King Hugo
I woke up early the next morning and couldn't help but look at how beautiful Sofia looked while sleeping.
My wife always looked amazing while sleeping; her beauty never left her, nor did her gracefulness, even though she thought it did.
Once our children were born, she struggled a bit with sleeping; she was very stubborn and, at times, wouldn't let me help her.
I understand that she didn't want to bother me since I worked a lot, but so did she; motherhood isn't easy, nor were her pregnancies.
I couldn't help but smile as I thought about her pregnancy with Edward. During that time, she mostly spent it in bed.
She was constantly exhausted, more so than with William or Elizabeth, and honestly, we thought it was a girl at first.
However, thankfully, our kids were able to sleep through most nights as the days went by, and she was able to get some sleep.
In my opinion, she always looks so beautiful when she's sleeping; she seems calm and relaxed.
Looking at her, I couldn't help but smile and pull the small strands of her hair towards the side, and I sighed.
Flashback
"King Hugo!" Called an unfamiliar voice as I turned around to see King Ricardo calling for me.
'Strange, we barely knew each other, let alone spoke, and he was calling and waving as if he knew me.' I thought as I walked to him.
"Good evening, King Ricardo," I said, smiling as he returned the smile.
From the beginning, when I met him, there was something I didn't like about King Ricardo.
We never had any problems with his kingdom, let alone any trade problems, since we weren't allies in the trading system.
However, that didn't mean he didn't benefit from us since most kingdoms that helped him got help from us.
It didn't bother me one bit, but occasionally, he would ask for my wife, which seemed odd.
"Good evening, King Hugo. How are you and the queen doing?" he asked, smiling, as I tried my best to put on a fake smile.
"Wonderful," I said, smiling, clearly trying to hide my annoyance at him asking for my wife.
I mean, when it's once in a while, I accept, but he always asks someone how my wife is doing, and that is something I do not like, especially after what happened many years ago.
"I am so sorry to hear about your attack; what happened exactly?" He asked concerned.
"Some bandits were stealing important cargo shipment we just received, or were trying to at least," I said as he nodded.
"And were they captured?" He asked, sounding a bit concerned as this got me worried.
At this point, we don't know who to trust, and I don't know him very well, which means he could possibly have sent the order to attack us.
However, I can't accuse him without any proof, and maybe it wasn't him; it could also be someone else.
Still, I should keep my eyes and ears open and expect the unexpected from everyone.
"Of course, they are now being prosecuted in the manner they deserve," I said as he nodded.
"They aren't saying anything?" he asked as I shook my head.
"Pity, if it were me, I would have tortured the truth from them," he said, slightly smiling as I smiled at him.
"The Queen and I don't believe in that method to get the truth from someone; we think it's rather cruel," I said as he raised his eyebrow at me.
"I don't take any chances with my kingdom; I see it more as a punishment you deserve for double-crossing me," he said, smirking as I nodded.
"We all have different ways to deal with bandits or delinquents in our kingdom," I said as he nodded.
"That we do, King Hugo," he said, nodding as I smiled.
"I do hope more of those bandits don't come back and terrorize the rest of the kingdoms in the realm," he said as I shook my head.
"As I said, I have captured some and doubt more will come, but then again, we may never know," I said as he nodded.
"Which is why we should try to make alliances with kingdoms to strengthen the security and allies," he said as I nodded.
"In that case, I may have a proposition for you, King Hugo," he said as I raised my eyebrow.
"Really?" I asked as he nodded.
"It's a rather good business if I do say so myself; that will benefit all of us," he said as I raised my eyebrow.
"I'm listening," I said as he smiled.
"I noticed your son isn't betrothed yet to anyone and is your heir. Am I correct?" he asked as I nodded.
"Yes, that is correct, but I don't see how this relates to us having a business. I mean, you don't have any children," I said, confused as he smiled.
"On the contrary, my dear friend, I have a 19-year-old daughter," he said as my eyes widened.
This was news to me. He wasn't married, and we didn't even know he had a daughter to begin with.
"Are you suggesting what I think you are?" I asked as he smiled and nodded.
"Your son needs a wife, and I want to make a trade," he said as I tried to hide the expression on my face.
Did I hear correctly? He's treating his daughter as something he's willing to trade, a business.
"What do you want from this alliance?" I asked him as he smiled.
"Just knowing that my daughter will go to a good family and a bit of help from Whelsire for my kingdom," he said as I thought.
"Both our kingdoms will unite, and since my daughter is my heir, your son will eventually inherit my kingdom," he said as I thought for a moment.
This all sounded so good to be true, but I had a feeling there was something else he wanted but wasn't telling me.
"My son will indeed benefit from this, as I can see, but what about you? I feel like there's something else," I said as he smirked.
"Well, there is one thing," he said as I raised my eyebrow.
"I would want safety and resources for my kingdom from you," he said as I smiled.
'There it was, that's what I was waiting for.' I thought as I smiled.
"If this does occur, we will automatically become allies, and of course, you will enter into the trading system with Whelsire," I said as he smiled.
"Do we have a deal then?" He asked as I smiled and sighed.
"Although it is tempting and does sound like a good business, I must discuss it with my wife and son first," I said as he smiled.
"The king can't make decisions on his own? Pity," he said, smiling as I rolled my eyes at him.
"Alright, just because I'm in a good mood, I'll give you three days to decide. If not, the deal is off," he said as I nodded, smiling.
"I will be expecting an answer from you," he said, smiling before walking away as I nodded.
"Nice seeing you, King Ricardo," I said as he made his departure.
End of flashback
"Are you alright, darling?" a soft voice asked, snapping me out of my thoughts as I turned to look at Sofia.
"How long have you been staring at me?" I asked her, smiling before giving her a kiss on her forehead as she smiled.
"For a while, but is it a crime to look at my husband?" She asked, smiling as I returned the smile.
"No, it isn't, actually," I said, pulling her into an embrace and kissing her cheek.
"What were you thinking about, darling?" she asked me as I smiled at her; Sofia always knew when something was wrong.
"I was just thinking about something King Ricardo mentioned yesterday," I said as she sighed, a bit upset.
"What did he say?" She asked as I raised my eyebrow, confused.
"If I am not mistaken, you don't like him very much, do you?" I asked, chuckling as she nodded.
"You're not mistaken, husband. There's something about him that doesn't really sit well with me," she said as I nodded.
Ever since we met him, I noticed something was off about him, and Sofia didn't like him very well.
"If I'm being honest, I don't like him either, dear wife," I said as she smiled.
"But what did he mention?" She asked as I sighed.
"Well…. He proposed a business deal," I said, as she raised her eyebrows, confused.
"Don't tell me he's thinking about joining us in the trade system. Because if he is, he can forget it," said Sofia, shaking her head and sitting up from the bed, worried as I tried to calm her down.
"Hey, hey, it's okay," I said as I hugged her.
"I don't want him in the treaty, Hugo. There's something about him that I don't trust at all," she said as I nodded.
"I don't trust him either," I said as she sighed before looking at me.
"So why are you considering it?" She asked me as I sighed.
"Because it could benefit our son," I said as she looked at me confused.
"What do you mean?" She asked, frowning, confused as I sighed.
"He's proposing an alliance by marriage," I said as her eyes widened.
"He has a daughter, age 19, and is proposing we set them up for marriage," I added as she looked down, her eyes widened.
I expected her to say something, but instead, she just stayed silent for what seemed like forever.
"Sof?" I asked her as she sighed and looked at me.
"What did you say?" She asked me as I sighed,
"I told him I had to discuss it with you and our son first," I said as she slightly chuckled.
"And he just agreed to it, just like that?" She asked me as I shook my head.
"No, he didn't like it and kind of laughed at me for wanting your opinion," I said as she rolled her eyes.
"I hate that guy," she said, upset as I nodded.
"He gave me three days to think about it and let him know my answer," I said as she sighed.
"Honestly, I don't want anything that ties us to him. If this marriage occurs, he will automatically become an ally of ours, and we will have to help him," she said as I nodded.
"But?" I asked as she smiled.
"This is our son's choice, regardless of what we say," she said as I nodded.
"Have you met her?" She asked as I shook my head.
"Nope, I didn't even know he had a daughter," I said as she shook her head.
"Neither did I," she said, surprised.
"Even if this were to happen, we can't blame her for how her father is," I said as she nodded.
"You're right on that, husband; the children are always the innocent ones in the parent's mess," she added as I nodded.
"What do you think really?" She asked as I sighed.
"Honestly, it's very hard to determine the situation; on one hand, it solves the arranged marriage for William, but…" I said but stopped.
"On the other hand, we would be united with King Ricardo," she added as I nodded.
"It's his choice," she added as I sighed.
"It's really mine now; remember, he gave me the go," I said as she frowned at me.
"But don't worry, I have a good feeling about her," I said as she sighed.
"So, it's official then?" She asked as I nodded.
"Let's go tell him then," she said as I nodded and smiled.
"Don't worry, trust me. Besides, I have a feeling that King Ricardo might be behind this, and it's always better to have the enemy closer," I said as she smiled slightly.
"You're right on that," she said, smiling as she hugged me.
"We'll be alright, Sof," I said as she sighed.
"I hope so," she said as I continued to hug her.
'It has to be; not only am I risking my kingdom's safety but also my son's happiness.' I thought before we got ready for the day.
Prince William
"Ha, I won!" I said, smirking as Edwards frowned before smirking.
"Are you sure?" He asked as I got confused and raised my eyebrow as he took the distraction to disarm my sword quickly.
"Because to me it looks like I won, brother," he said, smirking as I smiled at him.
"I see your skills are slowly improving, baby-bro," I said, smiling as he nodded.
"If I am to be a knight, I have to master all the necessary means," he said as I nodded.
"That you do, and you're doing a very good job at it, too," I said as he nodded, smiling.
"But I think that is enough for today. It's time to change and get ready for dinner tomorrow, perhaps?" I said as he nodded.
"For a bit because I have to study for my finals," he said as I looked at him, confused.
"Isn't training your finals?" I asked as he chuckled slightly.
"Sort of. We have two parts in our finals: the exam and the physical part," he said as I nodded.
"You can already tell I have the physical, but I want to review a bit about the sports history," he said as I nodded.
"Makes sense," I said as he smiled, and we began to walk inside.
"So, you didn't tell me the full details of what happened with your mysterious girl from yesterday?" he asked, smirking as I rolled my eyes.
"What's her name, brother?" He asked as I couldn't help but chuckle slightly.
"You're not going to let this go, are you?" I asked as he smirked at me before shaking his head.
"Of course not, especially since I think my older brother is in love," he said as I shook my head.
"I am not in love," I said as he smiled.
"Are you sure? Because never once had I seen you stare at a girl like her before," he said as I shook my head.
"Come on, tell me," he said as I chuckled.
"She reminded me of someone I used to know as a kid," I said as he listened.
"At Royal prep?" He asked as I nodded and we continued to walk.
"What happened to her?" He asked as I shrugged.
"Never saw her again after attending for a few days," I said as he nodded.
"I see, and now you think…" he said, but I interrupted him.
"There are some similarities, but I can't confirm anything," I said as he nodded.
"Did you speak to her?" He asked as I nodded.
"I tried to, but she only spoke once, and there was something that didn't seem to fit," I said as he looked at me confused.
"What is it, brother?" He asked as I sighed.
"I don't know why, but I have the feeling that she was scared of her father," I said as his eyes widened.
"Why do you say that?" He asked as I sighed.
"When I went to see her, she barely spoke and was always alert. Doesn't it seem off?" I asked as he thought momentarily.
"Kind of, but then again, you are a stranger to her, so maybe she was freaking out," he said, smiling as I rolled my eyes.
"Haha, very funny, brother," I said as he chuckled and shook his head.
I usually don't discuss this with anyone, but at this point, I need some advice; I need someone to talk to.
Ever since I woke up this morning, I have been very confused. I needed to think out loud, and even though I didn't want to talk about it, I knew my brother was the answer.
"Who's her father?" He asked.
"King Ricardo," I said as he looked confused.
"King Ricardo?!" He asked, shocked as I nodded, and we stopped outside my room.
"King Ricardo? He has a daughter?" He asked as I nodded.
"I know, I didn't even know myself," I said as he nodded.
"How sure are you that she's afraid of you?" He asked as I looked at him.
"The signs are obvious; you see terror in her eyes when she sees him, and she gets nervous," I said as he nodded.
"I'm not going to lie. That does sound serious, brother; it's something even I would be worried about," he said as I nodded.
"But then again, it's not really our concern," I said as he sighed and placed a hand on my shoulder.
"Probably not, brother, but for a reason, this girl caught your interest," he said as I slightly nodded.
"Let's get ready for dinner and then head down together, brother," I said as he nodded.
"Sounds good, brother. I'll see you in a bit," he said as he departed for his room, and I walked into mine.
I quickly headed to the shower to wash up, but I couldn't help but think while getting ready.
'What if my little Dove is Rosalie?' I thought momentarily.
It would make sense since I barely got any answers from either of them, but that is no help.
Also, there's something that doesn't sit well with me; ever since I met King Ricardo, I have had a bad feeling about him.
I don't think he should be trusted at all, which, in another part, worries me because what if Rosalie turns out to be my little Dove?
'With her Father being Ricardo, how could I ever trust her? What if she's like her Father?' I thought as the memory of her came into my head.
I haven't told my brother yet, but I dreamt of her last night; I saw Rosalie with beautiful blue/purple eyes and wavy golden hair.
She was so beautiful and looked so innocent in all of this, making me wonder if I could trust her.
At the thought of this, I quickly shook my head to snap out of the thought of the dream I had about her.
'I can't trust her; I just can't,' I thought as I finished buttoning the last button on my shirt.
Once I finished, I headed out of my room to find Edward reaching towards my door, smiling with Liz next to him.
"Ready?" Asked Edward as I nodded.
"Ready," I said as the three of us began walking to the dining room together.
Once we arrived, we saw our parents and GrandDad sitting there with confused looks.
"Something wrong?" Asked as they shook their heads and simply smiled.
"No, not at all," said Dad as Mom nodded.
"We're just surprised you all came together," Mom said joyfully.
"You haven't done that since you were children," said GrandDad as our parents nodded.
"I mean, we all have our own activities to do," I said, slightly chuckling as my siblings smiled.
"Besides, we get done at different times unless we are together," added Edward as we all took our seats, and they brought us our dinner.
"So, how was the party?" Asked Liz as our Father's eyes widened as he and Mom sighed.
"Not good, I presume?" She asked as they shook their heads.
"Something like that, sunshine," Said Dad as Mom smiled.
"It wasn't too bad or good," I said as our parents nodded.
"How so?" Asked Liz, taking a bite of her food.
"For starters, we have strong alliances with the family kingdoms, like Enchancia, Zumaria, and Freezenberg," said GrandDad as she nodded.
"Terrific. Did we lose any?" she asked, and Mom nodded slightly as I looked at them, confused.
"We did?" I asked as Dad slightly shrugged.
"Sort of," he said as GrandDad cut in.
"It was mostly kingdoms that weren't really that big," said GrandDad as Dad nodded.
"So, it's the small kingdoms that didn't really help us?" I asked as they nodded.
"It really made no difference to the kingdom," said Dad as I nodded.
"I feel terrible because they really did need our help, and it's sad to see them leave because of this," said Mom, upset as Dad rubbed her hand.
"It is, but remember Sofia. Right now, it's one against everyone; we don't know who to trust," he said as she nodded.
"They'll come back, Mom, once this is over," I said as she smiled.
"If not, we will reach out to them for help," added Dad as she nodded.
"Did you make any new alliances?" Asked Liz as I looked at my parents, who smiled nervously.
"Well…" started Dad but stopped as Mom finished.
"Not exactly, but at the same time, you're not far from it," Mom said as my siblings and I looked at them confused.
"What do you mean?" I asked as Dad looked at me before my GrandDad, and he nodded.
"He needs to know, Hugo," said GrandDad as I looked at my parents, confused.
"Know what?" I asked, frowning, confused as my Mother sighed.
"There was talk of a possible alliance with another kingdom….." she said and paused momentarily.
"Through marriage," she finished as my eyes slightly widened.
'Shit.' I thought as I tried to hide the worry on my face. I knew what this meant; this was for me.
If I'm being honest, I was surprised this didn't come sooner, but I guess after our last talk, my Father was serious.
"To whom?" I asked, raising my eyebrows. My Father slightly smirked before raising his eyebrow.
"I thought you didn't really care with whom it was?" Asked my Father as I rolled my eyes.
"Information is always key," I said as he smiled and Mom giggled slightly while I looked at my place.
"The kingdom of Amathest," said my Father as I slowly began to look up to him.
"Amathest?" Asked Liz, confused.
"Isn't that the kingdom of King Ricardo?" Asked Edward as my parents nodded.
'King Ricardo? That only meant one thing.' I thought as Liz snapped me out of my thoughts.
"Wait! He has a daughter?" Asked Liz, confused as our Father nodded.
"It was a surprise for me as well; he wants a union," said our Father as I sighed and looked at him.
"He said he would give me three days to decide," said Dad as I frowned and then looked at Mom.
"What do you think, sweetheart?" She asked as I looked at Dad and smiled.
"I think this is Dad's choice, not mine, Mom, and I think he already made up his mind. Didn't you, Dad?" I asked as he nodded.
"What?!" Exclaimed Edward and Elizabeth as I looked at them, then Dad nodded.
"In other words, they're informing me, not asking me," I said as Mom frowned, upset.
"Don't think of it that way, darling," she said as I shook my head.
"Don't worry about me, Mom; my view is still the same as what I told you last time," I said as Dad smiled.
"I am glad because I already made a choice, and I sent my answer to King Ricardo," he said as I nodded.
"Can anyone explain what just happened?" Asked Elizabeth, confused.
"Your brother is being betrothed to the princess of Amathest," said GrandDad as our parents nodded, and her eyes widened.
"What's her name?" Asked Elizabeth as everyone thought momentarily before shrugging.
"Good question," said Mom, looking at Dad, who shrugged.
"He didn't say her name; all he said was that he has a 19-year-old daughter," said Dad as everyone nodded.
It was then that I noticed Edward looking at me with a mischievous look, so I gave him a look to shut it down.
I knew what he was doing, and I wouldn't hear the end of it from him or my family.
"William knows," he said as my eyes widened.
"You do?" Asked Mom, confused.
"How?" Asked Dad, frowning, confused.
"King Ricardo told me when I saw him at the ball," I said as my parents looked confused.
"Wait, King Ricardo approached you?" Mom worriedly asked, as I nodded and Dad looked at GrandDad.
"What did he say to you, William?" Asked GrandDad as I frowned, confused.
"Nothing, really. He just said she was a great trade and called her by her name as they left," I said, as they thought.
"So, nothing about a union with you?" Asked GrandDad as I shook my head.
"It seems a bit odd," said Mom as GrandDad nodded.
"I agree with Sofia; why of all the kingdoms us?" Asked GrandDad.
"Because of our trade system, he wants protection and resources for his kingdom," said Dad.
"But with the war and everything, how confident is he to trade his daughter?" Asked Mom.
"Maybe because he's behind all of this," I added as their eyes widened.
"I have thought about that myself, William," said Dad as GrandDad nodded.
"Those are serious accusations that need proof," said GrandDad as Dad nodded.
"That's why it's better to have the enemy closer," said Dad, smirking at me as I nodded.
"So, in other words, William is being used as bait?" Asked Elizabeth as Mom gasped.
"What? That is not what we had discussed," Said Mom, worried as Dad sighed.
"Sof," he started, but she shook her and cut him off.
"Hugo, we can't allow that!" She said as I shook my head.
"Mom, it's fine. I don't mind; besides, it's for the kingdom," I said as she shook her head.
"No, I will not allow this, and that is my final word! If you'll excuse me, I lost my appetite," she said, standing up and walking away as I looked at Dad.
"I'll go talk to your mother," he said, standing up.
"Dad, don't stop it. I want to do this," I said as he raised his eyebrow at me.
"Are you sure?" He asked as I nodded.
"Very sure," I said as he smiled and nodded.
"Thank you, son," he said, smiling before going after Mom as I looked at GrandDad smiling.
"Don't be too hard on her, Will. She's just looking out for you. That's a Mother's job," he said as I nodded.
"I know, GrandDad," I said as he smiled.
"Besides, I have a good feeling about this," he said, smiling as I slightly smiled and nodded.
'Me too.' I thought thinking that soon my little Dove with be closer to me than I could have ever imagined.