The Whispering Prince - Short Story by Julian Grant

  

The Whispering Prince by Julian Grant

 

Once, there was a bitter little prince named Otto. He really should have been quite happy - what with having been born to wealth and privilege, but he recently learned of his older brother's heroic death fighting off invaders to the their homeland and this had created a huge uproar. The once future king was now gone and sad Otto was next in line to inherit the mantle of the throne.

Of course, normally, one would understand fully Otto being saddened or outright distraught over the loss of his beloved brother or perhaps even a little glad in his most secret heart that he was now heir apparent.

But Otto was neither.

He was more concerned about what his new role was to be now that the hero was no more. What would the people expect of him? How could he ever live up to the daring exploits and martyr's death that was the talk of the entire kingdom.

And that made Otto very bitter indeed.

It wasn't as if he was not without talents. Otto loved to cook, and eat everything he made, truth be told. He swam surprisingly well (floated at least) for one so round and even his old nursemaid said he had the voice of an angel.

But Otto knew that there were Chefs aplenty in the kingdom and that everyone ate too much when they could get enough food. It was not lost on him that all fish swam and every bird sang and that all of his own positive charms paled in comparison to the hero of Bestwick, defender of the Dragon Guard and champion of the people - his dead, stupid brother.

Brother Byron was a true hero, a bonafide well-loved and realm-certified legend who had banished the Demon of Blackrock, defenestrated the Babbling Banshee and single-handedly lead the army to war as the King, Otto's father, sobbed openly as he feared for his most-loved son's life.

What choice did Otto have but to start whispering?

He started first in the stables - pointing out that Paladin, Brother Byron's champion steed had been sadly neglected by his former owner and that his hunting dogs had become rabid once they were left behind by his brother's untimely death.

Otto never bothered to inform anyone that the wasting formula he had fed the faithful steed had done the trick of scurvy, mange, lameness and blindness. Nor did he share with anyone that the tainted meat and noxious maddening drafts he has poisoned the dogs with had been brewed by him in the forgotten dungeons deep in the bowels of the castle's keep. Those secrets he kept for himself.

The king, of course, was inconsolable, staying either drunk most days or staging combat with his own guard whilst in his cups. He would beat his guards terribly as the wild-eyed, slobbering Majesty only added more fuel to Otto's hateful fire. He continued to whisper as his Father flailed and wailed about his great loss.

Only Otto saw the whispers continue to grow as his father collapsed on the courtyard with his rage and anger spent in futile torment.

And this made him happy.

As the rumours built, Otto stalked the town market, his head down, carefully sharing his brotherly knowledge with the drunks at the tavern and the doxies in the pillow-house. He spun his web of lies that Byron was a drunkard with unnatural habits that made even the harlots blush in shame.

It wasn't long before the entire kingdom had nothing good to say or share about his beloved brother or even the state of the realm.

Whispers are like that. They grow.

Imagine Otto's surprise when, one night, having climbed up to his bed chambers from his secret space in the dungeons, he was confronted by a selection of guards, grooms and citizens who had decided that the entire royal family was corrupt and perhaps a better system of ruling might prevail.

Otto's last thought as they pushed him off the castle walls with a noose tied around his neck was that even in death he would have to share the spotlight with his Father who already swung below him.

Julian Grant is a filmmaker, educator, and author of strange short stories, outlaw poetry, full-length novels/ non-fiction texts and outsider comix. A tenured Associate Professor at Columbia College Chicago, his work has been published by Mystery Tribune, Dark Fire UK, Quail Bell, Avalon Literary Review, Crepe & Penn, Alternative History Magazine, Granfalloon, Altered Reality, The Chamber Magazine, Dark Lane Books, Clever Magazine, Peeking Cat Literary Journal, Danse Macabre, Fiction on the Web, Night Picnic, CafeLit, Horla, Bond Street Review, Piker Press, Retreats from Oblivion, Free Bundle, Filth Literary Magazine, Horror Sleaze Trash, The Mythic Circle, Murderous Ink Press, Superlative Literary Journal & The Adelaide Literary Magazine.

Find out more about him at www.juliangrant.com.

juliangrantproductions@gmail.com