Chapter 20: Being a Prince Is Awesome

Darius leveled the gun lazily toward the round table. "I said get out," he said pleasantly, "before I start blowing heads off."

The room startled as one. Even the king flinched.

Chairs scraped back in a chaotic rush as the councilors scrambled for the doors, robes catching on furniture, dignity forgotten. The last one out barely made it through the threshold before Darius lowered the weapon and calmly handed it back to the stunned guard. The guard accepted it with trembling hands, still trying to process what had just happened. The prince hadn’t even been standing near him.

So how had he crossed the distance that fast?

And what kind of life had he been living before he was found?

William watched the entire exchange in complete disbelief. Darius glanced at the guard.

"What exactly are you still waiting for?"

The man nearly jumped. "My apologies, Your Highness." Then he bowed so quickly he almost lost his balance before practically fleeing the room. The massive doors closed behind him.

Darius turned back toward his father who let out a long breath and rubbed a hand across his face. "You really take things too far," he said. "I know those men can be insufferable. But you shouldn’t be pulling weapons on my council, Darius. That is not how a prince conducts himself."

"You’re welcome." Darius crossed the room and dropped into one of the now-abandoned chairs, stretching his legs out in front of him as if he owned the place.

William regarded him for a long moment before slowly taking his own seat. "Which part of what I just said sounded like an appreciation to you?"

"No need to pretend with me," Darius replied. "The moment I stepped into this room, I could clearly tell you wanted those old geezers out of your sight. I just helped you out."

William raised an eyebrow. Then he sighed.

He couldn’t entirely deny that. "Even so, you shouldn’t go that far. You will need these men if you want to claim the throne in the future."

"What makes you think I want to be king in the future?" Darius asked.

The question caught William off guard. For a moment, he simply stared at his son. "Son, listen. I know all of this is new to you, but—"

"That’s not why I’m here," Darius cut him off. "I want to step out of the palace for a while, and I’d really appreciate it if no guards stuck around me."

William’s expression shifted. "Out of the palace? Alone? Darius, absolutely not."

Darius let out a dry, quiet chuckle.

"I wasn’t really asking for permission, Father the King. I was letting you know so you could tell your dogs at the gate to stand down. I could easily sneak out without anyone knowing, but I’d rather not create unnecessary trouble. It’s just a quick trip to see a friend. I’ll be back before dinner."

William rubbed his temple.

"Can’t that friend come here instead?"

Darius immediately looked offended. "No."

"You may not have been raised to understand this, but you’re a prince now," William said, choosing his words with the care of a man walking across thin ice.

"And a prince does not simply walk out of the palace gates unguarded. There are people who would very much like to see you disappear, especially now that you’ve provoked half the Crown Council."

Darius groaned loudly.

"I survived twenty-one years before you people found me. And during those twenty-one years, nobody knew I was a prince. They still won’t if I don’t tell them. As for those old men, I highly doubt any of them are going to hire assassins just because I hurt their feelings."

William studied him for a long moment.

"Humor me," he finally said. "You won’t even know they’re there. They’ll stay out of your way. We only just found you, son. I can’t simply let you wander around the kingdom completely unprotected."

Something flickered across Darius’s face.

"Fine."

Relief immediately washed over William’s features. "Thank you, son."

"But not the guy you assigned to me," Darius added. "I want to choose my personal guard myself." William’s smile widened.

"Is that all? Fine. Anything you want."

Darius narrowed his eyes suspiciously at how quickly that had been accepted.

William ignored the look and rose from his chair. "Give me a moment."

He crossed the room and moved toward the intercom mounted on the wall before pressing the button. "Send fifteen of the palace’s best guards to the Council Hall immediately. Prince Darius wishes to select a personal guard."

"At once, Your Majesty," a voice replied.

William released the button and turned around. Before he had even made it back to his seat, the doors opened and fifteen guards marched into the chamber in perfect formation. They stopped several feet from the table and bowed in unison.

"Your Majesty. Your Highness."

Darius blinked. "That was disturbingly fast."

William sat down again.

"They were already stationed nearby."

The fifteen guards remained standing at attention, faces expressionless as they waited to be inspected. William gestured toward them. "Go on. Make your choice. These are among the finest guards in the kingdom."

Darius rose from his chair and slowly walked toward the line.

One by one, he examined them.

He moved past the first guard, then the second, then the third. His gaze lingered on posture, reactions, eyes, and hands.

Most people assumed bodyguards were chosen based on strength alone.

Darius knew better. Awareness, discipline, reflexes, and the ability to keep their mouths shut were far more important.

The guard who had escorted him earlier was standing among them.

Darius walked right past him. He did not want someone like that. The man was too nervous, too easily distracted, and far too prone to panicking. Darius needed someone competent enough to keep up with him and professional enough not to constantly question his decisions.

Eventually, he stopped in front of one of the guards, the ninth in line. The man stood perfectly still. Tall. Broad-shouldered. Calm.

Not even a flicker of nervousness crossed his face under Darius’s scrutiny.

Interesting.

Without warning, Darius’s hand shot toward the pistol holstered at the man’s hip.

The guard reacted instantly.

His hand intercepted Darius’s wrist before the prince could even touch the weapon.

For several seconds, neither moved. Then Darius smiled. "I want him."

He pointed at the guard and turned toward William. The king’s face immediately brightened. "Excellent choice, son."

The guard released Darius’s wrist and stepped back into position.

William nodded toward him.

"Captain Rowan."

The guard bowed. "Your Majesty."

"From this moment onward, your primary duty is to serve and protect my son with absolute loyalty. His safety comes before everything else. Is that understood?"

The guard’s expression never changed, though his posture somehow became even straighter. "Yes, Your Majesty."

William nodded in approval.

Meanwhile, Darius appeared completely unconcerned with the significance of what had just happened. Having gotten what he wanted, he immediately turned and headed toward the doors as though the entire matter had already been settled.

"See you later, Father."

The words were spoken so casually that Darius probably didn’t even realize what he had said but William did.

The king froze. For a brief moment, he simply stared at his son’s retreating back.

This was the first time Darius had called him Father without attaching "the King" to the end of it. Something warm settled in William’s chest. Perhaps things weren’t progressing as badly as he’d feared.

"Have a safe trip, son," he called after him.

Darius didn’t turn around. He merely lifted one hand in acknowledgment as he continued walking. Beside him, Captain Rowan immediately fell into step, matching the prince’s pace without a word as the two disappeared through the doors.

William watched the door close behind them before turning back toward the remaining guards. His good mood remained firmly intact. "You are dismissed."

The guards bowed in unison.

"As you command, Your Majesty."

One by one, they exited the Council Hall until William was left alone.

xxx

Outside the courtyard, Darius stopped walking and turned toward Rowan.

​The guard halted immediately.

​Darius studied him for a moment before speaking. "Okay, let’s get something straight first. You answer to me and me only.

No matter what you see when you’re with me, it stays with you and dies with you. Understand?"

One of Rowan’s eyebrows rose slightly. It wasn’t enough to be considered disrespectful, but it was enough to reveal his surprise. The prince had barely known him for five minutes, yet he was already setting suspiciously specific conditions.

Rowan found himself wondering exactly what His Highness was planning. Still, he met Darius’s expectant gaze without hesitation.

​"Of course, Your Highness. Whatever I see while accompanying you remains confidential unless it threatens Your Highness’s safety or directly endangers the Crown."

Darius stared at him for several seconds.

Then he pointed. "I knew there was a reason I picked you."

​A faint hint of amusement appeared in Rowan’s eyes. Darius nodded to himself.

"Good. Now that we’ve got that out of the way, which car are we taking?" He turned toward the royal garage. Rows of luxury vehicles sat parked beneath the enormous structure, polished to perfection and gleaming beneath the late afternoon light.

​A grin stretched Darius’s lips. "Being a prince is awesome."