I: Preface

"The pen is mightier than the sword", he was once told.

Such a silly concept, he thought, he challenged the Queen on her words - very bold for a boy of his stature, though one that would be rewarded in time. Her Kingdom was vast, and the citizens came in all shapes: short and rotund, tall and svelte, freckled and speckled, and pretty and fair. They had long, pointed ears held tight to their head, and beautiful opaque wings that seemed to absorb the sunlight and shimmer with abundance. They all stood leaning slightly forward, as if curious as to what the space around them had to say - different from him, he pondered, but different was what he wanted. The Queen was also different, towering tall relative to her thralls, with a kind and gentle warmth radiating wherever she set foot. A warmth that was sadly not inherited by the snot-nosed Princess, with her big, dumb ears and mean, snarky demeanour.

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The Pord. Or the Swen. He could never decide what to call it. It was a reward from her for his hard work at the Academy - getting top of the class and even scaring off his first goblin. "It's a pen and a sword. See? This button reveals the magic hilt." He remembered the metallic whirr it made, and the ornate trim replete with golden curls. It was his favourite thing.

When the call from the castle rung out, the boy was roused from his class at the Academy. Why would the royal guard be in attendance? Why did they need him? For all his confusion, he didn't think to ask any questions. He just held on to the stoic guards tight as they flew him to his audience. When he arrived, the guards emptied out from the chamber, leaving the boy alone.

Moments passed before a crack and a slam eminated from the ballistae fort doors, where the Princess burst forth with her usual lack of grace. As she bumbled toward him, one foot turned in to the other, she lurched up and and it hit him. The words paled in comparison to the Princess' harrowed visage.

"I'm sad."
"I can't find my mother, she's all I've had".

Punctuating with a genuine sincerity he had not seen from her, the boy cast off his preconceptions. Leaning down to hold her hands in his, he smiled.

"Little Princess, together you and I, we'll search across the skies."
"Little Princess, there's no need to grieve, I will never leave."

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