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Alaric was born on the first day of the first moon, a king's day.

Therefore he was given the name Alaric by his dying mother, who saw something much greater behind his shining brown eyes. She held him up in the air as he cried, and declared that he had a large destiny ahead of him. A king's destiny. That it was written in his eyes for him to one day rule this empire, and that as a saint she knew it to be true. She would've been hanged for claiming such things, not to mention the controversial saint thing. But alas she died of childbirth only moments later, and as she had been a traveler from somewhere far away, the people of the city of Birds had no idea who the father could've been.

Alaric, the destined king and saint's son, would be raised at the overfilled and dirt poor orphanage of Birds. Not a suitable place for a future king to live in, that's for sure. The nuns of the city of Birds saw no more greatness in him than they saw in the other children. Orphans in a poor city like this one have no future ahead of them. They must simply be taken care of until the day they either die of disease or turn to crime and are hanged. Only a gods chosen few get out of the crippling poverty and harsh reality and become something more than just a street rat. Whether or not Alaric would become one of the chosen few was of, and is, none of their concern as of today.

The newborn child doesn't even know how to walk or talk, it's too early to think anything of him. Even with a name like Alaric, he is nothing more than a mouth to feed, just like the other kids. In the future he might even be teased for his name. The kids at the orphanage often get jealous of those they think have more than themselves, and they can only take it out on other orphans who have nobody to protect themselves. They can't touch the kids with their parents. But Alaric is only a baby, so none of the older kids have really thought about it yet. For now, he is simply the newborn child called Alaric.

Who knows what the future will bring? The woman who came to their city in labor two months ago, claiming to be a saint, never truly expanded on that thought. She simply left it at that. Nobody believes in the words that she had once said, and they have no reason to. What peasant could ever possibly become king? Nobody would be so fortunate. However, if she was in fact right, and saw the king's light within his eyes, what could truly stop him from fulfilling his destiny?

What if Alaric truly is a future king?

That is what his name would suggest.

"Guards"

Maud feels a little chilly, as she watches the unfamiliar, icy cold expression on Adelio's face. His eyes are unforgiving and cruel, even as they are pointed towards a sick old lady who owns nothing. Suddenly everything around him seems darker, as he towers over her with a hidden kind of anger that sends chills down Maud's spine. His jaw is clenched shut and his face is morphed into the most stoic expression he could muster, clearly holding himself back from not forcefully pushing the old woman off him in an instant. Maud cowers slightly away from the crown prince, as he suddenly seems taller and scarier than ever before.

Last time he looked like this was when Maud first met him, when his cold eyes were set on her and her brothers. But even then they weren't as angry and defensive as they are now. The old woman seems to sense danger before the guards can even reach her. She backs away from Adelio with her shaky hands in the air, until two armed men grab her by force. Maud has never seen her husband exercise his power in any way, so it's odd to see him act so casually as the woman is grabbed by his order, right in front of him. Maud has no idea what is going on, but it must be something very serious, considering how terrified the city chief seems to be. The old man hesitantly gets in front of the tall crown prince and bows his head, trembling with fear and shame over what just happened.

"I am so sorry, your highness. Please show mercy over us. This woman is crazy and does not know her place"

Maud understands why the city chief is taking this so seriously, this woman touched the prince without permission. But she doesn't understand why Adelio is angry. He's not the type of person to care about who touches him, nor is he the type of person to punish peasants for making mistakes around him. He is extremely forgiving and kind, to see him act the opposite makes Maud frown through her confusion. What did she even say? That Adelio isn't a man, but a woman? Clearly that is crazy. Adelio looks like a man, no matter how pretty he is in his handsomeness. He might have a few feminine features but they are quite obviously, and strongly overshadowed by his masculine ones. His height, his strength, his defined nose and jawline, hair and clothes and title. Everything about him makes him out to be a man, so why would a stranger claim that he is the opposite? Why would Adelio take offense to it, when the Adelio Maud knows would've shrugged it off and forgiven it immediately?

Something about this isn't right.

But what can she do? Maud is a princess, nothing else. All she has the capability of is watching, watching as Adelio towers with anger over both the woman and the city chief.

"Have you lost all respect for the crown!? Perhaps the next tour should refrain from coming to this city"

Even Maud lowers her head at that, scared of the cold and harsh tone that her husband directs towards the rich old man. He uses his words wisely, not going overboard as they have multiple eyes watching, however his anger and disappointment is clearly visible despite that. Maud is just glad she's not at the receiving end of it. Panic seems to bloom on the face of the city chief, as he risks losing such an important event to this city, in a mere few seconds after the royal's arrival. He throws himself to the ground, taking a hold of Adelio's lower leg and begs desperately for the prince's mercy.

"Please, your highness! Show mercy over us! This woman shall be punished and it shall never happen again! This poor city depends on your goodwill and mercy!"

The crown prince isn't amused by what he seems to think of as a weak apology. He kicks his leg away from the man's grip, as if it were disgusting, and Maud is surprised at how much he is capable of. She doesn't feel bad for the city chief though, he seems to steal from his people and it was his own fault for bringing them into a place where Adelio could get attacked like this, but she does feel pity for the old woman, who has gone silent after her crazy outburst.

"Do you need a reminder of who you are really hosting?! You must think I'm kind and forgiving, since you say such things in front of my wife!"

The city chief flinches with fear, as does everyone else. Adelio's voice is loud and terrifying in the small room. Maud, when mentioned, lowers her head even further.

"I think highly of you, crown prince! Please show mercy over us!"

"Silence. If you want my mercy, improve this city so that I won't have to be disrespected like this a second time"

Adelio's eyes fall down towards the woman after that. Maud stays still in the background, her hands clasped in front of her as she keeps her head bowed and out of the way. It's better if he doesn't see her right now. Maud is terrified to anger him too, not because he would hurt her, he would never do that, but because she couldn't handle the usual stoic and calm Adelio showing any kind of angry emotion towards her. It's better if it's only those two people who are at the receiving end of it. The guards hold the woman in place as Adelio sends death glares towards her.

"You have some nerve, claiming such things about your future king. Do you have any idea how hurtful it could be, if such rumors began to spread?"

The woman doesn't seem to acknowledge him. Maud gulps, as she sees Adelio's jaw tighten from his anger. She just wishes the old lady could apologize. Surely Adelio would be more forgiving towards her. Especially if she admitted that what she said was completely wrong. She is after all, just a peasant, and since Adelio is quite clearly a man he has nothing to fear. Right?

"Guards, send her to the city dungeon"

They begin to drag her away, and she doesn't protest, staying quiet throughout the whole ordeal. A third guard follows them out, probably some kind of supervisor, but he is stopped by Adelio grabbing his arm. The guard turns to the crown prince and Adelio whispers something into his ear, making the man nod and bow, quickly rushing after the others. Adelio sighs, as if to calm himself down, before telling the city chief to get up and stop embarrassing himself. The air in the sickroom is tense and cold, brought by the terrifying rage of the crown prince, who is rumored to be a monster warrior who thirsts for blood. Maud thinks he's not doing such a good job at keeping those rumors at bay. She keeps her head down and stands completely still until Adelio and the city chief start awkwardly moving again, towards a wooden door in the distance. Maud follows them and throws a few apologetic and subtle glances in the direction of the sick citizens while she's at it, sorry that they had to see such a thing happen.

"Ah yes, well-"

Once they've left the sickroom and closed the door behind them, the old man awkwardly continues the tour with a cough. Adelio is stone faced, either still angry or pretending that nothing just happened. Maud is conflicted. She follows the crown prince around the new area, curious as to what this place is. It's a stone building connected to the church, with a low roof. They're walking through a dark hallway that leads them to another wooden door. The city chief continues as his hand lays on the doorknob.

"This is the city orphanage, your royal highness. The children have been waiting for months to meet you both"

He opens the door, and a much more pleasant smell of porridge engulfs them, a great contrast from the disgusting smell of sick from earlier. It is not very bright in the orphanage, as the windows seem to be covered with wooden slabs to keep the dust out. Only candles and a few chosen holes in the wall provide them with the ability to sense their surroundings. Children up to the age of twelve run around the orphanage with energy and glee, despite looking both hungry and dusty from the outside. They greet the royals excitedly with big smiles and sparkling eyes. This time, Maud doesn't even need to fake her smile, and neither does Adelio. It's too cute.

There is a large wooden table in the middle, where the hardworking nuns are trying to get the kids to stay in place for lunch. Despite probably being hungry the children can't hold their excitement, the crown princess and crown prince being too much of an attraction. Maud lets them cling to her dress, bending down to pat their heads when the cuteness just gets too much. She sees Adelio do the same. This is the kind of greeting Maud likes. Still it saddens her to see so many kids live in such a poor environment, barely getting any food as they struggle for space in their own common home.

"You're such a pretty princess!"

"Can I be a princess too?"

"Do you have a real sword? And a horse?"

"Have you ever been to a castle?"

"Your dress is so pretty!"

As they are bombarded with several different questions ranging from sensible ones from the older kids to funny ones from the younger ones, Maud can't help but let her heart swell with happiness. She tries her best to answer every question that she hears, while looking into the eyes of the ones who asked. Has she ever been to a castle? Yes, and they are beautiful. She is beautiful? No, the kids are way prettier. Looking to the left, she can see Adelio doing the same thing with a smile over his face, greatly contrasting his stressed and angry expression from before. Does he have a horse and a sword? Yes.

Once the kids have calmed down and been shushed away by the nuns and the city chief, Maud talks with the nuns about caring for the children while Adelio talks about something more serious with the city chief. It probably concerns regional politics which Maud has no concern in, so she simply makes sure that she is involved in matters that she can truly have a say in. The nuns offer her some tea as they talk about how rewarding, but harsh their job is. They wish the orphanage could have more money, but in a poor economy and poor city that isn't exactly possible. They also talk about how heartbreaking it is to see these children turn out to have bad futures simply because they couldn't get stable connections or a stable upbringing. Maud sympathizes with them by telling them that Adelio is going to bring a new era, where things could change for the better. She truly hopes that she isn't making empty promises, putting all her trust in her husband to make it right.

"Do you also care for the infants? How can you find the time?"

The nuns laugh at the question, but not in a mean or condescending way. They sound tired too, acknowledging her surprise. How could they take care of all these kids, and the infants who need constant care? It's quite demanding, and they barely get paid as it is. Maud asks if she can see the room where they keep the babies, terrified of what kind of conditions they might be in. She has already heard about small rooms where they keep babies of all ages on mattresses on the floor, stuck together and overflowing. Oftentimes they even forget to feed all of them and they die of malnutrition. The nuns agree and lead her up to the second floor, at least ten different kids clinging to her as they walk. They open a wooden door with a creak and Maud can already hear the crying, loud and shrill and heartbreaking. She prepares herself for the worst, only to be slightly relieved by the sight of about twenty baby beds next to each other, one child in each. It seems to be more organized and civilized than the rumors would suggest.

"We keep the completely newborn ones here in the sunlight, since some of them need that light for their yellowing skin condition"

Maud gazes down at one of the small newborns, who is sleeping peacefully whilst many of the others cry. She wonders why the baby is here and not in its mothers arms. It breaks her heart, even as the child lays so peacefully and calmly in its crib.

"What happened?"

She asks before she can stop herself. The nuns aren't offended though. In fact, they seem more than happy to tell the baby's story.

"He's got quite the story, your highness. His mother came to our city two months ago, in labor. She died after giving birth to him, but not before claiming that she was a saint and that she could tell that he would become king in the future. She gave him the name Alaric"

Maud feels a smile stretch over her face. Alaric, meaning ruler. The name of a true king.

"He was born on the king's day too, it's quite a spectacle"

"Can i hold him?"

The nuns are quick to hand the baby over to her, and Maud is surprised that he doesn't wake up even after being moved into her arms. He sleeps so peacefully and looks so cute, with a small nose and tiny breaths. This is Alaric, a ruler? But he's so tiny. Oh well, even Adelio has been a tiny baby like this once. This one could grow up into a strong and powerful man like Adelio. Born on the king's day and destined to be a ruler. What an interesting name and story this boy has. Maud can't help but smile in a motherly way as she holds the baby in her arms. The nuns watch her with a smile.

Suddenly, the door of the room opens slowly and carefully. Adelio peeks through the doorframe before getting inside, scared to startle the babies inside. He sees Maud with a baby in her arms and immediately smiles, joining her side. The nuns give them a little bit of privacy, giggling as they back away and leave the room. Maud smiles up at her husband and carefully shows the baby to him. Her voice is nothing more than a soft whisper when she speaks.

"Look Adelio, his name is Alaric! They say he is destined to be king"

And suddenly, the crown prince gets the greatest idea of the century.

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