A Whole New World/Chapter 2

Author's Note :
Okay, so here's the second chapter of A Whole New World! Yeah, Nino is going to suffer another chapter... I really should stop torturing him, shouldn't I?

The Way That Things Have Been (Uncovered Truth)
After his mother concluded her speech, Nino took a decision as he left. He couldn't take all this anymore. He was going to leave the castle. ''Right now. ''Oh, he didn't think of any plan, all he wanted was going away.

Nino ran through the hallways and finally reached the castle's gates. It was noon, and the guards weren't there at the moment. He opened the doors and went outside, breathing what seemed like the first inhalation of fresh air in ''ages. ''

He started going further away from the castle, but somehow didn't dare to go too far.

''Heh, big mistake. ''

The two guards who were in charge of keeping the castle's gates were soon back, and Nino wasn't far enough for them not to see him.

The young boy froze when he heard :

"Now, look at that. If it isn't young Prince Nino..."

The first guard had silently approached from the latter, and was now standing behind him.

Nino swiftly turned around to face the guard, who was looking rather satisfied.

"Tell me, what are you doing outside?"

"I-I-I... I was..." Nino stuttered.

Yeah, typical. He wasn't even able to speak when it would have been the perfect moment to come up with something clever and plausible. Why did his voice and brain betray him ''right now? ''

"That's what I was thinking. You've got nothing to do outside." the guard went on. "I think the Queen will be very interested to learn that her son tried to get away..."

No. No. No! That couldn't be real! But Nino didn't even make a sound when the guard told to follow him.

Soon enough, they were (again) in the throneroom. When the doors opened, Nino was clenching his fists. He wasn't afraid, he wasn't feeling guilty, he was... absolutely infuriated.

That was so unfair. Why? He just wanted to go out, why was he stuck here?

He was cut off in his thoughts by the guard :

"Your Majesty, your son was trying to escape."

Queen Anne's emerald eyes -the same as Nino's- narrowed.

"What?! Nino, I hope this is not true."

He didn't say anything, but his silence was eloquent.

Anne dismissed the guard with a gesture of her hand and glared at Nino.

"How can you do such a thing?" she asked. "The castle is your right place, and you know it. You have nothing to do with all those... commoners!"

"There will be commoners at Ever After High..." Nino muttered, without even looking at his mother.

"I am not talking about later, Nino! I am talking about now! You have nothing to do outside. And even after a whole year, you still do not understand that. Ah, it was a terrible idea from your father to give you to a foster home! This castle is where you should have been raised, but your... idiot of a father -only God knows how I could ever love him- thought it was safer to give you to other people. He didn't want you to grow up in a castle, he thought it wouldn't do any good to you, and there you are! There you are, escaping! Castle life is your life, Nino, it always was."

Nino was almost petrified, listening to his mother. It was the first time she ever mentioned his father. So it was his idea to give Nino to a foster home... He suddenly felt incredibly grateful to his father, whoever he was. He couldn't have grown up in such a suffocating atmosphere.

"It was my father's idea?"

The words had slipped up, like pushed by the urge to know more.

"Yes, it was." Queen Anne answered. "Your father was a weak person, and I am afraid you are becoming like him. You do not need to know more."

"But I WANT to know more!" Nino burst out.

Now it had gotten to a point where he couldn't take it anymore.

"I'VE BEEN LIED TO FOR TWELVE YEARS OF MY LIFE!" Nino went on, his voice echoing throughout the room. "NOW I NEED TO KNOW!"

Queen Anne's gaze became sharper than ever.

"How dare you?" she said, visibly struggling to not shout too. "I do not allow you to behave in such a way! This is absolutely unworthy of a prince like yourself! I have tried to teach you the basics during so much months, but you wouldn't learn!" She was practically yelling at this point.

She suddenly calmed down, and it frightened Nino more than anything.

"You will stay in your bedroom. Locked. During an indeterminate amount of time. You shall be brought food, but you will not leave your room until I decide you can."

"WHAT? MOTHER!" Nino revolted.

"You heard me. I want you to learn your lesson." Queen Anne dropped.

A Whole New World/Chapter 1 | A Whole New World/Chapter 3