**Cruel’s fate**

"Not flesh and blood, but the heart, makes us parents and children." — Friedrich Schiller

After a great war that resulted in an armistice between the kingdoms of the Hartia Continent, and the rise of a new kingdom. Returning to the southern kingdom, known as Ashrose, there was a king respected by neighboring kingdoms and loved by his subjects, Sebastian Von Ashrose, a man who, like his family, had pale skin, the clearest blue eyes possible, and hair the color of champagne. The king anxiously awaited the arrival of his heir in his palace.

This child, born to Queen Leonor D. Alder Von Ashrose, inherited from her family olive-toned skin, a beautiful pair of amber-green eyes, long black hair, and a figure that would make many women jealous on the continent. She was also the great love of His Highness the king. That morning, the queen went into labor.

But before they could live this long-awaited moment, it is worth remembering that after years of trying to produce an heir, six years to be exact, the king and queen were already hopeless.

Until one day they were surprised by Queen Leonor's pregnancy, however, due to the time they spent trying to conceive children without success, the king had been advised by other crowns and other members of the high nobility of Ashrose to find a concubine to ensure the Ashrose lineage.

This ultimately resulted in two women from two different noble families generating royal heirs. The already known Queen Leonor D. Alder, formerly a princess of a port kingdom to the west, D. Alder, and Catherine Greenland, daughter of King Yoshep Greenland, who ruled over another port territory to the west, and insisted that Sebastian have his daughter as a concubine after his men and he himself had abandoned their post during the war against the Whitefields. As a concubine was not an honorable position for the daughter of a king, Ashrose's high nobility agreed to accept the proposal and imposed on the king, Sebastian, the obligation over his lineage.

Catherine, like the members of her family, also had pale skin, scarlet-colored hair tied in a braided hairstyle, and moss-green eyes. Sebastian and Leonor had briefly met her during the preparations for war against the Whitefields.

Thus, as Queen Eleonor already ruled the country alongside King Sebastian, Catherine was given the title of Princess consort, out of respect for her image, and she obtained fertile lands and a temple to the southwest under her possession to care for, given by King Sebastian.

She gave birth a bimester before the queen consort to the king's first daughter, Ameerah Greenland Von Ashrose, a baby as pale as her parents who was born with blond hair like her father's and seemed healthy, and the king loved her as soon as she was born. However, Sebastian never sought Catherine again.

Thus decreeing that the royal heirs should live in the main palace with the king, separating the little Ameerah, affectionately called Amy, from her mother Catherine, who was sent away.

On the morning Queen Leonor went into labor, the day dawned closed, and outside thunder and lightning echoed throughout the kingdom. Which for some superstitious people indicated the bad luck that precedes evil. The king, who should be happy as ever, couldn't help but be anxious. And after pacing in circles in his palace room, he decided to pick up little Amy in his arms, seeking a point of tranquility while listening to the queen's screams coming from upstairs.

He couldn't help but worry, so he looked at little Amy in his arms and said:

"Your mother didn't scream or suffer that much... There must be something wrong! Do you think I should go check on Leo?" As he affectionately called Queen Leonor, but the child remained silent in his arms, so he continued "Since you're so quiet, you must agree with me... Well... Then let's go!"

And still with the baby in his arms, he went upstairs to where the Queen was giving birth.

When he was already approaching the room, suddenly all the sound ceased. Apparently, the servants outside the door also didn't understand what had happened. The King couldn't help but put Amy in the arms of one of the maids and entered the room.

Upon entering, he was faced with a sheet covered in blood, which judging by the bucket next to it with other sheets as dirty with blood as the previous one, was neither the first nor the last. He looked at the unconscious Leonor lying on the bed and incredulously asked the royal doctor:

"What happened here? Why is the Queen like that?" Before he could finish his sentences, he had already unsheathed the sword at his waist and raised it towards the royal doctor, who quickly said:

"We did what we could to save them both" before he could finish, the King took a step forward now with the sword against the throat of the royal doctor.

"Your Highness" said the doctor, "the child was not in the correct position, and despite the effort, the queen could not give birth to the boy." He was interrupted by the king, who with eyes full of hatred took another step forward and continued:

"Boy? How do you know it was a boy if the queen couldn't give birth?" At that moment, in the room next door, another royal doctor appeared with a child, pale with black hair, a boy. The king blinked a few times incredulously, turned his eyes back to the royal doctor, and said sharply:

"Explain yourself!" It didn't seem like seeing the child had lessened the hatred inside the King, who seemed more like a beast preparing to attack! So the royal doctor hurried and began to explain:

"The queen couldn't give birth normally as the child was positioned inside her belly! I told her that! That she could die if she continued! But then the queen's nurse" he said, pointing to a lady standing in front of the window on the other side of the room "advised her that she had to find a way and do what was necessary to give a child to the King or she wouldn't have fulfilled her role as Queen, thus giving more power into the hands of the family Greenland."

The king seemed impatient and looked from the pale body of Queen Leonor all bloody on the bed to the royal doctor who quickly continued:

"The queen made me swear! Swear that I was faithful to the crown and that I respected her as my regent, and of course I did so, but then she asked to save the child independently" before he could finish the sentence, the King slit the throat of the royal doctor.

Then he turned to the second doctor who was holding the child in his arms and said:

"What happened next?" Even trembling with fear, the second doctor explained in detail what was done to save the child's life and that the queen didn't survive the hemorrhage. The king approached the second doctor still with the sword in hand but stopped when he got close, when his eyes met those of the child. When he was about to say something on the other side of the room someone began to speak:

"Pull yourself together! You are the king of this country and now finally have a successor who doesn't have Greenland blood! I may die here in this room, but what consoles me is knowing that she fulfilled her only duty as a wife! Now come to your senses and honor the now deceased queen and announce the arrival of the heir prince!"

Every word spoken coldly by the nurse turned the king's stomach, he was devastated, he lost the love of his life in a scenario that seemed more like a horror tale! And now he had to announce his heir covered in the blood of the person he loved most in his life! He looked again at the child who was in the arms of the second doctor and coldly said:

"Well then, welcome to the world Killian D. Alder Ashrose, "the cruel" who was able to kill his own mother to secure his right to the throne! I hope it's worth it!" Everyone in the room who heard what the King said were perplexed, after finishing speaking the king seemed regretful but proceeded to the corpse of Queen Leonor lying on the bed, gave her a kiss on the forehead and said:

"Forgive me, for not making it clear that you were more important to me than any descendant or anything in this world! I hope you can forgive me from the other side!"

He lovingly closed the Queen's still open eyes, wiped the sword on a piece of fabric from the bed and sheathed the sword again. Then he left the room quietly, picked up little Amy in his arms and descended the stairs.

At that moment murmurs about the King not liking the young prince began to fill the room. Then Princess Catherine, who arrived too late for Leonor's birth from the southwest, entered the room and said:

"Stop all these rumors, take the prince to the Heir Prince's palace! Clean up this room and prepare the queen for the funeral! Announce that the Queen died giving birth to the kingdom's heir, a strong and healthy boy and get rid of this woman" she said, pointing to the nurse.

She paused for a moment, looked at the dead body of the queen and then continued "Come on, get on with it!" She then left the room.

Over time, the rumors of that day were modified by gossip that said the young Prince tore his mother inside out at birth, thus killing the Queen. And that the King, horrified by the situation, cursed him and gave him the title of Killian "the cruel" Von Ashrose. Who later became known as the Cruel Von Ashrose.

In childhood, the heir prince was never close to his father, although the King almost immediately regretted the burden he had placed on his son, the son he had with his beloved. The King couldn't look his son in the eyes or exchange a few words with him over the years, even though the young prince was a genius who excelled in all his chosen functions and hobbies. The Prince was a great swordsman, he was even trained by the King's personal guard, who once acted as interim regent while the king was at war against the Whitefields. A war in which he met his beloved Leonor.

Sir William Fairtower, who despite his current age must have been a very handsome man in his youth, with his tanned skin and wavy brown hair besides his eyes as blue as the deep ocean. He was now also the prince's guard.

Sir Fairtower had three children with his beloved wife Lady Hannah Fairtower, a woman who must have been even more beautiful in her youth with her almost golden skin tone, complemented by her blond hair like gold and brown eyes.

Of Sir Fairtower's children, came the twins Edward and Alexander Fairtower, both two years older than the heir prince who recently turned 8, the twins were practically identical with tanned skin, blond hair, and eyes as blue as their father's, what set them apart was the fact that Alexander had dimples on his face like his mother and Edward had a small black mole near his left eye. In addition to the twins, there was still Sir Fairtower's youngest daughter, Kate Fairtower, who was born a year after the heir prince, she had tanned skin, brown hair like her father's, and brown eyes coming from her mother as well as dimples on her face.

These three children are actually the only friends of the heir prince in the whole kingdom. Of course, there is also his sister Lady Ameerah, but the young princess had already shown interest in learning about medicine years before and after much insistence asking her father, she managed to be sent to the North of the Hartia continent to the Bluestorm Kingdom, which besides being great allies of the Kingdom of Ashrose is also one of the most advanced kingdoms in medicine studies.

Many said that a young girl so alone in another kingdom and already starting her studies in medicine was too early, but the King kept his order.

On the continent of Hartia, it is common that when a child reaches the age of 10, they choose the area they want to specialize in to start their targeted studies. The young Edward and Alexander decided to follow in their father's footsteps and began preparing to become royal knights. What made them a little distant from the Heir Prince due to the training.

Even with the company of Kate, and her coach and guard Sir Fairtower, the young prince felt very lonely and melancholic so he spent much of his free time reading books from different continents. The Prince was a genius after all, so he had a certain ease in learning other languages, but the fact is that knowing about these other continents and their culture made him curious and eager to leave this kingdom which was not desired and seen as a bad omen.

It was then that young Prince Killian plotted to escape from this nightmare. He would prepare himself and tell the king that he wished to study more about Politics and Commerce in the western realms, where his uncles lived, when he turned 10, and then he would board a ship and flee from his fate to another continent. Where he could finally live.

Killian started to save or pawn expensive gifts like diamond cufflinks among others to ensure he would have money to start over on another continent. The secret was to keep gemstones since the currency there could be different. He exerted himself and patiently devised the entire plan for 2 years, after all his father didn't even like him, so there would be no impediment in letting him study abroad and live with his uncles, and then everything would finally be ready.

And then two years passed and now the Crown Prince, a young 10-year-old, requested an audience with King Sebastian Von Ashrose. He dressed in formal attire with the blue and white colors of the Ashrose kingdom so that his highness would not be upset to notice his presence, he already had the speech ready which had been rehearsed countless times before. Then he proceeded to the Royal Throne Room.

Upon arriving there, the immense golden doors and the two armed knights dressed in silver and blue suggested such grandeur that Killian even faltered. But he took a deep breath, composed himself, and entered the room, being surprised by an announcement:

-His Royal Highness the Crown Prince Killian D. Alder Von Ashrose!- He looked carefully at the figure that had just announced him with so much force that it seemed like his life depended on it. Then he finally looked ahead and there was his father, or rather, King Sebastian Von Ashrose sitting on an immense throne adorned with gold and gemstones.

There were two smaller thrones a little behind the King's throne, on one of them was the former Princess consort who was now the new Queen consort Catherina Greenland Von Ashrose. Killian then entered calmly, bowed, and said:

"Your royal majesty, King Ashrose! Your royal majesty Queen Catherina! It's a pleasure to see you. I apologize for interrupting your activities! As I turned 10, I came here to request" Before he could complete his speech, the King raised his hand, interrupting him, and said:

"Ah, yes, you turned 10! It's time to begin your studies to rule this country! I will request that the responsible tutors present themselves to you shortly. I was eager to see how you would fare..."

Said King Ashrose with a slightly arrogant but unconcerned tone. Although it wasn't an attack or an insult, his words seemed to have hurt young Killian, and his stomach churned. Nevertheless, he found some courage and continued:

"Your Majesty, actually I requested the audience today to ask you, My King! To allow me to depart for the D. Alder kingdom in the west where I intend to start my studies in" once again the King interrupted him, standing up in front of the throne and seeming dismayed, yet Killian continued: "I wish to leave the Ashrose Kingdom and start my studies in the west of Hartia in Politics and Commerce, in the realm of my uncles! Since all three kingdoms there are the richest on the continent due to their efficiency in exports and trade!" He finished with little confidence in his voice, observing the pale face of the King.

This time the king didn't interrupt him while speaking and listened attentively, for a minute he remained silent without expression, and in the next moment, he seemed contrite and somewhat angry or resentful, then he said:

"Prince Killian, you do not have permission to leave this kingdom!" He said and then sat back on his throne. Everyone around seemed to not understand the facts they were witnessing, Sir Fairtower who was beside the King looked at the King with a worried look and at Prince Killian with a loving and regretful look. But the prince, who found himself in a kingdom where he was not wanted and without permission to leave, didn't measure his words that followed:

"Look, don't come with that! Everyone, including you, says I'm a monster who killed my mother to inherit this kingdom."

 Sir Fairtower signaled that he would intervene but the King signaled him not to and Killian continued:

"Funny thing is, I don't even want this kingdom and wanted to leave, get on a ship, leave this continent, and never see you again, Your Highness! Finally, I would be out of your sight so you would stop looking at me with those sad eyes that keep reminding you that I killed Queen Leonor! You wouldn't have to feel disgusted with yourself for having to feed the cruel demon who killed your wife! And you're telling me I don't have permission to leave this kingdom? Don't play with me!!! You hate me as much as I can't stand you, so let me out of this hell! Or I'll leave with or without your permission!"

Said Prince Killian, who despite being only 10 years old, uttered all these harsh words without shedding a single tear, in fact with pure anger in his gaze. The King, who remained silent throughout the speech, looking at his son say those words so desperately, stopped for a moment looking at that child.

Despite now being 10 years old, Killian didn't have much build, he was slim and pale like a dead person, with black hair falling over his eyes which were a very light blue, clearly indicating he was his majesty's son. Something in his appearance also reminded one of Leonor D. Alder. This left the King feeling a little nauseous and resentful. After analyzing the child who was staring at him defiantly for a while, the king stood up and began to laugh, he remained like that for a while and finally said:

-So you want out of this hell? Don't be silly, Prince Killian! You and I are tied to this throne and this kingdom! And you'll never be able to escape from that!- After saying these words the king laughed again and sat back on his throne then continued, "Now stop being a spoiled child, return to your quarters, and wait for the arrival of the tutors.- The king finished these words and made a gesture with his hand for the prince to leave, but Killian felt confronted and covered in hatred, he felt that the King wanted to keep him close in order to torture him until the day of his death and felt disgusted, so he swallowed these feelings, straightened up, and said:

"Your Majesty, as you wish! But don't forget I am the Cruel Prince who killed his mother to inherit this kingdom! I might also want to get rid of you and take over Ashrose sooner! After all, I've been like this since birth, haven't I?"

Everyone seemed pale in the throne room and the stunned soldiers seemed to await a signal from the King to kill the Crown Prince right there, the King who had been laughing before now became serious and looked at his heir who looked him in the eyes with pure hatred and wasn't even surprised when Killian suddenly gestured a bow and said, "Well, you've been warned, now I'll retire to my quarters, as ordered!"

And then he turned his back on the King. The guards drew their swords and surrounded the prince. The second Queen Consort Greenland said:

"Your Highness, all this time has been hard on him, have mercy"- She spoke with a worried voice.

Meanwhile, the King, who had been merely observing everything and seeing his 10-year-old son, who even surrounded by 6 royal guards with their swords pointed at his neck, remained with his back to the king without saying a word, finally laughed again and said:

"So in the end, you hate me that much! Well then, boy, the one known as 'The Cruel' whom I myself dubbed! Be strong and try to kill me! If you succeed, you will choose your own destiny, but if you fail, you will never be able to escape the cursed fate I have chosen for you!"

After saying these words, everyone in the throne room was startled by the king's laughter. Sir Fairtower looked at the King as if he were an incurable madman, the other royal guards and knights in the room didn't know how to proceed, and the young Prince Killian remained with his back to the King, clenched his fist, and left the room on the throne. Not a single royal guard or knight said anything. Then the King spoke:

"Well, with that spectacle, we conclude today's meeting! Sir Fairtower, please accompany me to my office, I intend to speak with you alone!"

Little by little, the throne room emptied out, the Queen consort headed to her royal palace, and the guards returned to their posts, as did the knights to the training grounds. However, King Ashrose and Sir Fairtower headed to the royal office.

Arriving there, Sir Fairtower sighed heavily, placed a hand on his head, and said to the king:

"Your Highness, what was your intention with all this?" He spoke, looking at the King with a worried expression.

"Well, I didn't want it to come to this, but you saw the boy hates me!" Said the King with an explanatory and mocking tone. Then Sir Fairtower continued:

"He's only 10 years old! You should have kept your cool and spoken appropriately with your son!" But the King interrupted him and said seriously:

"I did what I did precisely because he's my son, whether he has my personality or his mother's, he's an incurable stubborn. Trying to talk wouldn't help!" Said the King as he opened a book and began to flip through it.

Then, already impatient, Sir Fairtower said:

"Your Highness, I can only think that this is your fault! You never tried to have a normal relationship with the young prince and basically buried yourself in tasks to avoid fatherly obligations! No wonder even Princess Ameerah, so young, decided to leave this kingdom! And she wasn't even supposedly cursed like you claim to have done with Prince Killian! What did you expect from him? He's a child!" Said Sir Fairtower in a monologue while the King looked at him calmly, then the King said:

"Fairtower, you are my knight and royal guard, as well as my best friend, basically my brother! But you're being disrespectful! I know I was tough on Killian, but this kingdom is not a common kingdom, there are many enemies within and outside this castle! And small neighboring kingdoms growing and wanting to take our lands! I cannot afford to raise a lenient child, make no mistake, I love Killian, after all, he's the only thing left of my beloved Leo, and undoubtedly one of the only two good things I've done in my life! But I need him to be responsible! I need him to be Killian the Cruel, with that imposing title I know he'll be safe!" Said the King with a sorrowful tone, looking at his friend and knight, then Sir Fairtower added:

"I guess the second good thing you did must be Princess Ameerah!" He said jokingly to lighten the mood and then the King laughed again and said:

"Yes, yes!"

Meanwhile, the young Prince Killian, frustrated due to his conversation with King Ashrose, returned to his quarters, and contrary to what everyone expected, he began his plans to escape from the castle.