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One would think that being raised in the darkness of Castle Krakenburg could make anyone fearless of the dark. Theoretically. And many people were. The staff and guards, Xander and Camilla, and of course the king never showed any fear of darkness. Many of them embarrassed it, in fact. After all, the Dusk Dragon's blood flowed through their veins.
It was storming one night, and the castle was still, except for the guards in the halls and young Prince Leo. He sat in his large bed clutching to a plush wyvern Camilla had given him some time ago, and was wrapped in a fluffy blanket. The wind from the storm rattled the shutters on the windows. If there was one thing worse than being awake in the middle of the night, he thought, it was being awake in the middle of the night during a violent storm.
The young prince, only 9 or 10 was absolutely terrified of the dark. Nobody knew except for his siblings and his retainer, Niles. He figured that those were the only people he could trust, with his father always on his case. How odd is it, he would think, that he was fine watching his father execute people in front of him, but couldn't bear the one thing that protected the kingdom?
It was unfair that the king would purposely put his children in harm's way if they were caught out of their room past curfew, among many other things, Leo complained to himself. Niles' room was just down the hallway, but who knew how many guards could be in the hall? 1? 5? 100? Maybe none! But there was no way of telling. Maybe he just wanted to see the one person who could protect him from the dark while he slept, the prince thought. Was it worth the chance of getting caught to go see his retainer and get a decent night's rest?
Leo thought about this for only a few minutes, with the rain distracting him, and the monsters under the bed waiting for him to close his eyes, in order to attack. Niles could protect him from the monsters, he figured. The prince had his resolve. Clutching the plush wyvern close to his body in one arm, he carefully climbed out of bed, and made his way to the door, trying to make as little sound as possible. He slowly opened the door and peaked out of the crack, making sure that there were no guards in the hallway. When the coast was clear, Leo quickly, but quietly made his way to Niles' room.
He figured the door was locked, so he used the secret knock code he made up for the two of them to use (because what 10 year old boy doesn't have a secret knock?). Niles was still awake, as it wasn't particularly late for him, and as soon as he heard it, came to the door and ushered Leo inside.
"What brings you here at this hour, Milord?" Niles asked after the door was shut. "You know you would be in grave trouble if you were caught."
Leo looked up at the familiar man, a tired expression on his face. "I couldn't sleep. The rain is too loud, and the monsters under my bed are restless." Niles chuckled under his breath and offered Leo a seat next to him on the bed. The prince accepted and cuddled into his retainer's side, hugging the plush wyvern. "I was wondering if I could stay here since we are friends?"
Niles wrapped an arm around Leo and replied, "Of course, Milord. I can sleep on a cot tonight so you can have the bed."
"No, we can just share the bed. I'm not too big, we can both fit. Plus, I feel more comfortable with you around," Leo interrupted, already moving to crawl under the blankets.
Niles smiled at his innocence. If his lord insisted, he would do anything. After all, the prince spared his life and gave him a home. "If you insist, Milord," Niles replied, shifting and laying down on the other side of the bed.
The rain was still loud, if not louder in this room, due to the older shutters and windows, and it was still pitch black, except for a candle next to the bed. "Niles?" Leo asked soon after curling up into a comfortable position.
"Yes, Milord?" Niles questioned in return.
"Can you stay awake until I fall asleep? That way you can protect me from the darkness and the monsters."
"Absolutely, Milord. I will make sure you sleep well."