The Realm of Shadows

The young servant looked at the realm's future king out the corner of his
eye but kept silent as the prince gave orders.At 28 years of age, the prince was
very specific in his ways. The servant had observed the prince's habits as a
means of remaining in the prince's good graces.If the servant knew the way
the future ruler drank his beverages, the degree he liked his meat cooked to
or the particular woman he craved; the less the prince had to speak and the
happier his highness was.
"We are going,NOW." The prince ordered in a no-nonsense tone.
The caravan consisting of his majesty, several servants, and many
guards had stopped their journey to allow the horses a brief rest. As the group
loaded into their proper places the servant thought upon the stories of the Royal
family.
The talk of the males sexual conquests and the females seductive natures
were among the many topics surrounding the family. There had been stories of brutal
violence being inflicted upon the servants who displeased the Royal family. While
he was not positive of the truth behind the first stories, the servant knew the stories
of violence to be false. His family had been the Royal's closest staff for multiple
generations and never had they lifted a hand to harm the servants. They were
still Royal; which meant they still abided by the social customs, they just were
not cruel.
The wind was whipping around the caravan and the night was closing
in with intensity when the prince called a stop once again.

******************

Prince Shadows observed the resting spot; the road was small and
dirt covered. The fields on either side of the road were high and unkept.
Shadows shivered even though he was clothed warmly and his kind's body
temperture ran naturally a bit colder. Silently the prince was grateful for the
warm castle awaiting him. He had been to visit his childhood friends' realms
and was glad the village in his sight signalled only about thirty minutes journey
to his beloved luxury.
Shadows opened his mouth to beckon everyone when he gasped. A
softly curved piece of porcelain caught his attention from the fields. Prince
Shadows waded through the grass jungle and felt his eyes widen as he neared
the object of his attention. The porcelain was covered in dirt and blood; Shadows
tenderly wiped some of the filth away.
A leg. A woman's leg at that. The prince nearly vomitted when he removed
the rest of the dirt-blood blanket to find a beaten naked female.Shadows keen
hearing picked up a heartbeat. The woman was alive. Barely.
With a short curse, the prince ripped his full length coat from his sculpted
body and placed it over the nude form before carrying it back to his carriage.