The Cursed Throne
Theodore
If the idea of being constantly followed around bothered Theodore, he certainly didn't show it. Instead he acted like he was alone, taking his nightly visits to the servants' quarters where he would spend his time with the lower boys who treated him normally. There was no curse, no title, and no war on the horizon whenever they got together. His guards were easy enough to bribe as they still were doing the job that his father had set them, except they were standing guard in the servants' quarters instead of his chambers. But of course, things could not stay like they were and despite attending the councils with his father, as well as extra lessons in preparation, Theodore had not quite taken to the role of Crowned Prince like his father had expected. There was so much that he was required to know and most of it was just so dreadfully boring that he failed to remember it successfully.
So when his father discovered that he wasn't taking his studies too seriously, Theodore found himself confined to the library during any free time he was allowed in the afternoon. He was supposed to be studying, and perhaps he would have done had Genevieve not strode through the doors with her two guards joining his at the entrance. "Theodore!" she exclaimed, surprised to see him.
"Hello, sister," he greeted, standing from his chair. "Please do join me so that I can abandoned these books."
She looked suspiciously at what was in front of him before gingerly sitting on the chair nearest his. "I cannot stay long. That wretched Madame Hunnit has requested that I join her to learn how to sew a shirt, just so I can offer to make my future husband one as a token of my love." He could hear in her voice the disgust at the mention of a husband. Truthfully, he wished that she would never have to find a husband so that they may stay together, along with the twins and Ada. Change was not something he wanted to welcome any time soon.
Giving a chuckle, he leaned back in his chair. "Perhaps you might love whomever Father finds for you."
"And perhaps I might accidentally sew your mouth shut," she retorted, bristling at the thought.
"I'm sure he would simply adore you," he teased, failing to dodge a hit from Genevieve. It was times like this with his siblings that he enjoyed, when they could have fun and be carefree with each other. They each had a curse and knew how troublesome it could be, and therefore they did not judge their other siblings because of their curse. But time spent with them had been rare, with meals and the odd evening encounter making up the majority of that time.
As Genevieve stood, Theodore glanced back down at his books. He knew he would have to go back to studying when she left, something which he did not want to do. Looking back up, he saw her take a book from one of the shelves before turning back to him. "I must go now, Theo. If Father is angry tonight, the blame will be on me sewing up Madame Hunnit's mouth." With that she left the room, leaving him alone without another distraction. He spent a while afterward reading the same passage continuously, hoping that someone else would enter the room so that he could use them as an excuse for not studying.
Just when he thought that he wouldn't get his wish, the doors were flung open and Henry came rushing into the room, leaving his guards to close the doors while they stood outside. "War has been declared! It was announced this morning and men across the kingdom have been summoned for duty," he stated, sitting in the same seat that Genevieve had occupied previously.
"How do you know this?" Theo inquired, shocked that he knew nothing of this.
"The servants know everything!" It was only then that he noticed Henry was holding a book in his hands, but it was the title that caught his attention the most: The History of Philyan's Royals.
Theodore nodded, agreeing with his words. "I know that is not all you came to tell me," he said before nodding towards the book. "What is that?"
Henry pushed Theo's books away and placed his on the desk so that they could both see it. "Gen gave it to me to bring back this morning but I forgot. I started reading it and found something that you need to read." He started turning the pages quickly, flicking through until he got towards the end where the most recent monarchs would be documented. He then began scanning the pages, looking out for whatever it was that had appeared to be important when he was initially reading it. "At first I didn't quite believe what I was reading because I didn't think this was something that would have gone back to past monarchs, but apparently it did!"
"What did?" He was a bit impatient, watching Henry scan page after page. Even if he wasn't doing anything productive, he was still being disturbed just for him to flick through pages instead of having a conversation like he had started with Genevieve.
For a moment it appeared that Henry could not find what he had been searching for until Theo hands were knocked into by the book being thrust towards him. "Read!" Henry urged.
The first few lines he read made him unsure about what it was that he was being shown, but as he got halfway down the page he began to understand. According to the book, there was a curse placed on a previous Philyan monarch, one that foretold of the horrors that would be inflicted upon the children of the first female born to the line, and as he read further down the page he noticed that all the heirs were male - all except one, that is. The past generations had only produced males but eventually that was going to change and unfortunately for them, it was their mother's father who was the first of that bloodline after the curse to produce a female heir. Their mother was the first female born to the Philyan line after the curse was placed onto it, and therefore it was him and his siblings that had the 'horrors' that were promised inflicted onto them. But what were the horrors? Unless...
Theodore looked up at his brother. "Our curses are actually a curse?"
"I think so," Henry replied, nodding enthusiastically. "At least, that's what I think. I've never read this book before or even seen it, and I only read a short section before coming to see you. But it makes sense, doesn't it? A curse inflicted onto the bloodline and then our mother being the first female born to the line, then, incidentally, her five children all end up with curses that cannot be explained and no one has an idea where they came from."
Sitting back in his chair, Theodore ran a hand over his face. "I think we need to talk to the others."
So when his father discovered that he wasn't taking his studies too seriously, Theodore found himself confined to the library during any free time he was allowed in the afternoon. He was supposed to be studying, and perhaps he would have done had Genevieve not strode through the doors with her two guards joining his at the entrance. "Theodore!" she exclaimed, surprised to see him.
"Hello, sister," he greeted, standing from his chair. "Please do join me so that I can abandoned these books."
She looked suspiciously at what was in front of him before gingerly sitting on the chair nearest his. "I cannot stay long. That wretched Madame Hunnit has requested that I join her to learn how to sew a shirt, just so I can offer to make my future husband one as a token of my love." He could hear in her voice the disgust at the mention of a husband. Truthfully, he wished that she would never have to find a husband so that they may stay together, along with the twins and Ada. Change was not something he wanted to welcome any time soon.
Giving a chuckle, he leaned back in his chair. "Perhaps you might love whomever Father finds for you."
"And perhaps I might accidentally sew your mouth shut," she retorted, bristling at the thought.
"I'm sure he would simply adore you," he teased, failing to dodge a hit from Genevieve. It was times like this with his siblings that he enjoyed, when they could have fun and be carefree with each other. They each had a curse and knew how troublesome it could be, and therefore they did not judge their other siblings because of their curse. But time spent with them had been rare, with meals and the odd evening encounter making up the majority of that time.
As Genevieve stood, Theodore glanced back down at his books. He knew he would have to go back to studying when she left, something which he did not want to do. Looking back up, he saw her take a book from one of the shelves before turning back to him. "I must go now, Theo. If Father is angry tonight, the blame will be on me sewing up Madame Hunnit's mouth." With that she left the room, leaving him alone without another distraction. He spent a while afterward reading the same passage continuously, hoping that someone else would enter the room so that he could use them as an excuse for not studying.
Just when he thought that he wouldn't get his wish, the doors were flung open and Henry came rushing into the room, leaving his guards to close the doors while they stood outside. "War has been declared! It was announced this morning and men across the kingdom have been summoned for duty," he stated, sitting in the same seat that Genevieve had occupied previously.
"How do you know this?" Theo inquired, shocked that he knew nothing of this.
"The servants know everything!" It was only then that he noticed Henry was holding a book in his hands, but it was the title that caught his attention the most: The History of Philyan's Royals.
Theodore nodded, agreeing with his words. "I know that is not all you came to tell me," he said before nodding towards the book. "What is that?"
Henry pushed Theo's books away and placed his on the desk so that they could both see it. "Gen gave it to me to bring back this morning but I forgot. I started reading it and found something that you need to read." He started turning the pages quickly, flicking through until he got towards the end where the most recent monarchs would be documented. He then began scanning the pages, looking out for whatever it was that had appeared to be important when he was initially reading it. "At first I didn't quite believe what I was reading because I didn't think this was something that would have gone back to past monarchs, but apparently it did!"
"What did?" He was a bit impatient, watching Henry scan page after page. Even if he wasn't doing anything productive, he was still being disturbed just for him to flick through pages instead of having a conversation like he had started with Genevieve.
For a moment it appeared that Henry could not find what he had been searching for until Theo hands were knocked into by the book being thrust towards him. "Read!" Henry urged.
The first few lines he read made him unsure about what it was that he was being shown, but as he got halfway down the page he began to understand. According to the book, there was a curse placed on a previous Philyan monarch, one that foretold of the horrors that would be inflicted upon the children of the first female born to the line, and as he read further down the page he noticed that all the heirs were male - all except one, that is. The past generations had only produced males but eventually that was going to change and unfortunately for them, it was their mother's father who was the first of that bloodline after the curse to produce a female heir. Their mother was the first female born to the Philyan line after the curse was placed onto it, and therefore it was him and his siblings that had the 'horrors' that were promised inflicted onto them. But what were the horrors? Unless...
Theodore looked up at his brother. "Our curses are actually a curse?"
"I think so," Henry replied, nodding enthusiastically. "At least, that's what I think. I've never read this book before or even seen it, and I only read a short section before coming to see you. But it makes sense, doesn't it? A curse inflicted onto the bloodline and then our mother being the first female born to the line, then, incidentally, her five children all end up with curses that cannot be explained and no one has an idea where they came from."
Sitting back in his chair, Theodore ran a hand over his face. "I think we need to talk to the others."