The Family

The Prince...

The clouds loomed overhead as the rain began to fall gently. I took a deep breathe and exited the car. The cold wind made goosebumps form on my skin as I shivered slightly.

I walked up the clear marble stairs to the front door of the mansion. The mansion was much bigger than my father's and appeared to have a white marble theme to it.

I quickly marveled at the sight and made my way to the door. The door had smooth oak grooves that contrasted with the pale, white walls.

I knocked on the door.

I waited a few minutes and then knocked again. This time shuffling could be heard from the inside and I pressed my ear to the door.

I heard hushed voices and leaned my full body weight on the door, using it as a support as I tried to press my ear further and make out some proper words, then out of nowhere the surface I had been using as support seemed to dissappear as I could feel my body falling through air.

I looked underneath me and saw the polished marble floor hastily moving closer to my face. I squeezed my eyes shut and waited for the impact, all that was left to say is that...I didn't have to wait long as I felt my forehead slam against the floor.

"Son of a-" but before I could finish the sentence, I heard a loud chuckle resonating through the room.

I started getting my footing in place as I crawled to my feet in a haste. I dusted myself off and locked eyes with a stranger, standing atop the large marble staircase the dominated the entire room.

I took note of his strange appearance, he had messy, golden hair that seemed to compliment his pale blue eyes. He wore mostly white clothes with touches of navy blue and black that all seemed to match his pale skin and confident demeanor.

Anyone could guess he wasn't from here, the closest thing we had to princes was people like my father. And almost everyone who's lived here they're entire life has had some sort of scar in their life, me included. Not to mention, the city was brimming with violence.

Yet this man had the expression of an innocent child, seemingly knowing nothing of the world and never having a bad day.

I despised people like that. I've had to work for everything I got and this prince is instantly better than me in every way, just because he's alive...pitiful.

I gave him a slight scowl as he burst into laughter once again.

"I guess you could say, your already falling for me, no?" He said in a thick French accent..

"Mr Chientreuil, our fathers have come to terms about your safety and have appointed me as your loyal bodyguard. I am Valentine Russo, at your service." I said as he looked at me with an amused smirk.

"Wait wait wait...so your the new bodyguard. Wow! I'm impressed...I was not expecting a woman, especially a woman such as yourself." He said as he strode down the marble stairs and made his way to me.

He deeply bowed and gently took my hand in his,"A pleasure to meet you, mademoiselle" he greeted while planting a small kiss on my hand.

"O-ok...umm....you can get off me now" I flustered while awkwardly pulling my hand away. Not used to being treated like this, I searched for a way to escape the situation. He gave me a puzzled look before understanding the situation.

"Does my trésor not get this on a daily basis?" He said seemingly flabbergasted.

"Ummmm...listen Mr prince...this is America. We don't exactly treat eachother like this, especially people like me" I said blankly.
He once again had a face filled with confusion and yet also intrigue.
"People like you?" He repeated.

I shook my head and rubbed my temples.

"Signore mi dà forza" I mumbled under my breath,"look it don't matter, point is, I'm your body guard. I'll follow you wherever you go and Yada Yada Yada" I said getting irritated at having to explain myself again.

He nodded in understanding. "Oh! Right! My name is Nicolas Chientreuil" he replied before walking down a long hallway.

"Wait! Sir! Where ya going!" I called out in a hurry, trying to catch up to him.

"Relax, relax. I just want to go talk to my father before we go out." He said as he quickened his pace.

"You can come with" he gestured while pointing to a large oak door.

We entered the large door and my eyes immediately brightened. The room had to be some kind of training room.

The walls were a dull white and lined up to the brim of weapons of all shapes and sizes.

Crossbows, guns, swords, throwing knives and many, many more.

My mouth broke into a wide grin as I stared at the weapons with a twinkle in my eye. I looked as though I was a child in a candy store.

Nicolas lightly chuckled at my dumbfounded expression and gestured for me to try out a few. I hesitated until an older man in the room caught our attention.

The man gave me a warm smile. His soft wrinkles and gray hair showed his elderly years had caught up. He looked at me with the same pale blue eyes his son had.

"I presume your miss Russo?" He questioned in a smooth voice. I nodded my head.

He solemnly nodded his head and looked at his son. "I don't know what I would do if my son got hurt here. Your father said you were his finest?" He said though it sounded more like a question.

I once again, firmly nodded my head. A look of shock, passed Nicolases face at the comment. The old man nodded his head and gave me a smile that revealed hints of sadness.

"Please protect my son...and please bear with him, this is his first time here and he is unfamiliar with the customs of this country so please be patient with him." He said.

I nodded my head once again and smiled at the old man.

After a few minutes of silence, the old man gestured at the weapons on the rack. "Care to join me?" He asked.

My eyes lit up with excitement.