Part 8

Barry watched from one of the balconies as Princess Caitlin climbed out of the carriage. He had to admit she was beautiful with her warm auburn hair. He could not see her eyes from this distance but if he remembered from the few times they had met as children they were a warm chocolate brown.

"She is pretty."

Barry turned to see his cousin Jesse standing next to him.

"Yeah she is. Jesse, my dad had Ronnie and Eddie assigned to be her guards right?"

"Yes. Linda is to be her personal maid."

"Linda Park?"

"Yeah is that a problem?"

"That remains to be seen. But Linda is friends with Iris West."

"That girl from that café that you have had a crush on forever?"

"I feel nothing for Iris any more. You could say I found out what her true motives have been to try and get close to me."

"You mean that she wants to bed you and get knocked up with your kid? I could have told you that."

"Jesse, you know I know better than to do something like that."

"Barry stay away from her. There are drugs she could slip you and do as she wants to you without you knowing it."

"I am not going back to the café if she is there."

"Good. Now you should take some time and make yourself look presentable for dinner. You need to put on a suite and tie. Your mother's orders."

"Yeah sure. Jesse, you realize that because of who our parents are that we are genetically speaking kind like brother and sister."

"You mean cause our dads are brothers and our moms are twins?"

"Yeah."

"I am glad we aren't brother and sister. You would annoy me too much if you were my brother."

"Like I wouldn't be annoyed by a pest like you."

"By the way it is kind of creepy that you are spying on Princess Caitlin."

"I am not spying. In case you haven't noticed she is no longer outside."

"True but don't go all stalker on her. Give her time to see that while you can be an annoying pain in the ass, you are also a kind caring and sweet guy."

"Thanks Jesse. So any one catch your eye yet?"

"Nope and unlike you there is no pressure on me to find someone."

"Well if everything goes to plan then the pressure will be off."

Barry headed in to start to get ready for dinner and meeting Princess Caitlin.


Zoom exited his tent leaving the girl crying. He never understood why these stupid girls made a big deal out of sex. His father had taught him that women were only good to serve and please men. He was ten when his father killed his mother for giving birth to a girl. A girl his father dumped in an orphanage the next morning. Mardon headed over to him and handed him a bottle of whiskey.

"You hear from our spies yet?" asked Zoom

"Yeah King Thomas and Princess Caitlin left for the Central Kingdom early this morning. King Thomas is planning to offer the Princess's hand in marriage to Prince Bartholomew in exchange for help from King Henry's army." Said Mardon

"This changes nothing. I will have what I deserve and that stupid so called Royal Family will die. Caitlin will be my wife and give me the son that I will teach to rule with an iron fist."

"You have a plan to get the Princess back here?"

"If nothing else she will be back for her brother's wedding in a few months. We should be on schedule to attack the palace then."

"Why wait until then?"

"Because while I have been rejected as a suitor for the Princess as both the Warlord Zoom and my true identity of Lord Hunter Zolomon. Do to my family's rank I have still been invited to what is planned to be the wedding of the year."

"I forget sometimes that you really are one of those elite upper class that has treated me like trash."

"Listen Mardon. You help me get what I want and you will lead my army when we take the rest of the world one by one."

"You better keep your promise or I will gut you."

"Don't make threats that you can't keep. The last scumbag like you that crossed me they never found the whole body of."

Mardon looked at the man he had chosen to follow and saw nothing but evil in his eyes.


Caitlin took a deep breath as she walked into the parlor that she had been shown too. It was not like she didn't want to meet her hosts. It was that if everything went the way they planned, then these people would be her family. Her father smiled when he saw here enter. He then stood up and held out his hand. She walked over to him and he kissed the top of her head.

"May I present my daughter Princess Caitlin." Said Thomas

"It is a pleasure to meet you Princess. I must say that you are very beautiful." Said Barry

"It seems my son has forgotten his manners and did not properly introduce himself. May I present the Crowned Prince Bartholomew. I am Nora."

"It is an honor to be invited into your home You're Majesty. Nice to meet you Prince Bartholomew." Said Caitlin

"Please unless protocol calls for it just call me Barry, Princess."

"Then just call me Caitlin. Though I know it would not please my mother."

"Not much does please your mother." Said Thomas

Caitlin smiled knowing it was true. Sometimes she found it hard to believe that she was even related to her mother.

"Maybe if you like Caitlin, we can take a walk in the garden after dinner. Though not many of the spring flowers have started to bloom yet." Said Barry

"That sounds nice." Said Caitlin

A few minutes later they headed into the dinning room for dinner.