A Dance of Princes (The Heir, Book 1)

Chapter 9

"Just make sure you have a firm grip on the strap and balance yourself on the saddle so that you won't fall over."

"Yeah, I'm trying to!" Either this horse was really stubborn or I'm just bad at trying to find my balance. Every few gallops the horse took around the small field, my body would hop off into a thick patch of grass. I sustained minor injuries after a few more tries and Octavian called it a day.

"I'm sorry," I apologized. I must've looked like a fool in front of him.

"You're learning, which is good. Are you alright, Vince?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a minor bruise on my hip. Should heal eventually." I was walking next to him before I accidentally tripped over a rock that was attached to the ground and almost fell face first on the dirt, but Octavian had managed to grab my arm in time to hold me up.

"Whoa!" He said at the spur of the moment. "Are you okay?"

"I swear, if this is going to be an all the time thing where I do something stupid like fall or trip and having you to ask me all the time if I'm fine, I don't know how I'll manage to keep myself sane and not be so freaking embarrassed."

He just grinned before he unexpectedly took me up by the arms and hoisted me onto his back where he wrapped my legs around his waist. I felt his back muscles clench and adjust, feeling every subtle movement against my chest. The heat that was emitting from his body got me all hot and bothered especially being this intimately close with him. It made me blush, yet again. Yeah, he was definitely going to make me turn into the reddest tomato on the planet.

Octavian let me ride on his back all the way until we reached the courtyard of the gardens where I got off of him.

"Would you mind if I..." he asked as his arm hovered over my shoulders. I just shook my head. Surely if I let him hold my hand, it would be okay for him to wrap me in his embrace, which he did. His muscular arm wrapped around the upper part of my back and he pulled me close, and there it was again: the electric current that I'd felt the first time I met him. Once was a incident, twice was a coincidence. If it happened a third time, it'd be a pattern, and that would officially hint a signal.

After taking a shower in my quarters since I've fallen so many times in the dirt and Octavian insisted I should get cleaned up, I got dressed in a fresh pair of clothes, which were no less expensive than the previous ones. I wasn't comfortable wearing such high brand fashion; it made me feel alien. I heard a knock outside in the living room and answered the door.

"Your Highness," Jason bowed.

"You can call me Vincent," I replied.

"Vincent," he repeated, "the Queen sent me to get you. She told me it was urgent so you better get over to the Conference room quick."

"The Conference room? What for?"

"She wouldn't explain to me, but it must be an important matter. Would you like me to escort you?"

"That's kind of you, thanks."

Jason led me through the halls; it was silent the first couple of minutes. I didn't know what to say to him because I could think about was what Octavian had mentioned about him last night. But I didn't want it to seem like he wasn't welcomed here.

"So, how do you like it here in Allyria?" Jason asked.

"Well, I haven't gotten the chance to explore around the country. I hope there's a time that'll soon come where I travel around to see what it's like. I can't be expected to rule a country if I don't know what's going on in it."

"So you're completely okay with stepping up to the throne?"

"I did have my doubts at first. Like, out of all people to become a prince in this world, it's me. I'm just an ordinary high school student."

"There's nothing ordinary about you, Vincent. You have special qualities, like how you're seriously good looking."

I blinked. "Me, good looking?" I almost laughed. "I think that's just the over exaggeration of Giuseppe's work. He 'transformed' me."

"But isn't this your natural face?"

"...Yes."

"Then I think you look stunning."

A slight blush crept on my face which caused me to look away. "Thank you."

"So has Octavian mentioned anything about me?"

Oh no. What should I say? Should I tell him the truth? He might know I'm lying. Maybe I should just keep quiet; oh wait, but that would give it away. Oh! Maybe I should just shake my head and keep my mouth shut. No, that's just as bad as the second option.

"Well-"

"Prince Vincent!" A voice called from in front of us. A guard was jogging toward out direction. I didn't even notice we were almost outside of the Conference room. "Thank goodness you have arrived. The Queen has been expecting you. We must hurry."

The guard ushered me to quickly enter into the Conference room and I waved Jason a goodbye before I entered the room. There were many men in different colored suits that were arguing about different things that I couldn't find what topic to pick up on. So I just walked over to Grandma where she was whispering into a guard's ear before she aw me and dismissed him from view. "Thank goodness you're here."

She stood. "Gentlemen, I need a word with my grandson alone for a few moments if you don't mind."

A few 'Yes, your Highness's and 'Of course, your Majesty's were exchanged before they gathered their clipboards and folders and walked out of the door, leaving us in complete silence.

"So, how's my grandson doing so far?" She asked kindly.

"I'm doing alright. I think I got a bruise from falling off the horses, in front of Octavian, no less."

She laughed with a smile. "You'll learn in time. I remember my first horse riding lesson. I was so scared that I didn't want to sit on the saddle. Anyway, you must be wondering why I called you in."

"Yeah, I am."

"Well, it has come to my attention that we can't hide you in the palace any longer. With the recent talks about rebel groups forming in the divisions of the country, they need to see that a true leader is on the rise. We need to get you out there and show them that you can lead this country. You need to prove them wrong."

"Prove them wrong?"

"Yes. Some people don't like the idea of a stranger ruling their beloved country and it has been the topic of the news during the past few days. So, we need to plan as much appearances as possible. There's the benefit coming up; maybe you and Octavian can be seen out somewhere in public, maybe taking a stroll in the park."

"So you want me to go out there and put a smile on my face that says 'Hey, I'm gonna be the best ruler ever!'?"

"Precisely. Do you think you can do that?"

"Well... I'll try." I just hope I don't fail miserably.

There was an image that came into my mind. It was my father. I've seen many portraits and paintings of him around the palace that I've already had a solid imagery of him. He was smiling at me and I was to him. I saw him in Grandma's face, and right then and there I began to realize about how much this responsibility would mean to her, to him. If he were still alive right now, would he have been proud of me for trying? Maybe. The kindness of Grandma's words weren't just kind, but they happened to also be hopeful. She wanted me to rule this country because she believed I could do it, and that thought was just about enough to give me a push into this direction. Maybe I am becoming to accept this task. I had to make the people believe that I was going to make this country a better place to live in. I needed to strive for that to happen, and I had a responsibility to make sure that that would become a reality.

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Author's Note: I hope you guys aren't getting bored with this yet. The romance will become heavy in the plot in the later chapters, but I promise that there'll be lots and lots of romance so please be patient! A good love story doesn't just happen in a few chapters, y'know. Thanks to all who voted so far; I really am grateful!