His name was James Meyer, but he preferred Jimmy, or sometimes Jim. He was very relaxed as a young man, and was never one to take things very seriously when he didn’t have to. He was best known for getting into fights with allies of a rival family to his. The Franklin family had been in line for the throne of Babaria for years, until Queen Margaret Franklin married William Meyer, who then took the throne for his family after the Queen’s death. Although James’ father, Walter, allowed the past to remain in the past, Shamus Franklin did not feel the same way; nor did his son, Brian. James and Brian engaging in fighting, both verbal and physical, had become a regular occurrence in Babaria. Anytime they would even come within earshot of each other, they would immediately begin to throw harsh words at each other, which would often be followed by fists.
The city guards would tend to not become involved unless the fighting had become a problem for the bystanders. Sometimes Brian would attempt to get the upper hand on James by recruiting some friends to gang up on him, but since James was popular in the city friends were not far from backing him up against Brian and his gang. Although his father, among other members of James’ family, greatly disliked these fights, and he would often urge his son to end his fighting with Brian and to try to find peace. But, as we were to soon learn, the Franklins were in no mood for peace.
For many years, Brian’s father, Shamus, had been devising a plan to take the throne of Babaria from the noble families and make himself the new king. But there were only whispers of this, and many ignored them, thinking that they were just rumors made up to make the Franklin family look bad. Brian, however, knew of his father’s plot and would sometimes let it slip when he would try to get under James’ skin. This would often cause Shamus to punish his son with threats and occasional beatings. It was, in fact, because of Brian’s outbursts that people became suspicious of Shamus’ actions, and many people began to become worried of what would happen to the kingdom.
It didn’t take long for them to get their answer, for Bernard, Shamus’ cousin, attacked King Christopher, Walter Meyer’s eldest brother, and was captured by city guards before he could kill the king. After the assault, an investigation began to find out if Shamus was conspiring against the Meyer family. Three of the people leading the investigation were King Christopher, Walter, and Albert Redwood, a close friend of the Meyer family. One day when James was on his way home from the market, he overheard his father and Albert talking about the investigation in his study:
“I am worried, Albert. What if we’re after the wrong man?” Walter asked.
“You worry yourself too much, my friend,” Albert replied, “Ever since we captured that rat Bernard there has been no more violence.”
“I am still worried for my family’s safety. If Christopher is killed I am the next in line for the throne, and what if the threat of violence continues to haunt my family?” Walter continued, “I cannot allow my son to suffer simply for his lineage.”
“Walter, you have to relax. No one is out to get you, and if there was someone then they are too scared to do anything. Besides, Bernard Franklin is the only person who’s made any attacks against your family in over 60 years. Everyone loves your family, and what your family has done for the Kingdom of Babaria.” Walter then began to calm down and breathe easily. As the conversation ended, James entered the room after hearing every word that his father and Albert had spoken. “Ah, hello son,” Walter greeted his son, “I’m sure you remember Albert Redwood.” James nodded and gave a bow to Albert, who returned the gesture with a welcoming nod.
“How was your visit to the market?” Walter asked, “Did you find anything you like?” James gave a cheeky smile that his father recognized. “What have you gotten yourself into now? I know you weren’t in another fight, because your face still looks fine.” James gave a fake laugh at his father’s teasing and replied, “Nothing … there was nothing.” Walter slowly nodded in disbelief, and James went upstairs to his bedroom. James attempted to studies, but he couldn’t keep himself from thinking about what had happened at the market earlier that day.