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"Spoiling all the fun, as usual," said Jule and assumed a lazy pose.

"You should be glad it is me, Your Highness," told him the guard, barely containing his anger. He grabbed Jule by the collar of his coat and pulled him out from behind the table, knocking over the mugs.

"Let me go!" screeched the boy. The guard dragged him across the celler towards the door. He did not have to look back to know that the other boys were trailing close behind them. Few of the guests gave them amused side looks, but no one moved to stop them.

"I will tell my mother all about it!" shouted the prince.

"And what is it exactly that you plan tell your mother?" asked the guard. "Do enlighten me. Do you intend to tell her that I caught you drinking in an Orvatan den in Leivrat?"

"I am the Prince. I can do whatever I want!" Jule battled to free himself from the grip, to no avail.

"Is that right?" The Guard gave Jule a shove that made him fly up a few steps.

Jule's friends had to run to keep up until they emerged on the dark street.

The Orvat that had let them in was pinned against the wall by two other Aleutan guards. At the sight of Jule, both of them smiled broadly and released the Orvat, who did not hesitate to make a run for it.

"Look who came to visit us!" sang one of the guards in a sweet voice that did not fool anyone.

Jule looked now clearly alarmed at the sight of all of his cursed uncles standing before him. They smiled at him broadly and moved closer.

His hands began to tremble slightly, but then he remembered that he was the prince and had nothing to fear. He straightened his shoulders and raised his chin.

"We will take leave of you and we forget all about this. Naturally, I won't pass my mother any greetings from you. In fact, I will do you the favour and will never mention to her that I saw you. Let's go boys!" With that Jule turned fully intending to leave. Without even making as much as two steps, he ran into the eldest of his uncles, Stenen, who had dragged him out of the den and now blocked his path.

"As Captain of the Guards in Leivrat, it is my duty to make sure I never see neither you nor your friends here again, Your Highness," said Stenen.

"And it is our duty to help the captain whenever we can," added his second uncle Kulen, not even trying to hide his amusement. Kulen, a few years younger than Stenen, was someone who took life lightly and with a pinch of humour.

"And something tells us that this time we will enjoy ensuring that Aleutan laws are upheld," said Loan, the youngest of the three brothers, who had a melancholic air about him.

"What is the punishment for coming to Leivrat, Your Highness?" asked Stenen, his face a calm mask.

"How should I know?" Jule replied with a shrug.

"Of course you won't know. You believe, it is not something that will ever apply to you after all," said Kulen with a mocking voice.

"It is thirty lashes last time I checked, brother," offered Laon.

At that Jule paled slightly, but quickly composed himself again and put on his usual bored face.

"Tell me the truth," Stenen addressed Jule's friends. "Jule dragged you here?" The boys starred at their feet and swallowed the tears. The answer written on their faces.

Stenen's jaw drew tight.

"Everyone, and most of all a prince, must learn to take responsibility for their actions," Stenen told Jule. "I will give you a choice. Either I tell the Queen that I found you here, and your friends get each thirty lashes tomorrow. Publicly, no less. Or I don't tell the Queen and you get thirty lashes here and now, and your friend won't get punished."

Jule only chuckled at that. "No, you can't. Nobody is allowed to touch me!"

"Those of the royal blood can very well touch you. And we are family after all, aren't we?" challenged him Kulen.

"Ha! You are just angry because you are rotting in this stinky hole!" With a wicked smile on his lips, Jule looked around, showing his uncles how disgusted he was with everything he saw. "You are fools if you think you can get back at me. Don't worry about anything, boys!" promised Jule.

As someone who cared little for other people's feelings, Jule failed to notice that his words only caused his friends more distress. They gave each other nervous glances, seeing flashing images of what was to happen to them on the next day. Not for a moment did they believe that Jule could get them out of this.

Not this time. They knew full well who was before them. Stenen was not someone to be taken lightly. There was little love between Jule and his uncles, everyone knew. And the look in their eyes promised nothing less than retribution.

"I think the boys have a lot to worry about," said Stenen, weighting Jule long and carefully with his eyes.

"We will accept the punishment," said Visakis with a frightened voice, giving Patys and his brother an uncertain look.

"Yes..." Luykan almost chocked on his tears now. "Our parents would surely forgive us..." It sounded more like a question and he looked hopefully at Stenen.

"Will you let your friends pay for your mistakes?" Stenen was now eying Jule up and down, arms folded on his chest. He was more disappointed with his nephew than ever before.

Jule glared back at his uncle with defiance. He was the prince. He could do whatever he pleased, he reminded himself.

"Friends, this is your chance to prove your loyalty to me. Take it as the brave men I know you are," Jule told the boys. To his uncles he said, before turning to walk away, "Looks like this place is just right for you. Happy rotting!"

Stenen narrowed his eyes and even Laon and Kulen were no longer smiling.

"Jule?" asked Patys in disbelief. "Are you leaving us?"

The boys' shoulders dropped lower and they looked like their death sentence had just been spoken.

"If you leave now and let your friend take on the punishment that you rightly deserve, they will never forgive you," said Stenen, which made Jule stop and listen. "The humiliation that awaits them will be something no one could ever forgive, let alone forget! This will not only have dire consequences for them, but also for their families. Patys!"

Patys jumped at the sound of his name. Under Stenen's look he made himself even shorter than he already was and sweat broke out on his temples. "Don't think I don't know who led them here and how you knew where to find this place. The Queen will have your brother expelled from the royal guards."

Patys swallowed hard and gave Stenen a horrified look. It was the worst that could happen to a guard. His family would have to turn their back on his brother. Patys no longer tried to control the trembling in his body and loud sobs escaped him.

"Do you still not care, Your Highness?" asked Stenen. Jule just shrugged and looked at his feet, his back still turned to his friends. "Luykan and Visakis, don't think for a moment that I do not know that you stole the birds from your father. He will lose all his eagles when it is known that they were used to bring down the prince to Leivrat in the middle of the night. It will be your family's disgrace!"

As the news sunk in, the twins looked as if they saw death itself before them. They were now sobbing also. Stenen's eyes were still only fixed on the prince's back.

"Jule," said Stenen, using his name for the first time. "If you ever want to govern this kingdom you should know that friends are the only thing that will keep you on the throne and your head on your shoulders. Choose wisely."

Jule turned to look at his friends again. All his life he had done only what he wanted. For the first time he realized that things could not always go his way. He did not like the taste of it, and could barely stop himself from throwing a tantrum that had always worked so well with his mother. They were his friends and there was no denial that if he walked away now, calamities would befall them and their families. Coming here was his idea, there was no denying that. But giving his uncles the pleasure of hurting him? They would enjoy it. They surely would.

Eight Deadly Swords take them!

"Thirty lashes?" asked Jule so low he could barely be heard.

"Jule, you don't have to do this..." said Patys in a half-hearted attempt to stop the prince.

"We would understand if you didn't..." added Visakis. Even Luykan nodded in agreement.

Jule's gaze wandered from his cursed uncles to his friends while he deliberated. A barely audible voice within him, told him that the right thing to do would be to stay. But then he remembered that his mother always told him that he was a prince and no one could make him do anything he did not want.

And the only thing he knew for sure right now was that he did not want to get thirty lashes.

"I knew you would understand it, my friends. Remember you do it for your prince!" replied Jule and turned to walk away. He tried hard to recall the way back to where they had left the birds.

Cursed city, if it wasn't this dark! Jule thought to himself.

The prince did not see Stenen nodding to his brothers. A whip cracked and the prince did not get far...

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How do you feel about Jule's betrayal of his friends? What would you do if you were him? Would you take on the punishment to save your friends?

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