Page 45 of The Prince and the Double Shot
I did as I was told. Phil touched the vine and whispered. The vine grew rapidly in front of my eyes as it reached up and wrapped around my arm. My skin went cold. I knew what kingdom he was from.
“My people have the ability to communicate with the greenery. Anything that grows, really. Not all my people have the ability, but it runs through a few bloodlines.”
“You're from Grandir?” I tried to hide my shock.
“Yes. Phillipe of Grandir.” He bowed and frowned as he stared at the look I could not hide on my face. “There is a history taught to all the children of Grandir. This happened many years ago. More than three hundred, actually. A story about how two brothers from our kingdom had a falling out. NO one really knows, at least not any longer, the reasons why. But the kingdom was split in half. One brother disappeared with part of our people up into the Brumeux Mountain Range. We called it the Misty Mountains because the mist or fog always hung out at the top. Those people were not seen again by the kingdom of Grandir. Most people thought they had died. Then one day they came back. A horrible war happened between the two kingdoms.Many died on each side. The Tranquilles, the people of Grandir, used their abilities with the plants and trees to keep our people safe. But the Montagnes, the mountain people, had acquired a new ability. Their magic had evolved to the land they now lived in. An ability over the Earth itself. The rock, stone, and soil. That must be your bloodline. You’ve never had this ability before?”
“No,” I replied colder than I intended.
“We had a person in our family whose magic came to them late in life. It was assumed that the gift hadn’t been bestowed on them, which was odd since it had been passed on to every other member of the family. An old family that had always been one of our strongest families when it came to their magic. It took an accident for him to unlock the power within him. He fell from a building, and in an instant, a bush grew to catch his fall. Maybe that’s what happened to you?”
“No… It was… something else. I felt it building within me as I… My emotions overwhelmed me for a second. It started before I ever touched the rock.”
“I told you where I’m from and who I really am, Zane. I think it’s your turn.” He sounded as if he were trying to be calm.
“I heard that story differently than you did. The tale of the kingdoms that split in two. I know why the prince left Grandir and his family all those years ago.”
“That means…”
“Do you want me to tell you? It may or may not be the truth. Like all truths, they can sometimes become twisted and unsure. Lionel, the Crown Prince of Grandir, and his younger brother Louis were in love with the same woman. She was supposedly the most beautiful woman in the kingdom, and both brothers wanted her. She chose the youngest brother in the end. But winning the fair Blanca wasn’t enough for the younger brother. He wanted more. He wanted to ascend the throne instead of his brother, and he orchestrated a plot to kill him with some ofthe younger men that served him. Their plans were discovered by some guards in the palace, and they told Lionel of what was to happen. He didn’t want to believe it. But he also knew his brother’s ambition.”
“He played along and created his own trap to ensnare the would-be assassins. The men loyal to Lionel followed his plan and were able to spring into action and prevent the others from assassinating the crown prince. Louis was angry, of course. Not just at his plans being discovered, but that he now had to deal with his older brother, whose claim to the throne was spotless. Lionel subdued Louis and led him before their parents, the king and queen, with his hands bound. The parents insisted that he had to be wrong. Their little angel could never do something like that. If he had it, it was because someone had poisoned him against the family.”
“Blanca was chosen to be the scapegoat, and they imprisoned for a treachery she had nothing to do with. Her only crime was in choosing the wrong brother. Louis was to have no punishment for trying to kill Lionel, and sadly, Lionel could not live with that. He didn’t want to live in fear of it happening all over again. So instead of living in a place where he was a marked man, he chose a new life. Many of the guards and their families followed him to a place where he would be safe. He knew what he was giving up, but he also knew what it was he could have. Freedom. A life without fear.”
“You’re from Montagne? This wasn’t just a distant relation, a bloodline. Did you know who I was? Is that why you wouldn’t tell me the truth?”
“No. I really didn’t know.”
“How can I believe that?”
“Because what reason do I have to lie?”
“I don’t know. I… I have to think… this is…”
“A lot. I just unlocked the magic that had been hidden away after all these years. I’m freaking out too.”
“My people would… They would never understand.”
“Understand what? What are you talking about?”
“Our people hate each other, Zane! Even after all these centuries.”
“My people are too worried to hate anyone. The people of the mountain are not sitting in their homes and thinking about how to destroy Grandir. They’re trying to survive.”
“That’s… not the point.”
“Then what is the point?”
“How can I trust you when I can’t be sure that this wasn’t a…” He stopped, and his head dropped.
“Say it.”
“A setup.”
“I never lied to you.”
“I wish I could believe that. But even if I did, Zane… Even if I could. I can’t have you as my… God! I don’t know what to do.”
