Element Restraint

Chapter 10: Erik

"I say we completely keep our hands out of it." Grand Duke Castellanos says. I stand in the corner listening, trying to hide my expression of panic.

"We must make a move now!"  Archduke Van Doren urges. "If Emperor Voda finds out, we will surely get attacked."

My father pounds a fist on the table startling all four of us in the room. We have been at it for hours now trying to find a solution to this. As soon as Commander  Galanis personally brought the reports of a spy being caught with the information on the weapons being sold we were called immediately.

"How dare you think I fear Emperor Voda!" He shouts to Van Doren. "We easily have the technology to blow up the entire Water Realm, and he knows it."

Van Doren clenches his jaw to stop himself from speaking. He does not agree with my father, and he knows it. We can all sense his emotions in a small room like this.

"Is there something else you would like to say to me?" My father tilts his head to the side.

"No, your majesty." Van Doren responds.

"Good,"

"Your majesty," Commander Galanis says. "The rebel that escaped could have been the one whom the spy was contacting."

"Why would you presume that?" My father turns to him.

"It had to be in a range of five miles from the radio the rebel called from, and it was shortly after the rebel escaped the message was sent."

I tuck my hands behind my back to hide the anxiousness I am feeling. Surely my father is going to blame me for the escape of that rebel. He was not just any rebel, he was the son of Helmer Orman. One of the leaders of the rebellion.

We were hoping to draw his father out of hiding by doing a mock execution of his son, but the rebellion got in before we had a chance. Of course with my help. I secretly shortened the watch that night in the prison so they could break them out. I know there is a rebel hiding in the palace, and I knew they were going to break Cassius out. I just wanted to lend a helping anonymous hand.

"It does not matter who did it," Castellanos says. "What matters is that we find the rebel hiding in the palace."

"What matters is that we protect this Realm from war." Van Doren speaks up again.

He is taking a very dangerous path bringing up something my father, the king, has already dismissed.

"That my son has already taken care of that." My father speaks up.

Everyone in the room turns to me as I look at my father confused.

"Has he now?" Van Doren speaks up. His plan to try to use his future son-in-law is not working anymore.

"I have." I lie.

My father has something in mind and I am sure he will tell me later.

"What is it, young prince?" Castellanos asks me. I let my face melt to stone instantly.

"You do not have the authority to know that," I say coldly, trying to hide that I do not know it either.

"If I did not know any better, I would think you are lying."  Commander Galanis says to me. I slap the sneering look right off his face. "Are you accusing  your future king of the Air Realms of lying?" I ask him through gritted teeth.

The Commander cracks his jaw and looks at me, his pale skin red from the slap.

"No your majesty."

"Good,"

I stand up straight in the back of the room like a statue for the rest of the meeting. I can not let my guard fall in front of these men. One slip up and it is over. I made that mistake already.

After my father leaves, we are dismissed. Before I leave the room, Castellanos stops me.

"You are a fine young man, your highness." He says to me with dark silver. "But you must remember that when you are king, you can not command loyalty, you must earn it." He sneers.

"Is that a threat?" I tilt my head to him and narrow my eyes.

"No, your highness." He fakes his innocence. "It is some kindly wisdom."

~~~

A few hours later, my father calls for me. I step into his room and look around for him. He sits on a long black couch with a glass of wine in his hand and a half-empty bottle in front of him.

"You asked for me," I say trying not to sound annoyed.

"I want to give you a gift," he says getting up from the couch.

"A gift?" I scratch my head. This is a trap. My father does not give anything else he gains.

"Here," He drops down a folder in my hands. I look at it and read the cover: "Earth Alliance"

"I-I do not understand." I stammer. I am hoping this is not what I think it is. Is this what he was referring to in the meeting earlier?

"Next month you are going to declare a public alliance with the Earth Realm ." My father takes a swig of his wine. "It will be your first big project to do before you become king."

I try to swallow my anger. This is not a gift! As I look at my father's smile, I put the pieces together. He is taking away my power. Trying to rule the kingdom even after he is no longer king. He still wants to have to pull the strings.

"You did not think I sent you to the Earth Realm last summer for a vacation?" He pours more wine into his cup. "We have plans, my boy. A war is brewing and we must be prepared."

He thinks he is still in my head, controlling me, but I am not fifteen anymore. I woke up.

~~~

I storm into my room furiously.

"How dare he!" I shout to no one.

I let him torment me all these years, and I am so close to breaking free.

I pace my room vigorously. What am I going to do? I can not just renounce my plans after I am a king. I should have known he was planning this as soon as I was commanded to go to the Earth Realm last summer.

I walk over to my door. I must tell Imir.

I march down the hallway down to my brother's room. When I knock on the door, I immediately walk in. He sits at his desk reading currently.

"What do you want?" He rolls his eyes, dropping the book on the desk.

"I have a problem." I sigh.

"Finally crawling back to me for help." He crosses his arms.

"Please Imir, it is serious."

His smug look melts off his face.
"What happened?" He rises to his feet. I hand him the file my father gave me.

He looks at it with wide eyes.

"Father is making me do this before I become king," I explain. Imir begins to examine the file."That is why he sent me to the Earth Realm last summer."

I wait patiently for him to finish looking at the file. He sits down on his neatly made bed and reads it in silence. Then he closes it slowly and looks at the cover.

I watch as his shoulders begin to move up and down and he shakes. He tilts his head back hysterically laughing.

"What?" I asked confused.

"You are so stupid!" He stops laughing and shouts. He throws the file across the room at my feet and stands up.

"Did you really think that you could lie to me?" He says. "I am not as dumb as you."

"What are you talking about?" I ask taken back.

"Get out!" He shouts pointing me to the door. "And do not come back."

Without a word I turn and leave the room.