Cheyton paced back and forth in his room as the sound of more and more guests entering Tsétsêhéstâhese only put him on edge.
He had been preparing for this day his entire life, but now it was there, he felt like seriously throwing up.
I mean, what if he tripped as he was walking down the aisle? What if he accidentally tripped Chenoa as they were walking down the aisle? What if they both tripped at the same time and embarrassed themselves in front of the entire planet? How could he possibly live on after that?
He would surely be disowned, if not executed for shaming the royal family in such a fashion. What would the other kingdoms say? What would Mother say?
"I would say you're being paranoid again." Mother said, scaring the life out of the young prince, "Tripping on your coronation day would indeed be embarrassing, but you would need to do a lot worse to be disowned or executed."
Define 'a lot'.
"Cheyton."
What? He was just anxious about something going wrong during the ceremony. That was all.
"So you're not nervous ... You're nervous?"
No, nervous wasn't the right word.
"You're nervous, Cheyton."
No, he really wasn't.
"Are you questioning Her Majesty, the Queen of the Great Kingdom of the West?"
Why was she speaking in the third person?
"Are you?"
No, Cheyton answered with a sigh and mumbled about how that wouldn't be the case for much longer.
"Come here."
Cheyton went over to his mother, the queen, and contorted his body so his head laid on her collarbone without wrinkling his clothes.
"Are you calm now?"
He was too old to be hugged by his mother.
"Nonsense! I've held you like this for the last 25 years and I will continue to hold you like this for the next 50!"
Fifty?
"Maybe more."
With their genes, Cheyton knew it would be a longer time than 50 years as he slowly felt his nerves calm.
The method only half-worked with him, he thought right before the sound of mother's phone ringing frightened him.
"Hello?" she said immediately answering the phone as Cheyton went to check on his hair. "Marvelous. Great job as always ... Just make sure he gets into the school …. Alright. Bye."
What was that about?
"Nothing much. I just found a rather gifted young man, and I wanted to give the scholarship to him."
For AMA?
"No, for the local public school, Cheyton."
So that's where everyone in the family got their sarcasm from.
"From where?" Jared said as he poked his head through the doorway.
"You just realized we got it from Mother? Really, Bro?" Gustavo said as he walked right in.
Was everyone there to pay him a visit?
"No," Chenoa said as she walked in after them, "Father-in-law and Awan are greeting the guests. We came to check on you and make sure everything was okay. Everything is okay, right?"
"Well aside from Cheyton being scared of being king, everything's fine." Mother answered.
He was not scared. He was nervous.
"I thought you said-"
Emotions change, Mother.
"Is it too late to just make Chenoa queen?" Jared asked hopefully right before Mother knocked his head.
"Serves you right!" Gustavo said before Mother knocked on his head too.
Guess no was home on either side, Cheyton said before he also got knocked on the head.
"Shall I go get Awan for you as well, Your Majesty?" Chenoa asked while laughing.
"Leave him." Jared said while rubbing his head, "He'll probably just ignore and glare at you like usual."
"I'm sure he's just a bit shy."
"Shy?" Gustavo questioned, "What kind of 'shy' 16 year old constantly shoots daggers at everyone he meets?"
"Including us," Jared added, "And we've known him for all 16 years. He's just a gloomy, spoiled, jerk who doesn't like to get along with anyone- Ow!"
Mother, probably having heard enough, dragged her two middle sons out of the room by their ears.
A lethal blow if you ask me, but that was the least of Cheyton's troubles. As if coronation anxiety wasn't enough, he now had a huge wave of guilt flood his mind as he acknowledged his own inability to defend his youngest brother.
"You okay?"
Was he even allowed to say no?
Chenoa didn't badger him for answers like other family members did, and that was one of the many things he loved about her.
That and her arm hugs. They were strange, but once Cheyton got used to them, they were quite simply one of the most peace inducing things ever to happen to him.
She was too beautiful as well. That was another thing he loved, he thought as he stared at her deep brown eyes.
Seriously, how could someone be so beautiful?
"I'm glad you think so because I woke up at 6 in the morning for this look."
Six? Preparations stared at seven, though.
"I woke up earlier than I was supposed to because a certain husband of mine left our bed cold."
Whoever could that be.
"I wonder."
What if he wasn't a good king? What if he let everyone down? What if my people grew to hate him? What if-
"There are a billion and one what ifs you can come up with in that brain of yours, I'm sure, but that's the best part!"
How low have they fallen as a society for anxiety to be the best option?
"Listen here mister," Chenoa said as she grabbed Cheyton by his cheeks, "We are a team. We are to rule together until our child eventually takes over with their spouse."
"If you mess up, you will hear from me before you hear from others, and if you achieve something incredible, I will be the first person to praise and congratulate you. Worry not, my king, for I will always be by your side."
Since when did she become such a poet?
"There is a lot you don't know about me, you know."
And he couldn't wait to spend his whole life finding and knowing every little thing about his queen, Cheyton said as he went down on one knee and kissed the top of his beloved's hand.
"Shall we?"
He loved her.
"That wasn't the question, but I appreciate the thought."
Wow, Cheyton laughed as they walked out of the room hand-in-hand.
*****
"Don't scrunch your face up so much, dear brother. It'll give you wrinkles by 30." Jared said as he and Gustavo walked into the dungeon under Tsétsêhéstâhese, where he and Chenoa were being held, following the explosions from the bombs Cheyton's own brothers had planted.
All he could do was protect Chenoa and their unborn child as the two traitors mocked and berated them.
"Traitors? Now that's a bit harsh, don't you think, Jared?"
"Yes, that makes us seem like the bad guys, doesn't it, Gustavo?"
What did they want?
"Nothing from you. We're just following orders."
"Better question, Mr. Almighty and Powerful King of All Magicians and Dormants in the Lands of the West. Why don't you use some of your oh-so-awesome powers to escape? Don't tell me you actually like captivity."
"Don't you know, Jared? Cheyton's power is heavily reliant on his emotions. Imagine how angry you would be if I attacked your home."
"Oh dear, so long as Ms. Goody-Two-Shoes is beside you, you can't use such destructive power. Can you, Cheyton?"
…..
"Well, if I was in your position, dear brother, I would join Richard. Maybe then he might spare the lives of your weak, helpless wife and the demon growing inside of her-"
Cheyton leapt at Jared without a second thought and started to beat his face in until he noticed something strange.
Why was he laughing?
"You and Father are too similar. Jumping on top of the man who insulted your wife and first born, leaving yourself wide open for attack."
"Except," Cheyton turned to face Gustavo as his blood ran cold, "Father wasn't as nearly as strong as you, dear brother. He still kicked and pushed like an old horse being put down."
"Now," Jared said with a smile, "Get off, or say your goodbyes."
Cheyton's mind became a mess as he watched Gustavo's knife get closer and closer to Chenoa's neck.
"Don't Cheyton. We'll be fine, just kill these traitors."
"That's sweet of you to say, sister-in-law, but you see, Cheyton is nothing like Father. You two are more important than his pride. Isn't that right, Cheyton?"
He saw no other option as he got off Jared and took the ruthless beating from the both of them.
The hits themselves didn't really hurt per se, but the tears streaming down Chenoa's face broke his heart until he was saved by the bell.
"Mr. Mustollini has requested both of your presences, my princes." a guard said to them before they threw Cheyton next to Chenoa and left the dungeons.
"Count your days, Your Majesty." he heard Jared say as they shut the doors behind them.
"Are you alright? Where does it hurt the most?"
He was fine.
"No, you're not." Cheyton lifted his arm and beckoned Chenoa to hug him as he asked about her well-being.
"I'm fine. I wasn't the one who got beat up anyway."
Cheyton tried laughing, but his rib area hurt when he did. He might've broken some.
"What are we going to do?"
Don't cry. Cheyton hated when Chenoa cried because when she cried, that was a sign the world was going to end.
"I'm serious."
He was too, he replied as he kissed her forehead while doing his best to hold her tight in his arms.
He was going to protect her and their child even if it meant losing his life, he swore.
"I'll protect you two as well."
That's not how it worked, Cheyton joked before the dungeon doors opened once more.
This time, Princess Celestia and one of the boys who captured Chadwick Myra showed up.
Cheyton began to scale when the revolution even started and just how many defectors were living among them as the boy destroyed the dungeon bars with his magic before picking him up.
"Play dead." he instructed Cheyton as they walked out of the dungeon with him on the boy's shoulder. Chenoa and the princess followed closely behind as they walked through the crumbling palace.
Though he was slightly (very) confused as to why they neglected to tie them up or why they were being so gentle with them, Cheyton didn't let it bug him too much as he planned an escape route. He knew it would be too dangerous for him to use magic inside the palace, so he planned to attack the second they got out. He just hoped Chenoa wouldn't have minded not having a palace to live in anymore as the boy and the princess were stopped by three guards.
"What are you doing?" one asked.
"Mr. Mustollini asked us to discreetly bring the king and queen to him to avoid any interference from any hidden allies."
"Why aren't they tied up?" another asked.
"We had to knock the king out because he was being unruly," the princess lied, "And we wouldn't be part of the special task force if we couldn't handle a queen who is 6 months pregnant, now would we?"
"But it is protocol and common sense to-"
All Cheyton heard was the sound of the guards being electrocuted before he opened his eyes to see the boy and the princess running out of the palace with them.
What was going on? Why were they doing this? Their silence and their reasoning soon didn't matter to Cheyton as soon as they got out of the palace.
He ordered for the boy to put him down as Princess Celestia used her magic to keep the doors of the palace shut.
With everyone trapped inside, Cheyton used the little strength he had left to sink his entire home into the mantle layer before turning to the boy and asking him his name.
"I'm Michaelangelo."
He didn't really have a choice but to trust him as he asked Michaelangelo to carry his wife as they went to find Awan and Prince Baptiste.
"We can't do that, Your Majesty."
Why the abyssus not?
"We were instructed to get you and the queen out of the city first."
By whom?
"You'll find out soon enough, but we need to get you to safety-"
A piercing roar filled the air as Cheyton held onto his ears in absolute pain and agony.
What was that?
"A dragon."
A what?
"A lot is happening, Your Majesty," Princess Celestia said, "But our priority is your safety."
Cheyton.
"I beg your pardon?"
They could call him Cheyton, but he would only leave the city if they promised to do everything they could to find Awan and Prince Baptiste afterwards.
"That will be no problem at all, Cheyton."
*****
"We're here." Celestia announced as Michaelangelo set Chenoa down on her feet.
He looked around at the forest underneath the connecting highways, confused as to who they were looking for.
"He'll come find you. You just need to wait here as we go find Princes Awan and Baptiste before defeating that dragon." Michaelangelo said with a grin.
"Awan knows all about dragons and portals, so he might be your greatest asset." Chenoa added.
"I'm sure he is." Michaelangelo replied before he and Celestia turned to leave.
Cheyton managed to thank them for saving their lives.
"Don't mention it." Celestia gleamed before Michaelangelo mentioned, "Your mother changed my life for the better. This is the least I can do."
She did?
"Yup!"
So, he was the gifted child.
"The what?"
Don't worry about it. They were fine on their own.
"Just wait in this area, and hopefully this nightmare will be over before you know it." Celestia said, and Cheyton sure did hope it would be as he helped Chenoa settle down next to a tree.
He then got up to survey the area, but he was soon back on the ground thanks to a shooting pain in his right leg.
"Are you alright?" Chenoa panicked, and Cheyton eyed her stomach before telling her he was fine.
"Are you sure?"
Yeah, he was fine.
"Acting tough isn't going to help you."
The two of them turned to face the young woman behind them, and Cheyton placed his arm in front of his family as he asked who they were.
"I'm Atalune, and this is Jester."
"How do you do?" the old man beside her asked, but Cheyton was more concerned about their intentions.
"We're here to help you."
How did they know they weren't lying? How could they trust complete strangers when their own family members had betrayed them?
"You have the upper hand."
What? Cheyton couldn't understand the woman's logic as she revealed her own baby bump.
"I'm about eight months along, nine next week. A single hit from you will be lethal."
How did they know they weren't lying?
"In addition to knowing exactly where to find you," Jester said, "Do you really think we would go through all this trouble to kill you, Your Majesty?"
He admitted the baby bump would all be extra, unnecessary work, but at this point, everyone was the enemy-
"What's their name?" Chenoa asked Atalune.
"We were thinking of naming him Wonder. You?"
"Hunter."
"What a beautiful name."
"Thank you."
What ... were they doing ... exactly?
"I trust them, Cheyton."
Because they told her what they plan to name their son?
"Yes."
It really wasn't a fair choice. Cheyton was a man weak to the whims of his wife, whose people radar was rarely wrong.
It really wasn't fair, he thought as he agreed to go with Atalune and Jester to "safety".
Wherever that was.
*****
"Are you sure you don't want to come with us?" Chenoa asked as Cheyton hugged her and Hunter in front of the portal.
He was sure. He had a duty as the king to protect his kingdom, even if it meant giving his life.
"Don't say that. You're going to be okay. You're going to come back and continue to help me raise our son, so don't say things like 'giving your life'."
Though, Cheyton promised he wouldn't say things like that aloud, she didn't say anything regarding his thoughts.
"Here," Jester offered, "I'll hold big man here so you two can properly say goodbye."
"Thank you, Jester."
Oh, don't cry, Cheyton pleaded as he grasped his wife tight in his arms.
He kept telling her everything would be alright, but even he couldn't believe his own words.
He knew all he had to do was defeat Richard and restore peace while simultaneously fixing the holes that caused the revolution, but that was easier said than done.
One thing was for certain, however.
"You'll be there for us right?"
Of course he would, he assured them as he removed his wedding ring and placed it in Chenoa's hands.
He personally wanted Hunter to return it to him the day they reunite.
"I'll hold him to it."
He loved her. He truly loved Chenoa with all his heart and soul.
"And I, you. I love you more than anything."
Even Hunter?
"Except Hunter."
The feeling was mutual.
One more tight, tear-filled embrace, and Chenoa, Jester, and Hunter walked into the pillar of light never to be seen again by Cheyton, he knew, as he turned to face Kiara, Daisy, and Soo-young.
"I can assure you that they will be fine."
The happy-go-lucky heir sure had changed while she was gone for a year, Cheyton commented before he thanked Kiara for what she had done.
Though painful, he felt it was necessary since they didn't know what Atalune was up to.
"She just disappeared with her child?" Daisy questioned, and yes.
One day he woke up and she wasn't anywhere to be found. That same day, Jester finally revealed her to be the Light Creator Magician's wife.
"Which means she's not on our side," Soo-young deduced, "So why did she spare you?"
She had formed a bond with Chenoa, maybe their friendship saved all four of them, Cheyton replied as he remembered how broken his wife was after the disappearance.
He swore to bring her happiness as he turned to the group and asked about the plan, which was apparently missing a huge puzzle piece.
"Your brothers?" Daisy asked, confused. "They're locked up with Kiara's eldest brother and father."
Locked up? Why?
"Maybe it's an ambush," Soo-young explained, "They may be expecting us to go after the prisoners."
So they needed to head over to Awan and the others and offer back up?
"No," Kiara declared, "We need to take care of the royal family of the North. After you and me, Crispus, Ackley, and William are next in magic power."
So what? They just leave Awan, Celestia, a deer boy hybrid and a bird to fight Cheyton's brothers?
"No, we put our trust and faith in them and clean up as quickly as possible. You trust your brother, don't you?"
Of course he did.
"Great," Daisy announced, "Then let's go kick some royal-"
Wait.
Cheyton needed to know something crucial before the battle, and it was a good thing he asked about it before the battle began.
*****
"Celeste, dear," Daisy said as he eyed Harrison, "Be a doll and get everyone out of here. You should take your dad and brother with you, but leave the bird behind to heal Awan."
"So you order them around and they just obey your every word?" Harrison laughed.
"It's the only thing kids are good for anyway."
"That's not true. They have the softest, most sensitive bodies too, you know."
"Ah~ A pedofile. Lovely."
"I don't go chasing any and every child. Even I have standards."
What a strange conversation they were having, Cheyton thought as his attention turned to Soo-young and Thomas fighting.
Both were previously combat specialists of the same government, the only difference being Soo-young having more freedom to expand her power without the fear of her peers holding her back.
Thomas, on the other hand, gained that sort of power only after he joined the group of terrorists.
Regardless, it was a pretty evenly matched fight, Cheyton observed as he swerved his body to the left to avoid Jared's attack.
"You know better than to take your eyes off your opponent. Don't you, brother?" Gustavo said as he tried to attack from the opposite side.
They certainly had gotten faster over the last year, but they still weren't on Cheyton's level. They were simply too slow for him, he decided before he swept Jared and kicked Gustavo away.
"Why?"
Huh?
"Why do you defend such a flawed world?"
Had they already given up?
"What?"
Both of them had a tendency to talk their way out of things when using their magic wasn't working out.
They usually would either question their opponent's morality or threaten the lives of those they loved. It didn't really matter what they picked, since it was all just an attempt to make Cheyton lose his temper.
"Still scared of your own magic, huh?" Jared called, "You still scared of hurting people? Are you still shaking at the thought of people finding out your true nature? I know mom was."
What were they talking about?
"Of course the puppet doesn't know its own master." Gustavo joked as his eyes glowed neon blue. "Mother used you to enslave her own people! She twisted your mind to make you send people to abyssus!"
"And so like our predecessors did before us," Jared said with his own bright lagoon blue eyes, "We killed the slavemaster and escaped her twisted agenda."
He knew.
"What?"
Cheyton knew this, but it was now time for him to tell his brothers something they apparently didn't know.
"What could that possibly be?" Gustavo asked with the slightest hint of fear in his voice.
Cheyton didn't use his magic often, that was true. However, it was simply because he despised how ruthless it was, not because he couldn't control it.
If he couldn't control his own magic, then he wouldn't have been able to drown his own home in magma, and he definitely would not have been crowned king at the normal age, either.
Secondly, Jared and Gustavo were the ones who needed to pay more attention to their surroundings, he pointed out as they looked down at the ring of fire surrounding them.
If they stepped out of that ring, Cheyton would kill them. Plain and simple.
"I always hated how condescending you always sound." Jared said as his fist trembled as he encased it with magic. "I bet you thought you could win with one stupid threat, but I know you."
"Jared-"
"Shut up, Gustavo! I know exactly what you're capable of, brother, and I know you can't kill me!"
Jared lunged at Cheyton, so the king grabbed his little brother's fist of fury before putting a hole through him.
He didn't have to worry about the feeling of his body running cold as he dropped to the floor with the skin around the hole sizzling like bacon in a pan.
"Jared!" Gustavo screamed as he ran over to him, but Cheyton grabbed him by the neck the second he stepped out of the ring of fire.
"How could you do this? You killed your own little brother!"
And he killed his own mother and father. What point was he trying to make exactly?
"You! … I'm gonna kill you!"
Another empty promise, Cheyton thought as he watched the remainder of Gustavo's head land on the floor as he dropped the headless body beside his other little brother.
"You weren't joking when you said ruthless, huh?"
And what about Daisy? Cheyton pointed out the metal pole sticking out of Harrison's head as Daisy tried to defend himself, saying, "He was a creep and a pedo."
Was that really all?
"So he's the one, huh? Not bad, Flower Boy." Soo-young said after quietly creeping up on both of them and scaring their lunch down their digestive tracts.
Besides them both needing a new change of clothes, the three of them had done a pretty good job at taking care of-
"Please! Just kill me!"
Cheyton turned around to see Thomas on the floor, missing both his arms.
"No," Soo-young replied to his plea, "If I have to live with the death of my mother and raise my daughter without a father, you deserve to feel the pain I do."
"Please." he cried, "Please just kill me and let me see my son. Please. I'm begging you. Please!"
"Just kill him!" a blonde haired boy yelled from Awan and Celestia's forcefield. "You're the good guys! The least you can do is show some mercy and put him out of his misery!"
Anoki and Winona Kiowa. Did that man partake in their murders?
"H-he … It wasn't his fault! It was an order-"
Did he or did he not?
"....."
That's what Cheyton thought as he, Daisy, and Soo-young went over to Awan and Chayse.
"H-He's just sleeping, but Cloudy says he'll be okay."
He could speak to birds?
"S-Some travellers from Airizul taught me a long time ago."
Airizul? What was that?
"Can you not interrogate him first thing after a battle-"
Awan! He was awake!
"Of course I am. Don't tell me you actually thought I died."
No, that seemed too anticlimactic for someone like him.
"Awan is a great person!" the deer boy suddenly yelled.
He didn't mean it like that …
"Chayse. His name is Chayse."
Oh really-
A sudden shockwave rippled the sky as everyone looked up worryingly.
"There are only two people who could affect a planet like that." Daisy said as Soo-young added, "Their battle has finally begun."
So ... who was this Chayse guy and why was Awan so comfortable lying in his lap?
Though the situation confused the protective older brother at first, the blush that ran across both of their faces answered his question as he congratulated Awan on finally having a heart.
"I've always had one, stupid."
A working one.