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Description
When A Prince Lives
Writing Prompt 8
9/22/13

He hadn’t felt fun for sixteen years. The word ‘fun’ wasn’t even part of his vocabulary. Instead, his world consisted of tall spires, feather pens, and proper posture. The closest he had gotten to a joyful feeling was receiving approval from his father. And even that probably hadn’t happened for sixteen years- had he ever seen his father smile? No, probably not. He hadn’t smiled since mom left. He’d only seen the pictures, and those weren’t the same. They were fake, to him. Lies. Somebody had altered them- his dad had never smiled, and never could. There wasn’t a happy bone in that man’s body.

Jace dropped his feather on the perfect script, giving up on focusing. Two hours and he only had ten words to show for it. He was distracted. Much too distracted. The boy stared at the nearly blank page for a while, before grabbing it and crumpling it into a tight ball of frustration. He chucked it to the empty waste basket, creating a single blemish in the perfect room. Standing from his chair, he crossed the elegantly carpeted room to a large window, pushing open the shutters. Cool evening air rustled dark hair, and Jace leaned forward on his elbows, staring sullenly out over the acres and acres of beautiful land. To the right the city sprawled, lights twinkling in the dying sun. Purples and blues stretched over the tall castle spire above his head, crowding out the vibrant pinks and oranges of the sunset. Jace, as a prince, had his every move watched. His room was checked on constantly until lights out, and then he went through his every day routine. He only glimpsed his father once or twice a day, on his kingly duties. His life was completely, and absolutely, dull. Except for one thing…

Drifting off, he hadn’t heard the faint scratches below his opened window. You can imagine the surprise when a pair of brown eyes and dark hair popped from the ledge of his window. The sudden appearance of the girl startled him so much, in fact, that Jace jumped and in quick secession, fell backwards, hitting the floor. He quickly recovered and pulled himself on his hands, breathing heavily.

“Chloé! Don’t do that!” The brown-eyed, chocolate-haired girl pulled herself over the window ledge, gracefully hitting the floor, before the laughter hit. She doubled over, insane giggles filling her throat. “I’m serious! I almost fell off!” Chloé managed to quiet her laughter so it was only faint, and managed a reply.

“Jace, that was hilarious. Come on, have a sense of humor!” Jace glared at her angrily, not amused. The girl sighed, crossing her arms.

Chloé was tall, nearly the same height as Jace. Her eyes and hair would remind anybody of chocolate, as they were the perfect shade of brown. Freckles crowded her face, large and small, exploding across her nose to cover her cheeks, the same hue of brown. It was regular for the girl pop in the evening, leaving before the sun died completely. Jace usually didn’t stumble and fall, but this time the girl was quiet and the boy had been in a different world. She was Jace’s only source of ‘fun’, though he always found it hard enough to loosen up and enjoy her company. They talked, and sometimes Jace would help her with school work, and Chloé would talk about the games and her day in the city. It was the only way he could know what was going on in the outside world- because he never got out. She was the daughter of a duke, or some high ranking like that. But you can imagine the rules for her weren’t nearly as strict as they would be for a prince. They’d grown to be close friends- Jace’s only friend, in fact, because he never got out enough to make any more. He knew that once she’d finished school here, she would probably move to some big-shot school somewhere else, where she’d learn to be a proper lady. He hoped they wouldn’t drain all of the fun out of her. That would make his life even more miserable. Even though Jace didn’t make jokes or laugh along, he did smile sometimes. That was as far as it went.

“There’s a concert tonight. In the middle of town. You should come with.” Jace frowned at her, pulling himself up to sit straight, while she leaned carelessly in his window ledge. She’d told him about city parties, functions, and celebrations many times before, and every time he turned them down. If he got caught, his father would ban him from ever leaving the castle, and then he’d really turn into the most boring person on earth.

“You know I can’t.” Chloé harrumphed, frowning at him much like a two-year old would.

“You’re such an old grump. You need to stop spending your time up in this old gross castle, and live for once.” Jace knew she was right, but he really didn’t want to experience the look of absolute disgust on his father’s face. And quite frankly, he was scared. What if it wasn’t all he had hoped? What if his last ray of hope was crushed, and nothing was good enough to live for? He didn’t want to be a king, knowing that there was nothing better. He almost wanted to keep it in the unknown.

“You’re considering it, aren’t you?” Jace looked up to find her dark eyes, penetrating him, her own ray of hope found there.

“No, I’m not. I can’t, and you know that.” He said softly, frowning at her. Chloé moved from the window ledge and sat in front of him, crossing her legs.

“Pleeease? You’ll be back before sunrise. I promise. It will be fun.” She watched him closely with those dark eyes, and she reminded him of a puppy begging for food. Jace looked away, looking at the window as if it was suddenly very interesting. He knew something was missing. He had the whispers and the idea of fun, of living for once. But he was too afraid to put them to the test. He’d only been outside what, four times? And he’d most certainly never been to town. Did the town even know that there was a prince?
Chloé was still watching him, and he could feel her eyes burning holes into his face. He looked down, and then met her gaze. “Are you sure?”

“I’ve never been more sure.” She said, standing up. “You won’t ever regret it. Trust me.” She offered him a hand, and he took it, standing just an inch taller than her. “You, sir, are about to taste the real world. Not the gross air in this castle thing. C’mon.” Chloé lifted herself to the window sill, but Jace hesitated behind her. The drop was far, to him, at least, even though it was only around ten feet. A synch for Chloé. “You first.” She said, and the prince carefully pulled himself up to the window. “Bend your knees when you jump.”

“Who said I was going to jump?” Jace questioned, staring at the far away ground, fairly certain she was never going to get him down there. “I did.” And before he knew what was happening, Chloé had shoved his back, and he found himself in the air. He didn’t even have time to scream- he hit the ground, unharmed. He stared forward, paralyzed. His friend jumped soon after, joining him on the ground without making a sound. “Cat got your tongue? Let’s go.” Grabbing his arm to pull him out of his paralyzed state and in the correct direction, she ducked into the undergrowth, dragging him along.

* * *

The city was silent. Jace expected nothing of this- he expected hoards of people crowding to to the center of town. Chloé led him along the shadows, sticking close to the houses and cobblestone streets, never letting them into sight. Not that anybody would see them, let alone knew who they were or what they were doing. The city was dead, and Jace was a stranger here. “I thought you said there was a concert?” Chloé looked over her shoulder at him, a mischievous smile on her freckled face. Her eyes shined in the dark. “There is.” They stood on the outskirts of town center, with not a single person in sight.

Suddenly, she grabbed his hand, and pulled him with her in a dash for the center of the city. He expected they would go to the theatre, but no such thing. She led him around the edge of the building, where the dumpsters sat, stinking with waste. “Chloé, what on earth-“ Before he could finish, Chloé had crouched, grabbing the handle of a door her had never noticed. Probably because it was a trapdoor hidden next to dumpsters. She swung it open, and, surprise- more blackness. “You are not getting me to go in there.”

“Actually, yes I am.” Chloé once again shoved him, and he stumbled into the black. The girl shut the door behind them and she kept nudging Jace, moving them forward. It took only minutes before he heard the sounds. And seconds later before he saw the light.
Chloé gave him one last push, and he stumbled into a huge underground room. It was dim, full of subtle light, vibrant colors of blue, green, and yellow, coming from various lights around the huge cell. There were hundreds of people- but none of them were over the age of twenty. All of them were young, just like Jace and Chloé. A stage of a construction he had never seen before took part of the room, and upon it, were musicians. The old song was ending, and a new one was beginning. Jace looked behind him to find a smiling Chloé. She shoved him again. “Come on!” He was pushed into the throng of people: they had entered somewhere near the front, so he still had a view of the high stage. The girl continued to lead the prince through shoving, until Chloé stopped in a group of around five other teens, three girls, and two guys. “Chloé!” One of the girls shouted over the noise. “Cassandra!” She yelled back. Jace watched carefully, attention moving to the stage again. “Who’s your friend?” Cassandra yelled over the sounds of screaming people. “Jace!” She yelled back Jace’s name, and Cassandra met his eyes and nodded. A sign of acceptance- at least he wouldn’t completely be booted from the group. The two other guys and girls nodded at him as well, before they turned their attention to the stage.

Guitar chords began, and the crowd raised their voices, Chloé and her group along with them. A vocalist chimed in, beginning the lyrics. The music began of soft and subtle, before it exploded into something more. Instruments joined in, and the crowd screamed in one deafening noise as they clapped their hands with the beat.

The music filled the room, and there wasn’t a dry eye anywhere. Every single person had a smile on their face. The lights swung in the dim room, and the sound was deafening. Jace loved it. After the second chorus, he had the words down. Chloé was right- this was fun. The group was dancing, jumping, and laughing with the music, everything falling together into a perfect chaos. This was more than he ever wished- Jace knew he had a choice to live.

Chloé grabbed Jace’s hand, and shoved him into the middle of the group, which cheered. “Dance,” She ordered, and he obeyed. Everybody around him moved, and he did with them. Jumping, twisting, and turning. At one point Jace leaped high and landed a complete flip, the group around him exploded in applause. “When did you learn to do that?” Chloé asked, and he said, “I got to find something to do in my room all day.” They both smiled, and raised their voices with the music. The first song ended- the song that had shown him how to live. He’d know every word by heart and just as his best friend told him, he would never forget this night.

* * *

Story (c) Sunshockk.deviantart.com

Description
When A Prince Lives
Writing Prompt 8
9/22/13

He hadn’t felt fun for sixteen years. The word ‘fun’ wasn’t even part of his vocabulary. Instead, his world consisted of tall spires, feather pens, and proper posture. The closest he had gotten to a joyful feeling was receiving approval from his father. And even that probably hadn’t happened for sixteen years- had he ever seen his father smile? No, probably not. He hadn’t smiled since mom left. He’d only seen the pictures, and those weren’t the same. They were fake, to him. Lies. Somebody had altered them- his dad had never smiled, and never could. There wasn’t a happy bone in that man’s body.

Jace dropped his feather on the perfect script, giving up on focusing. Two hours and he only had ten words to show for it. He was distracted. Much too distracted. The boy stared at the nearly blank page for a while, before grabbing it and crumpling it into a tight ball of frustration. He chucked it to the empty waste basket, creating a single blemish in the perfect room. Standing from his chair, he crossed the elegantly carpeted room to a large window, pushing open the shutters. Cool evening air rustled dark hair, and Jace leaned forward on his elbows, staring sullenly out over the acres and acres of beautiful land. To the right the city sprawled, lights twinkling in the dying sun. Purples and blues stretched over the tall castle spire above his head, crowding out the vibrant pinks and oranges of the sunset. Jace, as a prince, had his every move watched. His room was checked on constantly until lights out, and then he went through his every day routine. He only glimpsed his father once or twice a day, on his kingly duties. His life was completely, and absolutely, dull. Except for one thing…

Drifting off, he hadn’t heard the faint scratches below his opened window. You can imagine the surprise when a pair of brown eyes and dark hair popped from the ledge of his window. The sudden appearance of the girl startled him so much, in fact, that Jace jumped and in quick secession, fell backwards, hitting the floor. He quickly recovered and pulled himself on his hands, breathing heavily.

“Chloé! Don’t do that!” The brown-eyed, chocolate-haired girl pulled herself over the window ledge, gracefully hitting the floor, before the laughter hit. She doubled over, insane giggles filling her throat. “I’m serious! I almost fell off!” Chloé managed to quiet her laughter so it was only faint, and managed a reply.

“Jace, that was hilarious. Come on, have a sense of humor!” Jace glared at her angrily, not amused. The girl sighed, crossing her arms.

Chloé was tall, nearly the same height as Jace. Her eyes and hair would remind anybody of chocolate, as they were the perfect shade of brown. Freckles crowded her face, large and small, exploding across her nose to cover her cheeks, the same hue of brown. It was regular for the girl pop in the evening, leaving before the sun died completely. Jace usually didn’t stumble and fall, but this time the girl was quiet and the boy had been in a different world. She was Jace’s only source of ‘fun’, though he always found it hard enough to loosen up and enjoy her company. They talked, and sometimes Jace would help her with school work, and Chloé would talk about the games and her day in the city. It was the only way he could know what was going on in the outside world- because he never got out. She was the daughter of a duke, or some high ranking like that. But you can imagine the rules for her weren’t nearly as strict as they would be for a prince. They’d grown to be close friends- Jace’s only friend, in fact, because he never got out enough to make any more. He knew that once she’d finished school here, she would probably move to some big-shot school somewhere else, where she’d learn to be a proper lady. He hoped they wouldn’t drain all of the fun out of her. That would make his life even more miserable. Even though Jace didn’t make jokes or laugh along, he did smile sometimes. That was as far as it went.

“There’s a concert tonight. In the middle of town. You should come with.” Jace frowned at her, pulling himself up to sit straight, while she leaned carelessly in his window ledge. She’d told him about city parties, functions, and celebrations many times before, and every time he turned them down. If he got caught, his father would ban him from ever leaving the castle, and then he’d really turn into the most boring person on earth.

“You know I can’t.” Chloé harrumphed, frowning at him much like a two-year old would.

“You’re such an old grump. You need to stop spending your time up in this old gross castle, and live for once.” Jace knew she was right, but he really didn’t want to experience the look of absolute disgust on his father’s face. And quite frankly, he was scared. What if it wasn’t all he had hoped? What if his last ray of hope was crushed, and nothing was good enough to live for? He didn’t want to be a king, knowing that there was nothing better. He almost wanted to keep it in the unknown.

“You’re considering it, aren’t you?” Jace looked up to find her dark eyes, penetrating him, her own ray of hope found there.

“No, I’m not. I can’t, and you know that.” He said softly, frowning at her. Chloé moved from the window ledge and sat in front of him, crossing her legs.

“Pleeease? You’ll be back before sunrise. I promise. It will be fun.” She watched him closely with those dark eyes, and she reminded him of a puppy begging for food. Jace looked away, looking at the window as if it was suddenly very interesting. He knew something was missing. He had the whispers and the idea of fun, of living for once. But he was too afraid to put them to the test. He’d only been outside what, four times? And he’d most certainly never been to town. Did the town even know that there was a prince?
Chloé was still watching him, and he could feel her eyes burning holes into his face. He looked down, and then met her gaze. “Are you sure?”

“I’ve never been more sure.” She said, standing up. “You won’t ever regret it. Trust me.” She offered him a hand, and he took it, standing just an inch taller than her. “You, sir, are about to taste the real world. Not the gross air in this castle thing. C’mon.” Chloé lifted herself to the window sill, but Jace hesitated behind her. The drop was far, to him, at least, even though it was only around ten feet. A synch for Chloé. “You first.” She said, and the prince carefully pulled himself up to the window. “Bend your knees when you jump.”

“Who said I was going to jump?” Jace questioned, staring at the far away ground, fairly certain she was never going to get him down there. “I did.” And before he knew what was happening, Chloé had shoved his back, and he found himself in the air. He didn’t even have time to scream- he hit the ground, unharmed. He stared forward, paralyzed. His friend jumped soon after, joining him on the ground without making a sound. “Cat got your tongue? Let’s go.” Grabbing his arm to pull him out of his paralyzed state and in the correct direction, she ducked into the undergrowth, dragging him along.

* * *

The city was silent. Jace expected nothing of this- he expected hoards of people crowding to to the center of town. Chloé led him along the shadows, sticking close to the houses and cobblestone streets, never letting them into sight. Not that anybody would see them, let alone knew who they were or what they were doing. The city was dead, and Jace was a stranger here. “I thought you said there was a concert?” Chloé looked over her shoulder at him, a mischievous smile on her freckled face. Her eyes shined in the dark. “There is.” They stood on the outskirts of town center, with not a single person in sight.

Suddenly, she grabbed his hand, and pulled him with her in a dash for the center of the city. He expected they would go to the theatre, but no such thing. She led him around the edge of the building, where the dumpsters sat, stinking with waste. “Chloé, what on earth-“ Before he could finish, Chloé had crouched, grabbing the handle of a door her had never noticed. Probably because it was a trapdoor hidden next to dumpsters. She swung it open, and, surprise- more blackness. “You are not getting me to go in there.”

“Actually, yes I am.” Chloé once again shoved him, and he stumbled into the black. The girl shut the door behind them and she kept nudging Jace, moving them forward. It took only minutes before he heard the sounds. And seconds later before he saw the light.
Chloé gave him one last push, and he stumbled into a huge underground room. It was dim, full of subtle light, vibrant colors of blue, green, and yellow, coming from various lights around the huge cell. There were hundreds of people- but none of them were over the age of twenty. All of them were young, just like Jace and Chloé. A stage of a construction he had never seen before took part of the room, and upon it, were musicians. The old song was ending, and a new one was beginning. Jace looked behind him to find a smiling Chloé. She shoved him again. “Come on!” He was pushed into the throng of people: they had entered somewhere near the front, so he still had a view of the high stage. The girl continued to lead the prince through shoving, until Chloé stopped in a group of around five other teens, three girls, and two guys. “Chloé!” One of the girls shouted over the noise. “Cassandra!” She yelled back. Jace watched carefully, attention moving to the stage again. “Who’s your friend?” Cassandra yelled over the sounds of screaming people. “Jace!” She yelled back Jace’s name, and Cassandra met his eyes and nodded. A sign of acceptance- at least he wouldn’t completely be booted from the group. The two other guys and girls nodded at him as well, before they turned their attention to the stage.

Guitar chords began, and the crowd raised their voices, Chloé and her group along with them. A vocalist chimed in, beginning the lyrics. The music began of soft and subtle, before it exploded into something more. Instruments joined in, and the crowd screamed in one deafening noise as they clapped their hands with the beat.

The music filled the room, and there wasn’t a dry eye anywhere. Every single person had a smile on their face. The lights swung in the dim room, and the sound was deafening. Jace loved it. After the second chorus, he had the words down. Chloé was right- this was fun. The group was dancing, jumping, and laughing with the music, everything falling together into a perfect chaos. This was more than he ever wished- Jace knew he had a choice to live.

Chloé grabbed Jace’s hand, and shoved him into the middle of the group, which cheered. “Dance,” She ordered, and he obeyed. Everybody around him moved, and he did with them. Jumping, twisting, and turning. At one point Jace leaped high and landed a complete flip, the group around him exploded in applause. “When did you learn to do that?” Chloé asked, and he said, “I got to find something to do in my room all day.” They both smiled, and raised their voices with the music. The first song ended- the song that had shown him how to live. He’d know every word by heart and just as his best friend told him, he would never forget this night.

* * *

Story (c) Sunshockk.deviantart.com