An unknown knocked at the door, waking me up from a much-needed rest. Kicking covers off my body, unsure of when I got under them, I got out of bed. The heated floors brought comfort when I thought I was in for a chill.
"Lights on," I said aloud. The chandelier flickered on. My eyes took a moment to adjust.
"One second," I said as another impatient knock echoed through the room. I only had my boxer on and saw nothing to cover myself with, so I walked to the door and opened it. There stood my mom and my mother-in-law.
"Good morning," they said one after another.
"Good morning," I replied.
"Myles wake up," the Northern Queen said startling Myles who shouted in panic.
"Both of you need to get ready to leave. The aircraft is waiting. I had to fire the security staff last night, and I would prefer to be away from this unsecure palace as soon as possible. There are clothes waiting for you in the bathroom after you two get dressed. The new guards will be here to help you. And do it quickly. A snow front is rolling in," my mother-in-law said before turning on her heels and leaving the room.
My mother walked over to me and placed her hands on my face. "Did you uphold your part last night?" She spoke in Portuguese to keep things private.
"Yes." I watched as she smiled at me, knowing I hadn't lied through the use of a lie detection spell.
"Congratulations on becoming a married man. You might not understand now, but being the King of Panama could be a greater accomplishment than taking my position." She slapped the side of my face once and then left the room. Shrugging, I went into the bathroom and shut my eyes immediately when I saw Myles pulling on a pair of underwear.
"Sorry," I exclaimed, not even realizing he had gotten out of bed.
"You've already seen me naked, this is fine," he said bedding to grab a pair of denim that lay across the tub.
"That's true," I replied. Walking into the bathroom, I turned the shower on.
"They sounded like they were in a rush," Myles said and walked over to me before placing his small hand on my exposed back. I felt a rush of cold air run over my body.
"It's called Cleansing Gust. It cleanses your skin and teeth, leaving you smelling like mint. I use it when I'm in a rush." He stepped back and finished putting his jeans on.
"Thanks," I replied before turning the shower off. I dropped my boxers and put the replacements on. I looked over at Myles, who stretched enough to see the trim of lace peeking above his jeans. He was a feminine guy, which was cool. That thought led me to saying something before I could filter it out.
"Maybe you could transform into a woman at night or when we are alone." I bit my cheek when I heard the words. He looked at me enraged, then regained composure.
"I don't have the talent for shape-shifting. I usually present slightly more masculine than they have me dressing now. All of this is to appeal to you. The lace, even though I enjoy wearing it, is new to me. The shimmer, the fruit aroma clinging to my clothes, is all for you," he said in an even tone. I had crossed a line.
"Sorry, didn't mean to offend you," I said, grabbing for my shirt wondering if it was such a wild idea. If he changed into a woman, we could be more than cordial. I banished the thought from my mind and completed dressing myself. Once I dressed myself, I realized we were wearing the same outfit; white shoes, denim, and long-sleeved cider colored cashmere sweaters.
"They're waiting on us," he said, in that small voice he had used every time we talked. I watched him walk towards the hallway and hung my head, then got annoyed at myself for caring. Only two months ago we were mortal enemies, and now I was caring about my fragile feelings. He was not worthy of getting the Iron Prince's concern. Though he was now my husband, so I had to keep pretending.
Following him, we made our way into the foyer where everyone stood waiting on us. My brother smiled at me before winking, which I didn't respond to. My little sister looked around at everyone, and Rosa took pictures under the light of the aurora.
"Let's get a move on, Myles and Bernardo you two are on a slow flight to Panama so they can complete the finishing touches at your palace. The first two days, we did not schedule any events so you two can settle in your home. You will not have any staff for the first couple of months to prevent any leaks about the arrangement," King Arnold spoke. He did not pause for questions. He kept speeding along until his hands raised and I was standing inside a dim airplane.
"Hello your highnesses," a man said to us in a heavy accent. He stood shorter than me and was less muscular, but the gold star in the center of his black military uniform let me know he was more than capable of guarding me. His brown eyes stared into mine and his light colored masculine face did not contort with emotion.
"My name is Alejandro, your other personal guard Mileta will fly this aircraft and I will be her second. We are pleased to be in service to you both. Please sit and secure yourselves. We will take off in two minutes. We have very little time to get out of here before the snow makes it impossible." He spoke, then bowed and made his way to the cockpit, securing the door behind him.
We both took our places in the only large seats on board that faced the center aisle. Myles fixated on the floor after securing himself, still upset. He was worse than some women I dated in the past.
I secured myself and braced for impact. The feeling of being tossed in the air then immediately leveling out put my stomach in knots. Without the window shades up, it took me a little while to gather my bearings.
A table rose from the center of the aisle and a flash of white light resulted in a breakfast meal for two appearing on its surface. Ignoring the food, I looked over at Myles who had his eyes closed.
"Did I offend you??" He looked up at me and took in a breath.
"Yes, and no. I don't think I had time to consider what this marriage really means. We are the exact opposite and don't even know the first thing about one another. I get that this will take adjustments and I will try to manage my emotions." He was trying to project his voice, but it was still soft.
"Sorry, I was looking for a workaround to this situation and didn't take the time to think about what I was saying."
"It's fine," he replied.
He had the energy of a person who said sorry, even when they didn't mean it. The way his father looked and spoke to him made it apparent that he was the runt of the family. From the information I gathered about him prior to the wedding, I could tell his father admired his other kids who acted as commanders in battle and strategy.
Wanting to change the subject, I thought about last night and his usage of that spell. "How do you know the God's Eye spell?" He was non-combative, meaning he did not stretch his ability to control mana as often or as drastically as those who did. I had no idea how he kept the spell in his arsenal, the drain on the body should cripple him.
He exhaled. "I'm not my father's favorite child."
He would give me the long version of the story, which was fine since we had time to kill.
"When I was younger, my dad used to train me the same way he had my older and younger siblings. Long nights spent sparring in the gym. He always went to the line of beating on me but never crossed it. I can't do spatial magic in how he can. Fire magic like my mother was off the table since my mana node structure is in the exact opposite configuration a person needs for that." He reached over and took a sip of orange juice.
"Frustrated, my father sent me to the best tutors in the North that went over strategic magic with him. I refused to specialize in anything that led to the loss of life, so he gave up on me. What I learned from the tutor was that I am a gifted ocular magician. It paired well with my mana enhancement abilities. I started off with distance enhancing spells, and soon they taught me the God's Eye spell. The first time I used it I forgot to prepare my mind and got overwhelmed." I stared at him while he looked off at nothing as he told his story.
"It's like focusing on everything with a hundred yards. It took me several months of passing 0ut to master it. Learning how much energy to pour out and how quickly to absorb it was difficult. When I showed it to my dad, he looked at me with pride for the first time."
He looked sad, and I couldn't relate. I grew up as the golden boy of the family. I couldn't even imagine my father being so apathetic towards me. I understood his father, though. In these times of war you had to be lethal. If someone killed you they had a claim to your property, and as a royal that meant your kingdom. The Europeans were the worst offenders. They were in constant states of expansion; it was in their nature.
How could King Arnold raise someone so weak?
"It would be incredible to have in combat, you have no blind spots," I said, reaching for my glass of orange juice.
"That is true, Iron Prince," he said with a smile.
"Yeah, my moniker. You know, I've only been to war once. Already got a name off of it." I beamed with pride at the thoughts of how well I did.
"I could never take a life," he stated. Reaching forward, he grabbed his silver plate and started eating.
"Never say never." He nodded at my words. Unsure of how we would mesh, I wondered if it would be possible to sway him to my way of thinking. I could not keep someone like him around forever.