Following Hydrangea into the castle annoys me more than anything. I am not going home. This is me being called by my father without him referring to himself as my father.
A guard stops me specifically before reaching the king. "Your Highness."
"Yes?" I would prefer as many reasons to stop my movement as possible. Hopefully this is a major something.
"I am to double check the allowance for one Lord Ryan Telligence for your wing."
"Yes. I am giving Ryan allowance. He's not a lord yet. He'll be a knight in a few months."
Hydrangea chuckles. "It's to remind everyone where his class is. He'll be a lord in the future."
"If he wants to." I shrug. "My father called me. Is there anything else?"
"No, Your Highness." The guard bows out. I will probably get several double checks over Ryan.
I follow Hydrangea on the route again. "Is this a problem coming from the king or my father?"
"Is there a difference? Your father is the king."
"There was a difference." I think of my childhood. Things were... Different when I lived with them. "Can my father see me as his son? Or am I just a subject or future ruler? Does he look upon me as a threat? Or do I create worry for him because I'm not where he was at fifteen."
"You are plenty good enough for crown prince titles. Please do not think your father was much better. He graduated at fifth month remember."
"I have no plan to beat him. Training is a nice time. There is a lot to learn. As long as I can join the Telligence mission, I don't mind how long I train for."
"We'd never place the crown prince on a mission that is a true threat to his life."
That's how it works. I'm not truly seen the same as the rest of the knights. "We would rather sent a nameless to the slaughter. I'll always have an extra layer of safety even if it means a sacrficie elsewhere."
"I didn't say that."
"You don't have to." I know how they see me. "I was born special, so I will always gain special treatment." I stand next to Hydrangea when we reach the door for the meeting hall. We need to be given allowance to enter. Not sure if anyone else is with my father. "No one else has a tracer spell on them. No one else is allowed to be alone." Minus my bedroom. I am not supposed to have anyone close enough to kill me. I am to be protected as a figurehead more than knight. "We are to learn all the weapons, but it is unlikely we'll use the weapons to their true purpose."
"Thomas." Hydrangea growls at me. "Consider the country for a moment. What would happen if you were to die?" I shake my head. "We need you to stand at the helm not threaten your life."
The door opens. The king is alone. Only a few guards he most trusts are around. Hydrangea walks with me into the room. "Thomas."
"If this is a son-father chat, I'm out." I try for an about face, but the doors are shut with blockades. I glower at the guards before facing my father again. "Am I even allowed to call you Father?"
The king walks to my side. "You..."
My eyes thin as he stares at me straight on. "What?"
"You succeeded at your sword test." He steps past me. He reaches the far desk and lifts a scabbard off of it. "This is a gift." He places the covered sword in my hands.
"What?"
"When I succeeded at my first sword test, I gained a sword from my father. You may not have truly known your grandfather, but he was a great man." My father paces the room a little. He ends up standing behind his desk instead of sitting as we came upon him.
"Am I allowed to call you Father? Have you finally accept the fact I am your son?" I'm growling. I wish it was easier to handle the situation.
"I..." The king sighs sitting down again. "I reviewed everything again. I apologized to your mother. I am apologizing to you. It would be deemed impossible you could be Odin's. There was a rare moment Odin and your mother were in the same city and every time that was the case, she was at my side for the entirety for it. I... I apologize. I may not truly trust Xavier as mine. Nor can I truly suggest your mother never strayed, but when it comes to you, the crown prince, I... I have to accept... You are my child."
"Why did you think for a second I was anyone else's? I can use the royal magics. So can Xavier. I know the relationship between you and Mom isn't the best anymore, but those were good mistakes. Don't regret creating Xavier."
"How are you so confident?" The king eyes me.
I exhale. "Did Xavier find his true love?" I ask my father. He just stares at me blinking. "What about me? Those spells have been used one me. I've been around Xavier is has the blessing as well. He's been around me. Have we found a true love? Is there anyone else who doesn't have that magic work? As far as we know, our direct line is the only one."
The king sits back just staring into the distance. "When Xavier gains a different last name, it will work."
"I know that. But only after I gain title as king. As long as he is a prince readying for title here, the spell will not work. If you only had a daughter, it would be the same. Odin explained the full curse to me. A blessing in a way."
"All curses are blessings."
I nod. My father looks exhausted by everything. I can't explain to him there is no fear between Odin and Mom. That won't work. But I know we're related. He can't fear that. "Why are you still with Mom?"
"It is not right to divorce."
I sigh rubbing my face. They'd rather live in discord than handle the complications of divorce. Some people. "I will definitely not decide my marriage partner on a whim." The king sighs. "Is it true I'm set in contract with Jessica Warton?"
"There are reasons for it. It is normal to have someone as back up. You are to chose anyone. When the time comes for you to married, if you have no picked anyone, she'll be dragged forward."
I grunt. 'Dragged'. She'd have to lose all standing here to not get caught. "Do not refer to her as princess. I'll figure something else out."
"Why?" The king asks me.
I shake my head. "Thank you for the sword." I turn to leave, but notice I'm still trapped. It has me grumbling while facing the king again. "Yes?"
"Is it true you pressured Her Majesty to join the knights again?"
So this was the reason he was the king not my father. I grunt staring him down. He just waits me out. "Yes. I asked my mother to join the knights. Not to go off on missions, but to offer training for those who are within the halls. To exercise and prove she is what a red knight is."
The king leans back watching me. I glare at him. "To exercise and train."
"Yes."
"She cannot do what she used to."
"The moment you claimed her as your significant other, that was the case." I growl out.
"And that's why you wish to break the contract with Jessica. So she can gain fully access as a knight."
"She wishes to be a knight. That has been her desire since the beginning. Do not try to force her into what she does not wish for."
"Is that the real reason you asked your mother back? To prove to Jessica-"
"I'm done with this." I turn for the doors glowering at the guards. "Out of my way."
"I would follow his request. His magic will answer." Hydrangea says.
I am given allowance to leave. I don't look back at my father. He's trying to shove me into the roles I was born to.
If only I could use my magic the way I want to. At this point I'd think living in the tower with Odin is a better option than here. Odin doesn't want to be saved. He finds freedom in the entrapment.
I'm not. I'm trapped. Constantly watched and protected.
"I wish I wasn't born crown prince." I grip my new sword while returning to the knights hall alone. It'll take a lot to pull off anything besides what my father wishes for. I am a caged bird. I always was.