The Archer and Her Prince

The Winter Ball

Edwin's Pov (After Edores and Bursen left)

I arrange the curtains and invitations on placemats and wait beside my ...parents, bleh.

"Edwin, where's Edores?" Mom asks. Oh so she cares now?

"She's just getting dressed in our chambers."

"But she was already dressed when she came." Mom adds.

"Okay maybe she needed to adjust something, I'm not one to ask my girlfriend a bunch of questions about what she's doing. I trust her. And you should too. What's with the questions?" I snap causing both Mom and Dad to frown.

"She's the future Queen, she needs to be present." Mom sighs.

"She will be back soon." I answer. I hope she will be though, I can't help but get this feeling that something's wrong.

"Your Majesties and Highness, guests are arriving." Leon bows his head and steps to the other side of the door. We sober up and pull out our smiles. I'm sure all three of our smiles are purely fake.

Uncle Monen and his mistress-whose name I still don't know, enter with a large grin.

"Melissa, Berent. Nice to see you both again." Uncle Monen hugs both of them before he just nods at me. Nods. I guess he knows that I know about Grandma. He used to be so friendly.

"Nice to see you too Monen, and Milly." Mom smiles. Ah, Milly, I knew her name started with an M. The creativity of this family is crazy.

Dad just stays silent. If he didn't seem so suspicious in the last week, he definitely seems even more so now.

More distant relatives enter the hall with their plus ones. They start mingling and getting drinks from the bartender on the side. Man I wish Edores and I could be those regular couples. Just relaxing and not having to stay on our toes because of a damn prophecy.

Suddenly a high pitched alarm goes off and my parents and Uncle Monen stare at me. Why me?

"What?" I spit out in confusion, sipping my club soda.

"You said Edores was in your quarters." Mom frowns. What does that have to do with the loud alarm?

I set down my glass on the table in front of me. "Yeah she is. What the hell is that alarm for?"

"She's not in your quarters." Mom smirks. What's going on? Wait what happened to Edores? Shit the Queen is in on this. I knew she was guilty. 

"What's the alarm for?" I repeat my question slower watching the three of them closely. They glance at each other in some hidden language then look back at me.

Leon enters the hall coming straight for me, frowning. "Your Highness, you are under arrest for attempted murder of the King's mother Jane."

What? What the hell? I look back at the three of them watching them smirk before turning serious.

"You almost murdered your Grandma?" Mom, no, the Queen asks in a small voice. In a fake voice. She knew that I knew very well what was going on. 

"I can't believe you, I'm ashamed to even call you my son." Dad finally says. Wow. I knew Mom was in this, but Dad too? I, wow.

"You seriously believe that I don't know that the two of you tried killing her the first time?!" I yell at the Queen and Uncle Monen. Shit, I just did what Edores warned me not to, I lost my cool and threw all my cards on the table. I just confirmed their suspicion.

"Why would I kill my mother-in-law?" the Queen raises her eyebrows. "Take him to the dungeon Leon." She orders as the alarm turns off and we're left in dead silence.

"You don't deserve to call yourself a mother." I spit as Leon grabs my arms and drags me out of the hall, all of the guests staring at us in confusion.

"Leon let me go." I mutter as we pass a few more doorways going closer and closer to the stairs leading to the basement dungeons. The torturing chambers.

"I'm sorry, Her Majesty rules over you, Your Highness." He shakes his head.

"You don't seriously believe I would kill my own damn grandmother?" I fume.

"Edwin! Edwin! Leon? What-Edwin!" I hear her voice coming closer and stop in my tracks making Leon stumble forward.

"Your Highness, let's go." Leon mumbles knowing that he's not doing his job right.

"Edwin what's going on?" Bursen comes behind her as she inspects my arms with fingernail prints on them. Leon doesn't cut his damn nails man.

"They're arresting me for attempted murder of Grandma. Some random alarm went off and the Queen asked if Edores was in my quarters or not. Then she just acted like she knew everything. The three of them are working together. The King, Queen and Monen. It's as clear as day now. The King didn't even try to stop them. The manipulated the guards into thinking I'm guilty." I scowl at Leon who doesn't even seem fazed by my death glare which is new.

"It was a trap. Grandma yelled at me for coming to save her. The King's loyal guard attempted to capture her for the Queen to behead her. But I killed him with my fire. They're all in on this, I'm so sorry." Edores sighs.

"Guys enough with the catch up fest, we need to get you out of this attempted murder shit. Edores declared war so we need to go through with it and defeat the council."

"Declared war?" I raise my brow at Bursen in confusion.

"She didn't know by killing the guard that would be declaring war on the palace. Or council or whatever." Bursen shrugs.

"So what do we do?" I ask them both.

"Your Highness, I'm afraid I will have to use force now." Leon chips in.

Edores glares at him, "Don't you dare, that is an order from the Queen of All Species. And my order surpasses any other Queen out there. I am the Queen of all Queens. You must let him go." I grin at her authoritative voice. My baby has grown so much with her power.

"I'm afraid an attack on the palace of-"

"Leon, I will take care of this. You won't get punished. That is an order." Edores interrupts.

"Yes, Your Majesty." Leon lowers his head then walks away.

I beam, "I'm so proud of you baby." I kiss her forehead then pull away.

"This is rage, baby." She winks then sobers, "We need to get out of here and figure out what we need to do. Bursen teleport us to your gym."

Bursen nods then a moment later we appear in front of the archery targets.