Like a cursed child

Ryan looked up at the portrait of the family his father had painted when he was a child. His very Germanic father looked down with his blonde hair, strong and tall frame with one hand on Ryan’s older brother, Konrad’s, shoulder. Konrad was basically a copy of his father. Ryan’s mother looked regal, her red curly hair and green eyes marking her as a daughter of the lands of Erie. Ryan however, Ryan had alabaster white skin, emerald green eyes, white hair from the day he was born, well, aside from the single shock of black hair upon his chin that had appeared in his beard, and freckles across his face and arms. It was a shame that the unborn daughter, just barely noticeable in that portrait, took his mother’s and her own life while being born.

“Your Majesty,” an aid came in and bowed, “The carriage is ready…”

“They are already calling me King Ryan and Cursed,” Ryan said still looking at the portrait, “I heard the people while I was traveling from the monetary to the palace. It seems the old servants told stories of how ugly I was… the people would rather deal with a lepper monk than an ugly prince…”

“The people don’t know you My King,” the Aid said, “Once you are properly crowned, they will be faithful to you and if you bring prosperity to them, they will forget about your appearance…”