Chapter 04 A Home Beyond the Walls

Rein sat on the edge of the cushioned window seat in his room, small hands pressed against the glass. Beyond the stone courtyard, the sun dipped low. From here, he could just make out the far edge of the outer walls. The world beyond that? Still a mystery.

He exhaled and rested his chin on his knees.

 “I'm five now. Stronger than most kids, faster too. I could swing a wooden sword hard enough to knock grown men back on their heels. Magic? Yeah, that too. I could light a candle from across the room if I focused enough. Pretty good, right?

The knights said I was gifted. A prodigy. But none of it really mattered when you’re stuck inside stone walls every day, like a really well-fed bird in a fancy cage.

I like the cage, don’t get me wrong. It's warm. Safe. I have Mom and Dad. That's more than I ever had before this life. But even then..."

The door creaked. Rein didn’t turn—he already knew their footsteps by heart. Dad always stepped too heavy, like a soldier even when he wasn’t trying. Mom’s steps were soft, always careful, like she didn’t want to wake a sleeping dream.

“There’s our little prince of pouting.” 

 “I’m not pouting, dad.”

“You’re absolutely pouting, but you’re allowed to. You’ve been so patient.” Elenora said with a laugh as she crossed the room. She sat beside him, smoothing his messy hair.

“Did I do something wrong? You both have serious faces.”

Elenora glanced at Cael, then nodded gently. He stepped closer, kneeling so that he was eye level with Rein.

“No, bud. You didn’t do anything wrong,” Cael said, “Actually, this is something we’ve been waiting for. We’ve got news.”

“Good news or bad news?”

“Bit of both,” Elenora said softly, “But mostly good. We’re leaving the castle.”

“Leaving? Like… for good?”

“Yeah, son! We found a home, outside the capital. A small place. Quiet, peaceful.”

“No more guards watching your every step,” Elenora added, “No more tutors hammering lessons from sunup to sundown.”

“But… What about my sword lessons? My magic training?”

“Still happening, champ. That’s part of the deal. You get your fresh air, your freedom—and I’ll make sure your blade stays sharp. You get to train with your old man, no holding back.”

“And I’ll make sure your spells don’t blow up the house,” Elenora said, mock-stern, earning a giggle from Rein.

“But why? Why are we leaving now?”

Cael exchanged a glance with Elenora then said, “Because you’ve spent your whole life in stone halls, behind heavy doors and under watchful eyes. It’s time you saw the world for yourself. Not the world nobles see from balconies—but trees, rivers, fields. People who don’t bow every time you sneeze.”

“We want you to have a real childhood,” Elenora added, “One with scraped knees and stars above your head, not just books and marble floors.”

 “I feel grandpa will be mad... Will Grandpa be mad?”

Cael’s let out a deep sight before answering, “He… understands our choice. My father is upset with our decision, but he gave us his blessing. He will not try to stop us.”

“Okay,” Rein said after a pause, “But do we get to bring books?”

Elenora laughed and kissed his forehead while saying, “We’ll bring a whole cart if we have to.”

“And you’ll get to help decorate your new room, or no sword training with me. All three of us are painting the walls. You pick the color.”

 “Okay… I think I like this idea.”

 “Come on, then, champ. Let’s go tell the staff to start packing. Adventure begins tomorrow.”

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The house stood on the edge of town, where the stone roads faded into packed dirt. Modest compared to a castle, certainly, but charming in its own right—whitewashed walls, a red-tiled roof, and a fenced garden out front. 

To Rein, it felt more like home than the royal chambers he had.

It took a few weeks to settle in. The air was different here. No guards outside the doors. No polished marble. No hushed voices murmuring titles.

Rein had adjusted the fastest. His parents took a little more time.

Elenora, once hesitant to touch anything without gloved hands, now wandered barefoot through their vegetable garden. Cael, used to shouting commands to squadrons, had to learn how to fix squeaky hinges and cut the lawn.

But each evening, as they gathered around the table for dinner—simple meals, shared laughter—it became clear: they were happy.

Rein’s days found a rhythm. Sword practice with his father in the morning, where their wooden blades clashed in the backyard until both were sweaty and smiling. Magic lessons in the afternoon, Elenora patiently guiding his small hands through sigils and incantations. And in between… school.

Not noble tutors in gilded halls. A small commoner’s school on the edge of town. Rein didn’t need the lessons—he could already out-read the older students, and his math was leagued ahead—but that wasn’t why he went.

He went to talk to the other kids. 

They didn’t know he was royalty. Just a bright, quiet boy with messy hair and sharp eyes who always helped clean up after class. He wasn’t one of them—not really—but he didn’t act above them either.

This—this quiet life—was new, and good. Something he hadn’t had before. Not in this world. Not in the last one, either. How cold everything had felt. How distant his old parents had been. No bedtime stories. No warm meals waiting. No swords or magic—just homework and silence.

But now?

Now he had a father who clashed swords with him until their arms ached. A mother who showed him how to turn sunlight into flames and ice into art. A warm bed. A home that didn’t feel like a cage.

And something else he hadn’t expected: a future he wanted to live.