Hi everyone, I was going to put this up yesterday but unfortunately proofing final reports and essays takes higher priority than proofing and editing stories.

Enjoy

Chapter 13 - The undeniable truth

Chris's POV

Chris looked at himself in the mirror fiddling with his collar to try and make it sit right. He wasn't sure of this look.

When Chris woke up this morning and showered, he had walked over to the wardrobe to pull out what he had usually been wearing the past few days, jeans and a nice shirt, only to have Wyatt take the clothes off him and put them back in there draws. "Council meeting today Chris, no jeans."

And what does one wear to a council meeting?" He turned around to glare at Wyatt, he wasn't really keen on the idea of wearing a suit and tie.

Wyatt gave an uncomfortable look at his brother and then gestured to what he himself was wearing. "Traditional Wiccan dress." Wyatt was decked out in fitted navy leather pants, a white collarless shirt and a decorative red jacket/tunic thing with a high collar. Chris looked him up and down, Wyatt knew it would be hard for him to accept this, Chris had spent all of his time wearing mortal dress, it was definitely going to take some convincing.

"Seriously... you're not pulling my leg are you?"

Wyatt shook his head then moved to the other side of Chris's wardrobe, which he had yet to open, to show him its contents. There were traditional Wiccan jackets of a variety of colours all neatly hung and multiple pairs of leather pants in a range of different colour, black, brown, navy, all hanging from poles below them above a selection of perfectly polished boots.

"No... You have got to be kidding me." was all Chris could reply.

"Afraid not Chris, haven't you noticed that most people where traditional dress when there on duty." Wyatt had a point, the guards wore the traditional tunics and armour, the elders were never without their robes and even his friends when they were off duty and just popping round to say hi were sometimes supporting the look. He thought it was just their preference from growing up in wiccan families that chose to separate themselves from the mortal world and live the traditional way. He never thought he would have to wear it.

Wyatt seemed to realise that Chris wasn't going to move to dress himself so he opened a couple of draws and pulled out a wiccan style shirt and a pair of briefs. Chris looked in horror at the briefs, he was a boxer man through and through.

"Trust me Chris, boxes don't work with the pants." After giving his brother a glare he proceeded to put the briefs on under the dressing gown and then taking it off and put on the shirt, slowly doing up the little gold buttons that did up the slit in the shirt from his mid chest upwards. When he looked up Wyatt was holding up a pair of black leather pants, which Chris could only glare at, Goddess those things had to be uncomfortable. "Put them on Chris." They weren't nearly as uncomfortable as he was expecting, them clung and moved with his body, these things would be great to fight in he thought. Wyatt was already holding a dark blue jacket for him to put on. Chris looked at it in defeat before slinging it behind him and putting his arms through the sleeves. He looked down trying to figure out how to do it up only to see lots of little gold eyelets, he was so confused until Wyatt held up a long piece of gold cord, oh goddess this thing laced up, this was going to take forever! As if Wyatt was reading his mind (he probably was) the string flew out of his hands and started lacing itself up. Arrh telekinesis must come in handy in time like these. Chris turned to look at himself in the mirror, he looked surprisingly good, like he lived in the middle ages, but still good.

He turned back to his brother, still clearly not comfortable in what he was wearing, "Do I look okay?" Wyatt couldn't answer because they were distracted by the sound on the door opening, his mother and father came in his father had something clenched in his fist.

"Oh, Chris, Honey." His mother said, "Don't you look hansom." She reached up and pulled his head down so she could give him a kiss on the cheek. She gave him a one over, pulling his shirt down, tucking it in a bit more at the back, giving his collar a bit of a tug. "Perfect."

"Am I done now?" He asked he could help the little whine that snuck into his voice, he felt like he was four and his mum was dressing him up for his grandpa's birthday.

"Almost," Wyatt replied, "Three more things."

"What?"

"Well for one, something needs to go on your feet, he said pulling out a pair of black boots with a gold braid at the top. Chris took the boots, but made no move to put them on. "These aren't going to work." He stated.

"Why not?" Wyatt clearly though it was some sort tantrum so he didn't have to go to the council meeting. "Well in case you have forgotten I have a F'ing shackle blocking my powers around my ankle, these boots aren't going to fit!"

Wyatt gave a silent 'Ohh'. He hadn't thought of that, "That's a bit of a problem, now isn't it."

His father stepped forward, "But an easy one to fix." He opened his palm and a gold key lay within. "Now Chris, we are trusting you to behave, not to run away, or break Bianca out of jail, we are giving you your powers back because we trust you to do the right thing for the citizens of magic, ok?"

Chris nodded, his eyes down cast, he now understood that it was not the shackle that was keeping him 'prisoner' here but his duty and responsibility to the world. He would not run, he couldn't. "I promise."

He sat down on his bed and raised his ankle and without another word his father placed the key in the lock and the gold band fell away. Chris let in a huge gasp as his powers came back and fell back on the bed shaking as his body adjusted to them once again. His body felt torn, part of him was used to having these powers magnified by the sword, but the other part, the currently more dominant part, found the sensation strange. Goddess he was powerful! He could feel everything, ever heartbeat, every flap of a birds wings.

"Holy goddess," he exclaimed as he came back to himself, his parents and brother were all leaning over him in concern, he guessed none of them had been expecting that.

"Are you alright, sweetie?" His mum asked while stroking his hair.

Chris nodded as he pushed himself upright, he attempted to stand but quickly lost his balance and sat back down again. "Yeah, a part of me wasn't expecting that much power." He explained, "I'll be fine, I just need a few seconds to get my mental bearings." After a few minutes, his body had adjusted enough so he could function properly, he guessed it was something he was going to have to relearn to live with.

Wyatt seemed to notice that Chris had stopped shaking, "Ok now?" he asked, to which he nodded and got back onto his feet to show he was quite capable of standing and walking.

Wyatt pushed him back on the bed and handed him the boots which he slipped on. "So that was one, what is two and three?"

His mother went and opened a box that stood on the dresser and pulled out a circle of gold and brought it forward, "Two." was all she said.

Chris was horrified, it was quite understated for what it was, only a centimetre in width and engraved with word of an ancient dialect, but it was a crown none the less, "No..." Chris said shaking his head, they couldn't make him wear that. His father and brother grabbed one of his arms each so he couldn't back away as his mother can forward. He wanted to run, he had his magic back now, but he had promised not to run, to behave, to been the leader that the magical world needed, even if that involved wearing that thing. With a sad yet determined look his mother lowered the crown onto his head, it fitted him perfectly but it didn't make him feel any more like a prince. When his father and brother released him he reached up to take it off only to have his mother grab his wrists and bring them back down to his sides, "No, Chris."

"I'm not a prince, mum!"

She sighed, "Yes you are Chris, and you know it, you are just having trouble accepting it." She pulled him into a hug giving him some of the assurance and strength he needed to get through this day.

Wyatt's POV

When they pulled apart, Wyatt was holding out a belt with a scabbard attached, Chris looked at it confused, he didn't understand. "Three," he stated simply before his eyes flickered across to the sword in the stone. Since coming back to the future, Chris had avoided the sword and they hadn't forced the subject but now they had too, he had to put the sword on, it was the symbol of his legality, his right to the throne. "It's for the sword Chris." Everyone in the room knew that Chris was holding onto the belief that he couldn't draw the sword, that it was all some big misunderstanding, and that he, his older brother, was it's true owner. He knew that once Chris drew the sword that last piece of his hope would be shattered, but it had to happen, he needed to know, to fully understand and accept that he was the true prince.

Wyatt sighed, Chris needed to see that he couldn't pull the sword from the stone, while their mother lived. He walked over and pulled with all his might but the sword didn't budge, all he managed was to make the stone rock a bit which in itself was a feat at that thing was bloody heavy. He walked over and strapped the belt around the stunned boy's waist, Chris had frozen with shock when he realised the sword hadn't moved for his brother. Wyatt felt horrible he was destroying his brother last bit of hope. He took his brother by the wrist and led him over to the sword. "You used to tell me that it sung to you, that when you had trouble sleeping you would listen to its lullabies. Can you hear it now?" His brother nodded hearing him from somewhere inside his dazed state. "You need to pull it out and put it in the scabbard, Chris." That snapped his brother out of it. He started shaking his head feverishly, looking at Wyatt with pleading eyes. "Yes, Chris ... do it for Bianca." That did it, Chris new that if he didn't draw the sword Bianca would never be freed from the dungeons. "It's ok Chris it is going to be ok," he repeated gently as his brother moved forward and wrapped his hands around the hilt. His brother's eyes widened with shock as the blade came loose from the stone.

His mother and father had come forward to stand beside him, "See, Chris you are a prince," she said stepping forward and prying the sword from her son's grasp as he stood there once again in shock staring at the blade that she now slid into the scabbard. "All ready now," She said as she gave her youngest son a gentle pat on the shoulder, "Though you might want to wipe that look of shock off your face." With that he took his brother by one arm and his father now fully robed like an elder, took the boy's other side and lead him out the door.

The council meeting when well Wyatt thought, Chris had played his part, even contributed as different thing people said triggered memories, the round table council and people watching from the viewing balconies was very impressed, he was getting better in leap and bounds as far as they could see. But Wyatt knew differently, he could see through the emotionless mask his brother wore through the whole meeting. A few minutes into the council meeting the shock of drawing the sword finally wore off leaving Chris defeated and broken, his final hope shattered beyond repair. As the round table meeting came to a close everyone rose to their feet and Wyatt through their link instructed Chris to rise from the largest chair in which he had sat for the past three hours. When he stood, the other people around them all bowed deeply, the knights' heads almost hitting the table as they murmured, "Your Royal Highness." Wyatt heard others in the balconies murmur, "Your Majesty." He knew it was a regular occurrence, it had been happening for over a year now, they saw him as their king, truth be told he was meant to be king already, but he didn't know how Chris would take it in his fragile state, would it make him crack? Chris held it together until he walked through the doors to the royal wing, then he let a tear spill.

Wyatt turned to pull his brother into his embrace, but after a moment Chris pulled away, he felt Chris's magic rise within him, he was about to orb. "Where are you going Chris?" he asked concerned that his brother would break his vow to their father and leave the palace.

"Don't worry Wyatt, I'm not leaving the palace, I need to see her, she is the only one who can understand this side of me." Wyatt was hurt by the statement but he knew it was true, Bianca had got her memories back too and she was the only person who truly understood the Chris from the other world.

All he could do was nod in understanding as his brother disappeared in blue lights.

Bianca's POV

Bianca was bored, there was nothing to do except stare at the white walls and wonder how Chris was doing, he was upset she could feel it now she had realised what was going on with all the soul binding stuff, but she didn't know why. She knew he was starting his princely duties today, maybe that was what got him worked up.

Bright blue light distracted her from her thoughts as the man in question appeared before her his powers no longer bound. He was shaking, tears now pouring down his cheeks, she stood up and he embraced her tightly before she pulled him down onto the tiny bed lying his head in her lap. She looked him up and down. He was dressed like a prince, Goddess he looked hot, with those tight pants and the fitting jacket. She noticed he had a crown on his head and the sword at his waist. It was true, seeing Chris like this there was no mistake what he was truly ment to be. She touched the crown, running a finger along it as her others ran through his hair, she didn't know if she should take it off him. "What is it baby?" she asked as his sobs lessened with her comforting touch.

"I drew the sword from the stone, it's me all along... I can't be a prince Bianca, I fixed the future only to make it worse for me... for us, I can't do it, I don't know how." His hope was gone, as long as she had known Chris (in both lives) he had always had hope, even when hers was destroyed by the war his still kept her going. She guessed it was time to give some of it back if she could.

"I know you can do this, Chris, I believe in you. I know what a hero you are, what a great leader. Who else would be more disserving to become a king that the man who saved the entire world. And who said you made the future worse for us Chris? I'm not going to leave you." She looked around the room, perhaps not the best choice of words considering the situation, "I'm not going to leave you even if I could," she revised, "we have each other and that is all we need. This world is so much better than the other one, in this world we don't have to live in worry about each other dying, doesn't that make this world better that the other."

He looked up at her, his eyes still full of uncertainty, "You won't leave me? Promise?"

"Never, ever, ever, I love you Chris, you are my life." The words seemed to giving him some much needed comfort as he closed his eyes and drifted off to the sound of her heart beating steadily.

Bianca was left with a snoozing prince curled up on her lap, what if the guards came in now what would they think? She couldn't help looking at her prince he was so beautiful, "Goddess those, pants are really turning me on." She muttered to herself. He obviously heard her as a smile came over his face as he murmured, "Really?" before his eyes opened, there was a cheeky glow to them, she gave him a small laugh, as she stoked his hair coaxing him back to sleep, "I'm not doing it in a jail cell this time Chris, surely you want our first time to be somewhere slightly more special this time round." He gave a bit of a humph but he was already drifting off again. She smiled, "I love you Chris."

One more prewritten chapter coming up in the near future, then I will have to write some more though as it will be holidays then winter term where I don't have as much class I should be able to find more time to do it.

Like always nice reviews make me happy.

Till next time (maybe this evening, depending)

919