Entering the grand dining room I instantly regretted coming there. I wasn't expecting a quiet breakfast, but this was a full blown meeting with the entire council present.

"Prince Adrian!" one of the elders greeted me as I eyed them all over and nodded at a few before walking to my seat. My parents ignored my rough appearance and continued on to discuss their favorite topics - politics while the servants brought me my food.

I was close to saying something inappropriate about the lack of grapes this morning, but I kept my mouth shut and straightened my back to keep myself from not falling asleep in the comfortable chair. I listened with half an ear as they spoke about my future, poking at my food, sipping on my coffee, yawning and then going back to trying to pierce my fork through the roasted potato on my plate. But my attention peaked as the head of security opened his mouth to speak.

"Since the late Prince Harry was assassinated you all know I felt the need to increase the number of guards around the castle." Everyone around the large table nodded their gray and wrinkly heads in agreement to his words while I rolled my eyes to them all. Harry suffocated because of his own stupidity, but that was apparently not what they wanted the commoners to believe. "I have arranged for a new personal guard for our young successor," he continued and I looked surprised at the man while finding his tone annoying.

"Is that really needed?" I asked and decided to cut my potato in half since my fork was losing the battle, then finally shoving it into my mouth. "I know the people of this town, I spend more time there than inside these walls, I know the servants by name," I insisted after swallowing the salty, buttery deliciousness our chef had prepared for us.

"Still, your mothers heart will be calmed if you let Sir Roland do his job and keep you out of trouble," my father muttered with a tone that told me it was not up for discussion, and I simply nodded my head and gave him a deathglare. Since my father had used the word trouble I knew my suspicions were true, Roland was to be my babysitter and not a guard for my protection.

I cursed my brother for dying on me yet again, knowing full well that this Roland guy would make my life a living hell. I spent most of my nights outside the castle walls doing things that weren't appropriate for a future king in the eyes of the court. That life seemed to have ended when a green average sized grape got stuck in the airways of my pompous son of a bitch of a brother.

"I'm not hungry anymore," I sighed and pushed the plate away from me.

"Good," my father continued, "you have lessons to attend to."

"Lessons?" I chuckled, "what am I? "Five?"

My father gave me a stern look and everyone else in the room was deadly quiet, "you are to be the king when I pass," he hissed, "It's time you start acting like one. So yes, you have lessons. McGregor has your weekly schedule ready," nodding towards the man at his side who clearly wasn't the man we were speaking of, but no one cared to enlighten him of this detail. Except me.

"How lovely," I muttered and rose from my seat. "I better go find him then."

But before I left the room my mother cleared her throat and gave me a single glare, "go clean up first, you look dreadful."

"My brother just died, aren't I allowed to mourn?" I challenged, but she only shook her head in disbelief.

"Listen to your mother," my father interfered, "and do as you are told."

My feet took me back to my bedroom and to my bathroom where I started to fill up the bath. Was I really going to do this? Comply and do as my parents told me? I sighed to myself, undressed from my funeral pants and the plain shirt I had worn since yesterday and sank down into the water, reached out for the soap and started to scrub my aching body. But there was no time to relax and as soon as I was done I dried myself and had a look in the mirror. My fingertips moved over the stubble on my chin but I decided not to shave, the five o'clock shadow made me look a bit older than my 23 years and I felt I needed the confidence it gave me.

Entering my bedroom again I was about to go loot my wardrobe for some simple clothes, but found that my servants had picked out a more royal looking outfit for me, laying it out on my bed. I took a step forward to examine the dark colors of the fabrics, deep blue pants with a matching button up shirt, a gray vest and a thick coat. I rolled my eyes but did as I was told. The servants followed orders and I didn't want them to get into trouble because of my ego.

It didn't take long for Mr McGregor to arrive with his list of duties. First we had to visit the servants quarters where I was meeting with my personal staff. I knew them all already but this was a formal visit and a chance for me to switch any of them out. I didn't, I liked them all. Grabbing an apple from the kitchen, McGregor led me towards the barracks of our guards, but he chose the long way through the courtyard, instead of the quicker path. It could have been a delightful walk in the sun if it wasn't for the fact that Mr McGregor was updating me on politics and our state affairs while we walked.

"Why do I need to know all of this?" I sighed, "my father is still the head of state, is he not?"

The much older man paused and stopped in his tracks, his fingers clung to the papers in his hands and he peeked around to see if anyone could hear us before he decided to speak. "Your fathers health is worse than he wants to admit. Hi's memory is failing and sometimes his words do not make sense." He sighed and straightened his vest, "that is why we need you to take more responsibility Adrian, you need to attend every meeting and help us to manage this very inconvenient situation." He went silent and placed a hand on my shoulder, "you will be a good king My Lord, you have the heart for it. Something your brother lacked."

I peered at him and couldn't help but wonder if my brother was indeed assassinated, but quickly left that thought to another time. "And does the rest of the council agree with you on this?"

"The Council has struggled to maintain your fathers reputation for a long period of time, excusing his outbursts and lack of memory for tiredness and fatigue. But we are growing tired as well."

"And I'm your only hope?" I joked but saw the seriousness in his face.

"Yes, you are, Lord." We started to walk again and I realized that this walk was his only opportunity to talk to me without others listening in on the conversation. Court life was exhausting and I had never really cared about what others thought of me, until now, when the old man decided to remind me. "You have quite the reputation, if you don't mind me saying. Spending most of your nights in the brothel, gambling, drinking." He sighed. "That will have to end now."

I nodded a few times, little did he know that most of those rumors were all gossip and there were few truths to them. Still I never had a future planned out for me before, so I never had to care. "No more gambling and partying," I agreed.

"And the women?" he pointed out only to be met with a raised eyebrow. "Very well," he muttered, "but can you at least be more discreet about it?"

"That I can," I chuckled and patted his back. Those ladies were my only friends in this world and seeing them was one of my few joys in life. They were the only ones who understood me and listened to me and my problems. The Council would faint in their seats if they knew the amount of information those pretty sexworkers carried about my life, but I wouldn't have it any other way. They were my selected family and not the nightly pleasure this man believed them to be.

"So what's next?" I asked as we arrived at the barracks.

The old man gave me a faint smile, "we are meeting with Sir Roland inside," he said and led me through the door into the dining area of the living quarters of the soldiers stationed to protect our castle and the humans inside.

All soldiers rose to their feet as I entered the room, looking quite insecure and puzzled by my presence. I licked my lips and gave their commander a simple nod before turning to McGregor. "We'll meet him outside, let these men eat in peace," I stated and never waited for an answer before I turned and walked back outside.

"Your presence in an honor Lord," McGregor objected but I only shook my head.

Looking around I found a nice log in the sun and took my seat to lean against the wooden house wall behind me, waiting for this mysterious knight who was punished to babysit the prince.

It did not take long before a man in his thirties stepped out of the house with a grim expression on his face. I studied Sir Roland as he walked towards us. He was taller than the average man with broad shoulders to fit his stature. His blond hair was kept short and his chin was cleanly shaved. He wore typical linen clothes in dull colors and a thick belt around his waist to hold up the weight of the sword he was carrying at his side. He truly looked like a knight I thought, and wondered what mistakes he'd made to end up here with me.

"Ah, Sir Roland, a pleasure," the old man greeted but didn't get more than a grunt as reply. Confused, McGregor turned to me, who still sat relaxed in the sun and gestured towards me, "this is his majesty the Prince, Adrian of Gera."

"A pleasure," I said and gave the newcomer a wink before waving off McGregor. "I bet you have other things to attend to, old man, SIr Roland will take your position as my official babysitter from now on," I chuckled.

I got a sigh from the council member but he didn't correct me, so my intuition was probably right.

As the man had left us I met the eyes of the now famous Roland and I patted the space next to me. "Have a seat?"

"I'd rather stand," he answered emotionless with his deep baritone voice and it made me shrug.

"Suit yourself," I said and crossed my feet in front of me, "so tell me about your duties, I only just learned about you a few hours ago."

He sighed and weighed but stood his ground, "I am to protect your highness from any possible assassination attempts."

"We both know that's not what happened to my brother," I said and gave him a smile and a knowing look.

"Doesn't matter, I have my orders," he answered and shifted his weight to his other leg. "Where you go, I go."

"Lovely," I snickered and patted the spot beside me once more, "I will stay here for the rest of the day, so you can at least make yourself comfortable."