r/WritingPrompts • u/Crystal_1501 • 3h ago
Prompt Inspired [PI] A party of adventurers escort a princess to her wedding but over the journey she becomes more than a job. Once within reach of her husband to be, the party asks the princess if she'd like to be an adventurer instead of a bride.
Unfortunately the post was deleted very quickly, I had been wondering about writing a story for it since, I've decided I will! Original Post
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Our party was hired by the king personally to escort the princess. Usually she'd travel by carriage to the neighbouring kingdom. When asked why she should be escorted on foot, the king responded simply "it's at her request". Of course the king and queen themselves chose to travel in a carriage.
Over the course of the journey, however, we began to wonder if she even needed an escort... we've been attacked by goblins, ogres, all manner of fae, and even one very pissed off dragon for travelling through his turf, yet this princess always kept calm, closed her eyes in concentration, and even though we'd have to keep the enemy distracted, she'd always cast a spell that was perfect for the situation - goblin hordes washed away, ogres running and screaming in terror at an illusion, fae distracted by something from elsewhere, and the mighty, angry dragon simply calmed. It was super impressive to see!
I am the leader of the party, and as we neared the kingdom where her husband resided, I had an idea. "Princess."
"Yes, Malrick?"
"I was wondering, you are a very capable mage. We could use you in our party. Not that our own wizard isn't great, but-"
"Oh, don't try to patronise me, Malrick" Kameer, the elven wizard, snorts. "She's leaps and bounds above my capabilities! My only advantage is that my spells are much faster, but that's because they're so much weaker!"
The tiefling warlock, Shamaar, nods, a mischievous smile on her face. "He's right, your highness. You're way more than just a princess. You didn't choose to be born a princess, but you can choose to join us."
"Oh, well, thanks for such a kind offer, but..." princess Delia darts her eyes away. "I can't. I have a responsibility. Yes I have a choice, but I want to do it for my kingdom."
"Screw your kingdom!" the dwarven rogue, Murba, states gruffly. "Have they ever asked what you wanted?"
Delia sighs, though smiling. "Not technically, but I've never wanted another life. This is my life, and it's what I'm destined for."
I approach her. "If you want to do this... then why did you want to travel with us? Why did you train to be so powerful?"
"I want to be a reliable and fierce but kind queen one day. I asked my father to allow me to train my innate powers all royalty have so I could be effective as a ruler. I asked my father to have a party escort me so I knew I was ready for the next step. If I can't even handle a simple journey like this, how can I trust that I'm ready to rule?"
We all look at each other, the same thought clearly on our minds: this is one badass princess, and will be a formidable queen.
She continues. "I will say, I am impressed with your own abilities, all of you. I would like to hire you all to be the royal squad. You will be allowed to adventure as normal, but you will have a home in the palace, and of course, if I need your services, you will answer the call. The details can be worked out later. I do not expect an answer right now, but I hope you will consider. For now, if you want the reward from my father, come with me to the palace."
As she turns and walks, we follow. The offer is very tempting... to work directly with the royal family of a kingdom is such an honour! Of course, I'll need to discuss this with the others, but for now, we need to complete our current task.