1 7th Prince Ryan

My name is Ryan Hollower. I am the oldest child born to my mother queen consort Natalie and Father king Arthur VIII. Right now I am not in the best circumstances. Among the same generation of princes, I have the least talent. I am second to last in line for the throne, only above the 10th prince Charles. Charles was dropped on his head and has not been the same since. Poor Charles. Anyway, the only advantage I have is that among my direct siblings, I am the oldest. If only my mother wasn't the 9th queen consort. If she was the 1st queen consort, they may have used medicines to raise me to an acceptable baron. Not that it would have been safe, mind you. Instead I have to either discover a method compatible with my body, find medicine on my own, or settle down as an artisan. My most probable future is as an advisor. While the King, and to a lesser extent the nobility, has to be strong enough to repel contenders, advisors simply have to have a good head on their shoulders. While I may not be winning a fight any time soon, I am very confident that I can land a position as an advisor with my current knowledge. All I need to do is travel a bit. Most likely mother has the same intention, as I am scheduled to study under baron Bob Braveheart, a former knight that received peerage when he lost an arm defending 2nd princess Mary. A true role-model to the common folk he was born among.

Currently I am heading to meet with the instructor Magnus, who teaches every prince above 7, and every princess above 7 that hasn't dropped out. So far this includes every prince up to the 10th, the 2nd princess Mary, who re-enrolled after the same incident that made Bob a baron, the 4th princess Sue, a notorious tom-girl, and Lucy the 9th princess, who is showing up for the first time today. Coincidentally my direct sister. Seeing as how only princesses can drop out, this is other than Lucy, standard attendance. Among the princes the 1st prince William and 3rd prince Alexander stood out, both competing fiercely for the throne.

Today is the day I am to receive my technique from Magnus. As a man who is a true martial artist he is the most qualified for the position. I have long suspected he is already an ascendant candidate, but others have assured me he is not. I have also suspected that he is deliberately avoiding becoming an ascendant candidate, and when I asked mother about it she said that may well be the case seeing as how ascendant candidates are often hunted and killed. I'm often told that once there was an ascendant and to kill him an entire country was raised to the ground.

As he assigned everyone some basic training to increase their muscle mass, he held me back to give me my technique. As I am not exactly likely to reach the throne, it could be any technique. The best candidates are given the best techniques and those found subpar but acceptable are given techniques that won't threaten succession, but the people with the least talent may be given any technique, either the best to keep up with the mediocre crowd, or the worst to cement their position as an advisor. But for some reason the look on his face was pensive.

He pulled out a booklet titled "The Rulers Formula." The booklet seemed remarkably less grand than the ones given to those before me. In fact I once saw Alexanders and it was covered in gold thread. The one before me was just paper and string. No more. The only redeeming quality of the booklet was that cover was new. Magnus spook up "My dear prince Ryan, I have debated giving you this manual for quite some time. You see, the techniques I gave to the others have proved there worth for generations. This one was finished last night. The only requirement to practice it is to be in charge of a group of people. However, because it has yet to prove it's worth, it must be tested by the person least likely to succeed the throne. If it works, you will be strong enough to be duke. If it fails, you will crippled for life, which, to be blunt, won't change your fate. Do you wish to practice the Rulers Formula" In that instant, as if by instinct, I said "Yes Instructor Magnus Sir!"