3Watched Thundercats 2011 as well as looking back at the old show (used to be the highlight of me and my siblings stay with our aunt every summer, well, that and Road Rovers) and have to say, some ideas have been cropping up.
This story came from the part of my mind that felt having a crown Prince going to the slums, in particular, to visit someone with connections to the black market, with just one cleric following was a bad idea.
Right now, I have no plans for updates, and other stories I should really be trying to finish, so this 'Prologue' of sorts will be up for a while.
The Lost Prince
There were many moments blamed for the events that occurred. The Crown Prince's known love of technology, his foolish traveling into the slums to question dogs and other lowlifes for it, the fact that no one stopped him from going into the slums . . . the list went on.
Perhaps the simplest reason was because the usual Cleric that guarded the Prince was injured the day before the night the Crown Prince went missing. Not a grievous wound, but she had sprained her knee and ankle in a spar against a fellow Cleric, annoyingly due to a loose paving stone. She would be healed within a few days, but a new Cleric was assigned to watch the Crown Prince.
Normally, this was not a problem. The usual Cleric, of course, had nights off when she didn't watch over the Prince, and so there was always a rotation in place. But the day the usual Cleric was hurt, for some reason, had the normal rotation fall through. The new Cleric that was assigned instead was not a great admirer of the Crown Prince, and held a rather elitist view.
Despite following the Crown Prince, and the odd creature that seemed to watch over him as well, to the slums, the new Cleric did not remove the outward garments signaling he was a Cleric.
Such an obvious tell greatly disturbed the residents of the slums, and the Crown Prince, becoming aware of his watcher, was quick to lose him with the help of two tailed kittens so as not to offend the unknown Black Market Dealer (whose name was never discovered) that he normally visited.
Some versions claimed that the Cleric was actually robbed by the tailed kittens, and so was busy trying to stop the thieves instead of watching the Prince, and that was how he lost track of him, but none of the tail-less cats cared for that version.
The end result was still the same, the Cleric could not find the Prince, and when morning came, the soldiers and the Elder Prince all but ransacked the slums in their search for the Lost Prince. All they ever found of the Prince was some jewelry he had used to barter with a tailed cat for a knapsack and travel supplies. (None of the jewelry in question was priceless heirlooms that some claimed, but instead valuable pieces normally set aside for the Prince's semi-formal wear. Rumor has it that the Elder Prince had let the tailed cat keep it.)
Weeks turned into two months of the Elder Prince searching for his brother throughout the kingdom. The King, who many tended to leave out of the narrative till the end, his counselor, and the Clerics searched with magical means during this time.
But at the end of the two months, the King ordered the Elder Prince home, and ended the search. A memorial for the Lost Prince was held, and the Elder Prince was named next in line for the throne.
For some, they found the King's actions as declaring his child dead and to never be mentioned, incensing them at such callous disregard for ones child. Some even wondered if perhaps the Elder Prince had orchestrated his brother's disappearance.
Most, however, celebrated, believing that the Lost Prince would have been a poor ruler, and they were fortunate that the Elder Prince was now Crown Prince, for he would be a strong traditional king.
None however, ever witnessed the argument between the King, the Elder Prince, and the King's counselor.
"What do you mean, I have to stop searching? We don't know what happened to Lion-O!" Tygra growled at his father, who was sitting in his study, and holding a small frame, containing Lion-o's baby portrait. "That Tailed Cat said he was going to travel, and we haven't searched everywhere yet."
"Do not assume I am pleased by this decision!" Claudus growled. "It was not made lightly."
"You're planning on holding a funeral for him!" Tygra snapped. "He might not be dead!"
"Until a few days ago, young Prince, I would have agreed." Jaga interjected, accidentally cutting of whatever Claudus was about to say. "I was able to sense Lion-o's life force, but unable to find his location . . . scrying is never an exact magic. But a few days ago, your brother's life force, disappeared."
"Maybe he's out of reach." Tygra started, but stopped as Jaga slowly shook his head.
"No, young Tygra, he is not just out of reach. The Sword of Omens would still show your father his form, as would several other scrying spells. They do not."
Tygra sank into a chair, a horrible twisting feeling in his heart. Once, he had wished his brother was gone, and had tried to act on it before regretting it immediately. But some days, when their rivalry became heated, in the darkest places of his mind, he would have thought life would be better if Lion-O was gone.
Now, if refusing the crown could bring back Lion-O, he'd do it in a heartbeat.
As the memorial for the Lost Prince was held, and the story of how it happened (all versions) spread, some in the kingdom pondered what the loss of the Prince would do.
And all the while, danger was marching towards the kingdom.
Ta-da. How was it?
The rest of the story, should it ever be posted, will deal with the extremely altered events of the series.
