The Cursed Prince

A Wonnykins Production

"Mum, when are we going to get there?"

"-sigh- When we get there, my dear..."

The carriage gave a sudden jolt, and the dark-haired fourteen-year-old frowned, crossing his arms. A gold head band rested around his forehead, just above a pair of chocolate-brown eyes. He was dressed in the finest materials; silken blouse, fur collared vest that was only chest high, black knee-high pants, and white stockings that ended at highly polished shoes. A prince.

The Prince's mother sighed. A queen in her early thirties, she was just now feeling the weight of her years. An elegant, regal black dress that was low necked and tight around her waist covered her dainty little feet, much like her son's. Her hair was pulled into a curly pony-tail, a crown of black and white jewels sitting atop the brunette tresses.

She fanned herself with a lacy fan. "Don't look at me that way, Ash; it's bad enough that soon I ll have to be letting you go."

The boy muttered, "I don't have to get married..."

"Actually, my son, you do. Otherwise, our whole family is likely to die off. Or be killed. Whichever suits you..." She said this in an exhausted manner. The young queen had been over this with her son so many times now. If he didn't marry, there would be no heirs. And, recently, some astounding things had been befalling all of the Indigo, Jhoto, and Honen regions...

The prince huffed, sliding down farther into the plush seats. He wasn't normally this bratty. In fact, he was quite mild-mannered, even shy. Mostly shy. But he happened to be comfortable around his mother, and she happened to see a lot more of his personality.

"...I don't want to get married yet..." He murmured, "...what if the girl doesn't even like me?" His mother tensed for some reason, thinking to herself, 'You won t have to worry about any girl...', "I mean, you know I'd never...like a girl...like that..." Ash mumbled, blushing a bit.

This was nothing new. Everyone in their kingdom, Indigo, happened to know the prince did not have a fondness for girls. Or females in general. Their heir to the throne happened to like boys. Which was all well and good, given the situation his mother was running through her mind.

Prince Ash knew that he wasn't going to get much more out of his pondering mother then 'Don't worry about it' , and busied himself looking out the glass. More scenery. It wasn't that he had a thing against nature, but this was what he had been staring at for the last five hours. It got old after a while.

Just as he was about to fall asleep, a flash of gray and red caught his eye. He looked farther down the dirt road and spotted the tips of towers and flags above the never ending tree line.

"I see it! Finally!" He grinned, looking happy again, "Now we can this whole thing over with and we can go home! Right mom?" He eyed his frowning mother, "Eh, right?"

"Talk later. Straighten yourself out, Ash. Look presentable." The queen scolded, "I doubt your fiancée and his parents will be impressed if you look like you've been robbed."

Ash waved the comment away. "Okay, okay, I ll straighten-..." He eyed his mother, brown orbs getting wide, "HIS?!" His mother sweat-dropped, knowing she'd let the slip too early.

"Err...yes...his..."

"Why didn't you say anything?! Here I thought this whole thing wouldn't work at all..." Ash grumbled, looking annoyed. His mother hushed him.

"Shush. We're here. Don t make a fool out of yourself." The carriage stopped, and there was a little rocking as the footmen got up from the back and flipped down the stairs. He opened the door, and held out his hand for Ash's mother. She smiled warmly at him.

"Thank you sir." Came her sweet, calming voice. The footman tipped his hat and returned the smile.

"Queen Delilah, how wonderful to bask in your glow again!" Came a hearty male voice. Ash sat in his seat, not sure whether to move or not. His mom's dress was blocking the entrance way, so he decided to wait.

He peeked out of the window, out of sight, and saw a man in his late forties bowing before his mother, kissing her hand. This made the boy bristle, but he saw the crown perched on the man's head and swallowed. Yeah, not a good idea to hate the king...

A woman with pinkish hair and deep, green eyes that looked similar to his mother in dress placed her hand on this foreign king's shoulder. She reached out and the two women embraced.

"Joy!"

"Delilah!"

They were a mass of hugging. Obviously, the two of them knew each other. Perhaps from queen school. Ash chuckled to himself at the thought.

There were two other people behind them. One was obviously a princess. She had long, strawberry-blond hair that hung down her back in flowing waves. A tiara was settled in the luscious hair. Blue eyes twinkled with radiance and laughter. Ash had a feeling they would be fast friends, even though she looked ages older then him.

"Nice to meet you at last, Queen Delilah." Came a smooth voice. Ash looked at the last remaining person. His jaw dropped.

The boy was gorgeous.

He was dressed similarly to the shy prince, except he had a vest over his own blouse. His eyes were a deep, emerald green. He had auburn-colored locks that were speared up in odd angles. He was at least a head taller then Ash, and he was muscular and lean. Maybe about sixteen-years-old, Ash guessed. He caught himself staring and shook himself.

"With my luck, he s not my fiancé..." The dark-haired prince sighed.

"So, where is this new son-in-law of mine? Hiding him in a trunk, Delilah?" The king joked. His wife smiled wearily.

"Giovanni, be polite, dearest..." She half whispered.

Ash's mother looked back to the window of the carriage. "He's a tad shy..." Her eyes met those of her son's and he knew it was his cue to make his appearance.

The young prince stepped out of the carriage, eying everyone but his mother a little wearily. The king, his wife, and his daughter all beamed at him. The other prince did not. He looked bored.

"Not a looker, is he?" The boy drawled. Ash blushed a little. 'Good thing my luck sucks. This guy seems like a jerk...no way I d marry him...'

King Giovanni clapped the younger prince on the back. "Now, that isn't any way to address your future spouse, Gary." Ash s face paled. 'I take that back. My luck does suck...'

The princess pushed her younger brother forward. "Say hello like a gentleman, Gary, like I told you." She was enjoying his obvious discomfort.

Prince Gary scowled at her and looked back at the dark-haired boy. He bowed, quickly, never taking his eyes off him. As he retreated, his sister turned him back around.

"A-hem." She coughed, pointedly. He glared like he hated her, and then focused that glare on poor Ash. The older prince took hold of the younger boy's hand and kissed it lightly, before stepping back and muttering to his sibling, "Happy now?".

Ash also bowed. "Pleasure." Came his voice. Quiet and shy. "To meet you all."

His mother smiled proudly at him. She started talking to King Giovanni and Queen Joy, the princess chiming in politely. They all headed towards the castle, Prince Gary and Prince Ash hesitating.

Once they were out of hearing range, Gary focused Ash with a piercing glare. "Look," He growled, leaning over in Ash s face, "I don't want to marry you. I don't even want to know you. So let's get this taken care of and be done with it. Got it?"

Ash recoiled. "Em..." He blushed, looking at his feet.

Gary frowned. "Hmph. It's fine if you don't talk. It just makes it easier for me to deal with you." He turned on heel and marched off, cloak swishing.

Ash suddenly found himself wishing that he had stayed with his brother, Brock, at home.