The kingdom of Letchfield was in great distress. War and illness swept the land, killing many in its wake. This may not seem like anything noteworthy, but the death toll reached into the thousands, leaving more dead than living. Families were in shambles and the kingdom's existence was about to be extinct. Desperate measures were needed.
"Father, you can't possibly be serious about this." Nicholas said to his father, the King of Letchfield.
"I've never been more serious, son. My kingdom deteriorates more and more each day and I refuse to give that bloody Winston the satisfaction of my groveling. It must be done and it will start tomorrow evening whether you like it or not." Nicholas sighed, shaking his head. His twin brother Gabriel kept pacing back and forth in the King's quarters, trying to find some other alternative.
"What if we just asked Winston to re-locate some of his people here? To help us get back on track?" Gabriel asked.
"My pride is wounded enough and this is how things will be done. The other kingdoms are too far away and time is of the essence." Gabriel threw his hands up in the air, his frustration mounting by the second.
"And why us? You expect us to do... to do that with commoners? Just spread our seed to any and all available women?" Nicholas asked the question he had been itching to ask since his father called them into this ridiculous meeting.
"We need the strongest offspring to populate this kingdom. I've already sent out the order for all available women from ages 18 and up to come to the castle tomorrow night. I've also informed all married or involved couples to start reproducing now." Gabriel then sat down, mentally exhausted from his father's madness.
"Well, what about us? I know were young but honestly, father, we can only do so much at a time, if you know what I mean. There are hundreds of available women in this kingdom. It will take months to be with all of them!"
"Of course I've thought of that! That's why I went to the witches' hut today to get these," Here he held up two vials filled with a purple substance, "This elixir will give both of you enough stamina to be with dozens of women a night. Like I said, time is of the essence, and unfortunately child-bearing takes far too long for this situation."
"OK that sounds great and all but all of these children will be related. What then?" Gabriel asked and Nicholas nodded in agreement.
"Don't you think I've thought of that? The witches are cooking up a potion to resolve that issue. It should be ready in a few weeks."
"This is madness, father." Nicholas seethed.
"I'm sorry, my sons, but desperate times call for desperate measures. This will be done. That's an order. Now, if you don't have any more questions, I expect the both of you to report here tomorrow night at seven o'clock sharp. Am I clear?" Both princes nodded their heads in agreement, thus sealing their fate.
"Well, we can at least try to have fun with this." Nicholas teased and Gabriel smiled for the first time since meeting their father that evening.
"I'll drink to that," and took a large gulp of his wine.
Evelyn was tending to her family's garden when her mother called for her to come inside immediately. Dropping her tools, she rushed inside to find her mother and younger brother sitting at the dining room table.
"Daniel, give your sister and I some privacy. Go straighten up your room please." the boy nodded and rushed into this bedroom and closing the door.
"What's this about momma?" Evelyn sat down beside her mother, just then noticing the letter with the royal seal that she was holding.
"You know the state this kingdom is in. Many lives have been lost and the king is ordering all of the available females to come to the castle tomorrow night."
"What for?" Evelyn asked.
"This kingdom needs to re-populate and this is the only way..." Evelyn scrunched her brows in confusion, wishing her mother would get to the point.