From Fairy Tale To Unbelievable

Seth Albertine's Point Of View " What are you thinking, have you completely lost all faculties," shouted Seth at his brother's Elijah and Gabriel. " Just think about it Seth, it makes sense," says Elijah. " Please explain to me how kidnapping women for us to marry makes any sense. Besides don't you want love, honest true love? The kind that Mom and Dad had." Chiming in is Gabriel the older more reasonable of the three brothers. " Honestly Seth, nothing would be better than to find a love like their's. However we are also running out of time and not a single one of us has met a woman that we have been in love with." " OK, I completely understand that, but kidnapping. Besides if we kidnap women, won't they resent us to the point of doing us in, in our sleep. I mean honestly I think between that and the curse, I'm all for the curse." " How can you say that," shouts Elijah. " Honestly I would rather the other outcome, that way I got to stay a shifter only when I choose. Plus I won't have spent my life alone." " I want true, undying, honest love. What you are wanting to do is wrong, " says Seth. A Month Before " Boys, could you please come here," asked Queen Abigail Of Ostentation. She had called them on their own lines to get ahold of them. Queen Abigail wasn't prepared for the conversation about to take place. Yet she knew as the boys only living parent that it had to be her duty to do so. Every time she looked at the boys she still saw her babies, not the men they had grown into. How she loved her boys. Gabriel, Elijah, and Seth, were her entire world. After her late husband the King had passed away, it was only the boys and her left. Granted they still had the palace help, but as a family they had grown very close. When you are all that's left after a loss of that magnitude, that is what tends to happen. When the boys father had passed on they were all still at a rather young age. Gabriel, who would in two months time be 25 had only been eight at the time. He wanted to help his mother as much as he could, so he often looked after his younger brothers. He took a liking in cooking as well, just so he could spoil his mother. In his eyes there will never be a stronger woman alive. Elijah as the second born, tended to be more rambunctious than his older brother. He loved to play tricks on the palace help. Very often he gave his mother a run for her money with his shenanigans. He also knew every hiding place in the palace and on the grounds. Which he would slip off to regularly, leaving everyone in the palace in disarray over his wearabouts. He was six when their father passed on, and currently he hax just turned 22. The baby of the family Seth was only an infant at the time of their father's passing. Currently he was 18 and very much the romantic of the group. His love for poetry and music without compare. He felt his older brother Elijah caused enough problems for the lot. So he kept to himself and usually could be found looking in the pages of a book. As the boys had grown up there had been many conversations Queen Abigail had not wanted to have. The ones that stuck out the most in her mind were not the topic of puberty, but rather the topic of their shifting. Queen Abigail was not a shifter herself, so she had had many, many long hours of research on such. Luckily for her, after her late husband became ill, he had written so much of it down for her. She had known her husband was a shifter, but not once had she seen it herself. Not until her boys started changing. She made sure that they always had the very best garden to be had. This way when the boys shifted they could stay in the garden and feel safe. All of the staff was also aware of the fact that the Royal family were shifters. At first some had been concerned, but as they were very kind in their shifted forms to the help, noone seemed to think twice of it. The name Ostentation is not simply only the name of their kingdom, but also another name for their shifter forms. More commonly known as peacocks. In the kingdom of Ostentation not only is the peacock beautiful, but also strong and fierce. They could easily be compared to a tiger in our world. When the males of this bloodline become of age, or 18, they start the shifting process. It takes a few months to just get it to become natural to them. Then after two months time they start their training. In their peacock forms they are trained with their military. They are taught tactics and precision. This way they are their own best protection. Not only for their selves but also their entire family and kingdom. The tactic of training the peacocks is what their kingdom considers to be its secret weapon. When all three of the boys arrive Queen Abigail has them each take a seat. They are all in Queen Abigail's sitting room. Which means there is plenty of seating for everyone. Gabriel sits with his Mother on the chaise lounge seat. Seth settles into the arm chair across from it. While Elijiah settles in on the floor next to his Mother's feet. Queen Abigail had chosen this room as the one for this conversation, hoping it would give her the strength she would need for it. This was always her favorite room in the palace. She had had it decorated so she had a place of calming atmosphere among the chaos. As Queen she had come to realize it was a gift and rarity to get. It had a bay window to the South looking out on the beautiful.gardens. To the Southeast corner was the bathroom, where she gave her boys baths when they were young. On the East wall outside the bathroom was a t.v. with an area rug and couch. Where her boys spent family movie nights with her over the years. In the Northeast corner of the room was Queen Abigail's desk with chairs for visitors. The North wall held two French doors leading out into the corridor. In the Northwest and Southwest corners of the room sat two chairs for reading, or visiting. Many heart to hearts have taken place in these seats over the years Where they were sitting at is located in the center on the West side of the room. On the West wall is a complete bookcase, with three panels to it. Known only to the Royal family, the center panel is a secret door. It opens up into the Queen's personal bed chamber. Once everyone was seated and comfortable, Queen Abigail got right to the point. How do you explain to your own children that they are in danger? Yet Queen Abigail did her very best to get this information across to the boys. "I honestly have no idea how to tell you boys this, but here goes. I want you each to tell me your age, yes I know your ages but I have my reasons. So go ahead, how old are you boys?" "24 will be 25 in two months time," says Gabriel. "22," chimes in Elijah. "I just turned 18," Seth says to complete the three. " Alright, well you boys know that before your father died, that he wrote down everything about the shifting that runs in his side of the family. At the age of 16 you all started this transformation in your lives." "Mom we understand that it is hard on you. Since you don't shift yourself, that trying to help us with this has been extremely hard on you." Queen Abigail places her hand on Seth's cheek. " My dear sweet Seth, yes it has been a challenge, but this has nothing to do with that aspect of this," she says. " However it does have to deal with your shifting. There is something about it that I've never told you boys. My darling Gabriel I am so very sorry, for it is you that I have failed the most in this aspect." "Mother. you have never failed me, how could you possibly think such things," questions Gabriel. "OK, well let me share this insert from your father's notes before you make up your mind on such things darling." When a shifter becomes of age to start his transformations, he had an elected time in which he must find himself a mate. As this is not an easy feat for a shifter, since once they fall in love, it is for life. If a shifters love is not shared with the one whom they love and reciprocated by that person. The rejection will cause a very painful death to the shifter. So a shifter has until midnight the night of his 25th birthday to find such a love in his life. Or else at the strike of midnight he will make his last transformation. He then will live out his life in his shifter forms. As for our family it is peacocks. If our boys aren't at least engaged by their 25th birthdays, they will spend their lives cursed to be peacocks. "Wow, ok I can see why you say you think you have failed me, but mother you have not. I still have two whole months to find my love, " states Gabriel. Although the look on his face doesn't say he's convinced that he will. They sat in silence for awhile while everyone took in this news. It was a lot to try to understand. Finally Gabriel broke the silence." Mother, may I inquire why you never told us this before now ? " " I didn't tell you because honestly I never had any idea how to. I also put it off because I wanted for you to find love for yourselves on your own terms, not because of some stupid curse. Part of me was hoping that you would all find your loves in time, that we would never have to have this conversation. However, it was very wrong of me to keep this from you, and for this I am so very sorry. " " You just wanted to protect us. you are our Mom, " says Gabriel. " We can never be mad at you for trying to protect us. " Back In The Present " I agree Seth, this plan is a far shot, but I'm running out of time. In a month's time I will be 25 and permanently a peacock, " says Gabriel. " We need to do this for Gabriel, Seth. You and I have more time, he doesn't. We need to save our brother, " says Elijah. " Alright, you're right. It's late tonight though, let's go to bed and sleep on it. We can get started in the morning, " says Seth. As he is trying to figure out a different way. At least he bought himself the night to think, before they take action. " Thank you both, I'll see you in the morning." Gabriel is the first to turn in for the evening. With his brother's both following. Tomorrow would be a very big day for them.