Layton Skylock

Layton Skylock was born the first child of King Niall and Queen Kier of Skylock. According to Skylock tradition, the grandfather would name the first child. But as Layton’s grandfather had died many years before he was born, his parents passed the naming honor onto the King’s young sister, Elena. Elena was only six years older than Layton and loved having someone younger than her around the palace.

Layton was an only child for nearly five years. He was crowned at the age of one as oighre, the official heir to the Skylock throne. The first two years of his life he spent most of his time with his Aunt Elena, who was only six year older than Layton, before Elena moved to stay with distant family in the Queendom of Tunngas. By four-years-old, he was already reading the paper over his father’s shoulder. He was extremely close with his parents from a young age, happy to accompany his mother to tea and afternoons with her friends, and toddle after his father to sit on his lap during meetings.

When Layton was four-and-a-half, the King and Queen were blessed with their second child, Princess Amir. Layton was extremely excited to have a little sister, sneaking into the nursery every day to see her, begging the nanny and his mother to let him hold her. Soon, he learned how to feed her and by the time Amir was one, he was playing dolls and blocks on the floor of the nursery with her. He would sit and read to Amir.

When Layton was eight, and Amir was three, he was on a walk in the gardens with her when they met Dylan. Dylan was Layton’s age, the son of one of the royals secretaries, and he started joining Layton on his daily walks, getting to know his quiet little sister as well. Everywhere Layton went, he brought Amir with him, but soon, Dylan was being invited too. A few weeks later he met Joanna, daughter of a guard and a baker, and she joined them as well. All three of them doted on Amir, and started to form their little club.

Amir and Layton shared tutors, Amir smart enough to keep up with her brother's more advanced classes, and he liked having company.

When Layton was twelve and Amir was seven, Layton started spending more time with their father and the council, starting to learn what it was to be King, the roles and responsibilities that would go along with it. Layton made sure that Joanna and Dylan could be with Amir when he had to be working. Through it, Amir started to learn the ways of the weapons, and when Layton was finally done working, he would go out with his friends and Amir would try and pass her skills on to him. He failed at most of them.

In return, though, he would take days off and read with her, sharing his favourite books from the classics to the newer novels, teaching her to ride horses, and spending days painting together.

When Layton was nineteen, he finally gave in to the requests to build his inner circle, having wanted more time to find people he trusted. Joanna was anointed as his personal knight to train as the future Knight General. Dylan and Amir were brought in to the Circle, along with Layton's valet, and Mido, one of the tutors he shared with Amir. He trained his circle and soon they were requesting to be sent on diplomatic missions and other assignments.

When Layton was twenty-two, they were off to peace talks with Keene and forest kingdom. The council didn't like two royal children riding together when leaving the Kingdom, and insisted Amir and Layton staggered their leave, so the plan was to let her ride out a day later. Layton, Joanna, and Dylan set off in a carriage. Somewhere along the way, something happened. Their carriage was found over turned, the horses gone, and part of the carriage on fire. The driver, Layton, Joanna, and Dylan, were all found dead on the Keene-Forest Kingdom border by Skylock knights.

Their bodies were returned to Skylock and buried just outside the palace grounds in the royal burial grounds. When the crier was sent to announce the death of the oighre and his friends, he could barely make out the world he was crying, along with the rest of the Kingdom. The 6-day wake, which would usually be a festival of life, was a somber affair as the family and Kingdom mourned their beloved prince. Because Layton was still oighre, and not crowned as King, he could not be buried on the Isle of Ilona at the Kings and Queen's final resting place. Nearly every citizen of Skylock went to the castle for the funeral. The High Priest and High Priestess led the funeral, and it was the first time anyone had seen Layton's sister Amir since news of his death broke two weeks prior.