(Sorry for the late update my grandparents just came. Anyways, this chapter is the start of the really bad stuff so im just gonna give a warning, this talks about child abuse)

Looking back on those days, Jimmy can describe what had gone wrong.

After he had unveiled the misery his parents were unleashing on the world, he had developed an eating disorder. He couldn't eat without it tasting ashy and looking like blood. He had felt so guilty for those people who were starving on the streets that he had unknowingly starved himself.

But, his mother was angry about that.

Royalty should eat everything they please. They should be a bit on the chubbier side to show this. But it wasn't true.

If Jimmy looked at his friends, he would realize they didn't look chubby however they didn't look as thin as him. His parents and siblings didn't look like what his mother described.

He didn't know what to think.

So when he was six, he had become a different person. Someone that was unlike his childish self when he was five. Someone that didn't cry over his brother, who didn't ask to hang out with his friends.

One that listened to his mother's every order.

---

Listening to your mother is not usually a bad thing. In fact, Jimmy would suggest everyone to do so. But listening to the cod Queen? Absolutely not.

However, he did.

He sat up from his bed, his mother coming in and telling him to get ready for lessons. Jimmy walked over to his walk in closet, flipping the light on, and walking down to choose an outfit. All his old t-shirts his brother and father had gotten him were in the trash now. The only think left were nice outfits. Royal ones.

He picked out a frilly button down and a pair of trousers. It was the most tame he could go without his mother and father fighting. They often fought about his clothing style. Not allowed to wear anything like a commoner, not allowed to wear a suit to everything. Just something in the middle. His father and mother already decided for his siblings what they would wear. Grian wears the commoner outfits where Lizzie puts on her fanciest royal dresses. They never really flipped to the other side unless there was a ball or it was night time.

Tucking his shirt into his trousers, he bent down to tie his boots. They were lined with cotton, comfortable to walk in all day. Standiny up, he looked in the mirror.

His body was so sickly. Jimmy's clothing draped off of him, a belt being the only thing keeping his trousers up. Eyes were as grey as they always had been ever since he was born. His mother told him he had been blessed by a goddess of wisdom whose eyes were just as grey as his. His father would never look into his eyes for the same reason.

Brushing his hair, he decided he looked decent enough, slipping on one of his numerous capes over his shoulders and a crown on his head. The cape was lined with fur, the family colors were in silk. His crown was a simple silver material, nothing fancy. It was just a frame.

To keep his parents from fighting.

He waltzed out of his room, cape sweeping the floor. His personal guard walked behind him. They had been his chosen guard since he was born but they hadn't started following him until then. It was for precaution. His parents said it was because he needed to stay safe but Jimmy had seen the news. People were bound to attack the prince for his parent's actions. He had secretly watched the news when nobody was with him. Riots were happening across the kingdom. Unsafe for a young prince.

Guards opened the doors for him as he walked into the library. It was like a school for him, rooms separated for different studies. His personal tutor sat in her chair, typing away on her laptop.

"Good morning, profesor." He greeted, bowing. She looked up, waving to him.

"Good morning, Prince Jimmy." He sat down in his normal seat, the guard standing in the corner. "Alright, we have math, language, and instrument studies today." She listed off, pulling out a textbook. Jimmy may seem dumb at times but he really wasn't. At five he could do basic addition and subtraction. He was learning division and multiplication at six. He did struggle with language studies though. Afterall, he was learning five of them. They were basic languages that would help him talk to other royals. And instruments? His specialty. He had performed in concert halls before. Knowing what he knows now, it was to promote the royal family and provide hope to the citizens.

Sure.

A few math problems later and there was a knock at the door. Looking through the glass, his mother's personal guard stood there. The door opened, his mother walking in, looking as regal as ever.

"Good morning," he greeted her, finishing his math problem. She just sighed.

"Jimmy, we have other things to attend to." She walked out, expecting him to follow.

"I-"

"You should probably go with your mother." His tutor provided, neatening up his papers. She gave him a warm smile.

"See you later!" He promised, skipping out the door.

Who knew it was going to be the last time he would see her?

The profesor was like an actual mum to him. She taught him educational stuff but also practical things. For some lessons, she would take him down the the village to show what a social setting looked like. She would allow for him to have breaks and understood when something was too hard for him to comprehend. They ate lunch together most days in the 'classroom' and when he was younger, she would sit on the floor with him teaching him colors and how to count. She had been teaching him ever since he was a toddler. She even taught him how to walk and eat by himself.

His mother never did that for him. Instead, she just took the profesor away from him.

Jimmy walked behind his mother, following through the halls until they got to his parent's room. Entering, it looked the same as it usually does.

She turned to both of their personal guards. "You are both relieved of your duties from now until three. Go and patrol around the gardens or something." She waved them off.

His guard just looked to Jimmy, looking for permission.

"You are free to go." He excused, giving them a soft smile. His guard was like the profesor in so many ways. Even though he hadn't had much of a chance to be around them when he was younger, they still were kind. They were stern, don't get Jimmy wrong, but they would laugh at his antics and walk in the garden with him, playing games. Thankfully, they would stay with him for a long while.

They bowed their head before walking out with his mother's guard, leaving them alone.

Jimmy turned back to his mother, trying to figure out what she wanted.

She pulled the curtains closed and locked the door, making Jimmy nervous. He hated being trapped anywhere. He heard that it is a fish hybrid thing, not wanting to be seperated from the open sea.

"Now, we have to set some rules." She said, walking to her chair in front of her vanity. Jimmy remembers his siblings messing around with her makeup when they were younger. When she was more relaxed. She watched from her bed, instructing them if they had trouble with the makeup. Jimmy was sat on her lap, clapping at his siblings. They giggled and made a mess of each other but their mom didn't care. She took pictures and laughed the same night, retelling what they did.

"Rules?" He asked, sitting on one of the sofas in the room. His siblings and him used to sit here after lessons, waiting for their parents to get finished with work to go down to the village.

"A prince needs rules." She gave him a smile, turning to the mirror. She pulled out some red lipstick, putting it over her lips. "In order to take the throne, that is."

Jimmy felt his mouth go dry. He tried to look for anything telling him that she was joking. He was the youngest, the least capable if anything were to go wrong. Lizzie was perfect for the role, being her she could do anything if she put her heart in it.

"But-"

"You will become king one day." She looked at him through the mirror, making him flinch. He didn't want to be king! He was satisfied with being a prince for the rest of his life.

"But Lizzie is next in line." He said, brows creasing in confusion.

"She is but if anything were to go wrong, then that is that. If that doesn't work, then you will be married off. Simple!" She put down her lipstick, turning to him.

He was speechless. Being six years old and already having promises to being married off sounded horrific. He was still learning how to read!

"What are the rules?" He finally asked, trying to fight off what he really wanted to say to her. He couldn't disobey her orders.

"You have to smile constantly, be proper, learn your studies, and you must stop acting like a little kid."

So that's how they started.

Jimmy was brought to her study, forced to sit in her chair as he read outloud. Any mistake, and he would be hit with a belt his mother stole from his father.

Tears mixed with sweat, making it hard to read the book. She whipped him again, telling him not to cry.

"A king does not cry! Read!" She ushered, forcing him to stutter through the lines. He could barely understand what he was saying, only focusing on getting it right and trying to ignore the pain across his back. Later when he would peel off his clothes, whip lines would be embedded into his skin. His white collared shirt stained with blood and sweat.

And he found out the hard way that there was nobody to save him.

He could only obey.