The throne room was a spacious hall; decorated in green and gold, it was meant to impress. There were velvet curtains hung on the sides for the cold of winter, but for now they were drawn away from the long, arched windows to let the sunlight in.

Simon strode quickly down its length, hardly noticing the opulence he was so familiar with. Ordinarily there were always a few nobles hanging about but most of the court were enjoying their summer châteaux next to various rivers and mountains.

He was making for a door in the rear of the room, behind the thrones. It was an ornately carved, little wooden door hidden around the curve of the wall behind the thrones, and shadowed by a velvet curtain to one side. Simon twisted the handle, and stepped into a small room set with a few comfortable chairs and a small table, upon which a tea tray currently rested.

“Mother. Father.” He gave a short bow to each of his parents, then stood at attention, as always had since he was a child when receiving a reprimand from his parents.

“Simon…” his father began, then sighed. “Simon, this simply cannot go on.”

“Father?”

“Simon,” his mother said crossly. “You’re acting like a child.”

Simon sighed, wishing he could express to his parents how he felt about the Quest.

“Your father is worried,” his mother said, frowning down her aquiline nose at him. It was amazing how she could do that even when sitting, which put her more than a foot lower than her son.

“Do you not want the throne, Simon?”

“Of course I do, father.”

“Then you must go on the Quest!” his father said angrily. “How else do you expect to come by it?”

“Well, Jason could always…”

“Jason could not inherit the throne!” his mother snapped. “If anything, its most likely that it will go to your uncle. And I simply detest that man.”

The King patted his wife’s hand indulgently, then turned back to Simon. “Well son? How do your propose to avoid the Quest? It will claim you whether you want it to or not,” he added gently.

Simon sighed and ran his hands through his hair in frustration, “Honestly father, I just don’t know. Yes, I want the throne, but I don’t believe in the purpose of the Quest. I don’t think someone can only become a man by experiencing trials and tribulations.” He looked at his father seriously, “I realize the dilemma this presents, and I am sorry. But if it comes to it, I will step down and allow another Quested relative to take the throne.”

King Randal stared at his son in shock, then repeated what his son had just said, as if he didn’t believe he’d gotten it right. “Step down?”

“Step down.” Simon confirmed.

His mother stood up, “I won’t allow it, Simon.”

“I don’t think you have a choice, mother,” Simon said through gritted teeth.

“And what if the Quest claims you, after you have stepped down?” his father asked. Simon didn’t like the sly look that had entered his father’s eyes, but the question seemed honest enough.

“It won’t happen. Or else I won’t tell anyone, and just live with it. But I won’t go on a purposeful Quest.”

“I’ll make you a deal,” his father said, suddenly leaning forward. “You have until you’re thirty to start your Quest, before you must step down. And I will swear to leave you in peace about it, if you do one thing for me.”

“And that is?” Simon asked suspiciously.

“You must live in the woods, on the very boundary of the Royal lands, where a Quest will be more likely to claim you.”

Simon thought about this, then nodded slowly, “It must still be within the Royal lands though, so that none can say I’ve been on a journey. And I must be provided meals, clothes, and the like, so that non can say I am experiencing hardships.”

“On one condition of my own,” his mother smiled at him, “You must allow us to offer a reward for anyone who can convince or trick you into going on a Quest.”

Simon stared at his mother, then nodded. He was sure that if he could be left in peace by his parents, then he could handle the rest, as he’d been doing for years. And in the end, perhaps giving up the throne wouldn’t be so bad. After all, if a Quest couldn’t find him, then wasn’t he supposed to step down anyways? He’d never been the type of boy that particularly desired adventures, for even as he’d devoured them in readings, he’d also understood just how painful they were for the actual hero. No, the life of a peaceful nobleman would be much better; he knew he could do well in governing some small piece of land, or else Addy’s kingdom if her parents didn’t object. After all, it was what he’d been trained for. He could be content with that, couldn’t he?

“It’s all about principles,” Addy said calmly as she and Simon strolled around the lake. It was the day before Simon was to head into the forest. “You see, your principle is that you should be able to become King without having to prove yourself in such a way. And your parents’ principle is that a man cannot become a true King unless he has learned a valuable lesson from a Quest. And when these principles collide…”

“Chaos,” Simon muttered.

Addy looked at him curiously. “Simon, what if my father did forbid the marriage on the basis that you weren’t going to inherit? Then what would you do?”

“Damn principles,” Simon looked away, towards the lake. Sometimes he wished he didn’t think so much, or have such a good imagination. It’d be a lot easier to give himself up to the Quest then.

“I suppose I would have to go Addy. But you know how much I’d hate it.”

“I’ve been thinking about that,” Addy said, still looking at him. Then she turned to stare straight ahead, “And I’ve decided that you wouldn’t be very pleasant to live with if you had to do the Quest while you were still so against it.”

“So then you wouldn’t marry me?” Simon stared at her, surprised and a little hurt.

Addy laughed, “Don’t be silly. Of course I would. But I decided I’d rather you not go on the Quest, and both of us get disinherited. After all, I do have a younger sister. And I’m sure your parents at least would give you land.”

“But Addy, you’re a princess.”

“And you’re a prince.” She smiled up at him, then glanced back at her maids, who were trailing about thirty feet behind them. Her guard was about ten feet off to the left, strolling with Simon’s guard.

“But there’s no need to worry, because I have a solution,” she whispered this as if it was a very great secret.

“And that would be?” Simon asked, bemused by her secrecy.

“I,” she announced, “Shall go Questing for you.”

“What?” the guards jumped and stared at him, and he waved them away, showing that all was well.

“What?” he said again, whispering in a harsh undertone.

“I’ll Quest for you. Why shouldn’t I be able to anyways? If I’m your Queen, then does it really matter?”

“Yes, you’re not of the blood,” he said, looking at her, slightly aghast at the thought of her adventuring on her own.

“I still think it’d be fun… maybe if I went with you?” she asked hopefully.

Simon gave a vehement shake of his head. “No way. If I ever go, you’re staying here, where you’re safe.”

“Overprotective male,” she said darkly.

“For good reason,” he retorted, but he didn’t explain. That had been another Quest he studied- a long, long time ago another one of his ancestors had gone on a quest, and found a beautiful princess to marry. But because he’d journeyed so far away from the castle, they had to go through a lot to get back, and she had died on the way. He’d completed his Quest by finding her, so he still got to marry, but he was never a very happy man afterwards, even after marrying again and having children. Simon didn’t want anything like that to happen to Addy.

“Want to see where I’m going to live?” he asked her, spying a familiar path to his right. “Then you can come visit me whenever you want.”

“Sure,” she said, though she still sounded slightly disgruntled.

They walked down a path that was slightly overgrown, but of course clear enough for the two to walk side-by-side; the gardeners would be horrified if they’d left a single path on the grounds unusable. It wasn’t a very long walk, for most of the area this side of the castle was taken up by the lake. And the house, when it appeared, wasn’t overly grand either, just comfortable. It had once been the lake keeper’s house, but had been vacant since the new lake keeper had come in twelve years ago, and chosen to reside in the castle. It was a two-story stone cottage, with large bay windows in the front, and large shutters for the winter months. There was a small flower garden out front, and though you couldn’t see it, a two-stall stable and small paddock out back for Simon’s horse.

Addy grinned at him, “I can just see you, Simon, an old man of sixty, puttering about the flower beds because you’re still determined to avoid you Quest.”

“And I’d be perfectly happy if you were puttering in the kitchen,” he said with a smile.

Addy rolled her eyes, “You’re entirely lacking in ambition, Simon. Can we go in?”

“Not yet. Next week, I promise,” he said, taking her hand and turning away. He didn’t need to meet with his future before its time.