nobody in your kindgom really liked your king; he tended to be selfish and impulsive, so when he announced that his son ashton was going to be taking over as king in a few months, everyone was anxious. however, as he worked alongside his dad to learn the ropes, everyone found that he was the exact opposite of his father. the real test was if he really cared about his kingdom, though, and that was going to be put to the test when the people lined up at the throne with problems in the hopes that the king would help them. normally, they were turned away by the king - which is why nobody had brought up the problem that there were thiefs stealing things from shops and destroying your village. until today, that is - with the small hope that ashton might be there with his father, you headed off to the castle. when it came time for you to explain about the thieves, the king laughed and told you to leave, that it “wasn’t worth his time to worry about thieves pillaging an already hopeless village.” you made quick eye contact with prince ashton, who was sitting beside the king, and you swore you saw sorrow in his eyes, but you didn’t say anything. it was only as you were leaving that you heard footsteps behind you and a commotion from the throne room, and you turned around to see prince ashton, a frown on his face as he apologized for his father. “i’m going to take his place in three days, and i promise i’ll help your village, even if i have to take them one by one myself” and you couldn’t help but smile as he grabbed your hand and kissed it. “anything to keep a pretty girl like you safe,” he added as he ran back towards the throne room.