Lucille and I entered the house to find Kadence and my mother seated in the gigantic lounge. Sometimes, it was hard to forget that we once lived in a humble sized tent. Kadence, like my mother, had been gifted a manor house by the King and Queen for her role in their past turmoils. However, unlike Marla who rarely allowed visitors, Lucille's mother frequently homed guests for fun. 

I, like many others, guessed it had something to do with the fact that her husband was always absent.

"Hello, darling." Kadence greeted her daughter. Lucille smiled, bending down to plant a kiss on her mother's cheek lined by age.

"Auntie Kadence," I said, taking a seat next to my mother. "I feel like I haven't seen you in ages."

Kadence and Marla were practically sisters. My grandmother, Lena the old, famous for her role in aiding the King, had left her two daughters when they were young. As for my grandfather, he'd been a victim of the Ancient Ones, dying not long after she left. Seemingly orphaned, Kadence and her late sister Samira had taken Marla and my Aunt Alain under their wing. The four of them were raised by Kadence's Aunt Emir, a woman I'd never had the chance to actually meet since she died before I was born.

"I've been terribly busy," she said, her voice familiar and soothing. "Your father has stirred up quite some trouble in the tribe."

My mother shot Kadence a look. An unspoken communication passed between them.

Kadence folded her arms defiantly. "She must know, Marla."

"Know what?" I demanded, looking between them. "Know what?"

Marla stood. Crossing the room, she poured herself a glass of whiskey from the drinks tray by the fireplace. "You tell her," she said to Kadence, blue eyes sparkling in the sunlight streaming in through the many windows.

Kadence shuffled to the edge of the couch. Her face conveyed the expression of someone who was about to share bad news. Despite myself, I felt anxious.

"Your father," Kadence began, "has chosen."

My heart plummeted. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Lucille clench the arm of the couch, brown eyes wide. I didn't dare look at my mother.

"Who is he?" I demanded.

"Alfred," my mother said. "Natalie and Valentino's adopted son."

"What?" I exclaimed, standing in fury. "That'll ruin everything!"

"Now lets be calm about this," Kadence said calmly. "Your father is aware of how this can make things...difficult for you. Nonetheless, he believes that the boy is the best fit."

"Best fit?" I yelled. "He's not a fucking shoe!"

"Language, Claire." Marla snapped. "You know as well as I do that your father is only trying to do what's best for you."

"Best for me?" I scoffed. "Since when was arranged marriage best me anyone?"

"Claire-" my mother began.

"Look," I said, "I understand that when it comes to men mum, you're an absolute catastrophe. Take dad, for example, fucking anything that breathes-"

Marla had crossed the room so quickly I hadn't realise I'd been slapped until long after the pain had bloomed, searing across my cheek.

"How dare you speak of your father and I like that!" Marla hissed, blue eyes alarmingly wide. Something pathetic and weak shied away inside of me. "Your father is gifted with the Sight. You'd be a fool to ignore it, child. You'd be an even bigger fool to not take the opportunity of marrying someone so reputably powerful. Natalie and Valentino can protect you."

Despite myself, tears began to well in my eyes. "I can protect myself."

"No," Marla said, "not against this."

Kadence spoke up in the silence that had fallen. "Patrick has arranged for yourself and Lucille to go together." She emphasised the last word, as if that would make things any better.

It was Lucille who stood next, standing to come and place a comforting hand on my shoulder. "How long will I be staying at the Palace?" Lucille asked her mother, although it was me who she looked towards. Her green eyes were warm and comforting, although it was hard to miss the obvious twinge of sadness that laid beneath.

"You will return home after the wedding," Kadence told her daughter gently. "Your father has missed you gravely."

Lucille's eyes visibly darkened with scorn, however her voice was neutral when she said, "I see."

I couldn't remember the last time Lucille has seen her dad. Her upcoming recent was of no surprise, as it had been in the planning for months. It had just been a matter of when.

"Does he know?" I whispered, and when no one responded, I practically yelled, "Does he know about me?"

"He's known about you all his life," Marla said. "Although I'm sure that it has equally come as quite a shock to him. I am aware that your father has gone to the Palace to make arrangements."

The word 'arrangements' made me feel nauseous. "I've never even met him."

"No," Marla agreed, "but you do know Valentino and Natalie. You've also met Samira on more than one occasion."

She didn't mention Prince Jaxon, most likely because I'd only ever really met him once. As for Princess Samira, she'd often travelled down to the Salvaged Tribe with her mother, or father, or both. She was kind, if a bit forward and rude at times, but I liked her nonetheless. The same couldn't be said for Lucille, however, who was painfully aware that due to her father being the Princess' guard, Samira had a better relationship with him than she did.

"When do I leave?" I asked, if a bit hesitantly. Lucille has dropped her hand from my shoulder when Princess Samira had been mentioned, and now stood rigidly at my side.

Kadence looked troubled. "The two of you were set to leave tomorrow night, however it has come to our attention that there has been relentless downpour in the hills surrounding the palace and we fear flooding."

"You leave tonight," Marla said, cutting straight to the point. "Go and pack your things."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Meanwhile...

Alfie looked ready to vomit, scream, cry and all of the above when Natalie told the three children that Alfie was to be married.

To Claire, Marla's daughter.

Jaxon hadn't wanted to believe it at first. Arranged marriages seemed so...old fashioned. Out of date. Not something he would ever have expected his parents to force upon his adopted brother.

Which posed the question: why? 

Jaxon asked as much, aware that Alfie had taken a seat in one of the plush chairs in the family's sitting room.

Natalie looked nervous, her green eyes wide and childlike. In that moment, she looked as young as Samira. "I know this all seems a bit...abrupt, Alfred. But please believe me when I tell you that it's for your best interest."

Alfie's head whipped up at that. Jaxon knew his adopted brother enough to know he'd never dare be rude to the woman who put a roof over his head, however his voice was edged when he said, "Abrupt? You must be joking."

Valentino stepped in then, seemingly both protective of his wife and sympathetic towards the boy he'd found wondering in the snow all of those years ago. "Arranged marriages are a common aspect of royal life Alfred-"

"What about Jaxon!" Alfie exclaimed, his cheeks stained red. He looked pathetically perplexed, like a child issuing a great tantrum. 

Natalie visibly cringed. "We've yet to find someone...willing to take up the role."

Jaxon laughed sharply, his arms folded across his chest. "You mean, someone willing to marry a half-breed, unpredictable future King, hunted all his life by godly demon creatures?"

Valentino looked resigned with his son. "If you'd prefer to phrase it that way, then yes Jaxon."

"As for Samira," Natalie interjected quickly, clearly not wanting to hear Jaxon's response. "She's only sixteen, far too young-"

"Claire is sixteen." Samira mentioned in that annoyingly superior tone of hers. 

Natalie looked resignedly at her youngest. "From what we've gathered, Claire is far more mature and advanced-"

Jaxon laughed even harder. "Careful now mother dear, little Sammy might go and cut up the linens like the last time you upset her."

"Stop interrupting me!" Natalie snapped. Despite Jaxon's determined and Samira's equally stubborn natures, both straightened at their mother's tone, as children often did. "I wanted to involve each member of this family, but the two of you are making it quite impossible! Leave us, the both of you, and let your father and I talk to Alfred in private."

Samira opened her mouth as if to speak, only to snap it closed and turn on her heel in a great huff of pink fabric when her mother shot her a dark look.

As for Jaxon, he shot his adopted brother one last sympathetic look before following after his sister, his mind on his father's words.