"Be careful with those ingredients." I tell the young prince as I conduct his alchemy lesson. As the Royal Alchemist, it is my job to teach the boy the subtly and fine arts of alchemy. Not because the King ordered me to, but because the prince himself took an interest in the subject and wanted to learn.
Prince Jaskul begged and pleaded with his father, King Jorunn for weeks about learning alchemy. Finally the king relented, on the condition that I checked if the had the natural talent to learn. And the boy does indeed have an amazing natural talent for the subject.
I'd even go as far as saying the prince is a prodigy. He's learnt alchemical recipes in a few short months that took me more than a year to learn, when I was around his age. If only he wasn't so...
A small explosion breaks my reverie and I turn my attention back to the young prince, who's coughing and spluttering as he tries to clear the small cloud of pink that surrounds him.
"Prince Jaskul, are you alright?"I ask. "I warned you to take care."
It's been the same since I started teaching him. The prince is naturally skilled and talented, but also has a tendency to be clumsy.
"I'm sorry, Master ${character's name}, the jar of pink oil fell into the mixture." Prince Jaskul says.
When the boy's eyes make contact with mine, they glaze over briefly, then clear quickly and his facial features soften. I feel an uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach as I observe his reaction and try to recall what was in that pink oil.