A Whole New World/Chapter 1

Plot
The story features Nino D'Aragon, next Queen Anne, the year before going to Ever After High.

Crumbling under high expectations, suffocating in a castle he only wants to leave, he will try his best to escape, and find...

A Whole New World.

A Bird In Cage (Discussing Is Useless)
The sun was shining above the grand city of Fairis.

In his room at the palace, Nino D'Aragon was absent-mindedly staring at the sky he could see from his window. He let out a soft sigh.

He still wasn't getting used to this life. Only one year ago, he was a peaceful and carefree average people's son and it all turned out to be a lie. ''A big lie. ''The people he had called Mom and Dad all his childhood weren't his parents.

Those parents turned to be Queen Anne of Austria, and some nobleman. Just ''some nobleman. ''No name, no info, nothing, just a stern look from his mother everytime Nino would mention his dad.

And Nino wasn't used to palace life, to call the Queen his mother and, more importantly, to stay stuck at the castle. He wasn't used to it, and probably never would. And now he was here, sitting on his window's edge, wanting only on thing. ''Escaping. ''Like... some bird in cage, or something.

But Nino wasn't a bird, he was a human. And humans aren't supposed to be kept in golden cages, right?

Over the last few months, Nino had developed an intense feeling of frustration. Like,he used to be a free young boy, now he was an imprisoned bird.

Before he could go further in his thoughts, someone knocked at the door. Without even waiting for a response, the person opened the door, and Nino couldn't help but sigh in annoyance.

Blonde hair, blue eyes and that seemingly eternal self-satisfied expression on her face, Camille de Bourbon in all her annoying glory was here.

"What do you want?" Nino asked without even looking at Camille.

"Mother asks for you to come." Camille answered, with a subtle and almost unnoticeable smirk on her lips, as if she was already amused by what was going to happen.

"Oh, GREAT."Nino groaned.

Everytime his mother wanted to talk to him personally, it was never good. Never. Queen Anne was a strict and stern woman, who was always expecting the best of her children. Or rather... of her child. Camille wasn't Anne's daughter, she was King Louis'. While she was supposed to take after her father, Nino was destined to follow his mother's footsteps.

"Destiny. What a weird thing..." Nino thought as he made his way to the throneroom.

Why were certain people obligated to repeat the same pattern, generation after generation?

Happy Ending, Tragical Ending, or even being forgotten... What if people just... didn't want to?

He was, in all honesty... among those people. He deeply didn't care about what he was supposed to be, or become. That was precisely what he didn't want to think about.

Soon enough, Nino was in front of the throneroom's closed doors. He took a deep breath, and opened the golden doors.

Queen Anne was sitting on her throne, apparently gettin impatient. She was all alone in the throneroom, King Louis was absent. Like... a lot of times lately.

"Ah. You are here at last. I have been waiting, you know?" the Queen said.

"Sorry." Nino whispered.

"Now, we have to talk. You are thirteen, and the time of destiny is coming. As soon as you will turn fourteen, you will go to Ever After High. You have heard of it, I assume?"

"I did."

"Right. Well... I want to tell you some things. I expect only the best from you at school, Nino. The best. And you will have to act the best, too. Also... you must do honor to your line. You are a member of the D'Aragon house, and you must be worthy of it."

Nino cringed. This speech, again. As if he hadn't heard it a million times already. He didn't even consider himself as part of the "D'Aragon house", like his mother said. So... this speech was pretty much pointless to him.

"And I also expect you to be worthy of your destiny, Nino. People who are destined to rule are prone to a lot of jealousy from others. You must learn to keep your chin high, my son."

''My son. ''Nino cringed even more. He didn't consider himself as the Queen's son, and never had.

He hated the very idea of walking in her footsteps. He hated the very idea of walking in anyone's foosteps, actually.

"I...I will be worthy of your destiny, Mother." Nino said reluctantly.

What else could he say? Trying to argue with his mother was useless. She was way too stubborn, way too stuck in her ideas.

Discussing was useless.