Scratch

Hi guys.  I'm posting he beginning of another story I'm writing.  Please constructively critique.  If you like it, I'll post more.


Prologue

    The Castle of Spades is situated on the shores of a vast lake.  Few Spades had ever been far from the castle...before me.
    You may know me as the Jack of Spades.  This is my story.

Chapter One

    Evening's come and the sun's setting.  I run, my bare feet hitting the ground hard as I sprint to the corner of the castle grounds.  There's a tree there, a small, but strong, old one, with many branches.
    My hands grip the lowest branch and I swing myself up onto it.  Grasping a branch at about shoulder height, I climb up nimbly.
    I continue climbing until I'm maybe thirty feet from the ground.  There is a place up here where several branches interlock to form something that resembles a seat.  I climb onto it and sit there, catching my breath.
    I come here every evening.  When I want to be free from the pomp and protocol of the castle.  Here, no one can tell me what to do.  Here, I'm free.
    I know I'm free because the branches sway under my weight, and I am the smallest and lightest in the castle, at thirteen years old.  Don't be fooled, though, I'm one of the fastest and most agile.
    Suddenly, my keen eyes catch a movement below the tree!  I lie flat on the branches, peering down.
    I recognize the figure as the Two of Spades.  He salutes me as he scrambles up the tree.  For a minute I'm startled, then realized how stupid I am to think I'm the only one who can climb this tree.
    I don't know Two's exact age, but he can't be more than sixteen.  In terms of rank, though, he's the lowest of the low.  So, of course, my mom and dad, King and Queen, can't know we are friends.  I don't want another speech on how to behave.  Plus, Two would probably be banished.
    Within a minute, Two is perched next to me.  He swings his legs back and forth over the edge of the branches as we talk.
    "Jack, I was exploring these tunnels below the castle, and guess what I found?"
    "More tunnel."
    A satisfied smile flickers across his face. "I found...a boat!"
    I'm instantly interested.  For a year or two we've both dreamt of sailing away, to be free and explore the unknown...the Lake of Spirits, it's called, for if you look at it for long enough at night, you can see spectral figures drifting across it and hear unearthly moans.
    "Well," Two continues, "It's just big enough for the two of us.  We can go tonight, if you're game."
    "Duh!" I say. "You're awesome.  Where's this boat?"