Mages Entwined

Prologue: Malikiah

Cal keeps telling me that Father and Stephan are going to survive the war. My eyes stray towards the window for the seventh time in thirty minutes. Cal sighs. "Checkmate, little brother." He says and indeed, he's right. I lost the game again. I sigh and fold my knees over my chest, laying my chin on them. Cal huffs out a breath, drawing my attention away from the window. But before I can ask him what his problem is, Father's mage rushes in. My elder brother and I stand quickly. "Aren't you supposed to be helping in the war?" Cal asks. "We won. However, your Father died on the battlefield and Stephan is undergoing inspection, but will probably not make it." He says Cal and I share a look and both take off towards the infirmary.

The mage was right. Stephan didn't make it through the night. The stab wound on his shoulder had gotten infected. And since Cal is the bastard son, that automatically makes me King. My brain shuts down. People flit around me, asking thousands of questions. Cal answers most of them for me. Then, at some point, my brain overloads and the world goes black. 

Waking up in my bed was disorienting. Especially since I can't remember getting here. "Good. You're awake." Cal says from a chair beside my bed. "What happened? How long have I been out?" I ask, sitting up and leaning against my headboard.  "Father and Stephan are dead. You are King. You passed out and have been out for nine hours." Cal says calmly. The only emotion Father allowed guards to feel. I grimace. "That must've been great. The new King passing out." I say sarcastically, wishing  a hole would open up and swallow me whole. Cal laughs. "No. Everybody was kind of expecting it. You're a kid. Your brain doesn't process things the same way and adults does." Cal says, coming to sit on the bed beside me. "You have to be crowned." He says.  I sigh and stand up. I quickly change into proper clothes and follow Cal down to the throne room. Everyone in the kingdom stands as I enter. The guy places the crown on my head and I sit down in the throne. "All hail King Malikiah!" everyone chants.