Tester of the Royal Toys

As they had made their way through the Castle, barriers and barricades seemed to leap out of the Chamberlain’s way.  Guards stepped aside saluting with swift, clockwork precision.  The Chamberlain was an incredibly important man, and despite himself, Jaron couldn’t help but start to feel important too, following in the great man’s wake.  

        He was only there to open toys, but after all, they were the most important toys in the whole kingdom.  They were the Prince’s toys!

The castle staff wanted to give only the very best toys to the prince, but they didn’t want him to have too many.  We all know that too much of a good thing can lead to all sorts of problems, don’t we?  

Somewhere along the lines, they got it in their heads that Jaron and the Prince had similar enough tastes, and Jaron had been hired.  They gave him the very official sounding title Tester of the Royal Toys.  

It went something like this: Great piles of toys would wait in the Prince’s antechamber on the biggest table Jaron had ever seen.  The hearth was almost never lit, and sometimes it got very cold.  Jaron opened what he could, and the staff would watch for his reaction.  

He never got to play with the toys.  He would look at them.  Sometimes he could go so far as to test the components, so long as he never broke into a game.  It wouldn’t do to have the Prince’s toys feeling used before he got them.  

        He followed the Chamberlain through interconnected corridors, down stairs, through doors, and up a very impressive ladder.  Jaron sometimes wondered wonder if he would see Dot in the depths of the castle, or if she would see him.  That wasn’t as unlikely as it sounds; Dot had a way of finding reasons to be in the unlikeliest of places.  

Next Chapter: Shadows