So apparently my entire story is "R" rated now which kind of irritates me because now it will be so much harder to find, and I can't figure out how to change it. Grr. Well, hope you like it!
"Baby, I'm going to have to let him in here, and unless you want to meet him naked, go in the closet and get the first thing you see on, please. Go now," I whispered to her, then jumped off the bed quickly and started for the door. I knew my dad didn't like to be kept waiting and I prayed Briar had enough time to clothe herself before he decided to burst in. He sometimes had a huge lack of patience, especially concerning me.
I saw her race off the bed out of the corner of my eye and head in the direction of the closet. I had the door handle in hand, and was about to turn it, then heard him knock again, the loud sound resonating off the wood of the door.
"Yes, father, yes, come in," I said as I opened the door. I looked up and saw the grave expression on his face, and knew that everything was not well.
"Son, I have some disturbing news, and I felt I should tell you in person right away, before you found out from someone else," he said in a solemn tone.
"What is it?" I asked. If it was bad, I'd rather know right away and get it over with.
"It's your friend, Theo. He was the one behind the attack the other night. He hired the bounty hunter to come after us. He slipped into the castle through a back entrance and was suppose to kill us all in our sleep, but of course, that didn't happen, as you well know. The bounty hunter was actually an old associate of his fathers, a man named Sawyer." He paused briefly and then said "I am sorry to have to be the one to tell you, son, I know you two were close."
I didn't know what to say, I was shocked. Why would my best mate do that to me, and my family? I just didn't understand; it was the ultimate betrayal. I had been nothing but kind to him over the years, helping expunge his rather large criminal history report time and again since he couldn't seem to stay out of trouble. Maybe it was my fault for not seeing him for who he really was; a scumbag.
For him to turn on me for blowing him off once in a while was absurd and ridiculous, and he would pay; yes, he would pay dearly for trying to harm me, my family, and my new bride.
I had momentarily forgotten about Briar, and felt her presence by my side after I had a few moments of deep thought. She pressed herself into me modestly, aware of my father's presence in the room.
I felt your emotions, my love. You are very upset. I know you needed me, she communicated mentally, while running her hands down my back.
"And who is this beautiful creature, my son?" my father asked quietly, looking at Briar with a small smile playing upon his lips.
"This, father, is your future daughter in law, Briar Rose. It's as if she was made just for me," I confessed to him solemnly.
"See how she just came over to me¸ simply because she felt that I was upset and needed her?" I asked, astonished. She continued to surprise me every moment. I turned slightly to look at her, and she had her face down-turned with a bright scarlet blush coloring her cheeks.
"Father, please meet Briar," I said, while taking her hand and placing it in my fathers. She looked up hesitantly, and smiled, and bowed slightly.
"Your majesty, it is so great to meet you," she said meekly.
"Nice to meet you too, sweet Briar. Oh, my dear, you will fit in amazingly well here. You are absolutely beautiful and already have my son's heart; I'm sure in no time the county will be worshiping you as well."
I looked at my father, surprised. I never knew he would accept her this quickly, but I was so glad that he did. Yes, my woman would make a magnificent Queen, and even father could see that.
Briar still had a bright flush on her cheeks and my father brought her hand up to his mouth and kissed it lightly, and then let go of her.
"Son, may I speak to you outside? I need to ask you something, in private." He gave Briar a small smile, and then turned around, his hand already on the door knob.
"Yes father, hang on," and with that I leaned in and kissed Briar lightly on the lips, running my fingers through a few wisps of her hair, and whispered "I'll be right back," into her ear. I looked back one more time before exiting the door where my father had discreetly left seconds ago.
I walked out into the hallway and closed the door. I noticed a guard standing on each side of the door frame, and saw that father had walked a little ways down the hall, so as to be not overheard. I followed him to where he had stopped and looked at him expectantly.
"Son, you have chosen your bride extremely well. This girl obviously loves you, deeply, it seems, and has taken to the change extremely well," he said proudly.
"She will make a wonderful Queen for this realm. I am so happy for you, son. I knew it would happen for you, as it did for me and your mother. That is why we kept nagging you to find someone to share your life with; we knew that having a woman who loved you would cure you of all that restlessness you had been suffering. You seemed a bit, well, lost, like you didn't know what else to do with yourself. I knew that as soon as you found the woman for you, you would be so much happier. And hopefully soon, maybe you'll have a few children of your own running around to keep you busy. "
He leaned in and gave me a brief, fatherly hug. I was shocked; he had taken to her so quickly.
"Wow, father, thank you. I am kind of surprised by your reaction, actually. I thought it might take some time for you to come around to her, but, I'm so glad that you approve," I said eagerly.
"Good. I'm glad I got to meet her, and we got to discuss that. I can't wait until the wedding, but we can get to all of that later. There are a few more things I wanted to talk to you about. First off, we have Theo in custody. He was brought in a few hours ago after he was found about ready to board a plane to Austria. I'm sure he thought the deed was already done, and he would be able to get away without a hitch but we picked him up first.
He is in the dungeon now, and will be left there until you decide what to do with him. He was your friend son, and you are the one he wanted to hurt. As the future King of the realm, this will give you a taste of the decisions the King has to make on a regular basis, ones that have always troubled me to make. It is your job, son, to decide this boy's fate. Once you have it figured out, you can tell Charles and he will carry out the verdict," he finished quietly.
I didn't know what to say, but in all honestly, I was glad my father had given me this task. Theo was my friend, and he wanted to assassinate me, and not just me, but my whole family, my soon to be bride. Theo would pay with his life for these actions.
"Thank you, father. I have already made my decision. He will be sentenced to death, in front of the public. His unfortunate end will be a lesson to anyone who would dare cross our family. I will not have usurpers in our Kingdom, father, as you have not tolerated such disloyalty, either. He will pay," I finished in a tight voice.
"Yes, my son. I know exactly how you feel and will be with you throughout the execution. I know it will be a hard one for you to witness, but it must be done. Briar should attend as well, once she has been properly introduced as your wife."
"Yes father, she will be there. Speaking of which, there is only maybe one more day until her change is complete, and the sooner I can get her in front of the Council, the better. I would rather have their approval as soon as possible so my sweet can start making plans for the wedding, and of course, I would like to introduce her to mother, as well."
"Yes, London, I know. I will make an appointment for 72 hours from now, so that we can start the process. Try not to worry, my son. Even if they don't approve of her, I do, and that's all that really matters. If worse comes to worse, I'll change that stupid law, or make a new one. Anything for you, my son, and your beautiful bride. I can't wait to have some grandchildren to spoil," he said, endearingly.
"Yes father, I know," I said, trying to conceal the humor I was suddenly feeling. "Don't worry, I'm sure she'll be with child soon, if not already," I said, finishing the last part quietly.
"Well don't wear the poor girl out, son. She needs to be resting during the change, you know that."
"Yes father I know. I just have never had this strong of a connection with someone and I feel insatiable, and she seems to feel the same. We were meant for each other, father, I can feel it."
"Yes son, she is the one for you, I can tell. Now, go see your Mrs. and I'll go see mine. Talk to you later son, good night." With that, he left my wing and walked down the massive stair case off to the right.
I walked back in-between the guards and through the door, and had it opened, closed and locked in a few seconds. Briar was sitting on the bed, and she looked up at me as soon as I entered.
"Is everything alright, London? You seem... upset."
She stood up off the bed and walked over to me, encircling me in her arms. She was so warm and her blood smelled so sweet, calling out to me, like a siren's song. I inhaled her scent deeply, taking it into the very depths of my soul.
"Yes, my love. But there are a few things I neglected to tell you about, and we need to talk about it now."