THE PUPPET MASTER
Chapter One
"In any given moment we have two options: to step forward into growth or to step back into safety."
~Jaxon~
My life sucks.
I mean sure, I'm the new Crown Prince. I'm now living in a castle with people waiting on me hand and foot. I can have anything I want.
Everyone keeps telling me how lucky I am. That I am so blessed to have this opportunity. That I should be honored.
But no one seems to care that my life was ripped away from me in the blink of an eye.
Believe it or not, I had a life before this. A family. Friends. I was happy. I never asked for this. And yet I was supposed to act like it was the best thing that ever happened to me.
I guess it actually was the best thing that ever happened to me, but I'm throwing myself a pity party here, so lets not think about that.
My arrival at the palace was broadcasted live and would be replayed on the report tonight, where the king and queen would announce me as the replacement prince.
If it were up to the king, he'd also be announcing my selection, but I have to draw the line somewhere. I told him I wasn't ready to host a selection yet, and being the considerate, sensitive, empathetic man he is, he's allowing me to wait until next week to announce my selection. Did I mention how thoughtful he is? I'm so proud to be his son. (Note the sarcasm.)
I've been surrounded ever since I got here, servants and maids clamoring over me, and yet, I've never felt more alone.
It's obvious that none of the royal children think of me as their brother. They've all avoided me, shooting me glares whenever I dare look their way. Even the servants don't dare look me in the eyes, edging around me and never coming within five feet of me unless it's absolutely necessary.
I'm completely isolated. Even Rain, my best friend from back home, hasn't contacted me yet.
Granted, it's literally only been 28 minutes since my plan landed, but that's not important. I'm feeling sorry for myself right now, so I'm ignoring all the positive things in my life.
I miss Rain. It's very possible that I'll never see her again. She promised she'd visit me, but is seems very unlikely, considering that when I first met her, she was a sick, angry, homeless girl that I had all but kidnapped. Our first meeting was less than appropriate, giving my new parents solid grounds for not allowing Rain to visit the palace.
In spite of her past, Rain has been living with me and my parents for what feels like forever. She's practically my sister and has been my best friend ever since I found her on the street and adopted her.
It took some time to break her in as my new best friend, but I knew she was perfect when my cats accepted her. My cats have the final say in everything. They are the most important things in my life. I mean, I also love coffee, but lets keep our priorities straight here.
I miss my cats, too. I miss everything about my old life, but I suppose I'm lucky that I have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.
A loud knock jolted me from my thoughts. I looked up to see Prince Tyler and Princess Sophie, the two youngest members of the royal family.
The tentative smile was wiped off my face as they met me with identical twin scowls and crossed arms.
"We've come to interrogate you," Sophie informed me, her 6 year old voice sounding much too mature for her appearance.
Smoothing her white, ruffled dress, Sophie sat on the bed next to me, delicately crossing her legs and folding her hands on her knees.
I suppressed a smile at the sight, but Tyler's fiercely passionate voice sobered me up.
"Jaxon Lainse." I noted his use of my previous last name. It was probably just me being paranoid, but I figured that he didn't accept me as part of his family so he felt the need to remind me that I was still a Lainse, not a Romero. Not his older brother.
"Do you swear to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth?"
I nodded solemnly.
"Then let's begin. Did you know you were a prince before today?" Tyler stopped his pacing to make eye contact with me. He was incredibly intimidating for a 15 year old.
"No, I had no idea," I told him honestly.
Tyler narrowed his eyes at me. "Do you want to be Crown Prince?"
I hesitated. The obvious answer was yes. I should be eager to become king and rule a country and take the crown. But something about the way they looked at me told me that they may not want the obvious answer.
Sophie shifted impatiently, her golden curls bouncing on her shoulders as her blue eyes bore into mine, anticipating my answer.
I didn't know what they wanted from me, but I had to guess.
"I've been brought up well and I believe that I am capable of assuming the role of Crown Prince and leading our country to prosperity," I answered, not fully addressing the question.
Tyler's brown eyes were filled with such contempt and resentment that I flinched away from his glare.
Apparently, I had guessed wrong.
"I know you think that you're good enough to be king, but Jared has been training for this since he was born. Jared deserves that crown, not you. He's worked for it, but it's just been handed to you. Jared has always been there for us, and now you think that you can just walk into our lives and replace him like nothing ever happened. Well, you know what, you can't! We may share the same blood, but you will never be my brother!" Tyler spit at me, storming out of the room after finishing his rant.
I flinched, cringing away from Sophie as she followed him without sparing a second glance at me, leaving me alone in my room for the second time today.
Screw manliness. I was about to cry.
I missed my home, I missed my cats, I missed Rain. No one wanted me there. Who was I kidding? I couldn't become a prince. I'd never had the pressure and responsibility that came with leading a country. Tyler was right. I couldn't do this. I didn't deserve to be their brother or their king.
You sound like an insecure, self pitying, angst ridden teenage girl, I chided myself. Get over yourself, stupid head.
After I was finished throwing my second pity party of the day, spite welled up inside me. Who did Tyler think he was, telling me I didn't deserve to be his brother? He didn't know a thing about me, and I wasn't about to let him define me because I'm not the brother he wants.
I was fuming as I marched to the kings office, banging my fist on his wooden door. He had pressured me to host a selection, and if that was the last thing everyone expected me to do, then it was the perfect example to show them that I didn't care what they thought of me.
By hosting a selection, I'd be stepping out of my comfort zone a little. Okay, I'd be barreling out of my comfort zone off a cliff into a pit of fire spitting crocodiles.
But sometimes, you need to cross that rickety bridge to explore of world of new possibilities.
At least, that's what I tried to convince myself as I stood in front of King Jakob, about to hurtle myself off that cliff into the mouths of hungry crocodiles.
"I'm ready to host the selection."
I flashed a charming smile to the cameras, blinking in relief as the blinding glare of the spotlight was shifted from me to King Jakob, who began explaining the procedures of the selection.
I was still in shock, quite like most of the country. The King had just dumped the news on them, reciting the prophecy and giving them the same speech he had given to me. A false prince, a terrifying prophecy, and a new selection.
Quite melodramatic. It felt like a soap opera. Personally. I thought the whole thing could have been handled a little better, but I didn't have time to dwell on that thought as Grayson Kingsley turned to me with a forced smile and questioned me about my upcoming selection.
"Prince Jaxon, are you prepared to host a selection after to recently becoming prince?" All eyes were on me as I shifted in my stool, flashing another pleasant smile as I mentally rehearsed the preplanned answer the king had recited to me.
"It's still all quite a shock, but it's been incredibly easy to settle in as the new Crown Prince. The royal family is very welcoming, and I already feel at home," I babbled, avoiding Tyler's eyes from across the stage.
"Although it will be another adjustment, I believe a selection is exactly what I need to transition into this new life," I smiled.
Thankfully, that was all the attention I got before Grayson directed the spotlight back to the King, who explained that forms would be sent out the next day and the selected would be announced on the Report in two weeks.
When the curtains fell and the lights shut off, I sat in the same stool, not moving an inch, until the whole stage had been completely vacated.
When I was finally alone, I allowed the painful smile to drop off my face as I stared into my lap, blinking back tears.
What was I thinking? I couldn't host a selection. I couldn't be the next King. I was only a kid!
Completely overwhelmed, I sat, alone with my thoughts, drifting off the sleep on the floor beside my lonely stool.
A piercing light broke through my eyelids what felt like moments later as the King stormed onto the stage, a grim expression on his face.
"It seems you haven't made quite the impression we were hoping for."
I blinked the sleep out of my eyes, giving him a confused look as the royal family filtered into the room behind him.
First a guilty looking Sophie, followed by Tyler, looking not quite so guilty, and finally the twins, Kayleigh and Olyvia, who wore identical smirks.
They all stared at me expectantly, and I started, realizing they were waiting for me to say something.
"Uh, what do you mean?"
"Sophie here seemed to think that it would be appropriate to cry her eyes out on national television, wailing about how Jared, her "real" brother, would have made a better king and it should be him hosting the selection, not you." The king glared at Sophie, who shrunk further behind Tyler.
"She managed to convince Tyler, Kayleigh, and Olyvia to support her. The idiots practically begged the country to bring Jared back," the king sighed, giving each of his children a pointed look in the eye.
"Their speech has already circulated around the country, inciting a much bigger effect than they bargained for. It's too late to take it back." The King paused, but I was already filled with dread.
They didn't want me. I knew Sophie and Tyler wished they still had Jared, but I didn't know the whole country felt the same way.
I couldn't push back the sting of betrayal as I looked into their eyes and saw that they didn't care how this affected me. They only wanted their brother back. And in spite of the fact that I never really was their sibling, it still hurt. I didn't want this either. It wasn't my fault. I never wanted to take their brother away from them.
"The public is rioting. They don't hate you, but they adored Jared. They want him back. And we can't afford a rebellion because of this. We need a solution."
The King looked at me as though I were supposed to immediately offer up a resolution.
After assaulting me with his piercing stare, he sighed, turning away.
"I figured as much," he mumbled, stinging my pride.
A sharp, repeated click echoed distinctly off the stage as Princess Aspynn stalked in, immediately commanding attention. Easily the most beautiful but also the most intimidating princess, Aspynn's ability to capture the attention of the room rose me to my feet, as if I was instinctively trying to assert my dominance.
I snorted at my thought. Trying to assert my dominance? Who even says that?
Aspynn snapped me out of my thoughts when she began speaking.
"What if Jared and Jaxon both hosted a selection?" Everyone stared at her as if she had grown another head.
"What exactly are you proposing here, Aspynn?" The King asked, a dangerous edge to his voice.
"What if we brought Jared back, giving the public what they want, but also let Jaxon stay? They could co-host a selection to prove which of them would be ther better king, and in the end, the country could vote for who they want to be king. It's the perfect way to show that Jaxon is cabale of ascending to the crown without giving to public a reason to protest," she explained calmly, unfazed by his tone. Her unflinching ability to look him in the eye gave me more respect for her.
A small part of me squealed in excitement. Aspynn believed in me. She thought I could prove I deserved to be king.
I couldn't keep a grin from spreading across my face, which drew the king's attention. He gave me a small nod of acknowledgement, assuming my smile meant I approved of her idea.
Honestly, I thought it was brilliant. The country would get their prince back, I wouldn't have to face the selection alone, and there wouldn't be as much pressure on me. There was even a chance that I wouldn't become the next king.
The rest of the royal family seemed to agree with me.
"It's perfect! Please daddy, please?" A chorus of pleads arose as the twins begged their father, and I looked toward him hopefully.
"I'll have to discuss it with the board, but it's definitely a very solid idea," the king gave Aspynn a nod of praise, making her beam with pleasure.
Jakob interrupted the cheers his declaration incited with a more serious voice, "Of course, there will be trials. Both you and Jared and possibly even the selected will be tested to determine who is more capable of assuming the role of Crown Prince. You must succeed," he said, giving me a pointed stare.
I nodded obediently but shared the joy of the rest of the family. Even if I wanted this for different reasons, at least it meant I wasn't alone anymore.
"If my advisors approve and think we can pull this off, we'll arrange for Jared to arrive here tomorrow and inform Illéa of the change immediately," the King mused.
"But this means that none of you can speak of word of this until it is confirmed," he clarified sternly. "Understand?"
We all nodded vigorously, and I felt a rush of relief.
The king gave a nod of satisfaction.
"Then it is settled. If the board approves, then you and Jared will host the selection of the century."
hey guys! here's the second chapter! sorry that it's kind of crappy and rushed and probably doesn't make any sense, but I just wanted to update.
hopefully this chapter cleared things up a little for yall, but if you're still confused about the whole jaxon/jared situation or just anything please, please pm me or leave a review and i'd be happy to explain!
thanks so much to morethanjustastory, rysaspirit, XOStarbrightXO, chocolatebunnyhills, lol, IMadeUReadThisI, and livlaughlove for reviewing! yall are the best!
hopefully I'll get the next chapter out next week, and then the selection process should start to pick up. these chapters are just necessary to set the stage.
thanks for reading!
~lexi
