Missing Nikolai(working title)- Prologue

My name is Rhystopher Pagan Renald-Calomari. I am Your Royal Highness' eldest(live) son, and because of that, I, Prince Rhystopher of the reigning country in the entire continent of Marloew, TigerWell, am the sole heir to TigerWell's Throne. I'm to become King when my mother, the Queen, renounces the title bestowed on her by marriage to my father, in three years time, on my eighteenth year of life.1

If I refuse to accept such a fate, my much younger sister, Princess Leinna Alyssabeth Renald-Calomari, will be forced in to the role of Queen of TigerWell at just eleven seasons old! So you see, I must take the responsibility of being King, lest I wish my sister the burden of an unwanted crowning instead. There is no way out for me. But, perhaps, the same is not true for little Leinn. That is the most important reason I have no choice in the matter. For you to understand better, I suppose I must tell you a bit about my mother, my father, my sister, and me.2

My father, the late King Pagan, was brutally murdered when I was a bitty lad of about eight, the same age Leinn is now, in fact. I recall Father was a gentle man,firm in his beliefs and strict with his family, always very proud, and never failing nor hesitating to uphold a promise or fulfill a duty. Always, Fa was true to his word and was truly a man of honor as well as integrity. Never once was he afraid to admit when he was wrong, but, never one to accept defeat either. He believed if you tried your best then you've accomplished something most won't ever do. "If you try your hardest and lose a battle anyway, remember, Rhys, you've already won a war- And that's the greatest thing you'll ever learn," I can hear him telling me over and over, even to this day when he is no longer among the living. At the time, I didn't understand what he meant. Now, I think, I do.3

Queen Adelaide, my beautiful and intelligent Mother, is not one to show very much affection, but under her sharp tongue and quick, sarcastic wit, she loves us all. I hope, though no one can ever really tell with Mutti!4

Now, of course, my favorite Royal of all, is of course Leinna. The Princess of TigerWell is exactly seven years younger than I am, and when I was younger I used to say she was the greatest birthday present I could ever get. Leinn is still a child, so naturally she possesses the same untainted innocence most children do, but sometimes, my little sister is so wise in her thinking that I truly believe she is far smarter now than I'll ever be.5

Ah, you want to know about me, too, you say?Well, alright, if you insist! Let me begin with my feelings on being King of all of TigerWell someday- It is a curse I want not. If it hadn't been for Nikolai's gruesome death at the hands of a sadistic contract killer hired by Fa's murderer, he would've been destined to be King, not me.The crown and the Throne belong to him by birthright, since he was a whole hour older(a fact he loved to brag about) than I. But alas, my father and brother are gone, and there's no use dwelling on what I can not change. The past should stay buried in my thoughts as deep as their rotting corpses are underneath the ground. I digress. There is nothing noteworthy about me, except perhaps my skills with the sword and as a passing mention, my good eyes and keen ears. I am like Fa in the way that I, too, have a sense of duty and must play the role I was Fated in to and be the King. Some think that my feelings of duty is the reason I don't make an argument about being Throned, when I so obviously unhappy about it. Maybe, just maybe, they are right. But then again, just maybe, they are not...6