Crown of Thorns

iii. house of the phoenix

WEST POINT,

WESTERN CASTILLAR

                    TWO ROYAL carriages arrived just in front of the lightly reddened castle. The staff immediately began aiding the Western Royals in anyway they could, whether that be by carrying their luggage to the carriages or holding the door wide open. 

The queen pressed her lips gently to the top of her youngest son's, one of ten and four years, blond head. She whispered to him, "Be good, My Little Prince."

He frowned, questioning, "Why do we have to stay? Can't we all go?"

His father replied, "Because I am your father, and I said that the two youngest must stay."

"Yes, but why?"

The man now c****d his dark eyebrow, "How is this? I am the King, and considering you are not, you must do as I say."

"Darreth," Queen Ellyn hushed the man. She smiled down at her son, "We mustn't take all of our men. We need one to protect our home while we're away, correct?"

Prince Arren grinned up at his mother, cheeks full of glee as they rounded, "Yes, Mother."

The woman then turned to the girl standing beside her brother, her blonde waves dangled over her shoulders. Ellyn tucked Princess Lylith's hair behind her small ears, "Take care of your brother." She simply smiled and nodded her head, wrapping her arms around her mother. "Madame Hela will take good care of you both while we're gone, as long as you remain behaved."

"Do be back for my Name Day!" Lylith pleaded, gazing up at her mother with her blue eyes widened.

Ellyn placed her palms on either of the girl's cheeks, pressing her lips to her forehead, "Of course, my dear. We wouldn't miss it for the world." The corners of the young daughters thick lips instantly raised, for she was turning ten and four years in five weeks, which meant she was that much closer to being a woman and getting to wed her own Prince Charming. The thought of it only made her cheeks blush and a little giggle emerge from her parted lips.

"Where are they?" Darreth lowered his eyebrows, staring at his wife. "The carriages are here."

Just at that moment, a girl's voice called out from the top of the staircase, "Gregary! Come get my things." The girl began making her way down the stairs, quite a beauty she was, with her yellow locks tied up into a sleek bun and her plump lips tinted red.

Gregary, one of House Westbrook's staff members, bolted up the staircase, and from the bottom, the younger prince and princess, Arren and Lylith, heard as the man grunted before taking a deep breath. "Oh my, Princess Meya, what is in this trunk?"

Meya shrugged her shoulders and smirked as she reached her parents and younger siblings, "Just my most beautiful accessories and shoes." The two children giggled at the repeated grunt from Gregary, but this time, he was able to carry it down the stairs.

"Where are your brothers?" Ellyn asked her eldest daughter.

Meya rolled her eyes, arching a single thick eyebrow, "How should I know? I was in my chambers, packing my shoes."

"Jarad! Ryden!" Darreth yelled out.

Ellyn scolded the man, seeing as all of the eyes in the castle had landed on them. "Darreth," she snapped at him, "there is no need for the shouting. You could have simply walked up the stairs."

A boy with soft golden curls leaned his head over the balcony, clarifying, "I'll grab Jarad, and we'll be right down."

"Splendid!" his father clapped his hands together.

Prince Ryden turned away from the balcony, making his way down the hall towards his older brother's bed chambers. Once he made it to the large door, he knocked, calling out, "Jarad!" He watched as the doorknob wiggled before the door got pulled open, and standing on the opposite side, Prince Jarad tightened and buckled his belt. Ryden pointed a thumb over his shoulder, "Mother is ready for us."

Jarad first glanced over his shoulder, "Uh, Darling." A girl with orange curls that dangled to her hips pulled the top half of her gown up onto her arms. He nodded his head at the girl only one year his senior, stating, "I'll see you when I return."

She marched toward him, placing her index and middle fingers on one of the boy's cheeks and her thumb on the other, squeezing his cheeks together, causing his lips to pucker. Scolding him, she demanded, "You better not come back here with a bride." She then pressed her lips to his, smirking as she pulled away afterward.

Jarad lowered his eyebrows, tracing his fingertips down the back of her hand, "And forget about my dear w***e? Never." Placing her palm to his arm, she circled around him, exiting his bed chambers, past Ryden. They watched from the doorway as she made her way down the castle's corridors, her magnificent curls bouncing behind her. "Clarice," Jarad stated aloud.

Ryden lowered his brows in puzzlement, tearing his eyes away from the direction of the girl and to his brother, "Huh?"

Jarad pointed down the hall, "That's her name. Down the road at a place called Gally's. Best one I've had yet. If you're looking, that's who you invest your gold in."

"I'll keep it in mind, but the two of you really seemed interested in one another, and I would hate for her to leave you for me," Ryden nodded his head, cracking a grin.

Jarad crossed his arms over his chest, "Oh, is that what you think, little brother?"

"Clarice would refer to you as the little brother." As he grinned from ear to ear, Ryden watched as Jarad clenched his jaw tight and shook his head at the boy. He reached out to grab ahold of him, but Ryden darted out of the room, bolting for the wide staircase, hearing Jarad's boots stomp across the floor as he followed.

"Ah, there they are!" Darreth announced as the two races down the stairs.

Ellyn's blue eyes widened when she saw the two eldest children horsing around as if they were still Arren and Lylith's ages. "Boys! Stop that right now!" The two immediately froze in place at the sound of their mother's stern voice. Her eyes burned into their matching blue pairs as she seethed between gritted teeth, "You are supposed to be mature. You're no longer boys. Act like it." Both of the boys squeezed their lips shut and stood up straight like the gentlemen they should be behaving as.

Ellyn tore her eyes away from her eldest sons, gently pressing her lips to the tops of her youngest children's heads once more. "I love you two. Take care of each other. Don't forget to say your prayers."

Arren nodded, rolling his eyes, "We know, Mother."

"Ellyn, let's go," Darreth commanded. 

"I am saying goodbye to my children. You can wait," she scowled at her husband, keeping her arms wrapped around Arren and Lylith.

The man sighed, looking away from her and towards the older three whom were joining them on their trip. He waved to them, urging, "Well, go on. Get in the carriage."

The three – Jarad, Ryden and Meya – nodded their heads and headed out the castle doors. They made their way down the steps, only to step up into the second carriage, which pertained a stool on the ground just below the entryway. Jarad climbed up into the carriage first, without needing the stool, and as he sat down, he held his hand out for his sister to take.

Meya gathered her dress into one hand, lifting the bottom hem, as she stepped up onto the stool. She reached out for her brother's hand, only for him to abruptly pull his away, chuckling at the girl as he did so. She immediately pouted, leaning in to hit the man several years older than herself, "Jarad!" He laughed as the blonde repeatedly smacked him on his leg, hearing that Ryden had joined in the laughter, as well.

"That is not how a princess of mine should behave," their mother's stern voice called out as she exited the castle, with their father following shortly behind. Meya spun around, standing up straight; she knew that there was no sense in arguing that it was Jarad whom had started it, so she simply presses her lips together in a hard line before turning back around and seeing Jarad hold his hand out again for her. This time, though, she pushed him away before taking ahold of the side of the carriage and pulling herself up into it, sitting beside him.

Ryden quickly made his way into the carriage next, stepping on the stool with his left foot, then into the carriage with his right, sitting beside Meya.

The driver immediately made his way to the side of the stool, taking Ellyn's hand as she carefully stepped up onto the stool. Ryden then reached out for his mother, helping her enter and get seated in the empty seat across from the siblings. She scooted over to be across from Jarad, making room for Darreth to then take his seat.

"All settled?" the driver poked his head in to ask the royal family.

"Yes," Ellyn nodded, "We must be on our way now." The driver bowed his head to the queen before shitting the small carriage door and picking up the stool.

It remained silent in the carriage as they heard the horses' hooves clack against the ground and begin pulling them towards Central Castillar, a ride that would take the Westbrook family two weeks to complete. All of them dreaded the impending trip, not wanting to be cooped up in this tight carriage with one another, but the thought of the arrival to the Kinsmore Castle thrilled most of them. It wasn't very often the royals left their own castle, especially Ryden and Meya whom had never been outside of the West.

Everyone gazed out of the carriage windows: Darreth, Ryden and Meya looked out one side, while Ellyn and Jarad stared out the other. Meya turned to peer out of the opposite window, and as she lifted her left leg to cross it over her right knee, her dress restricted her from moving. She gasped, "Ryden! You're sitting on my dress!" He glanced down, seeing that he was, indeed, sitting on the red fabric. "Get off." She shoved the boy, gathering her gown in her hands as he lifted off of it. As she tugged her dress away, her right elbow bumped Jarad on the arm.

"Hey!" Jarad called out, lightly pushing his younger sister to the side, bumping her into their brother.

Before Meya or Ryden had the chance to do anything more, Ellyn raised her voice, narrowing her blue eyes on the three, "Enough!" She shook her head, "You are not going to fight. Can't we all just be civil and obedient for this once?" Her head snapped toward her husband as she heard him chuckle to himself. Gritting her teeth, she declared, "That includes you, Darreth."

"I'll be civil and obedient," Jarad confirmed, before cracking a grin, "That is, until we stop for rest, and I find the nearest whorehouse."

"Jarad, my dear," Ellyn shook her head, reaching out to place a palm to her eldest child's cheek, "your betrothed will be there at the Kinsmore Castle, as well. She is to be coming back with us."

Jarad placed his hand to hers, assuring, "I will be a good husband, mother. But if I'm to be with one woman for the rest of my life, let me be with as many as I can right now."

Ellyn simply nodded her head, smiling at her son, before pulling her hand away and turning to her other children. "We may find partners for the two of you, as well."

Meya grinned, sitting up straight. She couldn't wait to get to the castle for the glamorous party that would be thrown to celebrate the life of the Central King, but she didn't care about that part, just the part about being around other royals and nobles. She wouldn't argue, though, if he parents did sought it best to marry her off, as long as he was equally rich.

Ryden, however, rolled his eyes, leaning his head against the side of the window. "Sure, Mother," he simply replied.

"It's time you move on from that noble girl," his mother pointed out.

He huffed, "I have."

"Doesn't seem so."

"No, Mother," Ryden then turned to face the woman sitting diagonal to him, "it just angers me that you all get to pick and choose whom we must love."

"Listen here, children, as I tell you this," Queen Ellyn hushed herself for a moment, being sure that all three matching blue pairs of eyes laid on her. She then claorifed to them, no remorse evident in her voice, "Us Royals do not get the privilege of love."