The Rings Deception Claiming The Ring

All Hail The Hypocrite

Chapter 2: All Hail the Hypocrite

The brand new day was accompanied by singing from the beautiful birds, which did nothing but irritate Prince Anderson. He shut his eyes even tighter, trying to get some sleep. "Is this how you are going to find the ring and become immortal?" Prince Anderson jumped from the bed, his hand folded ready to punch.

"Uncle! Dad freed you. But I didn't win; it was a draw?" Prince Anderson's innocent-looking eyes stared into his uncle's dark and devious soul. "Your father is only trying to impress you, get into your good book. That's why he released me– not out of love. Don't make that mistake," Prince Anderson's uncle said.

Prince Anderson nodded; for a moment, he felt his heart soften towards his father for a second before his uncle's words, but he quickly put that behind him. His uncle placed the box he once threw away into his hands. "Only those who are specially gifted can see the letters written inside. If you can't see it, that means you took after your father – completely human." Prince Anderson almost threw up; he hated the fact that he was weak. Humans were weak and useless; he would never consider himself one.

As the box opened, Anderson strained his eyes, hoping to be the chosen one. "Brother!" Anderson closed the box immediately. "When did you arrive?" Prince Anderson's younger brother, Michael, jumped over him, super excited. "What is this?" Michael took the box in his hands. His presence irritated Anderson's uncle; he groaned and murmured, but Michael ignored him.

Michael said, juggling the box with the other items in his hands. Missing a throw, the box flew out of the window. Prince Anderson was extremely stunned; that box was the key to his sanity. He jumped through the window without thinking. His hands stretched out, trying to stop the box from getting into another person's hand. "Is he crazy?" "This is all your fault." Michael and his uncle bickered in his room.

The wind messed with Prince Anderson's hair as tears poured out of his eyes. Princess Aria's spy, who flew along with him as a bird, took the box and took off, leaving Anderson to submit to painful gravity and plummeted to the ground. "Jeff!" Prince Anderson called, but there was no response. As Jeff slept peacefully in his room, forgetting he had royal duties, he was woken up by a wet feeling.

"That is disgusting," Jeff screamed as he felt Anderson's wet finger in his ear. "Not as disgusting as a servant who lets his master fall in public." Jeff looked at his watch. "It's 7 am in the morning; why would you be falling so early?" Prince Anderson took Jeff by the hair and threw him down the stairs. Jeff rolled non-stop; the stairs hurt Jeff's back so much he thought he was going to pass out. And indeed, he did.

_Jeff's Dream_

Welcome to Wonderland, where everything is not as it seems. Jeff dusted his shirt and scanned the environment. He was in a forest; the trees were extremely scary and looked alive. He stumbled. "Am I dead?" Jeff asked. "Not yet, but if you do not do as I say, you will be." Jeff spun around, his hands on his head. This can't be real. Suddenly, he heard his master's voice. "Jeff, Jeff!" Jeff gasped and opened his eyes; he was back in the palace. He stared at Prince Anderson, who looked frightened. Anderson warned him not to play such tricks on him again. He walked away, leaving Jeff sitting on the floor.

"Need some help?" Jeff looked behind him as the knight helped him up and gave him some water. "Prince Terry." Jeff exclaimed and bowed. "No need for that; I have a much better offer." Prince Terry whispered into Jeff's ears. "He wants you to do what?" Prince Anderson screamed. "If you had simply treated me better, no one would try to make me their servant." Prince Anderson marched towards Terry's room. "You hypocrite!" Anderson screamed.

"Finally, you remember you have an older brother. You came back and couldn't even acknowledge me," Terry said, looking bored. Prince Anderson hated Terry; he could never put his finger on the reason why. He simply ignored Terry and walked away. "Finally, the rat has returned; I will make his stay extremely unpleasant." Terry smirked.

_The Spy_

"Young mistress, here it is." Princess Aria took the box forcefully from the spy's hands. "Urgh, it's empty." The princess threw the box away disappointedly. "You ought to be punished for this. How dare you deliver an empty box to me?" The spy shivered; the princess dressed like a Barbie doll, but she was full of rage. The flames in her eyes burned, and the candles ignited, burning the curtains.

"Calm down, my lady," the spy pleaded from a safe distance. "Listen, my father wants me to get married to that prince just for the sake of that ring. But if I find the ring first, then no one would be able to control me anymore – get it?" The spy nodded and thought of another way to make the princess smile; if not, the room would become ashes soon.

"What if I take the box back and if the prince figures out what it contains, I will report it to you?" The princess was silent for a while and then responded. "Wait, I feel a brilliant plan settling in my head. What if you return the box and wait for the prince to figure out what's in it, and then report to me?" The spy sighed and nodded, taking the box, she flew away to the palace.

The flames in the princess's room died down as she breathed air, and everything returned to the way it was. In the palace, Prince Anderson sat in his room, thinking about the box – where could it be? What if he was human like his father? He shuddered. Suddenly, he heard a sound behind him; he spun swiftly and was shocked to see the box right by the window. He ran towards the balcony. "Who's there?" No one responded. He picked up the box and locked his window shut.

Meanwhile, Terry sat in his room, plotting against the day ahead. He needed to win his father's trust, the people's love, and become the heir. He smiled as soon as it hit him. Tomorrow, Prince Anderson would go missing, and who else would be able to find him other than the bravest Knight Eryndor has ever had?