Two Princes In Panama

Chapter 26: Bernardo

"We introduce the royals of both the North and South to the governing rulers of the domain designated as Panama," All the oncoming guards said in unison before bowing. Myles waved them away while our two guards took a bow, our families dismissed. "Bernardo," my youngest sister said as she ran from behind my parents. I dipped down to meet her with open arms as she crashed into me and gave me a hug. I loved her like my other siblings, but she held a special place in my heart. Around my neck I could feel warm metal attached to her arm and knew what it was immediately. The bracelet of succession, the one piece of jewelry that I had coveted as a child. My mother used to keep it in a glass box that rested in front of our door. She had worn like the other three rulers of the South. It was not a shock that they had chosen her, the top of her class both academically and in combat. She showed a strategic level of intelligence while keeping her childlike charm. She would be a great queen when the time came. The only thing I mourned was Alexa possibly losing part of her childhood to the throne. Myles had showed me how much the

"Congratulation little queen," I said, as I released her. Rosa waved at me wearing a fitted emerald dress, I smiled back at her. She missed it as she turned to Myles and smiled warmly. My brother was beaming with joy at her side. On the other side of my siblings stood twelve men and women who had varying shades of brown skin. They were as still as statues except for Celine seated erect in her chair., in their matching red suits. The six princesses had their hair either pulled back into neat buns or removed from their face if their hair was short. The princes all had short hair on the top and faded sides that had etchings I was too far away to detail. Like always, the family of the North looked polished, lethal, and cold.

"Family, please join us in the dining room, I am sure we have lots to discuss," Myles said. He turned on his heels and we all followed behind him to the room that we had never used for meals. It was large and had little decorations other than separate paintings of Myles and I on the back wall. Our parents both took to the ends of the table, while we sat at the center facing one another. Our siblings filled in where they could, and the guards made themselves scarce. "We are glad to have you all," I lied, ready to start the conversation.

"Both kingdoms have gathered here because of the news of a needed celebration. Bernardo, we heard you executed many terrorists which protected both the continents from potential threats and your own domain," My father said, failing to restrain a prideful smile. I smiled at him, "Yes, I eliminated the threat with the help of Myles, and his integration into the community." A grunt came from Morris, the oldest of the Northern family. "How could he have contributed if he wasn't on the battlefield with you.?" He was staring me down and I stared back. Morris was as big as I was, which I found a little odd since Myles was damn near his twin. Morris was slightly darker than his younger brother and wore anger on his face in a way Myles could never pull off.

"Like I stated, he integrated into the lower socioeconomic classes which led them to opening up to authorities. With that intelligence, we could create a network of information that showed the recruiting efforts of the terrorist cell that allowed us to trace them to their hideout." I tried to keep my tone neutral, but the stares from Myles's family were getting to me. "Enough of that, we have more pressing matters to discuss," Queen Norella said, ignoring the contributions of her son. "We've found growing rumors of your marriage being a fraud, and that's bound to lead to doubts in the strength of our treaty. Our spies have heard whispers of a revolt if this arrangement fails, which will be detrimental to the progress of both of our kingdoms."

Queen Norella looked at me directly, "We managed to take out the whore you slept with after we found her shopping around her story to the press. Queen Dulce, imprisoned a journalist that tried to extort her for attempted treason. After extensive talks, we decided the best way to quell these rumors is for you two to have a baby. The treaty requires a baby to make the treaty permanent. A child between the two of you will begin the first official generation of Panamanian royalty." Queen Norella had a tone of finality which caused me to bristle. "A baby is not something that I won't rush," Myles said. His siblings turned to him. His opinion had gone unheard while he was living with them that him speaking must have been a shock.

"You will do it for the greater good. This is an order that will be carried out after you come back from a trip home with us. You will create an heir," King Arnold spoke definitively. I couldn't take it anymore, "What is wrong with the two of you? He told you he is not ready." My anger had reached its crest upon hearing how my husband was being spoken to. The others of the North didn't seem to see anything wrong with disregarding Myles's wishes, except Celine and Nora, who looked on concerned.

"You are not a king, Prince Bernardo, mind your tone," King Arnold threatened me. I wouldn't back and began showing how powerful I was by burning mana around me. The King didn't seem too phased as I felt him responding in kind. I had to admit that his power was almost suffocating. Though I was strong, he had the added advantage of age over me. I couldn't beat him outright, but I would not back down. "Submit," Queen Norella said, adding her strength to her husbands. The guards became increasingly antsy as their conjoined power flowed. I looked over at Myles and saw the anger and pain written on his face. He looked me in my eyes before I felt a rush of power as his enhancement magic increasing my power tenfold. I knew he could enhance my powers by a lot when he used this skill at the restaurant, but with it focused just on me, I grasped some of his actual strength.

"King and Queen of the North I would hate to ruin the bond we are forging by fighting over something trivial, but I won't stand for you threatening my son," my father spoke up, and I felt the weight of his power waft through the room. I could practically feel the tungsten forming from the air molecules around us. My mother then looked up and took a breath, which caused my vision to go black. Her magic was one of the more common types. She was an illusionist, illusionist were not the most powerful magic users because of the time and preparation it would take to cast the spells, but my mother remedied that with her supreme use of air magic. She could quickly capture her victims by breathing out a ton of mana into the air, and within seconds after inhalation her victims found themselves trapped in her web of dreams.

"We all need to calm down before we make decisions that could harm the treaty. Guards bring food and non-alcoholic drinks, I think we should refrain from topics that would ignite any further issues," My mother's voice broke through the darkness, we all agreed before she released us from her grasp revealing a table full of food that we had catered from a restaurant in town. The mood was tense during dinner, but in my mind, it was a thousand time worse. I wanted nothing more than to kill them.

"Focus on the fact that Myles chooses you over his family despite how scared he was," I heard Rosa in my mind. I looked over at my teenage sister and shot her an irritated face. I hated when she delved into my mind, but I relaxed as what she said was reassuring. He chooses me and I choose to defend him, which showed how much loyalty we had between us both. I had to focus on that and not make a move that would have the Northern royals and guards trying to kill me.