Chameleon Magazine

In the kingdom of Erelith, there lived a young prince named Arion, whose pride shone brighter than his crown. He wore robes stitched with gold so fine that even the sun seemed to dim in respect. But his greatest decree was this: no commoner was to look upon him.

Whenever Arion rode through the capital, the guards would cry, “Eyes to the ground!” The people would kneel, trembling, their gaze fixed upon the dust. Children were forbidden to wave. Even the old beggars hid their faces in rags.

Arion believed this distance kept his royal essence pure. “The blood of kings must not mingle with the eyes of the unwashed,” he would say, as though his words were scripture.

But pride, like glass, is only strong until it’s struck.

One midsummer day, while parading through the marble streets, Arion’s horse startled at a clap of thunder. The prince was thrown, and his golden armor split against the stone. Blood bloomed from his side, dark and royal.

“Fetch the royal physicians!” cried the captain. “Bring the royal donors!”

But none could come. The nearest noble was two valleys away. And though hundreds of people surrounded him, not one dared to lift their eyes or hands. They had been taught that to look upon him was sin.

Arion gasped, his vision dimming. He called out weakly, “Someone… please…”

From the crowd, a young woman—just a baker’s daughter—dared to look up. Her face was streaked with flour, her hands trembling. “I have blood,” she said.

The guards hesitated, but the captain saw the prince fading and gave a desperate nod. The woman knelt beside him. Her blood flowed into his veins, and for the first time in his life, the prince looked into the eyes of a commoner.

They were not eyes of filth or sin, but of life—steady, human, and full of mercy.

When Arion recovered, he ordered the gates opened wide and the people to look upon him freely. For he had learned what his titles had blinded him from: that no blood is royal until it is shared.

“He who hides from humble eyes will one day need their gaze to see himself.”