The Boy in the White Cast

So as I said in my last post, I never used to be afraid of hospitals. And this is one of y earliest memories of that same building, I have so many emotions about ...

Once upon a time, there was a little blond-haired boy named Jack. He enjoyed most things any little boy would: running around, hiding from mythical creatures, drawing all over the walls, playing with figurines, even the odd adventure or two. As the prince to the kingdom, he had free rule and an army of medical staff at his every beacon, in case of emergency. Which was regularly. After all, just because he was a prince, didn’t stop him being accident prone.

No, he grew up in a happy home, with the two princesses much beloved by the kingdom, the king and queen, but also the court jester. An elderly man who was very close to the future rulers, but also acted as a nanny to them. Always there for them whenever the king and queen needed.

But as all fairy tales go, there must be an early-on climax. A twist. A turn. A tale. And this is no different, for you see, when he was just 2 years old, a disastrous event occurred. One that would irrevocably change his life forever.

For you see, the king was a busy man who rules with an iron fist and a warm heart, which took him away on business almost daily; while the queen was a busy woman who was incredibly intelligent and focused on knowledge. Many a day would she spend in the library scanning their ancient pages for the answers she sought. This meant that the court jester was left in charge of the prince and his fellow sisters, but being the youngest, he often got his own way.

Now, the kingdom was a simple one: one of peace and prosperity, but also of fun. And the prince had commanded a gigantic slide to be constructed, for his amusement. His father’s son, alright. Once complete, he spent all day climbing to the top and sliding at almost impossible speeds, from the towering top. However, as any young boy would, he soon grew bored, and was left to invent new and more adventurous ways to slide down. When an evil thought wormed its way into his thoughts. One not of his own mind, but projected by another. A villain none the less. He was to slide down not holding on, precariously dangling his limbs over the side. A harmless thought, the young prince said to himself. And he put it into practice.

He sat down on the cold metal. Hooked one leg over the side and then the other. So far so good. Then for his arms. Limply his limbs hung in the lifeless air, towring above the jester, who looked up with caution.

An eternity to him, but only seconds to the world. And he was strung out over the grassy bank that was formerly green with life. Now tainted with the red from the tears of hell. But all was not lost. The jester quickly rushed over to the limp body of the young boy, as he clung to the remnants of life remaining, and dispatched a knight to inform the king and queen. The king was away on stately business and would not be able to return until that evening, but the queen was nowhere to be found. The library was hidden deep within the forbidden forest, that was cloaked by the magic of the swamp shrew, in order to protect the crumbling pages held within. But alas, good fortune stuck and just as the knight was passing the forest, the queen’s carriage emerged, and she was informed just in time.

The court physicians looked at the young boy, now pale as the books she had just been studying. Life was fading fast, unless the did something quickly. They administered some medicine and patched up his cuts, but found nothing majorly wrong with him. A sprained arm was all. So they covered it in a magical bind to keep it safe from further harm, and he was sent away to rest.

Weeks passed and the boys discomfort grew. Pain surged with every movement and he remained as weak as the day he was born. But being the future ruler, he must show strength even in the face of defeat. So he masked this to everyone.

But a mother knows all. A mother can always tell when something is wrong. A mother knows best. She rushed him back to the physicians who sent for a consult. Unusual: yes; but they had to make sure the boy was safe. The court wizard rushed in, dropping his potions the instant he heard the boys symptoms. He knew what was wrong.

The boy had a bad break in his arm, which had been masked by some unknown enemy though the use of magic. A difficult spell to cast, but an effective one. A few more days and the boy would have died. But he was here now. Here to help.

He removed the magical cloak and instantly operated on the boy. No magic or even splints were necessary, as fortune would have it, it was a clean break. The two pieces simply fit together, the body acting like one giant jigsaw.

The boy awoke from the aesthetic quickly, having his father’s lack of patience. But he was forced to sit still for his arm was once more wrapped in a magical bind, but this time the arm was healed and in the correct position. He would be fine, if he would just sit still! So the queen did what any mother would do, she sacrificed herself for her sons gain. She stayed with the frail little boy, as he sat on her lap for three days and nights, long enough for the aesthetic to wear off and the magic to do its work on healing the boy.

But all was right in the kingdom. The king returned and caught the mischievous fiend who hurt his little boy, and was sentenced to death. The boy grew up to be big and strong forever more, although some remnants of the magic remained in his system, causing him to be a bit more clumsy. But he never forgot that fateful day when he fell from his own creation, because the image of a sword was  permanently imprinted onto his arm where the break was.

Where the battle was.

Where the victory was.