As they approached the throne room, the guards standing on either side of the large golden double doors pushed them open for the siblings and they they bowed. The siblings found their parents sitting on their thrones. They were the spitting image of their mother while the only thing they got from their dad was their eyes.
A few other people Ron recognized were there. Like the Royal Advisor, Physician, members of the royal court and so many others.King Cain was dressed in a golden and maroon attire. He was holding the royal golden scepter which was passed down from generation to generation. He will also pass it down to Ron when it was time. His dark hair was streaked with silvery grey hair which was covered a bit by the golden crown on his head.One look at King Cain would tell anyone he wasn't to be messed with. He had a stoic expression and the hard look in his eyes commanded respect. Ron was most especially afraid of him. Queen Lilian was the epitome of elegance. She was dressed in a floor length shimmering royal blue dress, sitting with her back straight. Her auburn hair was pulled into a tight bun and the golden crown on her head made her glow. She had kind dark eyes that always made people feel at ease and a smile so beautiful one couldn't look away. Ron loves her the most. "Mother, Father" he said as he bowed while Rose curtsied.King Cain's brow twitched for Ron mentioned his mother before him. He knew Ron always did it to anger him but today was a very good day for him. His daughter had finally picked a suitor. What father wouldn't be happy?"Rise" he commanded and both siblings stood straight. "I'm sure you both know why you have been summoned"Princess Rose nodded while Ron stood there with a blank look. How would he know why he had been summoned? His dad had kept him confined to his room for weeks. The only places he was allowed to go was the library and training ground. If he was caught anywhere else, he'd be punished so how would he know what was happening? Rose didn't tell him anything either.Queen Lilian noticed her son's look and she couldn't help but smile. "Ron dear, your sister is getting married in a week"Ron didn't know how to react. In fact, he didn't even know how he felt. Joy was certainly not one of the feelings though. He looked at Rose as if he was wronged. "You're getting married?" he asked.Rose, who couldn't hide her joy anymore let out a blinding smile. "Yes brother. To the King of Netheridge in the North. Our marriage was arranged a week ago"Ron was stunned. "A week ago?"She nodded earnestly. "Yes. Father had you studying rigorously and I didn't want to distract you so I decided not to tell you until today""That's very thoughtful of you Rose" King Cain praised. "And Ron, aren't you happy for your sister? Won't you congratulate her?"He balled his fists and gritted out a word. "Congrats". Honestly, he was angry. Angry that such an important thing was kept from him. Rose was like a shield that stood between him and his father. She always took on more responsibilities than him and always told him to live his life with no worries. She had always protected him and now she was leaving him without a warning. And for who?A King in the North? He had never heard of such a title in all his life. "Anyway, the wedding will be held in the North as the King requested" King Cain continued. "Sadly, the Queen and I cannot attend. Therefore, Ron, you'll have to accompany your sister"Ron felt like needles were pricking his heart. He wanted to lash out, to question Rose but even he knew that the place was unsuitable for his parents would deem his unreasonable. He bitterly swallowed his anger and just nodded at his Father's command. Everything was happening too fast for him. When did all these happen? Did Rose really accept the marriage? Wasn't she forced by their father? And who is this King of the North? He had never heard of him. In fact, he had never heard of a place called Netheridge. Why would his father agree to such an alliance? Why would Rose agree? Why would his mother agree? Everything seemed fishy. How was it all arranged? He gazed at his mum and she sent him a soft smile. She could see the emotions whirling in her son's eyes. She understood how conflicted he must feel so she had a plan to talk to him later. King Cain however, was just too happy. He had heard of the King in the North. No news was bad. In fact, everyone loved the King. According to his research, the Kingdom wasn't small either and they had power over the entire North. Having his daughter rule side by side with the King will bring him immense joy and power. An alliance with the North through marriage was like hitting a jackpot. "The carriages will be ready tomorrow. You both are to leave first thing in the morning. Netheridge is very far" he said then gave Ron a serious look. "And Ron, you must take perfect care of your sister. You must protect her and make sure things progress smoothly. Also, you must notify us of the events. A few servants will go along with you as well. You must behave yourself and act like the Prince of Ashenmore that you are. Do you understand me?"Ron knew exactly what his father meant. Act like a man! A proper prince! He nodded anyway. "Yes Father"Satisfied, King Cain nodded once. "You can leave now. I'd like to speak with your sister alone"Ron nodded but before he left, Rose asked; "Father, can Ron go out today? Since it's such a joyous occasion, I believe he should be allowed to celebrate in his own way. Besides, he has been studying diligently and the teachers have been giving nothing but good reviews"King Cain didn't mind at all. Normally he would but he was overjoyed. "Sure sure. Just don't stir up any trouble or I'll lock you up for real this time""Thank you father" he said, bowing once more then left.Ron sneaked out of the castle through his secret route. It was a dark murky pathway underneath his grandfather’s bedroom which led to a cave at a riverside not far from town.His grandfather had showed it to him before he passed away. They used to go on so many escapades together. Witness festivals, celebrations, annual games and competitions and so much more. But after his grandfather died, his father became more strict on him which left barely any time for him to go out and have fun. He didn't like to be indoors all the time like some housewife. He preferred to go out, interact and see what the world was like. Reading from novels wasn't enough. This time, he took one of his grandfather's disguises. It was a black wig and crappy mustache. After he reached the cave, he took off his royal clothes, folded them neatly then stuffed them in a bag. He then put on the wig and mustache, coupled with a dirty brown robe. He looked like a beggar. Exactly what he was going for. As long as he mi
Ron entered two more taverns and even an inn but the information they had wasn't even close to Old Jack's. He was already tired so he decided to go back. Besides, someone might notice he was missing which will raise a lot of trouble for him.When he was halfway out of town, a group of goons appeared on the road. They were big and burly, all holding sharp looking daggers.The leader stepped forward, holding a sword which he pointed at Ron. "Hand over your money. Every bit of it and I'll think about you letting you leave this place alive"Fear crept into Ron's heart. He had never been in this kind of situation before. Worst of all, he didn't carry any weapon. He didn't think there would be any reason to.Sweat dropped the side of his face. He decided to use flattery and some sweet words to see if he could escape with everything he had intact. "Good, kind, handsome man, you look very reasonable. Can't we talk about this?"The goons snickered. It seemed like this guy didn't get the severi
Fear made Ron nearly fall to his knees. Nearly, for the silver haired man caught him before his body made contact with the floor.Ron fell into a warm gentle embrace. He raised his head, parting his long lashes to look at the man holding him. Cold violet eyes stared straight at the running man. Ron felt that there such a huge contrast between being in his arms and those beautiful eyes. "Don't chase him" he said, making those plum coloured orbs stare down at him. "He has never killed a person. I could tell, believe me. If he had, he wouldn't have hesitated so much to kill me. I doubt he would even hurt a fly after what he has witnessed today so please, don't go after him"The fear he initially felt disappeared without a trace. Something told him that the man would not hurt him. The man nodded. "You're injured" he said, eyes sweeping down to look at the bleeding wound on Ron's neck. His voice was deep, alluring and magnetic, tugging at Ron's heartstrings. Perfect. Just perfect!Ron wa
Queen Lilian pulled Ron and squished his face into her bosom. Ron struggled and struggled, trying not to get suffocated by the large mounds on her chest but her hold only went tighter and tighter so he gave up and went limp like a wet noodle. "My baby is going so far away" she sobbed, completely shattering her elegance in the face of her family. Ron knew exactly where he got his personality from.His mother might be cool, calm and collected in front of outsiders but with her family, she was just an ordinary person. She behaved exactly the way she wanted to behave. Ron's only problem was that he couldn't act like that. To him, it was like splitting his personality. He'd rather just be himself.King Cain and Princess Rose stood at the side, watching the mother and son. "Mum come on, I'll be back in at least a week or two. You've seen me every single day since I was born. Don't you think you should take a break? Besides, I'm an adult now so stop treating me like a child" Ron complaine
Ron talked and talked. He talked about the novels he read and the wonderful creatures within. He talked about how the brain works and how fun it is to imagine so many things. How amazing it is to just conjure stuff up and make it real in fiction. Everyone felt bored and wished they could just shut him up. It didn't matter if they didn't reply to what he was saying. Prince Ron was very skilled in the arts of talking to oneself. He cracked bad jokes and laughed at them himself. When he felt laughing alone was too boring, he forced the servants to laugh by threatening to punish them by packing horse shit when they return to Ashenmore. Next, he forced them to sing.Poor servants. After two hours, the prince still wasn't done so Leo thought of the only thing that would make him shut up. To put him in the carriage with the princess. If everyone cooperated, the King would not even know. "Prince Ron" he called. "I think you can enter the carriage now. I'll let you come out after a few hour
After a week's journey, Princess Rose, Prince Ron, the guards and the servants that went with them, arrived at the North's main gate. It was very cold so the siblings remained hidden in the carriage while the rest had thick coats on. Their faces were pale. They never knew the North was so cold. How could people survive in such a place?To get to the castle, they had to go through the town. The townspeople all came out to see their soon to be queen but all they saw where half frozen faces and one exquisitely handsome face. It was that of a young man, peeking out of the carriage window. He had soft looking russet curls, brilliant green eyes and a radiant smile. The women who saw this face were swooning. Some men were jealous while others felt it would be nice to have such a beauty to themselves. Prince Ron smiled at every person he made eye contact with. He even winked at some of the women. He felt that Netheridge was full of pretty faces. He hasn't seen a single ugly one. Even the men
Ron nodded and he and Ludiciel started to walk side by side. Ludiciel remained quiet so Ron used the time to look around. His face was straight, devoid of any emotion but his green eyes showed it all. The hidden excitement, the amazement, the joy. He felt like bursting. The Netheridge castle was awesome! It was so large he could hardly see the ceiling but there were lights glowing everywhere, making it look so magical. The walls were painted an icy blue which looked cold to the touch. He wanted to know if it was really cold but that would destroy his princely character so he retracted his hand. He also realized that since they stepped inside, it wasn't cold anymore.Ah pretending was so tiring. He didn't think he could keep up. His back was starting to hurt and his face was feeling a bit stiff. He wondered how his parents could retain such an expression for years. Leo gazed at Ron from time to time. His heart softened at the prince's antics. He knew Ron was a type of person that did
"Do you like him that much, sister?" he asked softly, wanting to make sure.Rose raised her head and looked at Ron right in the eyes. "I've never been so sure about anything in my entire life Ron. I love him and I want to marry him"Ron completely understood what it felt like to love someone even if it's just for a day. His silver haired hero had been on his mind since the day they met. "Don't be sad. I'll go talk to him alright? I'll work something out"The doubt in her eyes were as clear as day. What could Ron do? What had he ever accomplished in his life? Ron didn't like the look. It further strengthened his resolve. "Don't look at me like that sister. You've done so much for me. Let me do something for you too. I'm not saying that I'll succeed but least let me try. You've always told me to never give up without trying haven't you? Do you want to go back on your own words?"Rose shook her head. She couldn't believe Ron remembered such things at a time like this. With that said, al