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Prince Calder had been sixteen for exactly four months, and he felt that this was more than enough time for everyone, specifically his father, to begin treating him like an adult.
Unfortunately, his father disagreed. King Aslan claimed that adulthood was not something one simply achieved by surviving sixteen years without accidentally dying. Calder thought that his father was wrong.
Still being sixteen came with certain freedoms - some of which being why Calder refrained from arguing with his father. Lest he lose those privileges.
He attended council meetings now, and sat beside his father during royal appearances. He had his own horse, his own rooms and a steadily increasing list of tedious royal responsibilities that his tutors assured him would one day make him an excellent king.
But the best part was that he was now permitted to leave the palace without a whole armed procession following him. Well mostly. He was allowed to leave with a smaller procession. But that was a minor detail in Calder’s eyes.
And that was how Prince Calder had become Cal, an alleged stablehand and occasional visitor to the village of Glenwood.
Honestly, it had started out innocently enough. His father had wanted him to spend more time among the townsfolk.
He often zoned out when his father started one of his royal lectures, and so he could not remember exactly what else his father had said during this one particular lecture. But he did remember specifically his father saying,
“A king who only knows his kingdom from the safety of a balcony, does not know his kingdom at all.”
And so he listened. Maybe a little too well.
The first day he snuck away from his guards into town, he left behind his royal attire and donned simple trousers and a shirt he had bribed from a stablehand.
He was delighted at how peaceful it felt wandering Glenwood as Cal. The change of attire and lack of royal guards was all it took to hide his princely identity. No one batted an eye at him, and he was all the happier for it. He wandered and explored, getting lost in the mundane life of the town.
On his third outing as Cal, he met Briar Vale.
Briar worked in her aunt’s apothecary and had absolutely no patience for any nonsense, and seemed to think Cal was an idiot.
Calder, on the other hand, was quite taken with her. Not in love. No, obviously not.
He simply just thought about her occasionally. Just occasionally. Of course.
And that’s what led to him, on the eleventh day of their acquaintance, Calder standing behind the apothecary holding six fire lilies.
Calder felt his heart race as Briar stood in front of him. Nervous, but convinced that his plan would help solidify their budding relationship.
“Are those fire lilies???” Briar asked, her eyes slightly wide as she took in the rare flower in Calder’s hand.
“They are!” Calder nodded, smiling, his voice smug.
“Actual fire lilies?”
“Actual fire lilies.”
“Where did you get them?”
Calder hesitated, his smile dropping a fraction. The truth was they were abundant in the Royal Gardens. Obviously, he couldn’t say that.
“A friend.”
Briar looked at him unbelievingly.
“They’re for you.” He blurted out. Desperate to change the topic.
Her eyes widened slightly, sparkling in the sunlight.
Briar had mentioned once that she’d always wanted to see one bloom. Calder had remembered.
There was, however, only one small problem.
Fire lilies remained tightly closed and dull brown until exposed to magical flame. Then they unfurled into brilliant gold and crimson blossoms, glowing ethereally from within for several minutes.
Fire magic was rare in the kingdom. Calder possessed said fire magic. He however also possessed strict instructions to never use his magical flame without supervision.
However, at this moment, Calder could care less. The awe in Briar’s eyes as she looked at him, that was all he needed to be sure that he was doing the right thing.
His father had always told him that one day he would need to find a suitable partner to rule the kingdom with. He was simply taking the first steps to fulfilling that responsibility he told himself. Specifically by impressing the girl he was taken by.
“But wait, they need magical flame to bloom…” Briar tapered off, the realization making her smile fall in slight disappointment.
Calder grinned, his confidence clear in his smile. Deciding to not say anything, and just let her see for herself.
He held his empty hand out in front of him, staring at it.
He directed his focus towards his chest, concentrated the way his tutors had taught him, drawing the warmth upward from his chest along his shoulder and down his arm.
A golden spark appeared above his palm.
Briar’s mouth fell open.
A little burst of pride bloomed in his chest.
“What…”
“Watch.”
Calder directed his magic more into the spark – making it grow from a spark to a tiny flame.
He felt the warmth in his chest, as the magic coursed through him. He held still as he concentrated on the flame. He wanted to make sure that there was no sudden surge of magic.
After a couple of moments, Calder smiled. He thought it was perfect.
He felt his confidence surge as the flame was perfectly stable and controlled. He had been practicing elemental magic since he was a child, he knew what he was doing. His father and his tutors worried too much, he thought.
Calder brought the flame towards the flowers. Holding it close enough for the magic to touch them.
One by one, the petals trembled and then they opened.
A golden glow spilled out of the fire lilies like sunlight. Their centres and petals turned into a gradient of orange and crimson.
Briar gasped – entranced by the beautiful flowers.
Calder grinned, he knew he could do it. And he knew it would be worth it. Pride burned in his chest.
Calder stared at Briar, transfixed by the beautiful smile gracing her face. He thought he might be in love.
Not even a second later he felt a sudden surge of magic course through him. It only took a split second before it caused the flame in his hand to surge upwards.
Calder’s smile disappeared.
The flame touched the edge of the roof of the apothecary’s storage shed, as the fire erupted from Calder’s hand upwards uncontrolled.
Panic rose in his chest.
‘No. No, no, no…’
He tried to bring the fire back into him in a panic, reaching desperately for the thread of magic that connected him to the flames.
Instead the fire roared higher. Calder’s stomach dropped.
A small voice in his head reminded him of something his tutors had told him a thousand times before.
Fire is unpredictable. To control it, one must first control themselves.
Right, he knew that. He just needed to calm down.
Calder sucked in a breath and tried again. All that did was cause the fire to spread across another section of the roof.
His heart thudded harder. His heartbeat was loud in his ears.
“Calder!” Briar shouted.
Calder did not respond, his mind blank as he felt the panic overtake him.
He could feel his tutor’s voice in his head. ‘Calm mind.’
But it was predictably difficult to achieve that inner peace while watching a building on its way to burning down because he had wanted to impress a girl, he thought.
Calder watched in horror as the fire increasingly engulfed the wooden shed.
He realized that for the first time since he’d begun learning magic, Calder was genuinely frightened of his power.
“MOVE!” A voice cut through the chaos.
Calder knew that voice. His head snapped around towards its direction.
Three palace horses were charging down the village road towards him.
Two carried soldiers, and the third carried an older man in dark red robes.
Master Ostian.
Calder’s body sagged with relief.
Master Ostian leapt from his horse before it had fully stopped.
“Back!” He ordered as he took long urgent strides towards the two teens.
Ostian lifted both hands. No panic to be found in his movements. He closed his eyes and let out one deep breath.
He held out one open hand towards the fire.
Calder and Briar stared as the fire peeled away from the roof twisting in ribbons through the air towards Ostian’s palm.
Within seconds the inferno was extinguished. As the last ribbon of fire flew into Ostian’s hand, he closed his fist.
Silence fell over the street.
What was once a roaring fire was now smoke as it drifted from the blacked parts of the shed.
Calder felt relief, his ability to breathe returning to him.
That relief quickly turned to embarrassment and panic as Master Ostian turned towards him.
The realization hit him like a brick, that if Master Ostian and the palace guards were there meant that his Father knew. No way it didn’t
The relief that the fire was extinguished turned into a need for the fire to come back and swallow him.
The Master’s gaze travelled over him. He looked at the ruined shed. Then back at Calder.
Calder swallowed, Master Ostian’s disappointed gaze burned into his soul. He had received that look many times during lessons. Just never with a burned building behind him.
“Master Ostian–”
“Not now.”
Ostian turned towards the two palace guards, nodding towards Briar’s aunt who had come out at some point during the ordeal. Her expression of shock and disbelief.
One of the guards produced a purse of coins and had a brief quiet conversation with Briar’s aunt. Whatever explanation they gave must have been good enough. She only glanced at Calder once in disapproval before motioning for Briar to follow her inside the apothecary.
Briar, confused and in shock, followed her aunt without a word. The one look she gave Calder was full of disappointment. Calder watched her leave. His feet rooted to the ground.
~
The ride back to the palace was painfully quiet. Master Ostian had said nothing else to him. He rode ahead of Calder, while the two guards were behind.
Calder felt like he was being thoroughly escorted back to the palace. Embarrassment crept into him. The tips of his ears burned, and he stared resolutely at Master Ostian’s back. His thoughts raced as he wondered what his father would have to say.
All too soon, he had been escorted to his bedroom and was standing in front of his father. King Aslan stood beside the fireplace with his arms folded.
Calder wished he was anywhere but there at that moment. Even the dungeons sounded more appealing.
His father had not said anything, his eyes looked over him slowly. Taking in the soot on Calder’s clothes, the singed hair and the guilty expression plastered across the sixteen year old Prince’s face.
His father broke the silence. “What were you thinking??!” His voice even but the stern and disappointed undertone was obvious.
Calder winced. “I–”
“Actually no, it is clear you were not thinking.”
Calder’s eyes averted to the ground, unable to look at the disappointment in his father’s face any longer.
“Tell me what happened.”
Calder blinked. “But… you already know.”
“I want to hear it from you, Calder.”
Of course he did. His father loved to make him spell out his mistakes.
Calder opened his mouth, he intended to give a short version of events.
But everything spilled out instead.
His unapproved visits to the town. Briar. The fire lilies. The tiny flame that seemed harmless. The uncontrollable fire. The panic when the fire stopped obeying him.
By the time he finished, he couldn’t bring himself to look at his father. As he had recounted the events, feelings of guilt, panic and fear caught up with him.
The guilt especially felt heavier by the time he was done recounting the tale. Now that he had said everything aloud, what felt like one stupid decision became the realization that people could have gotten hurt because of him.
Shame burned hot in his face than the fire had.
He felt stupid. Embarrassed. Ashamed.
And despite the fact that he was back in the safety of the palace, he felt scared.
His father didn’t say anything for a moment. The silence left too much room for his own thoughts.
Finally his father sighed. “Look at me”
Calder didn’t want to but he hesitantly did anyway.
His father looked at him seriously. A mixture of emotions slightly peeking through his fathers usually stoic face.
“You were frightened.”
It wasn’t a question. Calder swallowed and nodded. He found it strangely difficult to admit.
“I really thought I could control it.”
“I know. But you couldn’t.” His father said as a matter of fact.
Calder winced. It hurt to hear that, even though he knew it was true.
“It’s normal that you can’t yet.” His father added. “You’re still learning Calder. Fire magic is difficult to control yet alone master. I am not angry that you were not able to control that much fire.”
Calder blinked at his father, not expecting that. The stern and matter of fact statements were somehow also comforting.
“I am however angry that you deliberately put yourself in a position where you had to.”
Calder felt shame burn his face.
“You knew you weren’t to use fire magic without supervision.”
“Yes.”
“You knew why.”
“Yes father.”
“You have been taught in detail the nature of fire magic and its unpredictability.”
Calder shifted his weight, restless.
“And you ignored all of that just to impress a girl? Just because you thought you had grown old enough to do whatever you please?”
Calder opened his mouth. Closed it. He could not find any words to respond back with.
His father continued.
“Do you understand how lucky you were?” The words landed heavier than Calder expected.
“If Master Ostian had arrived even a couple of minutes later, that fire could have reached the apothecary where people were inside. It could have spread to the neighbouring houses. Someone could have been injured. You could have been injured. And so could have the girl you are trying to impress.”
The guilt weighed heavy on Calder, “I know…” his voice barely above a whisper.
“Do you?”
Calder picked at the edge of his sleeve. He had spent the entire horse ride back to the palace imagining all the ways it could have gone if Master Ostian had not arrived at the right time.
“I was stupid.”
“You were reckless.”
Calder winced again. Somehow that sounded a lot worse.
“But lucky for you, being reckless does not make you incapable of learning and never doing something as dangerous as this ever again.”
“I won’t ever do anything like this again father, please trust me.”
“I believe you.”
Relief flickered through him.
The relief died just as fast as his father added, “That doesn’t mean there won’t be consequences.”
Calder went still. His stomach sank as he processed what his dad was implying.
“Father no…”
His father stared at him with a raised eyebrow. All arguments died before they could leave his mouth.
His father nodded once. He moved to take a seat on the couch.
“To me.”
Calder looked towards the door.
“Calder.” His father’s voice had taken on a stern undertone.
“Don’t even think about it. Take your punishment like the mature Prince you are trying to convince me you are.”
Calder sighed. He decided he had probably already been doomed to face the worst punishment he had ever gotten to date, he did not want to make it worse.
He trudged towards his father, stopping in front of him. He stared at the lap his father was motioning for him to go over.
“I’m sixteen, father, I'm too old to go over your lap.”
His father did not respond, instead grabbing his son by the upper arm and hauling him across his lap.
Not even a few moments later, Calder found himself in a position that he believed was too childish for a future king to occupy.
He didn’t have time to dwell on that as he felt his father pull down his trousers.
“Father, this is barbaric–”
Before he could finish his statement a firm swat landed across the seat of his drawers.
Calder jolted. “OW!”
A stream of steady swats followed. Calder resolved himself to not let out any sound and take his punishment stoically.
“Magic is not a toy.”
More swats followed.
“Rules are not suggestions. They exist for a reason.”
“I know!” Calder let out gritting his teeth as the heavy swats continued. This was probably the most strength his father had ever used while spanking him.
“Apparently knowing and behaving as though you know are two different things.”
His father continued the steady onslaught of swats. Not losing his rhythm as he continued with his lecture.
“You were lucky. This could have ended a lot worse, Calder.”
“I said I will never do anything like this again!!”
“I believe you.”
The swats continued. One after the other.
“But learning a lesson does not erase the consequence.”
Calder tried to squirm out of his father’s hold, the heat building steadily and becoming slowly unbearable.
“We still have a long way to go Calder. Behave.” His father warned, his arm tightening around the boy.
The next swat came harder. Calder jerked in his father’s hold.
“You are never to use fire magic unsupervised until we expressly allow you to. Am I understood?”
“Yes sir.” Calder grit out. He folded his arms on the couch and buried his face in them.
His backside stung. His pride stung considerably more.
More swats followed. One landing in an especially sore spot. Calder yelped.
“Father.. Please…”
His father paid his pleas no mind.
“You could have hurt yourself.”
Another hard swat landed.
“You could have hurt the girl you fancy.”
Calder’s stomach tightened. He knew his father was right. The fight drained from his body as he realized that he deserved to be punished. That guilt alone was not enough.
“I know.” He whispered. Unshed tears lining his eyes.
His father’s hard spanks suddenly stopped. A hand rested on his back gently.
It was quiet for a moment, then King Aslan said, “I need you to remember this incident the next time you decide that a rule is beneath you.”
Calder nodded shakily.
“No matter what age you are, you are not invincible.”
“I know.”
“And you do not need to prove to me or anyone else that you are capable by taking risks like this.”
Calder squeezed his eyes shut.
“I am very proud of you already, my son. You have so much potential. But you need to get your head on straight and think before acting.”
His father’s voice was stern but the care was obvious beneath it.
“Yes sir.” Calder whispered.
“Good. Because if this ever happens again I will whip your backside for a week straight. Am I understood?”
Calder nodded again, “yes sir.”
Calder was ready to be done with this day and get the smell of smoke off of him.
His father shattered those hopes as he continued, “this time however you will only be whipped today. And then the slate will be wiped clean.”
Calder felt his stomach drop again.
“Up you get. Lean over the back of the couch.”
“Father…” Calder trailed off as he gingerly got up. Unable to make eye contact with his father.
“Your recklessness caused damage and almost caused injuries. Let’s get this over with Calder, don’t prolong it.”
Calder sighed, his shoulder dropped.
He slowly moved towards the back of the couch, his trousers still around his knees. He leaned over and hid his face in his crossed arms. He just wanted this to be done with.
He heard soft footsteps as his father came around behind him. He heard the sound of his father unbuckling his belt, the metal buckle clinked as his father folded the belt.
“Sixteen.”
Calder’s mouth went dry.
“Sixteen????”
“Yes. One for each year of life. You want so badly to prove that you are mature and don’t need to follow rules because you are old enough. It feels fitting that sixteen belt strokes will perhaps help you reconsider that.”
His father didn’t wait for a response. He brought the belt down unforgivingly.
Calder’s breath caught. “OWW!”
He grabbed onto the fabric of the couch. Trying to brace himself.
The second and third landed without pause.
Calder hissed and shifted forward.
The third stripe landed. Calder’s grip tightened on the fabric.
The next three belt strokes landed. Calder didn’t know how he was going to make it to sixteen. He could not contain the sounds of pain anymore.
Four more belt strokes landed. Bringing them to having six left.
Calder tried to remind himself that Kings survived assassinations and led armies. Surely he could survive strokes from a belt.
Two more landed. Calder was unable to stay still anymore. His breath hitched and he lifted onto his toes as the belt landed unforgivingly.
His father had not said a single word since he started bringing down the belt. His father was a man of little words as it was, and Calder knew from first hand experience he preferred to let the strokes speak for themself.
Calder tried to take in a deep breath to brace himself for the remaining strokes. But his father did not give him a chance to collect himself and landed the last four strokes across his backside without pause.
And then it was over. Calder’s backside burned without reprieve. The pain was deep and his backside throbbed. He knew he would feel it for the next couple of days.
His father quietly put the belt back on, giving Calder a second to himself to get up.
When Calder felt like he had regained control of himself he slowly got up, he gingerly pulled his trousers up. The added fabric made him wince.
While he had not cried, the unshed tears were prominent in his eyes.
After giving Calder a couple more moments, his father broke the silence. “Come here.”
Calder shook his head no. He had faced enough embarrassment that night.
The King simply opened his arms.
Calder stared at him. He lasted three seconds.
Then his shoulders slumped and he stepped forward into his father’s safe embrace.
His father’s arms closed around him.
Calder felt the fear that had followed him since the fire first erupted finally leave his body. The knot loosened in his chest.
“I really am sorry,” he murmured into his fathers sturdy chest.
“I know.”
Calder was quiet for a moment.
Then very softly he whispered, “I was really scared.”
His father’s arms tightened. “I know that too. You’re okay. You’re safe now.”
~
The next day Calder returned to the town. The horse ride was painful, the pain was amplified by the horse ride, and a constant reminder of his actions.
This time he was accompanied by his guards. As he was supposed to have been anytime he had left the palace.
His father had told him with no room for argument that he was to tell Briar the truth about his identity and apologize to her and her aunt.
He could not hide his identity as a prince anymore.
So he told her he was a prince, and eventually they lived happily ever after.