Fernando's Grand American Adventure

The sky was as blue as it ever was, but now the waters had turned a dark, deep green. The sun still shone and the wind still blew, though the trees were different and the rocks were not where I last saw them. My heart beat fast and my mouth grew dry in excitement. Truly, this was no longer home.

My father's ships were long burned and sunk, but I could still taste the salt on my lips and feel the wind on my face. Now, there was grass under my feet. It tickled against my legs. I couldn't help but laugh as I jumped over clumps of it. I couldn't believe I was so close to finding new lands!

"Fernando!" Someone called from behind me. "Wait up!"

I stopped and turned around to see Fernando's father, King Alfonso, slowly jogging towards me. He walked with a cane and his eyes were beginning to go a bit grey around the edges. His hair was thinning on top, but he wore a silly little hat that made him look like a baby bird. He didn't speak any Spanish, so we always spoke French together - it was easier that way for both of us. Even if we did have to use hand gestures sometimes too.

"Fernando," he said breathlessly when he caught up with me, "did you hear? King Henry has died."

I frowned at him and then shrugged. He knew I didn't care about politics or wars or anything like that. Not anymore. Not since I had seen what lay beyond our waters...

Alfonso shook his head sadly at me. "That's alright," he said kindly, "then you'll be happy to know that you will be taking his place as Lord of England."

My eyes widened in surprise at his words and my mouth fell open a little bit too in shock. "Wha...?" I managed to stutter out in French before remembering that Alfonso didn't speak Spanish either. It seemed like it had been forever since I had spoken French too...

"You should be honoured," he continued in English while smiling broadly at me. "King Henry personally appointed you to be the next ruler of England after his death."

"But..." I began again in French, but Alfonso cut me off by putting an arm around my shoulder and leading me away from the woods to where his carriage waited for us with two guards standing beside it holding their spears upright in salute to their king. "Father..." I protested weakly in French as he led me away from what might have been another new land for me to explore one day...