Regard your soldiers as your children, and they will follow you into the deepest valleys; look on them as your own beloved sons, and they will stand by you even unto death. - Sun Tzu

Mystery

The next day they were all given a chance to explore the gardens. Lexa found a nice gazebo by a pond of waterlilies. They were simply sitting in the round building when commotion came from the right. Josie stood, curious. She began to walk over to the exit and along the path, wondering over the sound. It came again, a gasp and then a call. She recognised the call, Rue-Tia, the girl who had fallen down the stairs the night before. "Where are you going, Josie?" Mirra asked, and Josie stopped looking at Mirra in confusion.

"To check it out, what else would I be doing?"

"Nothing, I doubt the girls over there will be doing anything remotely interesting. Why bother?" Mirra crossed her arms and let back in her seat. Josie wondered if she knew exactly who had taken up seats over the hedge or if she was just making a generalisation. Either way it didn't sit right with her, how could she just assume that they won't be doing anything interesting?

Josie walked down the path. She rounded the bend and was confronted by the Prince. He stood straight; today his uniform was a dark green, like a forest. Josie found herself thinking that it brought out his eyes, she wondered if he changed colours every day. She joined a group of girls, spying a piece of paper in the young man's hand. "Katrina Roth, would you please join me, I would like to speak with you." Katrina hurried away, slipping a hand under the prince's arm and smiled with her body.

Josie sighed, wondering if the prince was going to speak with them all, or it was just his favourites. When the couple were out of view and possible hearing distance, the group Josie had joined began to ask one of their member a dozen questions. It was then Josie saw Estora, who waved down the questions with vague answers such as; "Oh, he didn't talk about much, at least not much I can tell you." Or "Well, he was wonderfully charming." Or "Well I'm still here, aren't I?" Josie frowned at that answer and watched as Estora realised she knew something the others didn't.

"Oh! Didn't you know? Mariska got sent home." Estora laughed, "Honestly, you'd think the girl would have more class. With all those comments about winning, I saw her crying as she packed her bags." Josie felt her heart drop as she remembered that this was a competition, and if the prince didn't like you, it was bye-bye. No talking to Queen America, the friendship Princess Lucienne offered ended, she had wanted to talk to them, and she realised she'd been squandering the time.

Listening to Estora from then on only made her angrier and she left the group soon after Katrina came back asking where Gwendolyn was. Not wanting to confront Mirra and Lexa for a while she began walking around, determined to talk to every girl at the Selection before they were sent home. She wanted to know if they were worth dismissal. She talked to Adele, Selene, Marina and Liana on a patch of grass they'd found, near a sculpted fountain. Twelve separate figures danced in a strange but artistic formation under the spray.

They talked about Princess Lucienne and how Princess Daphne looked cute. They talked about sisters, Josie was happy to find out that they all came from big families. Adele was from the biggest with eight brothers and sisters plus six half-siblings. Josie told them about Bonita and how Bonitans thought that princesses were silly, and that she had not convinced her parents to let her sign up for the chance. It was completely different for Selene who at first didn't want to go. She told them that she was happy she had though, she felt like she was falling in love. Adele and Liana had squealed at that and hugged there friend, calling, "we do too!"

Josie walked around the gardens and found a set of stairs leading up to the deck. She wandered along it, wondering if one of the girls who hadn't found a friend might have come up onto the deck. She ran her hand along the balustrade, polished wood with patterned metal underneath holding it up. It was then when she heard a strange sound, like a bike over wooden planks. She frowned heading around the deck, quicker when the sound seemed to be moving away. Josie heard it stop, words muffled by distance were said and she hurried forward.

She rounded a corner, and froze. In front of her Prince Xavian stood over a boy, with blonde hair and green eyes. The boy sat in a wheel chair, his arms crossed a scowl on his face. They were a god twenty metres away, at the end of the deck, a set of stairs led up to the balcony above, another, smaller sent led down to a small path. A soft sea breeze flowed off the water, not that far away. "Xavian, I'm serious, you're not well." Josie was lost for a moment before she realised that Prince Xavian had called the other boy Xavian.

The boy scoffed, his face annoyed, his eyes completely on the prince, despite facing Josie the boy seemed not to notice her. "I think I should be the judge of that. I can walk; it doesn't even hurt any more. Now, let me to go. You can run back to those girls if you want; I'll enjoy myself without you." Prince Xavian shook his head.

"Do you ever learn?" There was an element of anger in the prince's voice, the tone sent shivers down her spine. The boy started moving his wheel chair around, focusing on the stairs in front of him. "Xavian! You're in that chair because you refuse to be careful; do you want to injure yourself again?" The boy was glowering; slowly he lifted his face to Prince Xavian.

"Kota, if you ever say that again I will have you replace…" The boy's anger left him as he saw Josie for the first time. "Kota…" The boy said, Prince Xavian or…Prince Kota…or just Kota turned. A spark glistened in his reflective eyes, then the person who called himself Xavian, but was referred to here Kota began to walk over slowly, like a predator on march. "Kota…wait, Xavian, who is she?"

Kota/Xavian seemed to hesitate. He looked Josie up and down. Josie lifted her head high, she had every right to be standing here, all she could hope was that she wouldn't be sent home. She felt like she was at the bend that revealed the brand new path, the bend in the road that led to a discovery. She suddenly remembered to curtsy. She went as low as she dare, hoping not to fall. "She's one of the Selected, she should be here." Josie rose.

"Excuse, Prince Xavian, but we were told we could go anywhere in the gardens; not so far as the beach, not to the front or into the house. Was I wrong in thinking that the deck was not inside the house?" Kota/Xavian frowned, prusing his lips.

"I'd say it's still a part of the gardens. Do you have friends, where are they?" Josie dropped her head slightly.

"They are at a gazebo that we found, I wished to explore, they did not…my prince." The man who was supposed to be Prince Xavian nodded, and turned away.

"Come with me." They walked to the boy in the wheelchair, who was staring without shame at her, he looked scared, like she was glass that was about to break. The prince grabbed the chair's handles, and began pushing the chair inside. The boy didn't object, instead he settled into the seat, seeming to accept that he was being taken away. They came to a small sitting room with four windows at the far wall. Light flooded in and Kota/Xavian parked the chair next to two strange looking bars.

The boy gripped them and pulled himself out of the chair. Josie watched in fascination as the boy manoeuvred himself into a standing position. Kota/Xavian rushed forward as the boy wobbled on his legs and began to fall forward. Pushing his helper away the boy tested his left leg; he tried to extend it but seemed unable to. "Gosh! It was supposed to be today."

"You shouldn't even be trying to walk around, look what's happened, Lady Josephine has seem you and I had to leave my meeting with Lady Gwendolyn." The boy waved a hand and limped over to one of the sculpted chairs in the room. He sat rubbing his leg. "You realise I'm going to have to tell your parents." Kota/Xavian obviously was expecting more of a response, instead he received a shrug. Kota/Xavian sighed and turned to Josie.

"What do you think?" Josie began to frown at the vague question but realised suddenly that Kota/Xavian was asking a completely different question, he wanted to know how much she'd heard. Josie smiled and said, "I think I'm slightly and would like a full explanation to why someone who says he can walk, but clearly can't would, like to go to the beach. And I'd like no why you won't let him." Josie gave Kota/Xavian a pointed look. The man 'hmm'ed, then shook his head.

"I'm sorry, I cannot tell you that. It happens to be a household secret; in fact not everyone in this house knows it. The fact that you have even met my friend, Kota Singer, is an opportunity you will soon forget. Is that clear?" Kota/Xavian's eyes flashed.

"It'd like to hear it from him." Josie said, pointing at the blonde haired boy, who seemed to be ignoring their conversation. Kota/Xavian's teeth clenched for a moment, the only sign of his frustration. "Why?"

"Because he'd the prince is he not?" The boy scoffed bitterly and grabbed a cushion, picking at the ends. Kota smiled, his expression turning to ease.

"We are both the prince. You take orders from the both of us."

"But he takes orders from you?" Josie asked, probing the line, wondering just how much she could find out. Her eyes drifted to the real prince. It was obvious when they stood next to each other, faces turned to her. While the fake prince resembled the Queen, the real prince was a healthy mix of the both, green eyes, sharp and hard like the Queen's, soft lips and blonde hair only just lighter than the King's. There was a smile on his face.

"He'd like to think so." The fake prince turned for a moment then sighed and returned his attention to Josie. He stared at her hard, his eyes searching. In a sudden movement he lifted up a hand and brushed her cheek. Acting on instinct she stepped back, aghast. His expression returned to stone, his hand grabbed her arm, not too tight to hurt or make or want to squirm, but hard enough that she couldn't escape. "You will not talk about this, ever, to anyone. As far as I'm concerned you witnessed any of this, if you try to speak to me about it I will have you removed and you will be considered a traitor, if you try to contact Xavian you will be punished, then removed. Do you understand?"

Josie swallowed, not believing the threat she was being given. She glanced at Xavian who had gone back to examining the cushion in his hand. Kota pulled her gaze back with a steady movement. "Do you understand?" Josie nodded, his grip slacked. "Good. I will see you at dinner." He walked over to the door and rang a bell. Then he looked at Xavian and ordered the staff member that arrived to escort her back to her room. Josie took one last glance at the real Prince Xavian, and met it eyes. The complete opposite of the fake, she felt a sense of intense interest flowing off of him.

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