Twenty-nine years ago.
"Your Highness, please come here. Your tutors will not be pleased if they learn you left your work unfinished," his nursemaid said and it wasn't even the first time she had made the request.
The little prince had paid her no mind the first two times she spoke, far too absorbed in the world he had created on the floor, surrounded by carved wooden soldiers and painted animals.
The nursemaid let out a tired sigh, her fingers bunching the fabric of her skirts as she struggled to keep herself in check. She stared down at the unruly child, her patience wearing thin. Her days were often filled with multiple failed attempts to guide and discipline him, so she should have been used to this behavior by now. He was only four years old, after all, and children his age were prone to mischief. Yet lately, it felt as though the prince was no longer merely playful, he was testing her limits, watching how far he could push before she broke.
