Locksley vs. Verrinto
Chapter One
Roman groaned as he read his history book. All of this was already taught to him, why did he have to read it year after year? They did it just to torture the poor prince. Obviously. But luckily, after this, he would get to see how the knights in training were doing. His favorite was a girl they called Tex, short for Texannen. Not only was she the best knight they had, she was a great friend, if sarcastic at times. The two had been best friends since birth, and Roman wouldn’t have it any other way. She was gorgeous-Roman wouldn’t settle for less-but Roman didn’t swing that way, and neither did Tex. She actually had a girlfriend who was one of the nurses at the castle. Jessamine was very sweet, and her brother was nice as well, but Roman didn’t know either very well. He was the prince after all, he had responsibilities.
“Roman Locksley, you need to pay attention!” His tutor snapped. Mr. Nanin wasn’t as nice as he seemed when his mom was around. The two did not like each other one bit.
“I already know all of this, why can’t I just go?” Roman groaned. “The best way for me to learn how to lead is by practicing leading, not sitting here, reading books that hold information I’ve known all my life.” Roman knew he’d win the battle. He was the prince, if he demanded it, it would be handed to him. Mr. Nanin knew this, but wouldn’t go down without a fight. Roman swore his life’s work was to make Roman as miserable as possible. Today, however, was different.
“Alright, Your Majesty. But I must warn you, the knights in training aren’t training anymore.” Roman looked at Mr. Nanin, searching for a lie. He wasn’t. “One of the castle staff is being charged with treason. The baby knights-” Roman growled. Mr. Nanin could be so rude sometimes. “Are headed to Verrinto to discover this claim. I suggest you talk to your mother, and maybe today you’ll actually learn something.” Roman glowered at his tutor before heading off. Anything to get out of that stuffy room, and to get away from that wretched man. He didn’t deserve to tutor someone as amazing as Roman.
One of the castle staff was going to be tried. There hadn’t been a trial for treason since before his mother was queen, and that had been right after the war and people were still confused. He wondered who it was, what the treason was, when were they to have their punishment decided. It was all so exciting and new. That meant no talking to Tex today, but he could still pay Jess a visit. Jessamine was nice to talk to sometimes. First, however, Queen Bramble needed to be paid a visit.
“Momma, what happened today?” Roman asked his mom when he reached her chambers. His dad was no doubt off with the knights. He was always gone, in some way or another. Queen Bramble turned to her son as he plopped down on her bed, making himself comfortable.
“One of the members of our staff was caught sneaking back from Verrinto. He was trying to smuggle a Verrin over the border, believing they needed saving. Both are in the dungeon, in seperate cells.” She explained to her son. Roman was so handsome, so much like her. It scared her, to be honest.
“Okay. Thanks Momma.” Roman hugged his mom, making her smile. He thought her smile was absolutely radiant. “I’ll see you at dinner.” He skipped off, fully planning on going to see Jessamine-and possibly her brother-when something stopped him. He wanted to meet the Verrin. He was always curious about what Verrinto was like, if it was anything like Locksley, since it had been part of his kingdom before. Besides, they were separated by a cell, how much harm could one Verrin cause? All Roman wanted was answers, right? With that in mind, he headed for the dungeons. No one stopped him, instead sending him in the right direction. Finally, he came to the cell, which was isolated from all the rest. The Verrin’s head was hanging low, blonde hair covering their face. They wore a black Polo shirt with a blue striped tie, and some khakis. Their feet were bare, covered in scratches. Their wings . . . it seemed as if they had been cut off. Roman reflexively touched his red wings. How did this person live without their wings? It also brought up questions about how bad Verrinto actually was. Was this considered normal there, not having wings? Roman noticed a turtle on the ground. The person’s animal guide.
“What would you like, Your Majesty?” The person finally looked up, and Roman gasped. Their face was purple and bruised, splotched with blood and cuts. Their dark brown eyes almost looked black in the lighting. “To ridicule me? To make my life more miserable than it already is?” Their voice sounded emotionless, almost robotic.
“What’s your name?” Roman asked, sitting on the stool.
“Logan Blue.” They pointed to their turtle. “That’s Lightning. He’s quite fast, when he wants to be.” Lightning glared at Logan, huffing. Roman smiled, wishing Princess were with him right now.
“I’m Roman Locksley, though it seems you already knew that.” Roman looked at the ground. Maybe Jessamine could heal them, they seemed to be in such a bad condition. What was it like in Verrinto? The question wouldn’t leave Roman’s mind now, and he knew it was wrong, he wasn’t supposed to wonder that, he was supposed to hate the Verrins. But this person-they seemed so upset, so done with life-it just made Roman’s heart hurt. “What happened to your wings?”
“The king chopped them off. King Anwir-who only became king because he murdered his dad-hates Locksley as much as any Verrin does. It is one of the things that is done so that Verrins and Locksleyans may be as different as possible.” Logan explained truthfully. Roman frowned. What else was done to keep the two groups as different as possible? Logan saw the question in Roman’s eyes and continued explaining. “Our powers are meant to be used to harm, instead of help, like you all do. Our guide animals are banned from talking-if found talking they are killed-instead meant to be treated like pets.” Roman noticed the tears in Logan’s eyes as they picked up Lightning and cradled him close. Verrinto seemed like a horrible place, how did nobody know about this awful treatment already? Roman couldn’t stand for this.
“I’m sorry.” Logan could hear the sincerity in the prince’s voice, and nodded. No one had ever felt bad for him before. “I’m going to get one of our healer’s, and maybe they can heal your face. I don’t know if your wings can ever grow back, however.” Roman regretted that, but at least Logan wouldn’t be in severe pain anymore. That’s what mattered, right? Not really, he was to be tried the next day, most likely sentenced to death for crimes he hadn’t committed. Who could blame him for wanting to come to Locksley? Roman’s frown grew. He would request a private dinner with his mother and discuss it with her. “I’ll be right back, okay Logan?” Logan nodded, watching the young prince leave. The plan was set.