Prince Julian

“	I know everything about you, Detective. Your every thought, every move you'll make.	”
—Prince Julian, Jack and the Sky Kingdom

Prince Julian was a minor character and one of the secondary antagonists in the sixth Dark Parables game, Jack and the Sky Kingdom. He reappeared as a prominent character and the true antagonist of the fifteenth Dark Parables game, The Match Girl's Lost Paradise.

An orphan imbued with the power of shape-shifting by a witch, Julian was given as a gift to King Eurig of the Sky Kingdom to serve as one of his Princes.

Julian could be based on the dwarf Ótr from Norse mythology stories.

Appearance and Personality[]

Julian was a handsome man with shoulder-length golden blond hair, green eyes, and classic features. His skin was pale and he tended to dress in fine silks and linens. He was a shape-shifter and had taken on many different appearances throughout his long life. He was fond of roses and was seldom seen without one in his hand.

When he reappeared in The Match Girl's Lost Paradise, Julian retained his color scheme of pink, wearing a short sleeves shirt that exposed his chest, a dull red sleeveless coat, sandy-colored trousers, and black boots. He retained some of his gold jewelry and he has a diadem on his head with the red jewel on it.

Julian was the most mischievous of the Three Princes - while they guard with smarts and brawn, Julian preferred to use deception and cunning to best intruders. He was a hedonist who desired more and more out of life, without much care for the things he already had. He was mindlessly loyal to King Eurig, thanks to a spell placed on him by the witch. He initially cared greatly for Emma, as evidence by a large portrait of her he kept in a place of honor in his garden, but later denounced her as a traitor after she helped Jack and the Detective.

History[]

Little is known of Julian's heritage except that he had an older brother named Leonard and a younger brother named Hugh. The three were taken in by the Evil Witch when they were very young and who imbued them each with a special gift - in Julian's case, the power of shape-shifting. When King Eurig of the Sky Kingdom paid a visit to the witch, she presented Julian and his brothers as three unique 'treasures' whom loyalty she guaranteed; consequently, the king appointed them princes of his kingdom and treated them as his own sons. In time, Julian became his adoptive father's closest confidante and his loyalty to the Sky Kingdom was absolute.

When Jack and his Merry Men attempted a raid on the Sky Kingdom, Julian and his brothers overwhelmed the group and only Jack was able to escape. One of those captured was Emma, a descendant of the Princess of the Sky Kingdom, who the King adopted as a daughter. Julian grew fond of Emma and likely knew of her continued longing for her fiance, Jack.

Like his brothers, Julian was fully commited to fufiling his father's wish to use the Bolide Shard to remake the world in the image he believed his queen would have wanted; Emma, however, was determined to stop him and set in motion a plan that bought the famed Fairytale Detective to the Sky Kingdom. Upon the Detective's arrival and defeat of his brother Hugh, Julian first attempted to scare her by shape-shifting into the deceased Prince James and then confuse her by pretending to be Jack, insisting that she hand him the Queen's ring. Though the Detective was not fooled and handed the real Jack the ring, Julian was able to steal back from them. While King Eurig prepared to unleash the Bolide Shard, Julian shapeshifted into his father's image to distract the Detective and her allies. Denouncing Emma as a traitor, he attacked the trio with one of his enchanted roses, wounding Jack in the process; in retailiation, Jack punched him hard enough to knock him out.

Julian's fate after the destruction of the Sky Kingdom was initially unknown but it was revealed that he and his brothers had indeed survived. Now homeless and without a new life purpose, the brothers begun to search for a way to bring back their father. A few years later, their search led them to Giselle, a young witch who claimed she could grant wishes through her magic matchsticks. However, being an illusionist himself, Julian could see the girl could only make illusions. Nevertheless, he acknowledged her magical potential and lied, telling her that the Detective was out to destroy her.

Together, they worked to stop the Detective while his other brothers went to find a way to resurrect their father. The prince pushed Giselle into making more wishes come true to attract the Detective and eventually made a wish to make himself appear as a victim once the Detective arrives. While the woman was distracted with Giselle, Julian continues to orchestrate from behind, planning to steal the Match Girl's powers in the end.

Pretending to team up with the Detective, he helps her get back to reality via the wishing well before stopping a plant monster that Giselle has sent for the Detective. Afterward when she returns to the Garden and had defeated the Match Girl, Julian appeared, thanking the Detective for clearing the room. He revealed his true intentions before stealing the Torch of Phantasm.

At the Distorted Garden, Julian proudly declared his intention to destroy the world and replace it with an illusion he believed his father would have wanted. Determined to stop him, the Detective engaged in a magic duel with Julian, and the two were evenly matched until Giselle jumped in and destroyed the Torch with her magic. Badly injured, Julian had only moments to berate Giselle for her actions before he was sucked up into a vortex and died along with the Garden.

Powers and Abilities[]

Shapeshifting: Julian could shape-shift into other humans, mostly males, to trick others.
Rose Throwing: Just as the name implies, Julian throws roses with the end towards whomever he wants to throw at.
Unknown Magic: It appears during the course between JatSK and TMGLP, Julian gains magical powers.
Longevity (formerly): After eating the beans of longevity, Julian could age slowly and live a long life.

Relationships[]

King Eurig (adoptive father, deceased)
Queen of the Sky Kingdom (adoptive mother, presumed deceased)
Princess of the Sky Kingdom (adoptive sister, fate unknown)
Prince Leonard (elder brother)
Prince Hugh (younger brother)
Emma (adoptive descendant/long grand-niece)
Evil Witch (childhood guardian)
Jack (enemy)
Fairytale Detective (enemy)
Giselle (manipulable victim, deceased)

Relevant Parables[]

The Three Sons (from Jack and the Sky Kingdom)

There was once a wealthy King who was a fanatical collector of valuable treasures. One day, he heard that an old crone had three unique 'treasures' in her possession, and paid her a visit. The crone presented to him three orphan boys, each imbued with a special talent. She guaranteed their loyalty to the King so he brought them to his Kingdom and appointed them Princes. The King's obsession with his fortune pushed him to increasing acts of madness. His subjects fled the Kingdom in fear, but the three loyal Princes remained by the King's side. It was on the deserted Kingdom that the Princes came of age and into their talents. The eldest Prince, Leonard, grew to a mighty warrior, with a quick temper and a love of battle. The second Prince, Julian, was the King's closest confidante. A hedonist and a shape-shifter, taking different appearances as he pleased. The youngest Pince, Hugh, was an avid scholar. Pursuant of all knowledge, he developed magic beans that allowed them to live unnaturally long lives. The three were united in only one cause: to obey the King's whims. Their mindless devotion to the King made them a most fearsome foe to those who would cross him.

The Second Prince's Revenge (from The Match Girl's Lost Paradise)

Once there were three orphan boys who were picked up by an old crone and passed down to a king, for each of them was imbued with a special talent. The king appointed them princes. The three princes followed their father, the king, with blind loyalty. One day, their regular lives were interrupted by a treasure hunter and a detective. It resulted in the king dying, and the destruction of his kingdom soon followed. The princes survived, but they had lost everything: their kingdom, their family, and their purpose for existence. The three princes wandered around to look for a way to bring back their deceased father. They met a girl who claimed to grant wishes. Thought the second prince noticed that the girl's power was only an illusion, he saw her potential. Suddenly, a plan flashed in his mind. He lied, saying they were knights, coming to provide aid to the girl. The elder prince was filled with strength and as vigorous as the Bright Morning. The second prince was a passionate as the Radiant Sun. The youngest prince was as intelligent and steady as the Dark Night. And so these were the names that they were known by. They claimed a destroyer, a detective, was coming. They said it would be better for the girl to grant more people's wishes so she should gain even more power. Finally, the second prince succeeded in approaching the girl, for he was the only one willing to make a sacrifice and imprison himself within the girl's illusory world. The oldest and the youngest princes continued on their journey to revive their father. Only the second prince stayed behind. He was only too happy to realize that besides raising his father from the dead, there were still many other things he could do, like exacting his revenge upon those who ruined his life.

Trivia[]

The name Julian is Latin for "youthful, downy". This was fitting for his character since the prince had longevity.
Julian's use of roses as a weapon is similar to that of Tuxedo Mask from the Sailor Moon franchise.
Julian's alias from 'The Second Prince's Revenge' parable is a reference to the Red Horseman, Red Sun, one of the faithful servants from the Russian tale of Baba Yaga.

Quotes[]

Quotes by Prince Julian[]

"Do you remember this face, Detective? One of your more well-known cases, I believe." (while shape-shifting as James, the Frog Prince)
"I know everything about you, Detective. Your every thought, every move you'll make."
"I've heard rumors that Prince Julian is a shape-shifter. That's a handy trick for fooling people, isn't it?" (while shape-shifting as Jack)
"Now the power of the Shard can be unleashed and the world will be a blank canvas for us to paint over."
"Stay away, Detective. Maybe it's not too late for me, but this place is too dangerous! I have to find a way out..."
"I must warn you though, be careful whom you trust. This world is filled with illusions."
"By the great beans! This is the fate that awaits all who bear the cursed mark."
"After all, my father's wish was to destroy this world. What better way than to replace it with one he would love?"
"Giselle! What have you done? Without the Flame of Illusion, we shall die with the Garden!"

Quotes about Prince Julian[]

"Good thing the Prince is out cold. He's made enough trouble for us." - Fairytale Detective
"Julian shattered the mirror. He said it annoyed him." - Giselle