Hidden Secrets

Chapter Two

The next morning, Theo's question was answered. He received a letter from the kingdom. His mother and sister were ecstatic. They kept trying to take the letter from Theo, but he was too quick and held the paper above his head.

"Come on, just open it already," his 14-year-old sister, Sofie whined.

"Theodore, listen to your sister," his mother demanded. Theo gave up and decided it would be best to just open it now, or he would be dealing with this for the rest of the day, and read aloud:

Dear Theo,

I have asked my father if he would allow me to give you a spot for a guardsman. He said yes, so there you go! Your training starts tomorrow at 9 am. By tonight, one of our kingdom members will come to pick you up. I'm sorry it has to be so sudden, but Father was a little unsure at first (I had to beg him) and eventually, he gave in. Only pack what's important to you, everything else is here.

Ps. I hope you have some knowledge of being a guard, or else I'm in for it. No pressure! ☺

Sincerely, Mehdi.

After reading, Theo didn't know what to say. His mother and sister were dancing around. Theo read the letter again to himself, making sure he read that correctly.

"Oh, Theo! This is great! You get to have a job at the palace and we get paid!" his mother was saying, but he wasn't paying attention. "Why don't you look happy?"

"I have to leave tonight," Theo replied with a frown. His sister stopped dancing around.

"What?" Sofie pouted.

"Well," his mother started, trying to cheer things up, "Then you better start packing!"

Theo was being pushed into his room, and his mother brought out a small bag from the closet. "The letter said only important things, right?" she asked. Theo nodded in response. "Alrighty, I'll give you some space and you can figure out what you're bringing." His mother left his room, leaving Theo standing alone in his room. That was the last thing he wanted.

He looked around, searching for important things that he would want to take with him. The first thing that stood out was a picture frame that was propped up on his little table. It was a picture of his mother, sister, and his dad. They were smiling. Theo took the photo and packed it into the bag.

Minutes later, he was finishing packing up when his sister knocked on the door frame. "Theo?" she questioned.

Theo turned around to see Sofie hesitantly watching from the doorway. "Hey, Sofie. Did you need something?" he asked.

"I brought you something." She moved into the room and sat down on the bed. Theo did the same. Sofie opened her hand, and lying in her palm was a bracelet made of string. It was a pink fishtail braid. "I made it for you." She held out her other hand, taking Theo's left wrist. Sofie tied the bracelet around his wrist and said, "So you won't forget about me while you're gone."

"I would never forget about you," Theo reassured, giving Sofie a side hug. "And I love it, thank you."

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Night came quickly, and one of the escorts from the palace knocked on the door. His mother answered the door to a tall man in a delicate suit.

"Is this the Harwood household?" he asked.

"Yes, it is," Theo's mother said in return.

"I have been told to escort Theodore Harwood. Is he home?"

She nodded and called for Theo. Theo came out of his room with his bag packed and slung over his shoulder. His sister trailed out from behind.

"Mr. Harwood, I have come to escort you," the man stated to Theo. The man took Theo's bag and said, "You have two minutes to say your goodbyes." He turned around and went to the car that was parked outside the house.

Theo turned towards his mother who was tearing up. "Well, I guess this is it," Theo announced. His mother hugged him tightly trying not to shed any tears. Theo hugged back with the same amount of energy. "I'm going to miss you."

"You are going to do amazing," his mother said. Theo let go before he changed his mind to stay. Sofie was crying and ran to him, hugging him with such power that Theo was almost knocked over.

"I don't want you to go," his sister exclaimed through tears.

"I know, but it's the only way we can get money."

"I'm going to miss you so much!"

"Me too. Promise me you'll take care of Mother," Theo told Sofie.

Sofie let go of Theo, wiping her tears away. "I promise."

Theo took a step to look at his family and said, "I love you."

"I love you too," his mother responded, wiping tears from her eyes.

Theo walked out of his house, desperately trying not to look back. The escort was already waiting inside the car. Theo had only been in a car once when his dad was still alive.

He climbs into the passenger seat and buckles up. Theo rested his head against the cool window, staring out at what he was leaving behind. Neither of them spoke during the car ride, which Theo didn't mind.

They arrived at the palace in less than twenty minutes. As Theo climbed out of the car, he was awed by the sight. Although it was night, he could still see a huge fountain in the middle of the driveway. The night sky was flooded with lights coming from inside the palace.

His thoughts were interrupted when the escort slammed the trunk closed. "This way, Mr. Harwood." The escort marched up to the giant palace doors and knocked. Somebody on the other side opened the doors and greeted the escort, letting them in. Theo was astonished. He was greeted with a great crystal chandelier hanging above. The floor was marbled and shiny. There was a wide staircase to the left of him, and his eyes caught someone coming down them. The person was wearing a sharp white suit, his hair was a chestnut brown, cut short, and was wearing a satisfied smile. As he came closer, Theo realized it was Mehdi; the prince.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the escort and the doorman bow and registered that he did the same. Theo heard a laugh from in front, looked up and saw the prince standing right in front of him.

"No need for that," Mehdi laughed. Theo quickly stood up straight. "Thank you, gentlemen." The escort and doorman bowed one more time before leaving them. "You made it," Mehdi then said, facing Theo.

"I made it," Theo repeated with a sigh. "So...where do I go?"

"Well, sadly, guards don't have their own rooms, unless you're the head guard, but you do get your own bed. They are in the guards' quarters. So if you follow me" —he moved towards the corridor— "I can show you where you're staying."

Theo followed behind Mehdi, looking around intently at his surroundings. Mehdi took them down the corridor and to the left, past the kitchens where the cooks and maids were tidying up. They continued down the hall until Mehdi stopped in front of a door.

"This is the guards' quarters," he said gesturing to the door. "I'm not allowed in, so this is where I leave you."

Theo gave Mehdi a nervous smile. "Thank you, Your Highness."

"You're very welcome, Theodore," Mehdi said, empathizing Theo's full name. And with that, Theo was left alone for the second time that day.

Theo stood outside the door for a couple of seconds before taking a deep, shaky breath before opening the door. He was greeted with a bunch of men of all different shapes, sizes, and skin tones. As soon as he walked in, they all stared at him, making him feel intimidated. He decided it would be better to say something, instead of standing there, so he took a deep breath in and spoke, "Hi, I'm Theodore Harwood...I was given the position of being a guard..." Theo explained, hoping to make a good first impression. It was silent for a second and then it broke out into "Hellos" and "Welcomes."

After meeting everyone that was there (some were on duty), Theo felt relief wash over him. He blended in with the rest like it was natural and meant to be.