Chapter Seven: Wobbly Nuns

Servants of the church were people that Prince Inbu had a lot of respect for. They submitted themselves to the royal family, the church, and to charity. A part of him felt bad that he had got them involved, especially the nuns. Every nun that he met were kind, even the strict ones that taught him how to read and write. He didn't know weather it got him anywhere, as he had servants that read to him, and servants that wrote on his behalf. His calligraphy was nowhere near as neat as it was five years ago, but the fact he could read and write opened up job opportunities for when his father exiled him.

The church people were well renown for their inability to show frustration. Prince Inbu had somehow annoyed the entire church when he asked for the nuns to take part in his tournament. Samba referring to them in the official documents of the tournament as the wobbly nuns didn't help. It was another reason for King Baboon to be mad. Of course he didn't mean any harm or offence, he just wanted to have a laugh. He couldn't believe people were stupid enough to enter an assault course for his hand in marriage, let alone dance with pigs.

"Hello ladies," Prince Inbu forced himself to smile as the stern nuns bowed their heads. As ladies who had given themselves to the church, it was only natural for them to be furious with what the Prince has asked them to do. He wished he had thought about it properly before going all out on it. "I'm sorry for disturbing you in your worship. I promise I won't do it again."

"We pray that you will one day see the error of your ways and atone for your sins!" The nun at the front announced with her hand on her heart. The damage had been done. There was nothing he could say or do to make things up to them. As the king's son, they will do as they are told anyway. Prince Inbu gulped, his morals were not as good as he thought they were.

"So the remaining bachelorettes will be wearing white wedding dresses," Prince Inbu explained to them. "I just want you ladies to make their dresses as dirty as possible. Push them in the rivers! Throw stones and mud at them! Spray paint and slime at them. I don't care, just make those dresses filthy. Only ladies with clean dresses will be allowed to go through to the next round with the dragon."

The nuns gasp. Sister Agatha, the eldest of the nuns crept towards him and patted his back. "My boy, it seems like you're doing everything you can to not be married."

"Of course," Prince Inbu said, "I'm hoping to be exiled from the kingdom and become a free man."

"You could have picked a more dignified manner."

"Sorry." Prince Inbu lowered his head. Looking back on his past thoughts, his whole body shivered. He was turning more into his father every day. Brushing his chin, he prayed that he did not inherit his father's twisted beard. These were tough times and being confronted by the nuns made him realise what little he knew about women. "Desperate times call for desperate measures."

Another nun emerged from the shadows. "I think you're disgusting!"

Some of the nuns fainted by Sister Agatha's feet. Slander against the royal family was punishable by death. Even an ounce of constructive critique was enough to land you in jail. The Kingdom of Pantalon was not the peaceful state King Baboon claimed it to be.

The nun that spoke out removed her cloak. Prince Inbu opened his mouth and pushed himself against the wall. "Aunt Matilda? Since when did you become a nun?"

Aunt Matilda shook her shoulders. "I'm in disguise since your father is still convinced I'm out to kill him."

"But are you?" Prince Inbu asked, hoping it would be a yes.

"If I wanted him dead, I would have done it long ago."

"So you came to see the awesome show that I've got on?"

Sister Agatha took a step back and helped the other nuns back on her feet to prepare for the task ahead. For an old lady, she had some strength in her. Leaving Aunt Matilda alone with Prince Inbu.

Aunt Matilda shook her head and crossed her arms. "Inbu... I am so disappointed in you. You always said you wanted to be different from your father, but you're turning into a monster."

Prince Inbu scrunched his face. Biting his lip, he clenched his fists. "How can you say such a thing? I don't want to get married! When this is all over, Father will finally leave me alone."

"You don't seem to understand the damage you have done..."

Aunt Matilda was quiet whilst Prince Inbu was loud. "The kingdom hasn't had any fun like this in years." He was the prince and as far as he was concerned, he could do what he liked. What was Aunt Matilda's problem? Was his father's fears actually true? Did she really plan to invade Pantalon?

"Some of the poor women have died!"

"That's their own fault!"

"You're going to face a sticky end if you don't listen to me," Aunt Matilda continued to plead. Her small black hands curdled around Prince Inbu's collar. "You are putting these women in danger and you're messing with their mental health."

"I couldn't care less."

"Well you should!" Aunt Matilda slapped him. It wasn't just any old slap, but one so hard his cheeks felt hot and cold at the same time. His entire body tingled as his knees crumbled to the floor.

Aunt Matilda vanished, but he was certain her presence would linger through the entire kingdom. He hurried his head in his hands as the nuns left. Regrets echoed in his head as he realized that he had become a monster.

Despite that, he felt it was too late to change...