“Royal Princess Razei:

You are hereby cast out of the Kingdom of Joanai to live out your life in exile. This decree has been written by King Rasarei on the grounds of treason. You have been caught fraternizing with the commoner Zol of the West Tide, and, therefore, have broken the sacred laws of our people. You have forty-eight hours to exit the premises.

-The Royal Courts and King Rasarei.4101, 09”

Sebastion crumpled the letter in his hand. It had been addressed to his mother two years before his birth. His body shook as the revelation became apparent. It had been a year since he’d been in this room- a year since he’d run away from this house. The sixteen year-old never understood his mother’s motives for what she’d done and how they’d lived their lives. He’d never understood why she couldn’t look at him, her own flesh and blood.

His deep violet eyes gazed down at the wrinkled paper in his fist as he began to shake. Distant memories flashed in his mind of his mother pouring a thick green liquid into his father’s food. She hadn’t known he’d been watching from the hallway behind the kitchen. He was only four years old at the time and hadn’t heard the rumors buzzing around their village. All he knew was that his father died that night and that his mother hadn’t shed a single tear at his funeral. After that day, his once loving mother refused to look at him.

“I was fifteen when she tried to kill me,” he said quietly. His eyes didn’t bother looking toward his cousin who had accompanied him to the ruins of his old home. The house had only been empty a year, but Sebastion’s mother had become a shut in. She’d virtually wasted away in her madness. “That was last year, when I came to live with you, Keturai,” he said, closing his eyes as his soft gray bangs fell before them.

“Sebastion, we came to investigate your mother’s death,” Keturai reminded him. Keturai was much younger than his cousin. He was a young boy with grown-out white hair, this as silk, with vibrant eyes of deep red.

“Don’t you understand?” Sebastion demanded, turning his curt gaze towards the younger boy. “My mother was the heiress to the throne! I had no idea, Ket! She threw her entire life away for my father! But why…. Why would she kill him?” he asked, his eyes becoming distracted as he once again blinked down at the crumpled paper in his hand.

“Sebastion…” Keturai said suddenly. “If Aunt Razei was really the heiress to Joanai’s throne… That means that Queen Selene is… your aunt,” he said, those red eyes of his wide with disbelief. “You don’t think Razei was… murdered, do you?” he asked, getting sudden chills up his spine.

“It’s… a possibility,” Sebastion struggled to say. “We can’t be sure though. Mother was crazed. She could have died from self-neglect,” he said quietly.

“That means… Sebastion, you’re the rightful heir to the throne!” Keturai exclaimed.

“No! My mother was exiled! I have no right to the throne, I’m a half-breed. I’m of an impure bloodline-”

“But what if Queen Selene doesn’t see it that way? Your life could be in danger,” Keturai gasped.

“No, just forget about it. We need to find out why my mother went crazy. She loved my father enough to give up her social status and live a life of exile. She wouldn’t just kill him. He must have done something terrible,” Sebastion said as he rose to his feet. He couldn’t really remember his father well, but his memories of Zol had been happy ones. “Come on, let’s go ask some of the villagers if they know anything,” he said, walking past his cousin to exit the house.

From the distance, a pair of blue-green eyes watched the two young boys emerge from the ruins of the broken home and into the main streets of the exile village. Long sandy hair blowing in the wind, three words were uttered from this mysterious figure:

“The Tainted Prince.”