Prince Verilivon has his life as king already planned out – he’ll hire people to do all the boring jobs for him and spend his days lounging in comfy chairs in the palace. Unfortunately for him, an enchantress has other plans for his future…
“This is no time to be a petulant child!” Cecilia scolded.
Prince Verilivon yawned widely. He slumped in the uncomfortable stone-carved throne. “I’m not being a child. This is boring.”
“Boring it may be, but it is your responsibility to listen to the needs and desires of your subjects. You will need to do this on a regular basis when you are king.”
He waved a hand at her. “No, I’ll get someone to do that job for me, someone more suited to boredom.”
“Idiot,” she muttered. “Don’t forget, after this you are to visit the veterans of the Kingdom Wars.”
Verilivon groaned. He could already imagine the mind-numbing boredom. “Another task that I’ll employ someone to do when I’m king.”
“And what about your many other tasks as king?” she demanded. “What about doing charity work for the orphanage? Or visiting the farmers? Or training the younger knights? What about signing decrees and laws?”
“There are people who can do all that stuff for me, Cecilia. As king, I can order people to do whatever I want.” He slung a leg over the arm of the throne, trying to get comfortable.
She rounded on him, arms crossed. “You sound as if you want the title and perks of a King, but without all the responsibility. Continuing down that path will lead to disaster. Your subjects aren’t simply yours to command. You can’t always pick and choose what you want to do. If you ignore them, you’ll soon find the kingdom and crown taken from you.”
“No one would dare take the throne from me.”
She raised her eyebrows. “It’s happened to others, why shouldn’t it happen to you? Don’t underestimate the power of the people, Verilivon.”
He yawned widely, not attempting to hide it. “Is the lecture over yet?”
Shrugging, she turned away from him. “Fine. I’ll not say another word about the subject today, but when things start going wrong and your people resent you, don’t come to me asking why. Now, sit up properly. You’ve got people’s problems to listen to.”
“You’re being overly dramatic about the whole thing,” he told her, just before she swung the doors of the chamber open. He remained in his semi-lounging position. Why shouldn’t he be comfortable if he had to struggle through two hours of minuscule peasant problems?
Cecilia ushered the first person into the room. Verilivon hastily sat up quickly as a stunning young lady curtsied before him. He cleared his throat and glared at Cecilia. She could have warned him that an attractive woman was about to enter the room. He would have groomed himself a little more and wouldn’t have been slouching in his throne.
“What is your problem, good lady?” he asked, hoping his voice sounded benevolent.
She smiled at him, a dimple winking from the side of her mouth. “I think it’s more along the lines of what I can do for your kingdom, your highness.”
Before he could fathom what she meant by that statement, a wind whipped up around her, rushing through her hair before buffeting him. Cecilia collapsed to the floor, unconscious. A chill settled in his bones and his legs felt incredibly heavy. He let out a startled yelp when he saw the cold grey stone creeping past his knees. She was turning him into a statue!
“Witch!” he cried. He couldn’t move his legs at all. The granite had already crept to his waist. He couldn’t even stand.
“Don’t be so vulgar. I’m an enchantress. Trust me, my Prince, you won’t be harmed, but unless you give up your lazy ways, you won’t be free of this curse.” She fluttered her fingers at him in a wave as she turned to leave.
“Why?” he croaked, before his vocal cords turned to stone.
“This kingdom deserves a better king than you. Prove your worth to them and the spell will be broken.”
How? he wanted to shout at her. How can I prove that I’m not a lazy king if I’m stone?!
The door swung shut behind her and he felt the last hairs on his head turn to granite.
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