A Secret Letter to a Friend

'Tis a lonely life for a young prince cloistered in a fortress with no friends to speak of. Endless days of studies and tutoring, broken up only by mealtimes and meetings with topics far over the young lordling's head. There is a constant air of battle about the place, although Ruben has long since settled into a cold war with its sister kingdom, Lazuli. And through the machinations of the Regent, very few people can even come close to the young prince.
Which makes the daring escapades of a young circus girl all the more remarkable. Sneaking her way through the hallways, she delivers letters from a secret pen-pal to the young prince, giving him glimpses and tastes of the outside world.

"I can bring you a friend, if you want."
Richard peeked over the edge of the windowsil. Hanging by her fingertips, feet braced against the stone wall like it was the easiest thing in the world, was one of the few people who dared to try to be his friend.
"Soapy? What are you doing here?" Richard hissed quietly. "If the guards find you-"
"They won't find me." Soapy pulled herself up onto the windowsill, feet dangling in the open air. Her dark hair was tied back, yet still closely clung to her shoulders. "I'm too small for them to see." She looked at him and smiled. "Besides, their bellies are so big they would fall over trying to chase me!"
It was hardly a laughing matter, but it still made the young prince smile.
"Now, I can bring you a friend." Soapy crossed her legs, looking out at the stars.
"How? Are you going to fit them in your bag?" Richard asked, confused. Soapy was strong for her age as a circus girl, but...
"I'm going to bring you a letter from a friend, silly!" Soapy tilted her head. "But There's Special Rules because it Has to be Extra Secret. One!" She held up a finger. "You are not allowed to tell them who you are."
"Why not?"
"It's no fun if you know!" Soapy protested. "Besides, we could all get in trouble if it got out you were sending secret messages. Two!" She held up another finger. "You can't ask them for any information about themselves that can give themselves away. And Three!" A Third finger was held up. "You have to have your letter ready when the circus comes to town. Got it?"
Dumbfounded, Richard nodded. "Good, because I already have a friend for you." Soapy reached into her bag and shuffled around before pulling out a small cream envelope. "Think you can have a letter back ready by tomorrow night?"
The letter was dropped hastily into Richard's hands, who fumbled before catching it. "I-ah-"
"Perfect! See you tomorrow night!"
And with that Soapy swung herself back out the window, and was down on the flagstones before he could blink. By the time Richard had run to the window himself, she was gone.
Richard looked at the stars, then at the letter in his hand. A friend, huh....
I guess it can't hurt.

Read the Document

A Secret Letter to a Friend

My dear friend,
Thank you for your advice about talking to adults. I don't feel like anyone listens to me very much, So it is nice to have a friend that understands. You must be very smart, if adults listen to you. My tutor doesn't like when I ask questions and tells me to be quiet and listen.
My studies have been very boring. I know that General [Name] was an important leader and led a lot of vict-ri-us battles, but that was two thousand years ago. I can't even count that high! And I don't want to be a general like him. We aren't at war right now, and I don't want to be at war with anyone. Why would you train someone for a job they don't want? I would much rather be learning about phil-os-phy. My tutor says generals don't think about phil-os-phy, which is dumb. What do they think about when there is no war?
My training with the Captain is going much better. Today he taught me about Chiv-al-re, which is about being nice to ladies and having honor amoung friends and rivals. There aren't a lot of ladies around here to be nice to, though. Only old Mrs. Banderwithe and the kitchen ladies, and she's hard to be nice to. Still, when there is a lady that comes to visit I will be nice to her.
My caretaker came to visit today too. He heard that I was having a hard time in my studies with the tutor. I tried to tell him that the lessons were boring, with adult words and everything, but he didn't seem to care. He said that 'learning my mili-try history is important' and that 'I should be honored to have such a thourough edu-cat-in.' I think he got me mixed up with another kid when I was born, and he won't admit it.
I am glad I have a secret friend I can confide in. Do you struggle with adults like this? I think, perhaps, if we traded places my caretaker would be much happier.
I hope all is well with you and your studies. Please do not take too long to write back-I really look foward to your letters.

~R

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Type

Text, Letter

Medium

Paper

Location

Dalreme Castle

Authors

• Richard Dalreme VII

Signatories (Characters)

• Richard Dalreme VII