Elizah Cohen sat alone at the small desk in the classroom full of children. She had a book in front of her, but she couldn’t understand anything. The text in the book was peculiar and not even close to the common tongue. She sighed as she lost interest in the complex text and decided to look outside instead and let her mind wander.

It had been ten long years since Elizah first started coming to the schoolhouse, but still, she was never comfortable with the place. She had nothing against the students or the teachers; rather, everyone else had a lot against her. She was out of place in the small schoolhouse; her family background and history were to blame.

All through her childhood, Elizah had only known poverty. Her family had struggled to pay for basic items. With the absence of her father, things were extremely difficult for Elizah, her brother, and her mother. It was by a miracle that her mother’s friend had offered to get Elizah into school, so Elizah assumed it was a privilege to attend the schoolhouse. But she wasn’t prepared to face what was waiting in the schoolhouse.

From the very first day, the other students avoided her. Elizah initially never understood and believed it had something to do with the economic status of her family but later overheard the children’s gossip. According to rumours, her father was a traitor of the kingdom, and so the nobles’ children had been taught to avoid her at all costs. That day itself, Elizah went home with frustration and tears down her cheeks but chose not to ask her mother about the rumours. Over the years, she chose to not think about the rumours, but there were times when she was left wondering if they could actually be true.

She had never seen her father, and her mother had claimed that it was for the best. He had left on the day she was born, according to what her older brother had said. All he had left behind was a book and something for her mother.

The book was the only thing that Elizah could use to remind her of her father. But nothing inside the book ever seemed to make sense.

She tried to ask her brother, Micah if he remembered him, but he always got angry when the topic was brought up. And even if she wanted to ask now, she didn’t know where her brother was.

She was lost in thought but suddenly startled out of it when she saw someone moving near the entrance of the door.

A man with dark hair, brown eyes, and a round figure was standing at the door. A smaller figure of a younger man was hiding behind the larger man. It seemed like the young man didn’t even want to be there at all. The boy was lanky, and his gaze was fixed to the floor. The taller figure was instantly recognisable to all as the King, Cyprian Larkspear himself, but the one hiding behind him was someone unknown.

Whispers echoed in the classroom as students shuffled into their seats and no longer had the look of excitement on their faces. King Cyprian’s presence had managed to frighten the others, but Elizah was unfazed; she just looked curiously at the younger man. 

‘Could he be the king’s successor?’ She thought to herself. She knew that she shared a birthday with the prince, but that was all. In fact, it was the very first time she’d ever seen him outside the palace. The prince had been quite sheltered away from the public eye. Hence she figured her guess could be off. Besides, the boy was much smaller than what she’d expected for the prince, nor did he look like the type to fight. It really didn’t make much sense to her why he would be here in the first place. She quickly dismissed the idea that the boy was the prince. She decided it would be best if she didn’t bother with what the king was here for and turned back to her book, trying to translate the nonsensical words.

Jayden Larkspear was trying his best to hide away behind his father. He didn’t want to be there, not in the slightest.

He hated and feared the very thought of being in a large classroom full of students. He had enjoyed his private tutoring lessons with the tutor. But the nation’s people began wondering why the prince hadn’t been seen in sixteen years and began to speculate strange things, so he had to go to the large schoolhouse building with all the other students.

He had spent his entire life alone and with the people in the palace as the only ones to talk to. But he enjoyed being alone. His parents rarely called him to do much, so it wasn’t that he had any royal duties either. Even if he was with his parents, he always got in trouble by triggering his mother’s temper. 

He only had one major fear. He knew that one day, people would start asking many different questions. About his destiny, what really happened on the day he was born, and why had he never seen anyone outside the palace. But the truth was simple and hard to believe. He just didn’t know. He never bothered to ask anyone as well. He did as he was told and just followed instructions.

He never asked to be the prince. Why couldn’t he have been born as a farmer’s son or a smaller noble’s son? What really happened that day? He had always thought to himself.

“Come, Prince Jayden,” he heard a woman’s soft voice.

Jayden gave a slight nod and walked with her into the classroom. He tried to make himself seem smaller and unnoticeable, but with how tall he was, it was an impossible task. It seemed like everyone’s eyes were watching him. It was slightly overwhelming to see this many people when he had grown up secluded from the world. 

The teacher directed him to a seat in the back of the room, and he walked over slowly.

The pairs of eyes on him slowly began reducing until there was only one pair left on him. He slowly sat down at the desk at the back of the classroom.

He looked at the girl staring at him. 

She had piercing blue eyes, unlike any other colour he had ever seen, and long blonde hair in a braid on her shoulder.

But unlike the other children in the classroom, the girl’s gaze seemed to reflect a feeling that Jayden knew all too well. 

She had curiosity in her eyes, and the thought of the many questions she would ask him made him feel slightly sick already.

“Elizah, pay attention,” The woman at the front said, and the girl turned around rapidly. 

So the girl’s name is Elizah, Jayden thought to himself. 

Jayden opened his books with a sigh and wondered, I guess one thing’s for sure, getting used to seeing people is going to be harder than I thought.