Was he ready to give up the throne?
Would he fight to keep it longer?
I couldn’t imagine the weight of that job on my shoulders.
“Tierner has escaped twice in the last month,” he explained. “We have him under the ball and chain again, thanks to Rhuron.” The king motioned to his oldest son, and some of that childhood rivalry in me boiled up again. His oldest son was groomed from birth to be a good ruler. Truth is, he’d be fantastic at the role.
It hurt to admit that, though.
This fight for rule felt like life and death.
If my brother or I failed, our children would be out of the running for the crown. We’d be extinguishing our father’s royal bloodline despite having offspring. Although I’d moved past some of that line of thought, it still hurt to think of.
Some parts of childhood stick forever.
“There’s also the issue of legal recourse. Some in the kingdom think we have no right to keep Tierner locked up, despite the clear danger he proved to be for all of us. Over the next year, until we have an heir, we all must be diligent and keep an eye out for any changes.”
The king walked around the room, looking us all in the faces seriously.
“There’s a chance he may try something even after the first heir is born. You must pay attention to the villagers and servants for any signs of an uprising.” He stopped and looked me directly in the face for a moment. “Dralle, we may need you back on duty if he tries anything.”
I felt like puking.
“Uncle-”
“My son would be proud to serve his country once more. His shifted form is the largest of any royal. He would be honored to use it to protect the kingdom.”
My father cut me off and smacked my back a little too hard as he bragged.
I didn’t want to go back into the service, though.
I couldn’t do that anymore.