The Prince of Manhattan

by Alexei Iskander

  “How far is that?” Leofric questioned.

  “Not far at all” Miranda answered. “We can go there tomorrow, the bookstore is open all day”.

  “Then that’s what we’ll do” Leofric declared. “We’ll stay here for the night and move at first light tomorrow morning. Unless you wish to leave for your parents tomorrow and return to Albany, I wouldn’t expect you to put yourself in harms way for me”.

  “Oh well it’s fine” Miranda stuttered out, her face going red. “I think it would be safer for me to stay with you”.

  “If that’s your estimation” Leofric replied.

  “Yeah” Miranda replied. “I think that if you can go back in time and stop your uncle then it will be better for my safety”.

  “Not a bad estimation at all” Leofric said.

  Miranda turned her head a little so he couldn’t see that she was blushing. She wasn’t entirely lying, she did think that it would be wiser to stick close to Leofric for the time being. And if by some minuscule chance he managed to succeed in his quest then it would greatly improve her safety. But the main reason for why she was accompanying him was because she wanted to be with him. Being around him made her feel more alive than she’d felt in the previous twenty years of her life. “So long as we’re confined to this structure” Leofric added. “Do you mind doing me a small favour?”.

  Miranda felt a tease of awkwardness, she had never been this close to a boy before. Especially not one who had saved her life twice and had eyes as blue as a butterflies wings. “What kind of favour?” Miranda said hesitantly, her voice wavering a little.

  “I would like for you read out the history of the world” Leofric said. “From when my ancestors founded the kingdom of Northumbria to its dissolution and beyond”.

  Miranda felt a mix of relief and a tiny bit of disappointment. “Sure thing” she answered, the awkwardness mostly draining from her. She opened up her tab on the kingdom of Northumbria again. “Do you want me to start from the beginning and read it out to you?” she asked.

  “I would love that” Leofric replied in his soothing, archaic, aristocratic sounding accent.

  For the next hour Miranda read out first the history of Northumbria and then the world before fielding dozens of questions from Leofric about all manner of topics. The young royal was insatiable, he asked questions about every conceivable thing he could, so great was his curiosity. Miranda found it endearing and admirable to see the wonderment and inquisitiveness of the long haired prince but the unrelenting assault of his inquiries took its toll on her energy levels. She became tired and sleepy while the prince only became more and more fired up, becoming more animated every time he learned something new. “So Northumbria was united with all of the seven kingdoms into a single kingdom which is now called England today?” Leofric asked, his eyes bright with excitement.

  “Pretty much” Miranda answered before yawning. She was tired but content, or as content as a girl hiding out in a library from monsters could be. The animated expressions on Leofric’s face as he soaked in knowledge and asked questions gave her a serene state of mind. “And England is ruled by a Queen?” Leofric continued.

  “Good old Lizzie” Miranda answered.

  “And the kingdom we’re in now is called America but it’s not really a kingdom but a democracy” Leofric added.

  “You got it” Miranda replied.

  “And New York was founded by the Dutch who are the descendants of Frisians” Leofric continued. “But it was taken over by the English, which means that my people built this city”.

  “It’s a little more complex than that” Miranda returned.

  “Are you an Anglo Saxon Miranda?” Leofric asked.

  Miranda laughed, “I guess you could say so. I have ancestry from a few different places, one of them is England”.

  “And your ancestors came to this land two hundred years ago you said?” Leofric inquired.

  “About that long ago” Miranda replied, “they were farmers somewhere upstate”.

  “So they were freemen” Leofric contemplated.

  “They weren’t kings or queens or princes or nobles if that’s what you’re wondering” Miranda joked.

  “Huh” Leofric said. “I wonder if my bloodline has any descendants running around today. There were other branches of our family but I wouldn’t be surprised if Aethelred had them all murdered the swine”.

  “I’m sure there are lots of little Leofric’s running around somewhere” Miranda said.

  “I’d like to think so” Leofric replied. “Didn’t you say something about the English they spoke in my times being different from the English now?”.

  “Yeah” Miranda answered.

  “I think it must be the spell that allows me to understand you” Leofric said.

  “It probably is” Miranda whispered.

  “So much of what you’ve described to me of your world sounds like magic” Leofric said. “And yet you assure me that it isn’t. Flying machines made of metal, the ability to message anyone across the world in seconds, devices to record people for all eternity so that even after they’re dead you can watch them as though they’re alive, heating your food, water and houses without fire and listening to music through wires from contained devices”.

  “The modern world sure is amazing” Miranda said.

  “Northumbria is so dark compared to this world” Leofric said. “You even claim that a man has been landed on the moon. And you showed me footage! The magic of a million Siana’s is nothing compared to this world”.

  “You know you’ve been asking me about my world all night” Miranda started. “But you haven’t said a word about yours”.

  “True” Leofric conceded. “Compared to yours mine seems so lacking and dull. Even the most fanciful stories I could spin wouldn’t impress you in the slightest”.

  “I’m sure you have fine stories” Miranda assured him. “Why don’t you tell me about your life back in Northumbria, before you were sent here”.

  “If you really wish to hear them then I’ll tell them” Leofric said.

  “I would like to hear them” Miranda maintained.

  “Well I was born a prince as you know” Leofric began. “I was raised at my father’s court and was taught from a young age on how to fight and how to rule. My education was left to a scholar from Frankia, who taught me how to read and write and to appreciate the classics. My father was a kind man and a good ruler but he wanted his son to be everything he couldn’t. My father was illiterate you see, he never learnt his letters and he always felt guilty that he lacked learning. He was a good fighter though, one of the best, the enemies of Northumbria barely stirred while he was in power. So as a result I grew up to be both fit to be a warrior and a scholar, ready to take my father’s place when he passed”. Leofric paused for a moment and collected himself before resuming. “Being a king is hard, you don’t understand that until you’re readying yourself to become one. All of the responsibilities can suffocate you and you must work constantly to keep the loyalty and respect of men around you. The most important thing a king does is protect and expand his kingdom, and my father made sure that I had experience in that field. I was eighteen when I saw my first battle, though I did little in that besides observe. After that I attended several others until I finally started to take part myself. The last battle we fought was against the Picts, it was a great victory and I was the one who clinched it. It was at the victory feast that my father was poisoned”.

  Miranda took in his words with unmitigated fascination. To hear him speak of his life was to hear something so distant and fundamentally alien to the world which she was familiar with. In that moment she could feel the gulf of a thousand years between them acutely. While I was going to school and trying to get good grades he was learning how to lead armies. While I was gossiping with my friends or awkwardly interacting with boys he was going into battle with his father. While I was panicking over my university applications he was preparing himself to rule
over thousands. He’s right, being a king isn’t as easy as it looks. I don’t think I would be able to last a day in his shoes. “Before I was sent to this time, to New York City” Leofric continued. “I thought that I would be the next king and continue on my father’s legacy. His health and stamina was declining and it was clear to everyone that he didn’t have long for the world. I’m twenty five now and I wondered if I was old enough to take the crown, if I wasn’t too young and inexperienced. My father was only twenty when he became king and he managed to prosper and even triumph, but he always was a great man”.

  “I’m sure you would have been a great king” Miranda said.

  “Thank you” Leofric intoned. “I miss my home, even though it’s nothing compared to yours I still miss it”.

  “Home is where the heart is” Miranda remarked.

  “It is” Leofric agreed. “What I would give to see Northumbria again. To see the flowing green hills, the flowers blooming in summer, the joy and happiness of the Yule festival”.

  “You make it sound so nice” Miranda said.

  “It was” Leofric mentioned. “It was simple but it was home”.

  “Was there a Northumbrian princess?” Miranda asked, regretting the words as soon as they escaped her lips.

  “You mean did I have a sister?” Leofric asked. “Or do you mean was I engaged to be married?”.

  “The second one” Miranda mumbled nervously. It was a question she was afraid to know the answer to.

  “There wasn’t one” Leofric stated, giving Miranda a surge of relief. “There were a few attempted matches but none of them came to fruition. A prince doesn’t get to choose who he marries after all, the king chooses for him. And even when he becomes king he has to marry based on political considerations, love is for the common folk”. He would have to marry a woman he didn’t love and spend his whole life dealing with the pressure of ruling an entire kingdom. Being a king seems more like a nightmare than anything else at this point. I never realised that a prince could cut such a tragic figure.

  “I’ve only been in love once” Leofric said. “At least that’s what I thought it was, it was more of a boyish crush. There was a girl, her name was Aelfflaed, a fifteen year old me thought she was the prettiest girl in the whole world”.

  “I bet she was lovely” Miranda mentioned.

  “We held hands a few times” Leofric recalled. “In secrecy of course, her father was a powerful ally of my father’s and he would be enraged to find his daughter messing around with the king’s son. Before we could get any further her father left the capital to take up residence in a border town. She had to go with him and we promised each other that we would love each other eternally and when we came of age we would search for each other”.

  “And did you?” Miranda quizzed.

  “No of course not” Leofric reminisced. “We were two headstrong runts with silly romantic notions flying around our heads. It hurt at first but eventually it stopped and I no longer thought of her, I saw her years later and felt nothing. She didn’t either and we both joked about how we had felt and how dramatic we had been several years earlier. She ended up getting married to a noble from Durham, a fierce warrior from reputation”.

  “And there was nothing after that?” Miranda inquired.

  “No there was nothing after that” Leofric affirmed. “I never had the time or the discretion, and I never found myself feeling what I’d felt for Aelfflaed for any girl after that”.

  “I have to admit something” Miranda said.

  “My ears are open” Leofric replied.

  “I never knew how hard it was to be a royal before you explained all this” Miranda uttered. “I had this image in my head that royals were privileged layabouts who lived better than everyone else but I see now that that only applies to royals in today’s world. In your time being a royal was difficult and stressful and very dangerous”.

  “It had its shortcomings” Leofric said. “But I wouldn’t trade it for anything else. A man without ambition isn’t much of a man at all”.

  “I wish I had your ambition” Miranda confessed. “Before this whole situation I was barely drifting through life as it was. I didn’t know where I was going or what I wanted to do”.

  “That’s something I’ve noticed” Leofric said. “In my time our roles are chosen from birth whereas in this world it’s up to the individual to make their own path”.

  “It’s not quite like that” Miranda said. “But you’re kind of right”.

  “You said that you were studying ancient philosophies” Leofric continued. “That’s similar to what high born women would study in my time”.

  “It’s something I chose” Miranda mentioned. “Because I liked it and I couldn’t think of anything else to pursue”.

  “It’s unusual for a woman to study at all” Leofric said. “At least in my time it was, but then it was unusual for most men to study. For the masses of ordinary people, women would be married off young to become wives and mothers while men would take up their father’s trade or work in the fields. I don’t blame you for feeling adrift, I would feel adrift if I had as much choice as you did. If I had to make my own path without knowing where it would lead”.

  “I guess we all want what we can’t have” Miranda surmised.

  “And what about you?” Leofric asked, slightly cheeky grin on his face.

  “What about me?” Miranda returned sheepishly.

  “You asked me about my past loves so what about you?” Leofric delivered. “Is there any suitor pursuing your charms?”.

  Miranda reddened and her face felt hot from embarrassment. Do I tell him the truth? “I don’t have any suitors” Miranda said, pausing before the word ‘suitors’.

  “Your father doesn’t have any men in mind?” Leofric asked.

  “Our fathers don’t choose our partners here” Miranda replied.

  “So there is no man that takes your fancy then?” Leofric quizzed.

  “Not really no” Miranda admitted self consciously. “I put it off during high school and told myself I would worry about it during college. Then I went to college and during the rare times I wasn’t busy I didn’t have much success with guys”.

  “I find that hard to believe” Leofric stated.

  “I wish it wasn’t true” Miranda said.

  “You’ll find a man” Leofric declared. “I know it”. I’ve already found him. “Thanks” Miranda murmured.

  “Also one more thing that I should mentioned” Leofric said. “I’m sorry for bringing all of this chaos and danger into your life. It was my burden to bear and it isn’t fair that you’ve been sucked into this tragedy. I wouldn’t have followed you home if I knew what it would lead to”.

  “You don’t need to say sorry to me” Miranda replied. “You saved my life from those thugs, I wouldn’t even be here if it wasn’t for you”.

  “I only did what any honourable man would do” Leofric intoned.

  “If only every man was as honourable as you” Miranda mentioned.

  “You flatter me” Leofric said before yawning and stretching out his arms. “I’m going to go lie down and have some slumber, we’re waking up early tomorrow after all”.

  “I should go to bed as well, it’s already past midnight” Miranda mentioned.

  “Do you have your dagger?” Leofric asked.

  Miranda fingered her belt and felt the sheath of the dagger. “I’ve got it right here” she answered.

  “Good, you may well need it” Leofric said. “Remember if anything happens come wake me as quickly as possible”.

  “You don’t need to remind me to do that” Miranda remarked. Leofric got up and shuffled over to a bench, lying down on it and closing his eyes. Miranda watched him ease into slumber with a pang of desire. She wanted to lie next to him, her head on his chest and his arms around her body. She wanted to stare into those pale eyes when she first woke up and run her hands through that long dirty blonde hair. He’s so attractive and he doesn�
�t even seem to know it. If he grew up in this time he’d be a model with a massive Instagram fan club. But then considering his intelligence and ambition he’d probably be a politician. No, he’s too honest for that, he’d be an emergency room doctor or in the special forces. Oh Miranda cut it out, you’re lavishing over him like a puppy, when are you going to admit to yourself that you feel things for him. Things that you’ve never felt around a boy before.

  Miranda stared at the sleeping figure of Leofric for a little while longer before closing up her laptop and going to bed. She lay down on a padded bench and curled up, she was afraid of the monsters and she wished that she had the courage to ask Leofric if she could sleep next to him. Little by little sleep tugged her further into its embrace and she put up little resistance to its embrace. Finally it enveloped her and she dozed off into the land of dreams.

  8.

  Leofric jerked awake aggressively, he instinctively reached for the dagger at his waist and pulled it out. He’d been having a dream in which his uncle and the witch had cornered him in the great hall and taunted him over his father’s death while their minions advanced, craving blood. He looked around and saw the trappings of the library, the sun shining in through the glass panes on the walls. It was just a dream. He sheathed his dagger and got up to check on Miranda. She’d set an alarm the night before but it looked like it wasn’t necessary, he’d woken up before it was set to go off. He reached the sleeping form of the young woman, she was curled up and clutching the sheath of her dagger in her hands near her head. Leofric couldn’t help but admire her form as he looked over her. She really is beautiful, it’s a shame that I had to embroil her in this mess. I feel bad for interrogating her last night about everything in the universe, she was so good to answer all of my questions. He knelt down and gently took her hands in his. “It’s time to wake up” he said softly. Miranda stirred and let out a small moan. “Come on we need to get going” Leofric lightly intoned. Miranda yawned and stretched her arms out, her eyes opened up and her expression became alert. She rested her gaze on his face and Leofric felt his heart quicken and warmth rise in his cheeks. She is very pretty indeed. Leofric stood up brusquely, not wanting her to see his exposed display of infatuation.