Promise

The last rays of the sun illuminated a chamber where a middle aged man could be seen, anxiously pacing back and forth beside his working table. The man was surrounded by pearl white walls adorned with intricate gold patterns, with a high ceiling from which a beautiful diamond chandelier adorned with precious jewels hung. At the age of 52, he still had his fiery red hair, golden eyes that shimmered like crystals even with the faintest light, and a smile that could melt the heart of young maidens along with his dangerous charm, but of course all of those handsome features didn't really matter to him for he only had one person in his heart, his wife, Seraphina.

Beads of sweat trickled down his face as he waited for news about his daughter-in-law's delivery. He was thrilled at the thought of becoming a grandfather with his very first grandson or granddaughter. He didn't know whether it was going to be a boy or a girl because Janus and Serenity decided to not have the baby's gender checked. They wanted it to be a surprise for everyone, including themselves. But in reality, the real reason why they refused to have the gender of the baby checked is because Janus and Serenity had their own fantasies regarding the baby's gender that they wanted to indulge longer. Janus preferred an adorable little girl because he wanted a mini Serenity. Just thinking about how a baby Serenity would look would cause him to burst out in a laughter from happiness and excitement as he thought of ways to pamper her. On the other hand, Serenity wanted a cute baby boy. The thought of having a son who would look like the smaller version of her husband whose looks were the ultimate lady killer, filled her heart with pride at the thought of hundreds of young maidens chasing after her little Janus.

Alteon was excited but he was also worried for giving birth could cause a lot of complications which could harm the person giving birth. "If only my wife were here," he thought to himself, "maybe he wouldn't be as frightened than he was now." Alteon Arkwright didn't know much about giving birth so he experienced fear and uncertainty at the thought of his daughter-in-law, Serenity, going through such. If his wife were here, she would know how to comfort him and put him at ease. However, Seraphina was currently in Cali Kingdom with their son, Janus Arkwright, the current King of Ark Kingdom. Janus had urgent matters to settle in a country near Cali Kingdom while Seraphina was visiting her sick father in Cali Kingdom. Alteon, on the other hand, decided to stay behind to supervise matters in the Kingdom while his son was away and to keep Serenity company for she was nearing her time of delivery, she will be giving birth to his first grandchild after all.

Janus and Seraphina planned to be back in the Kingdom upon Serenity's delivery which is supposed to be two weeks from now but to everyone's surprise, Serenity will be giving birth earlier than expected. After Serenity experienced labor pains yesterday, Alteon immediately delivered a message to his wife and son regarding the news, telling them to hurry back home immediately.

He was lost in his thoughts when he suddenly heard the knock on the door. It was his most trusted person, General Scarlet Lin. She was his sister whom he grew up with since he was little and they always had each other's backs. Scarlet was a beauty, with red hair like his and a pair of scarlet eyes that could read people like the back of her hand. It was because of this that he couldn't keep the family secret from her, she read him like an open book. "Al," she made a long pause before she uttered the next few words she needed to say. Although she tried her best to suppress her emotions, the worry that filled her eyes couldn't escape Alteon's radar. As a matter of fact, he noticed it instantly. "Serenity," she continued to say, "gave birth to two boys." Alteon lost his composure, his hands started to shake as his knees lost the strength to keep him up. Although he was not sure whether his grandsons were related to the prophecy, the possibility caused him great fear and anxiety.

He gripped the arm of a nearby chair to keep him from stumbling forward. "Twins," he thought to himself, "Had their family not been under that cursed prophecy, he would have been happy upon hearing the news."

"Serenity fainted from exhaustion, but her vitals are fine. She is expected to wake up in a few hours." Scarlet told his brother, breaking the deafening silence in the room. "Would you like to see them?"

"Right away," he said without hesitation.

Scarlet left the chamber, leaving Alteon alone as he stood in the same spot silently. The words his father told him years ago resounded in his ears, "Once the twins in the prophecy are born, the crystal will emit a red glow marking the beginning of the first prophecy. But should only one of the two live, the crystal will shatter, signifying triumph over the cursed prophecy."

"That's right, Alteon told himself, "my grandsons being twins doesn't prove any relation to the prophecy. It's possible that they aren't related to the prophecy at all." Alteon was consoling himself for he couldn't bear the fate of his grandsons should they be the twins in the prophecy. "Janus and Serenity was a match made in heaven, there's no way for a tragedy like this to happen to them. They don't deserve it, those two have been nothing but good. The heavens will surely bless them."

Alteon walked to his table and unlocked the secret compartment. Hidden under layers of documents was a small gold chest. Before Alteon's father passed away, he put in Alteon's care. It contained the prophecy of Lorelei. Inside the chest was a crystal that Lorelei created; it has been passed down from one generation to the next. The crystal contained the prophecy, allowing anyone who bears Lorelei's mark to see the prophecy she saw with their own eyes. Alteon reached for the golden chest and opened it.

"Al, it's me. I have brought them with me," Scarlet said as she knocked on the door. There was no answer. "Al, is everything alright?" Scarlet asked but there was still no answer.

At the other side of the door was Alteon sitting on a chair. He stared blankly at the crystal as his mind turned into a complete mess. His heart felt like it had been drained of all blood before being ripped into millions of pieces. He had never felt this much pain in his life, it was a living hell. He would rather die, that was definitely way better than having to feel this pain. Alteon didn't notice that Scarlet had entered the room. Her heart tightened into a knot upon seeing the look on her brother's face. No words needed to be said, just one look at her brother's face was enough for her to know what happened. She turned around and signalled Dr. Dawn to remain outside as she went further inside the room.

Scarlet hesitated before letting the words out of her mouth, "Do you still wish to see the second Prince?"

Alteon finally broke out of his trance. As much as it pained him, he could not bear letting go of his second grandson without at least giving him one look. "Just one look," his voice quivered. He was his grandson afterall, his own flesh and blood. The second Prince was pitiful enough to be fated to die upon being born to this world. What more for him to die without any of his family sparing him at least one glance. Janus and Serenity wouldn't get to see a glimpse of their second son, nor would they even know of his existence.

The burden was already too painful for him, how much more for a father who could only stand and watch his son die for the sake of escaping the cursed prophecy. He knew Janus well enough, he was a good man but he had a soft heart, surely he wouldn't be able to take the pain of losing a son this way. It would haunt him his entire life and as a Janus's father, he could not bear seeing his son suffer that way. The fact that Janus did not know about the prophecy and his wife was carrying twins made Alteon feel relieved. Because of his son's ignorance of these matters, he made his resolve. He would keep these two things a secret from his son, a secret he would carry to his grave, a burden he would suffer alone.

Scarlet walked to the door and opened it lightly while her eyes landed on the Doctor of the Royal Household, "Dr. Dawn, bring them in." Dr. Dawn entered the chamber at the call of General Scarlet. As Dr. Dawn walked in, Alteon caught sight of the two babies she held in each of her arms. He felt joy and sorrow upon seeing the two baby boys.

He walked up to Dr. Dawn and reached out his arms, "Who among the two is the Second Prince?" he asked Dr. Dawn.

"The baby on my left arm, your Majesty," Dr. Dawn said as she moved her arm closer to Alteon.

Alteon took the baby as pain seeped through his eyes, "Doctor please give us some privacy but before you go, tell me, who else knows of this?"

"Your Majesty, other than General Lin and I, no one else knows of the Queen conceiving twins. When her highness was giving birth to the First Prince, I noticed a hand was clutching on the ankle of the Prince so I immediately dismissed everyone else in the delivery room after quickly telling them that their work was done and that I would handle the rest by myself. The Queen passed out after giving birth to the Princes."

"How about the Queen, does she know?" Alteon gave him a concerned look.

"Yes, your majesty, the Queen does," Dr. Dawn replied.

"She shouldn't, Alteon furrowed his brows, "See if Caroline has a drug that is suitable for the Queen, one that would make her memories of this day hazy. The drug should have no harmful side effects. Should the drug harm the Queen, I will hold you and Caroline responsible."

"Yes, your majesty," in an instant, Dr. Dawn knew what Alteon had planned and she was going to ensure its success. Dr. Dawn wouldn't go against Alteon's wishes for she knew that Alteon was doing this for the best.

Take good care of the First Prince, I will see him shortly." Alteon dismissed the Doctor.

"Al, I'll be outside. You know, we're here for you, you're not alone in this," Scarlet said as she followed Dr. Dawn's trail. She too did not object her brother's plans. Out of all of them who knew about this, she knew that her brother took the biggest hit, the best thing she could do was to stand beside him and cooperate.

Alteon looked at the boy in his arms, he had fiery red hair like his and his son's but at the ends were streaks of gold which took after Serenity. He resembled his mother with his long dark lashes and emerald green eyes that shimmered like crystals even at the faintest light; its radiance caught him off guard for they looked like they could pierce right through the depths of one's soul with its warmth, purity, and innocence which made anyone who saw them, yearn for his gaze. Alteon slowly lifted his right hand to caress his grandson's cheek. Gently, he stroke his grandson's cheek with his thumb, as he held back the tears that were on the verge of escaping his eyes.

The baby reached out his tiny palm to Alteon's face, touching it as he gave his grandfather a warm smile. "Funny," Alteon thought to himself, "it's as if his grandson was trying to appease him when he didn't deserve any of it. I need to give you a name, it's the least I can do for you." Alteon thought for a moment before he finally decided, "Jonathan, yes that will be your name little one, Jonathan Arkwright. A gift from the gods, that is a name fit for you, the baby whose sacrifice will save the Arkwright family and Ark Kingdom from its downfall. Forgive me for your fate I cannot change." He bent over and planted a kiss on Jonathan's forehead as he recalled the story of the first Arkwright King.