We get back to the castle to find an entourage waiting for us at the gate. Max and Dex are still a few feet in front of us and the castle is at least half a mile away. I look over at Ian and smile. He looks at me kind of funny then it dawns on him what I'm thinking. He smiles back at me and nods. I click my tongue and squeeze Onyx on his side he lurches forward with a proud snort. Ian and Sader come up right beside us and soon we are right behind Max and Dex.
Next we end up in front of them. One of them shouts out in surprise then four other pairs of legs clip on the ground. Now this is fun. I think to Ian. Yes it is. But dont think I will let you win just because you are the princess. I smile at him. I wouldn't want it any other way. I kick Onyx again and he speeds up now neck in neck with Sader. Sader looks over at me and for some reason he slows down and Ian cant get him to go faster no matter what he does. I ride Onyx in a cloud of confusion but that goes away when two more horses show up on either side of me.
Max,Dex,and their horses. Soon Maxs horse does the same thing Sader did and now its just Dex and myself. We are only about 50 feet from the castle gates and Dex isnt slowing down. "I cant lose to him." I whisper to myself. As if he heard me Onyx puts on an extra jolt of speed and now we are a whole head in front of Dex. "Come on boy we can do it. I cant lose to him. I need this so I can rub it in his arrogant face. Come on Onyx you can do it. Please dont give up. I close my eyes and lay my forehead on his long sleek neck. "We have to win." Onyx seems to understand my desperation and suddenly it seems as if everything around us becomes a blur. Before I can even figure out what happened everything is back to normal. I come back to reality and see that Onyx and I have crossed the finish line. We have passed the gate. We have won. Everyone is looking up at me silent.
I start to get uncomfortable and then cheers ring out. "The princess has won!" "Did you see how fast she rode?!" "The princess is so cool!" By this time I am beaming and patting Onyx on his neck whispering good boy. He shorts and shakes his head. I throw my leg over and slide off of him,throwing his reins over his neck. "Congratulations, your highness." I turn to see Ian leading his horse. "Thank you Ian. But it wasn't just me,Onyx deserves all of the credit. Without him I would never have stood a chance winning. Especially against the Dark Guard." Ian raises his eyebrows and looks a bit nervous. "H-How do you know about the Dark Guard?" I giggle. "Please Ian. I may be new here but I am not exactly lost. I did research on our history. This is my kingdom after all. I went to the library and found a book dated back about 500 years. I came across a passage on the Dark Guard. I know more then you think." Ian looks fairly surprised. "Your highness I must say that you caught me by surprise." I smirk. Onyx has steadied his breathing. "I also know that you,Max,and Dex are apart of the Dark Guard. Its why you guys seem to disappear into shadows and how you guys are so quiet. Its why i had so much trouble fighting you guys."
I start leading Onyx back to the stables, Ian following beside me. "I wasnt sure at first that you guys were but, when I saw the insignia on the stables for each of your horses thats when I knew." Ian raises his eyebrow. "How did you find it? Its not exactly easy to see." I shrug. "Only if you dont know what your looking for." Ian chuckles. "You really are full of surprises your highness." A stableboy comes to take our horses. "You have no idea." Max and Dex eventually catch up with us,their horses already being taken away. Max is smiling at me. "I can never win against you." I flip my hair. "I know I am just good like that." Ian, Max and I all laugh at my goofiness. Dex just walks up to us no smile.
"Congratulations your highness." He gives me a stiff formal bow. "Oh please dont do that." Dex rises without saying a word. He just gives me a weird look. Not a glare exactly but close. I shiver at his look. Ian glances at me. "Are you cold your highness?" I shake my head. "No. It's just why is Dex so uptight?" Ian shrugs. " I don't know really. But maybe it's because of his grandfather. Dex and Max's grandfather is a known general. General Nathan Quin." My eyes widen at the name. " Hey I read about him. He joined the confederate army when he was just a boy forced by his parents. He became feared by everyone." Ian nods. "I'm impressed your highness." I smile. Ian smiles back but his smile is filled with pain. " When I was a boy a disease broke out in my village. At the time the end of the war was coming. And Dex's grandfather came through our village at the time of the disease. Both of my parents had gotten sick along with my younger sister and they were dying. There was no cure for it no one in our village could afford it even if there was. I had been going back and forth between my village and the forest to hunt and find plants that might help with the sickness. I return from the forest one day to find that my family had died while I was away. I remember sitting down beside my little sister holding her in my arms as I cry. That's when the general showed up. There were rumors of a village that had become a ghost town. He had come to see if the rumors were true because our village supplied the meat stores and herb shops. He found me in my home still crying with my sister in my arms." My heart jerks at the image of Ian as a boy losing his whole family.
"I know it's not exactly the same but I know what your going through." Ian nods. "The general decided to take me in as his own. He brought me back to the castle,told everyone what had happened to my village,and told them that I would be a part of their family now. Thats when I first met the brothers. Back then Dex was really nice and still a boy,and Max hasnt really changed except for the fact that he can fight now." We both chuckle at the jab to Max. "Their parents took me in without any hesitation. Soon they put me in training with the boys and we became close.I didn't talk much at first but eventually I came around and the pain dulled. It never really went away at night I would pull out the picture of my family a few weeks before the disease. One night Dex and Max both found me crying over it but didn't say a word. They just sat on my bed with me and started asking questions about my family. The questions they asked brought back happy memories. Now when I look at that picture I don't cry anymore,I just smile at the memories of them and that night is when I had a family again." I don't say it outloud but I notice the pain in his eyes as he tells me. And I swear that I saw a single tear fall down his cheek.