7:10 AM, 1 April 1234
Princess kidnapped; King sends hero set out to Rescue the Princess™
This morning, King Telcar announced to a stunned kingdom that the heir-apparent, Her Highness Princess Carmeana, is the victim of a kidnapping and is being held ransom by Fyrena Hyrde, the Thane of Egrog. The King said that the palace reported her sickness as a cover story while they investigated the situation.
Thane Hyrde demanded basically the whole Kingdom as ransom, which the King refused.
Defying expectations, rather than interceding with the army (an approach used on Egrog by several of the current King's predecessors), the King commissioned a hero, a boy named Lance, to Rescue the Princess™
The Hero
Not much is known about the hero, named Lance. He is 20 years old, and comes from the Province of Borringshire, where he worked as a thresher. He earned above average grades at Borrington High School, and was an All-Regional athlete in jai alai. However, there are no indications he has any training or experience in heroing, making him an odd choice.
The King addressed this at the press conference, explaining that Lance is believed to be The Chosen One™, in accordance with a Riconist prophesy. The prophesy predicts that a hero would emerge, coinciding with a disappearence of the Ricohedron (a holy relic of the Riconist people, which has also recently disappeared).
While he lacks hero training, there are some indications Lance is not without aptitude. For one, he has the services of a Pellencoh fairy, a class of fairy commonly found in the presense of a hero. Pellencoh fairies are picky about their clients and not often seen in the sidekicking of someone without heroing skills, prestige, or money. Another point is that, according to sources in the Town of Borringon who don't wish to be named, Lance displayed hero-like craftiness to find his way out of town.
It remains to be see how well that craftiness carries over to the Glorious Quest™ to Rescue the Princess™, but for better or worse, this is what the Kingdom is going with.