I feel out of place here. I arrived at the palace, but I wasn't the only one; I was in a long line of carriages dropping people and gracefully pulling away while the posh guest slowly walked up the steps of the palace; not me, though. I walked them two steps at a time. The main entrance area was packed! Crammed full of well-dressed guests. Ball-length gowns for the women show off every they have to offer. The men? Dressed similarly to me. Different colours, patterns and materials.

"Ronald", called a familiar voice. My brother Edmund/Archie appeared from the crowd, looking cheerful. His suit was a dark grey colour,  "You look good, happy to see you dressed up"

"I feel like a nobhead," I said honestly. My brother gave a hearty laugh.

"You'll be fine" My brother's face soon changed when a gaggle of girls who must be around the same age as we came up behind him, it's a weird thing to think, my brother being around the same age as me, I will always remember him being 14, and now he is a little older than me. "Shall we go for a walk around the room"

"Why not?" I said, and we walked away; the girls began to slowly follow us. "I think you have some fans there"

"They don't know me, only my title" he sounds so fed up with it all, I had to duck under a rather large woman and her even larger red hat, fuck. That takes up enough room for 5 other hats.

We wandered through the crowds; Edmund/Archie shook hands with people as they went and tried to introduce me to them, but to his surprise, they didn't take my hand. I didn't care and kinda seem that coming, but my brother saw it as a great offence.

"We have to go" he would tell them coldly. "I will have to introduce you to my parents". He stopped and looked at me, and for a moment, it felt awkward for the first time. "I mean"

"I know what you mean, your parents are from this world, technically they are your blood, and I would love to meet"

"Thank you, I have told them about you"

"How did that go?" we have now got behind a pillar and have lost my brother's fans.

"They still think I'm weird, but I think they are coming around to accepting it, especially when they met the princess and she believes you, that went a long way"

"Sounds good, we will go say hi, but before we do that, why do you run from the girls? Your title?" His face dropped and he pushed his cheeks out.

"It's coming up to the season," he said and looked at me, I raised my eyebrows at him, "the season is a time of the year when the nobles, the wealthy and the well-connected, try and a partner for marriage, it's not fun, over-eager parents trying to get the best marriage for them and their future not so much their kids, and higher up the royalty ladder your title is the more, they try and corner you"

"Oh, I see" I laughed so loud I caught an overly tanned older man by surprise.

"Sorry sir Charlton, I told a funny joke," my brother said.

"Not a problem, lord ironclaw. I'm sure it was hilarious", Sir Charlton said, then nodded his head and turned around.

"So you're telling me you have some of the most beautiful women I have ever seen throwing themselves at you, and you're pissed off, I'd love it" I was smirking like the cat that got the cream, but worryingly so was my brother.

"Ha, the women and men in this world before in no sex before marriage, especially the noble one" Now he has started laughing and I shut the fuck up. He got me, I can see why he is annoyed. Beautiful women all around, and all they want from him is his title, so he doesn't know if they like him for him, and he got no sex before marriage.

"I am so sorry. This must be hell"

"Shut up"  my brother smiled at me.

"ATTENTION!" Someone yelled at the top of the stairs. "Ladies and gentlemen, will you please take a seat in the grand hall"

Excited muttering broke out. "The grand hall?" I asked Edmund/Archie.

"Before we go, listen" We walked in with the rest of the crowd, slowly though, so I could be talked to, "The big doors there lead to the grand hall, and you sit with your noble class; you don't have one, so sorry to tell you. You sit in the back with anyone else who isn't a noble, and the only thing you have to do is not to talk unless the king directly speaks to you, okay?"

The seriousness of his tone was so clear that I didn't say anything; I nodded my head and walked with him through the large doors. I broke off and tried to find a seat at the back, it's hard to move around with everyone getting in the way and trying to find their seat. Eventually, I found one that was against the wall at the back; it was near the aisle and next to a large palace guard. I smiled at him and pointed at the seat; he nodded his head, and that was good enough for me.

Five minutes later, everyone was seated, and I got to see the room I was sitting in. Holy shit. No wonder it is called the grand hall. I must be 100 metres away from the end of the hall where a large golden throne sits. The walls were red and gold, and large photos of, I'm guessing, the last kings and Queens lined the walls, but only the lower portion, above them, was a marble line that travelled the length of the hall. Above that was stunning art, the entire ceiling and wall was one giant paint, angles, humans, and magic spell. 16th chapel eat your heart out. I looked for my brother but couldn't see him in the sea of men and women with large hats. I am the only one sitting in the back rows; I wonder if the other has the same cushioned seat as I do; it feels like a kitchen table seat.

"PRESENTING" Everyone suddenly stood; I shit, I guess I should too, "HIS MAJESTY KING RICHARD OF ANTHENA" The door to my side burst open. "AND PRINCESS CHARLOTTE OF ANTHENA" a large man stepped out, a red robe with golden strings woven in, fur outlined it, a diamond crown on top of his head, grey hair poking out of the side of it. He looks stern and serious, I can only get a view of his side profile. Behind him was Charlotte in a baby blue dress that highlighted her chest, as she walked through the door, her head from one side and then over to my side. She saw me and smiled a smile so wide, it made my insides warm up.

"You came" she mouthed to me

"Obviously" I mouthed back. She turned her head and caught up to her dad, and eventually, everyone sat down.

You could hear a hamster fart in the silence; thank god the king broke it; I was getting so bored.

"Hello, I thank you all for coming", he said. His voice had a serious and soft tone to it, weird. And how can I hear him so well? I quickly looked around for some sort of speaker.
"I know you all must be wondering the reason for such an occasion, well firstly I would like to single out some exceptional people who have performed deeds", and this was the start of the most boring two hours of my life; I nearly fell asleep twice! The guard next to me woke me up once. I think I can't remember; everything blurred into one faint pain in the ass. It just all felt the same.

Thank you for lending the kingdom your aid when such a such happened.

Thank you, thanks to you and your lands the people of this kingdom will not go hungry.

I was so bored, that my eyes began to drift off again until suddenly.

"Ronald heart, please step forward" Even the guard broke character, and we made eye contact for a moment, and I pointed at myself. He shrugged his shoulder; oh yeah, he doesn't know my name. I looked over the heads of the people in front of me and saw the crowds looking around for Ronald Heart. I then met Charlotte's gaze, and she waved me up; she was sitting on a smaller chair next to her father. I stood up and felt my legs turn to jelly, why am I nervous? Oh god, no, I have a yawn coming, do not yawn! Do not yawn, push it down. I walked down the aisle without looking into the crowds., I could feel the disgust; I didn't need to see it. I got in front of the king, how the throne is on some steps that's cool. The king's serious/soft tone matched his face, he looked like he had been through tough times but held on to his good looks, but his eyes were soft. No facial hair, clean-shaven. Strong features frame his manly face.

"Hello, Ronnie," the king said kindly. I looked at him with complete shock.

"You have to bow down, boy, do it now!" A strange voice angrily whipped to me; I looked and saw a cracky old fella who was clearly on death's door; his anger might kill him, Especially with the vein popping out of his head.

"Do I bow?" I ask Charlotte, I was meant to mouth it to her. She laughed and leant over and playfully slapped her father's arm. He was also chuckling too.

"Just a little one," the king said.

"Alright," I gave a bow the best I could. "That alright?" I mouthed that bit successfully.

"That was great," the king said calmly, and then he stood up, "You'll have to forgive young Ronald. He is new to this, but he deserves to be here, you see. My daughter Charlotte wanted to go into a dungeon, a unique dungeon looking for some rare, in doing so she was advised by Theodore to hire an adventure, to fight monsters"

"I have always liked Theodore", said the old man who told me to bow; he wasn't the only person singing Theo's praise.
"but... During the dungeon adventure, the princess is betrayed by Theodore; he slaughters guards and blows up walls, trapping both young Ronald and the princess; with only one to get out, they travel to floor 20, just the two of them; eventually, they reach the doors that lead to the safety of floor 20... Only got them to find out it was sealed, by a demonic spell" Loud muttering broke out.

"A demon spell"
"How is that?
"How are they here"
"Demon? Impossible"

"Young Ronald here took it upon himself to break the spell so the princess could escape, sacrificing his own life! But as you can see, he did not die; he survived, becoming the only man in history to take on a demon spell and live... So young Ronald please bow again!"

I did as I was told, there was a thick tension in the air, and I heard a sword unsheath. Oh my god, is he about to kill me?

"Ronald Heart! For the deeds are saving the princess, escorting her through a dungeon alone, and sacrificing your own life, I King Richard of Athena. Grant you the rank of knight of the realm, arise sir Ronald and welcome to nobility"