The Lunar Prince

by L Ward

  A hand shot in the air from the front row. “Mr Daniels?” squeaked a girl with enormous glasses and a blonde bob. She looked out of place in this class of loners, stoners and, well, their teacher.

  “Call me Uncle, Mr Daniels was my grandfather,” his grin almost blinding.

  Evan choked back a laugh.

  Aline’s cheeks flooded with red. “I read Eustace Honeyford was also known as a traitor and had originally planned to fool the Queen and pass information to the rebels to overthrow her because they didn’t want a woman on the throne,” she said knowledgeably.

  “That’s partially true. You’re right to think they didn’t want her on the throne, but not so much because she was a woman. It was her magical abilities. She was a pyromancer by birth but at some point, in her early life, she was afflicted by lycanthropy. People didn’t like the idea of having a monster on the throne; especially not when that monster was also a woman,” his smile was weak, sad. “Eustace himself was a rebel turned champion to the Queen when he came to realise the poison spewing from warlocks was propaganda to put a hell-bound warlock on the throne and she should remain in possession of her birthright.”

  Evan’s gaze wandered outside, his mind turning back to present royals. It was strange to think that the family alive today are related to Kathryn the Great. He wondered what type of unique Nath had.

  Chapter 2

  “Hey! Haven’t seen you all day, how did it go?” Cass grinned, bounding up to him still full of first-day energy at the end of classes.

  “Great,” he said. “So far I like everything. How’d your day go?”

  “It was amazing! We got to hunt for water roses, you know, the kind with the metallic petals that look like solid gold underwater? Well, they grow natively in the stream near the main orchard!” She was positively beaming. “I’ve always wanted to see them in real life they’re so rare. I mean, my garden at home is pretty rammed, but those are one thing I don’t have.”

  Evan’s eyes slid over her curiously. “Does your magic home in on plants, by any chance?”

  “Bingo,” said Cass. “Are you coming down to dinner tonight?”

  “Yeah, just getting changed quick,” he said, unlocking his door and throwing his bag inside.

  “Why?” asked Cass, wrinkling her nose.

  “The royals will be there, didn’t you know?” he frowned watching her jaw drop.

  “Oh my god I have to get changed!” she looked down in horror at her muddy jeans and thick, silver-stained alchemy gauntlets.

  Evan laughed.

  “Damn it. Jeremiah’s run off if you see him tell him to meet us downstairs in ten?”

  “Sure,” he said watching her book it down the corridor onto the stairs.

  One of the best parts of boarding at the palace was his own bedroom. At first, he’d expected dorms or at least roommates but that hadn’t been the case. The palace had enough rooms in the west wing to house a couple hundred students easily. His room was medium-sized with a double bed, some drawers and a simple wardrobe with a door leading into a small, tidy bathroom.

  Evan changed into a fresh pine coloured shirt and fitted cloak. Fortunately, he intercepted Jeremiah on the stairs and waited outside his door until they were beyond Cass’s promised ten minutes.

  By now the palace was buzzing with excitement and shimmering with magical residue that drifted from the skies, dusting surfaces in a fine layer of silver.

  Servants scurried about flustered and nervous. Word had spread that the king and queen were making their appearance which had ignited a universal tizzy. Some girls sashayed into court wearing full-length evening gowns and a few men donned suits.

  “You’re always late!” Cass scolded when they finally showed up, her eyes fixed on Jeremiah.

  “I’m sorry, I was—”

  Cass shushed him, face cutting a frown as she popped his collar button. “It looks weird if you button it without a tie.”

  Jeremiah cringed and said, “jeez, sorry, mum.”

  An oncoming flood of students, walled by clouds of perfume, swept them into Court filling the rows. Servants in royal livery instructed everyone to remain standing for the entrance of the royal family.

  Beneath the palace arteries, snaking their way up the walls, Court glimmered. An ancient chandelier was suspended by magic overhead; a sunset in its own right.

  The humming intensified to an audible murmur. Tables were set, all quick flashes of silver and winking crystal flutes, but dinner was yet to be served. It felt oddly like an oversized wedding party.

  Exhilaration reached boiling point when hush descended, scattering the servants into the shadows.

  A man dressed in in finery wearing the trademark emblems of a lord strode into view and cleared his throat. “Announcing Their Majesties King Elijah I, Queen Miriam and His Royal Highness Prince Nathaniel,” his voice carried high and nasal, and everyone turned to the sound of approaching footsteps.

  The King shone with regality, a tall, strapping man in his late thirties with thick brown tresses, a clipped beard, and bright blue eyes. He donned a sleek, expensive suit with his royal cloak of scarlet and gold falling to the floor. For the occasion he wore a gold coronet which reminded Evan of the halo of sunlight his son had worn earlier that day.

  Queen Miriam smiled gracefully on his arm. She was petite and pixie-like with waist-length platinum hair, a heart-shaped face and velvety green eyes. The most striking thing was her dress of deep ruby red, the ruffles rippling with smoky tendrils. But when Evan's eyes fell on Nathaniel, his heart slammed against his ribs. He was as beautiful now as he was beneath the sunlight’s kisses. He was tall like his father with the softer features of his mother and had changed into an expensive suit with a fiery cloak draped over his shoulders. Unlike the King and Queen, he didn’t wear a crown.

  Whispers engulfed the court, students craning their necks for a better look. It was the first time the majority of them had ever seen the royal family.

  “You may be seated,” said the King in a voice deep as the ocean and rough as a shattered mine.

  All souls moved in silent unision not daring to make a sound as they took their seats, nervous glances darting back and forth. The air crackled with tension and reeked of magnificence.

  “Firstly, I want to welcome you all to the University of Advanced Magical Practice, and hope you’ve much enjoyed your first day. Hopefully you’ll have read the information packs carefully and adhere to the rules and regulations of the university. You are all here for a reason and I’m confident that the next few years will be of immense value to you,” said the King, eyes roaming over the heads.

  Evan’s attention slid back to Nath, expression blank and back straight; his eyes wandered about the room. They found one another in a matter of moments and a ghost of a smile brushed his lips and lingered long after he took his seat at the royal table.

  Servants rose from darkness, arms raised controlling the dozens of silver platters soaring overhead, nestling themselves between the dishes.

  Nobody moved.

  “I don’t expect you to eat in silence, this is a court, after all,” King Elijah’s laughter boomed raucous and contagious. The walls themselves seemed to sigh with relief and the air rang with chatter and tinkling laughter. Magic thrummed in exhilaration of endless nights and renewed optimism.

  “The Queen is so pretty!” said Cass, nodding to where she laughed, fingers blessing her heart beside her husband.

  “They’re so young,” said Jeremiah. “I was expecting them to be at least middle-aged.”

  “Well, the previous king was old when his only child was born so Elijah was on the throne at eighteen. I guess he didn’t follow in his father’s footsteps because he must have been very young when the prince was born,” said Cass, putting extra chicken on her plate.

  Evan was smiling as he tucked into a bit of everything. He was starving and food was his happy place. “How long have you guys been together?”

  “Nearly two years
,” said Cass.

  “We met at a beach party,” said Jeremiah. “Cass was drunk, and I walked her to my aunt’s house- she was away at the time- and let her sleep it off. In the morning, I made her breakfast, got her spellogram code and we hooked up.”

  “Ew, don’t tell our story like that you make it sound so seedy,” said Cass, wrinkling her nose.

  Evan laughed, glancing up again at Prince Nath, talking with his father and the famous Gerard Starstone. Upon the Queen’s request, the Royal Orchestra flourished into the court and filled the room with classical melodies.

  “Are you seeing anyone?” Cass asked.

  “Nope,” said Evan, feeling a light blush creep up his neck.

  When the desserts were down people began to retire. The royals didn’t hang around either, they disappeared the fastest.

  Chapter 3

  Lore was taught in one of the sunniest rooms in the west wing. When Evan arrived, students were sinking into their seats despite the absence of a tutor. Alongside elemental magic, this was a mandatory subject.

  He was rummaging in his bag when a chorus of gasps robbed his attention.

  Nath entered the room with the grace and serenity only a prince could and made a beeline for him.

  Will’s handsome stare hardened to granite, brows striking a frown of irritated disbelief.

  “Good morning,” said Nath, sliding into the seat beside him drenching him in a tsunami of fresh laundry, endless summers and musky boy.

  “Morning!” Evan said more brightly than intended. His stomach was a basket of worms and a n odd dreaminess swept over him.

  Oh. Dear.

  Nath glanced at him through fairest lashes. This close Evan could see the faint and few freckles speckling his nose in a unique constellation. He stashed the details in his memory box for bedtime.

  “I saw you at dinner last night,” he said.

  “And I certainly saw you,” said Evan. Will caught his eye and two blotches of red bloomed on his cheeks. Why did he have to say it like that? Why?

  Nath’s lips twitched into a playful smirk, “who’re your friends?”

  “Cassidy Ikenna and Jeremiah Robertson,” he replied.

  “Nobody of note,” said Will.

  Nath shot him a hard look.

  Tension crackled and tiny sparks of amber popped around Will’s chair.

  “Morning all!” a surprisingly young male teacher launched into the room, flustered and wearing a full-length charcoal cloak. “My name is Mr Flint and I’m your lore teacher,” he dropped his briefcase on his desk with a thud and turned to face them with lightning-blue eyes. Few, however, paid him much attention, their gazes were trained curiously on the prince. Girls leered at him with doe-eyed dreams, boys with curiosity and wariness. “It seems you’d rather be introduced to your classmate His Royal Highness Prince Nathaniel,” his eyes turned to Nath, pupils glinting with something like anticipation. An odd sort of grimace crossed his face, unreadable and, quick as it appeared, it vacated.

  Nath smiled, shooting a pointed look at Mr Flint.

  “Now, I think you’ve all ogled him enough. He’s here for the same reason everyone else is- to learn,” he said, eyes sweeping his ignorant class.

  “I don’t think so,” said Blaise.

  Students turned back wearing various shades of shock. The nerve! Evan glanced at Nath, but he either hadn't heard or didn’t care.

  With a flick of his wrist an enormous paper timeline strung itself across the front of the classroom. “Lore is our history; not just our socially constructed history, but also our magical origins. In this class we will study both fact and fiction, and learn to distinguish between the two. This is a study of all magical beings, creations and existences,” he said in a tone older than ancient spells and colder than mid-winter frost. A few of the students were sitting up straighter now. Alert; excited. “I expect most of you have studied some lore in the past such as Kathryn the Great- a battle so ferocious raged in our world it broke the boundaries between the magical and non-magical worlds thrusting us into the simultaneous limbo existing today.

  Perhaps you’ve studied the more recent war of the new millennium, the year our future sovereign, and most of you, were born,” his eyes slid back to Nath. “It was the year the Governor Undermouth rose to new heights in favor, and betrayed the King by altering those laws protecting both dimensions from intervention. The greed fueled his own power as well as others’ and, by the time the guards made to arrest him, he’d fled into the night rallying troops from the Dead Country to break down the boundaries between worlds, unleashing the horrors trapped within the unstable magical rift upon us all.”

  The atmosphere soured like rotten lemons. People shifted uncomfortably, whites of eyes darting.

  Sensing the unease, Mr Flint said, “we needn’t worry about that. We’re safe thanks to the King and Queen. Now, to get a feel of your abilities, I’ll be setting homework; yes, even your first lesson has homework.” He grinned at their displeasure. “However, you may use this lesson to prepare for 2000 words on whatever true historical event you choose, due this time next week.”

  Evan relaxed. A whole week to write two pages on whatever he liked? Easy! He hadn’t expected the first week to be too intensive, but he also hadn’t expected essays. Well, at least not after Mr Daniels told them to go home and meditate as he felt they could all use more grey matter in their brains. Rude.

  “I’ll be coming round as you’re working, so feel free to ask me anything,” he flashed a scruffy-chinned grin, and moved to the first table.

  “I don’t like him,” said Will nastily, autumnal eyes burning on Flint, now talking animatedly to Cass.

  Evan tried, and failed, to understand Will, a disgustingly handsome billionaire pyromancer with the world at his fingertips, yet he took a disliking to, well, everything, or at least anyone but Nath.

  “Forgive me if I’m wrong, but judging by your accent I’d guess you’re from somewhere in Lancashire,” said Nath. Their eyes met; Evan’s stomach quivered.

  Clearing his throat, he said, “bit further up on the outskirts of Manchester.”

  “Wrong side of the Pennines if ya ask me,” said Will.

  Nath shot him a hard look.

  “What?” said Will, dropping a shrug, his face a mask of innocence. “Course I’m going to say that, he knows what I’m on about,” he gestured vaguely to Evan. His entire demeanor sang with relaxed confidence and childish games.

  Evan’s smile belied his skepticism. He had no idea what to say. Will was radiating toxic vibes. Things worsened when Flint, making a weird table-hopping beeline for the Prince, shark-grinned down on them displaying a full set of pearly whites. He stank of expensive aftershave wasted over stale cigarettes.

  Will’s handsome face turned to stone.

  “Your Highness,” said Flint, flourishing a bow, “have you any idea what you’ll write about?”

  “There’s much to choose from,” said Nath.

  “Of course, and I expect you and Mr Starstone will come up with thoroughly enjoyable reads,” said Flint, eyes glinting as they darted between them.

  “Don’t suppose ya came over here to ask what he’s doing?” Will snapped, thumbing at Evan like he was something big and useless slung in the back of a carriage.

  Flint’s gaze shattered and he turned to Will.

  Evan was amazed by the nerve it took not to flinch under Will’s murderous stare.

  “See him?” he pointed at Evan, “thought people like him were more in need of education than His Highness?” Will said, spiking a dark, challenging brow.

  Humiliation clawed its way up Evan’s neck leaving angry slashes of scarlet in its wake. A couple of people nearby turned to look at Will in surprise.

  The tension needed a sword by this point, but fortunately Flint handled it. “Evan, was it?”

  “Yes, sir."

  “Have you studied magical lore at all?” Flint asked smoothly.

  “Of course,” he blinked
, confused.

  “Then have you any idea what you’ll write about?” He pressed, eyebrows rising up his forehead like two fat slugs.

  The humiliation came back to bite him in the ass. He felt Nath watching him and knew how ridiculous he looked plonked there caged in silence while Will smirked in complete satisfaction. “Well, I—"

  Flint raised his eyebrows. “Its fine if you can’t think on the spot, you’ve got time,” he said.

  “Bless him,” said Will.

  If Nath hadn’t been sitting there, Evan would have seriously considered punching Will in his smug, irritating face. Shame burned painfully in his chest at being called out so bluntly in front of a teacher he’d barely spoken to. Cass was watching him with a confused, almost worried, frown, her eyes bouncing back and forth between him and Will.

  When the end of the lesson came, Nath wished a warm good-bye and swept from the room. Will, satisfied with the damage done, followed without sparing Evan a glance.

  Cass caught up with him as he was leaving, and they headed to lunch together. Jeremiah had gone straight to the library to reserve some books Flint recommended, so he’d meet them later.

  “Announcements went up this morning- there’s going to be a dueling club and whoever makes the team gets to compete against other university teams!” she beamed, cheeks glowing toffee apple red.