way out. “...sorry...”

The prince sighed and leaned back into his chair. He looked up into the ceiling and traced the beautiful painting that had been left there by the tenth queen. It depicted a rising sun and Burthis embracing a large golden pearl. It was supposed to represent hope and unity and it had been painted under a time of strife. Vigilant kept his gaze on it in the hope that some of the old queen’s wisdom would rub off on him. Yet he felt nothing. No inspiration or guiding light. He looked behind him to Marcis and Feris.

“Bring me red wax, a stamp bearing the royal seal, two envelopes, ink and quill, parchment, and go to Coìches Irmith to take our two thousand silver shells. If the Coìches disagrees remind her that I am still the crown prince of the nation and that we are family. You will then inform me in which healer's wing I can find Nima and Leah,” Vigilant said.

“At once, your highness,” both stallions said and hurried out the door.

Vigilant did not have to wait long for the parchment, envelopes, wax, ink, quill, and stamp. He went to work as soon as they were in his paws and he wrote two similar letters. Once he was done he folded them and placed each one in an envelope. After that, he brought a candle over and warmed up the stick of red wax. The wax dropped down onto the envelope and he pressed the stamp into it. He did the same for the other envelope and then wrote on the back of each envelope.

Once he was done Feris and Marcis returned with a small cart. On it was two small-sized chests. Each one was filled with a thousand silver shells, which were shown to the prince by Marcis. Vigilant nodded at the two royal attainers.

"The Coìches was not too pleased by the withdrawal, but she allowed it on the condition that this was the only time you would ask her for something like this," Marcis said.

“That is acceptable. And where are Leah and Nima?” Vigilant asked.

“In the lower south-west wing, your highness. Leah will soon be allowed to leave while miss Nima needs another day to recover,” Feris said.

The prince nodded and motioned for the two stallions to follow him. “Pull that cart with us, we are going to the south-west medical wing.”

The three made their way over to the east side of the palace where the marvelous architecture blended into a sterile and blocky wing of the palace. The healing wing was known for its great healers and sophisticated instruments, though Vigilant mostly remembered it as the place where his mother had sent him when he had a cold. The white healing chambers had always been cold and unwelcoming to him, and he had never understood why.

Then he walked into the south-west wing and remembered why he hated the place.

As the place where the guards and soldiers were sent to heal injuries the south-west wing had its fair share of cripples, dying, and sick. Many sailors lost limbs out at sea due to accidents or pirates. Some sailors came back with a wound that was too deep or too severe to heal at all. The dying mares and stallions that rested in the chambers moaned in pain. They called out for their loved ones. A few prayed to the gods to grant them mercy. Even in the silence of the chambers the voices of the dying were loud as storms.

“I hate this place...” Vigilant muttered.

“I and Feris could deliver the coin and letters, your highness. You do not have to be here,” Marcis said.

“No. No, it is my responsibility to give it to them. I am at fault for taking them with me in the first place. Gods, mother would have been disappointed in me…” Vigilant mumbled.

Marcis shook his head. “Queen Starlit Eyes was a compassionate and caring soul, she would never have been disappointed in you. You are trying to correct your mistake, your highness, that is what matters.”

The prince nodded, though he was uncertain if he could believe in it himself.

The three eventually found Nima and Leah. The former was laying in bed while the latter stood next to her. Once they noticed the prince and his retainers they saluted. Now when the two mares were out of their armor and helmets it was easier for Vigilant to take notice of their skin and mane color. Nima's skin was yellow and her geletanous mane was white. The fur at the end of her tail was also white. Leah had black skin with a green geletanous mane. The fur at the end of her tail was the same shade of green as her mane. Vigilant smiled at their salute and nodded at them.

“At ease, I came here to apologize for dragging you two with me,” he said.

Leah shook her head. “You did not do anything wrong, your highness. We agreed to come with you knowing the consequences. I… I am sad to know I have to leave the palace and the honored role I was chosen for, but at least I defended you when you needed me.”

“Where are we supposed to work now? Who will hire two disgraced bodyguards?” Nima muttered.

Vigilant smiled at that and motioned for Feris and Marcis to put forth the two chests filled with silver shells. He then gave each mare an envelope addressed to them. “In the chests, you will find the agreed-upon sum which you are owed for taking me to the harbor. In those envelopes, you will find letters of recommendation which praise your diligence and courage. It speaks of your quick reaction time to danger and your loyalty. The coin will help you find housing, and the letters will almost guarantee you work. The envelopes are marked with the seal of the royal family, so your future employers know it is real. I suggest you travel to Silvelt. Either to their capital or one of their more populous regions. There you will find a Magistrate or Senator who will surely accept your services.”

The two mares looked at the envelopes and the chests with wide eyes. They could barely speak, and Nima bowed her head in respect and thanks. Leah bowed deeply and wiped tears from her eyes.

“Thank you, your highness,” Leah mumbled.

“Thank you, thank you...” Nima said.

The prince smiled at the two. “I am sorry that you will no longer serve the royal family, and that you will have to leave Cosea, but I hope that these simple gifts will make your future a bit less complicated. May the stars bless your path.”

“And may the sea give you a calm voyage, your highness,” Leah said with a smile.

Vigilant left the two mares to discuss their plans for the future and he left the healing chambers. When they reached the beautiful halls outside Vigilant’s chambers Marcis smiled and nodded at him.

“Accepting responsibility for your mistakes and doing your best to rectify them is what a good leader does. You do your mother proud by giving those mares hope for a better future,” Marcis said.

Vigilant stopped and turned around to face the stallion. He picked up a folded parchment and put it in Marcis' pocket. “That reminds me, I want you to take this missive to Coìches Irmith. Inside is a request to give financial aid to those injured yesterday. They attacked me, but they are still my people to protect.”

“Of course, your highness,” Marcis bowed and walked away.

Vigilant then turned to Feris. “I want you to look into the events that occurred yesterday. I want to know who riled up the crowd and what they were protesting about. If my people were angry enough to turn on their monarch, that means something is wrong.”

“At once, your highness,” Feris said and hurried down the hall.

When he was alone Vigilant sighed and looked around the hall. The beautiful paintings, silk carpets, stained glass windows, banners, and golden chandeliers all shone brightly. He entered his chambers and looked around the luxuriously furnished room. When he messed up, when he hurt people, he was allowed to come back here. When others messed up, when they made mistakes, they lost their position and place in society. Many would have loved to hold his position, to know that their actions held no consequences. But he hated it. He hated that he could simply hide away from his problems. He hated that his mistakes wouldn’t cost him the crown. He hated that when he hurt an innocent mare the world kept on going.

Vigilant sat down on his bed and pulled the parcel down from the canopy above him. He shifted through the notes and felt his cheeks burn with shame. He picked up the envelope from his mother and pressed it against his forehead. Many loved the idea of the crown. But few knew the pain it brought with it. For a king could not face the same punishment as a commoner, no matter how much he wanted it.

“I am sorry, mother… I am sorry, father… I promised I would smile, that I would go on and remember the happy days. But I can’t… I don’t know what tomorrow will bring, and I am scared to find out… I am angry all the time. I fear that I will bring great shame to our family and that I will bring even greater shame to our nation. I am supposed to talk with the emperor, and I don’t know what to do. I will ask the council for advice, but one of them wants nothing but for me to fail. I hope I won’t disappoint you, and that we will meet again, at the end of all things....” he said and kissed the sealed envelope.

Someone knocked on the door and Vigilant placed the letter in the parcel and sealed the brown paper around the notes. “What is it?”

“The council summons you, your highness. They wish to discuss your upcoming visit to Silfy,” the voice of his maid called out behind the door.

“Ah. Of course, I’ll be there soon!” he yelled and hid the parcel on the canopy.

After he made sure he looked good enough for a council meeting Vigilant took a deep breath and stepped out of his room. It was time he learned more about the emperor of Silfy.

Author's Note

Thank you for reading the chapter! Feedback is appreciated and I would love to hear your thoughts on the story so far. Have a good day!