Chapter Three

[P.O.V. Riley Woods]

Listening to what my father was saying at the arena, I had no idea that he and my mother was stepping down from the throne. Looking over at Jared, he didn't look even clueless like I did. He sat there like what father was saying as nothing.

"What the hell is Father talking about?" asking Jared through our twin mind link.

"Exactly what he said," Jared replies

"I know what he said. I'm asking when the hell was this decided?"

"Two weeks ago when father and mother met us in private."

"...." I don't remember them meeting us in private.

"Don't tell me you weren't paying attention that day?" Jared glances at me with an annoying scolding look.

"I was really hungover. Of course, I wasn't paying attention." I lied.

"More like you weren't hungover, and you were wasted," Jared reveals the truth. He takes a deep breath and lets it out. "Riley, I love you, man, but you really need to grow the fuck up and start taking some responsibility. Father and Mother are going to give one of us the throne. And by taking the throne, it has a bunch of responsibilities."

"More of the reason why father and the council will choose you."

"The council said the way it is done would be fair."

"Oh, come on, Jared, you know that it won't be fair. That's just what they say to get on father and mother's good side." Mother and father take their seats after starting the festivities.

"Can we talk about this later?"

"Fine..." From that point on, we both stayed quiet and watched the arena games.

I have watched some of the greatest warriors fight each other from various kingdoms. The winner of each fight would go to the next fight. And every round got harder, and it continued until there were a hundred warriors left. Those warriors will fight for the rest of the festival days. The Warriors will compete in different arena games all week while doing so. The number will go down. Until there is a winner, and the winner will be the one to fight the great fierce beast and be this year's champion. How are these beasts chosen since almost everyone in the whole kingdom is supernatural? Simple when our gods and goddess made all of us, they also made some creatures that think exactly like a beast. And because these creatures think only like a beast, they are a threat to those creatures that have humanity.

After watching the whole arena game, it was now sunset taking my leave to my bedroom. I go to freshen up for tonight's first annual festival ball for this week. On my way, there I took a shortcut through the gardens. That when a delicious smell hit my nose. It smelt like summer rain and freshen linen. The smell was so intoxicating my wolf Kaleb and my dragon Allister were going crazy. Following the scent, it leads me to an empty spot in the garden. In this spot, the smell was the strongest I can smell it all around me. Someone was here not that long ago, and I had to find them.

Following the scent, it leads me to a huge group of people talking about in the castle. With the different scents, I end up losing the aroma. Knowing that I have lost the scent, all I could do was feel disappointed. Thinking about how bad I wanted to meet this person. It only made me more motivated to find them. I hope that they will be at tonight's ball. With that hope, I go to my bedroom, and when I get there, an older man with short dark brown hair with little white, brown eyes with a silver ring around the iris, and his body was well built for his age. He also had a scar on the right side of his face from the last war. He was sitting there in front of the fireplace staring at the fire.

"Uncle Gilo, I can explain why I ditched you earlier today..." Trying to explain to the older man, he looked at me, on the right side of his face where his scar was. The scar on his face ran across his eye, leaving him blind in his right eye.

"I get it. I used to be the same way. No explanation is needed... Take a seat.." He tells me while gesturing his hand to the chair next to him.

"Okay... Is there something wrong?" Asking him while taking a seat next to him.

"Life has a funny way of showing you when your old, and life has shown me this. I'm not young like I use to be, and because of this, I have decided to retire at the end of the week when your parents step down from the throne and gives it to you or your brother." I didn't know what to say. All I could do was understand why he was doing it. "Because of this, I will be shadow by someone else for the rest of the week, and this someone will be taking my place. He will be your new royal guard."

"Seriously? Why do I even need a new royal bodyguard? I am almost four hundred and sixty years old. In human years I'm twenty-nine going onto thirty. I don't need a damn babysitter." Getting up from my seat. I understood why Gilo had to protect me as a child until now, but why does my father insist on keeping royal bodyguards around?

"I know your a grown man, and your right you don't need one. But a royal bodyguard isn't your baby sitter there to protect you. You are a higher prince. You need the protection."

"From what exactly? And don't tell me that there many enemies to the throne. I understand that but what could have my father so scared that he insists on keeping royal bodyguards around?" Gilo quiet talking and look hesitant, like if he had something to say but couldn't say it. He stands up and looks me straight in the face.

"Look, I'm just letting you know what was going on. If you want answers, you should ask your father. He is the one that demands that all royalty will have a bodyguard, especially your mother, your brother, and you. That is all I have to say about the matter. I will be outside; come out when you're ready to head down the ballroom." Gilo takes his leave and closes the bedroom door. He said my father is the reason for royal guards, and the way he said it has me wondering was what is my father hiding?

After getting freshen up for the ball, I leave my bedroom to head down to the ballroom. The ballroom looked like any other royal ballroom. With hundreds of white and red roses everywhere. With hundreds of men in suits and women in dresses. While I peek through the curtains, my beast and I couldn't help but feel restless.

"Your feeling restless to huh?" Jared asks me. Looking at him, he was also peeking through the royal curtains. We haven't look through the curtains like this since we were kids. And we usually block our twin bond, but as for right now, it's not.

"Yea...." Answering him, it was nice knowing I wasn't the only one.

"I have been feeling this anxious since the arena today. Landon and Issac are going crazy. I can't get them to calm down their constantly arguing." Landon is his wolf, and Issac is his dragon.

"I know what you mean. Kaleb and Allister are the same way. They really started to act up when I walked through the gardens earlier. It's like my animal instincts kicked in, and I had to track down whoever it was I smelt."

"Are you two peeking through the curtain again?" We both look behind us, and a beautiful woman with blonde hair, green eyes with a silver ring around the iris, and white skin. Wearing a silver tiara and a lovely red dress walked towards us.

"Amanda." Jared and I say at the same time with surprise and excitement.

"Hey, cousins." She says. Amanda is the daughter of Uncle Tyler and Aunt Katrina. She gives us both a hug, and while doing so, a man with black hair, brown eyes with a bright blue ring around his iris, and very tall. Wearing a suit and red tie with a prince crown on his head, he was Amanda's older brother Gabriel.

"Don't squeeze them too hard, Amanda you might wrinkle their suits," Gabriel says. After hugging Amanda, we slap hands with Gabriel and give him a quick hug. Greeting each other, telling each other how great it was to see each other.

"Have you guys seen Lenard?" Jared asks.

"I'm right here," Lenard says. We all looked at him as he walked towards us. He had dirty blonde hair and blue eyes with a golden yellow ring around his iris. He was the son of our late Uncle Vincent and Aunt Emily.

After the war was won, the human world and the supernatural world were separated from each other. Since Lenard's mother was human, he was raised in the human world and only visited during the annual festival. So we didn't get to see him much. We did the same with him. We slapped hands and hugged and greeted each other. We all teased and fun of each other while waiting for the ball to start, which didn't take long before the parents showed up.