Beast in Shining Armor

His
mother was inconsolable, sealing herself in her room and refusing to see the
child who’d just ruined her life. The court doctors spoke in hushed tones,
terrified that they would be blamed for this disaster. The citizens, sensing
the gloom that had settled over the palace, postponed their celebrations and
peered through their drapes, waiting for news. As a thick snow fell over the
landscape, the kingdom was engulfed in despair.

The
heir they had longed for was Bad.

His
father took it the hardest. Prince Vincent told the servants to take the boy
into the wilderness and leave him to the elements. Forty generations of the
royal family wouldn’t be tainted with a beast. Some unworthy, unlovable
mistake of nature. It would humiliate the prince to claim a dirty animal as
his own.

While
the staff quickly prepared to erase all trace of the child, the infant was left
alone in an unused laundry closet. His unanswered cries echoed off the walls
of small room. A royal nursery had been prepared for the long awaited prince,
but no one wanted to sully it with this monster. One day there would be a
worthy heir. Someone Good and noble to wear the crown. The carefully
furnished bedroom, filled with toys and books, would wait for him.

Except
that boy would never come to claim it.

In
the cruelest twist yet, the princess began to bleed heavily in the hours after
the birth. Surgeons saved her life, but the cost was enormous. There would be
no more royal children. If Prince Vincent’s line was to remain unbroken, the Beast
was his only hope.

Weeping
at the injustice, the staff wheeled the baby into the throne room. Prince
Vincent was waiting there, a man defeated. He couldn’t bear to look at the
monster who’d been born in place of his son. Instead, he stared at the
pictures of his ancestors on the snow-colored wall and debated his options.

Everything
in the palace was decorated in the cold blues and whites of the Northlands.
The castle was a reflection of the wintery kingdom, with no bright colors to
draw the eyes. No warmth to distract people from their duties. The
temperature inside was precisely calculated to chill the air and inspire
activity, without causing needless hypodermic deaths.

Through
the power magic, the gigantic Icen Throne stayed forever frozen, though. Even
inside the palace, the frosty surface remained hard and unyielding. According
to legend, the throne of the Northlands would never melt, so long as their
royal line remained strong.

Prince
Vincent sat down on it, as if to assure himself that it hadn’t turned back into
a puddle of water. “Is there any possibility that we’re wrong about… it?” He
asked, waving a disgusted hand towards the basinet. “Perhaps, it merely
looks
Bad. Perhaps it’s Good underneath and we can perform some spell to make it
physically presentable.”

“I’m
sorry, sire.” The head wizard shook his head, hating that he had to crush
Vincent’s final hope. “The boy is Bad all the way through. All the tests
confirm it.”

Vincent
sighed, having already known the answer. “We’ll have to go through with the
plan to execute it, then. Better to have no son at all, than that
thing
.
I would be the laughingstock of the Four Kingdoms if anyone saw it.”

The
Four Kingdoms was made up of the Northlands, Southlands, Eastlands and
Westlands. There were other lands beyond the borders of each, but they were
nothing compared to the glory of these realms. Everyone in the Four Kingdoms
agreed on that. And of the four, the Northlands was the most forbidding.
Their frigid strength inspired fear and awe. No misshapen child would threaten
that powerful reputation. He would have to die.

Pride
demanded it.

“There
is one thing you need to see before you get rid of him, sire.” An elven
nursemaid piped up.

Vincent’s
jaw ticked. It annoyed him whenever servants spoke. “What do I
need
to
see?” He mocked. “What could
you
possibly know that
I
don’t?”

The
woman looked down, intimidated by his scathing tone. “The prince no longer
looks like a beast.” She murmured. “He looks… normal.”

Vincent’s
eyebrows drew together. He stalked over to glower down at the child, the
counsel of wizards clustering around him.

The
uppity nursemaid was right. The baby appeared
normal
. A soft down of
blond hair covered his head, his body soft and pink. His eyes no longer glowed
that horrible electric blue. Instead, they blinked up at Vincent in the same
icy hue that he saw in the mirror every morning. Obviously, something wicked
was afoot, but there was no denying that it was improvement over the way he’d
looked before.

Vincent
glared over at the wizards for an explanation. “Well?”

The
head wizard cleared his throat, thinking things over. “It could be that the Beast
is,” he made a vague gesture with one hand, “merely a
part
of the
prince. The boy might be able to suppress it and appear normal.” He
hesitated. “He’s still wholly Bad, of course. But, the physical
manifestations of the…”

Vincent
cut him off. “He can hold the Beast back? That’s what you’re saying?”

“So
it would seem, sire. That doesn’t change the legal ramifications, though. A
Bad folk cannot inherit the crown.”

Good
folk were the only people who mattered. The only ones who were protected under
the law. Bad folk were abominations. Genetically inferior and universally
evil, they had to be kept in check for fear of their villainy spreading. They
were fit for mindless physical tasks like cleaning stables or digging a wishing
well, but they couldn’t be a prince. A prince needed to be Good. He needed to
be
important
.

The
wizard gave his head a sad shake. “The Icen Throne will have to pass to your
cousin’s son Lancelot.”

Vincent’s
eyes narrowed. “That little turd? The boy is five and still in diapers. You
think I’d hand over my kingdom to a moron like
him?
”

“There
isn’t a choice, sire.”

“There’s
always a choice when you’re a prince!” Vincent scowled at the baby who’d
caused him all this trouble. As long as it didn’t
look
like a monster,
he might be able to make do with this freak. What else
could
he do?
Let his cousin’s boy steal the Northlands? Let the royal line break? Let
himself be humiliated?

Let
someone else
win?

The
thought of this hated creature carrying on his legacy was abhorrent, but not as
abhorrent as losing. Vincent would never surrender and he’d teach his beast of
a son to do the same. Fuck the law. No one would steal the Icen Throne from
him. Vincent was a
prince
. He could do whatever he wanted. He’d train
his son to hold onto the kingdom through force and guile. The boy was Bad,
after all. It was in his makeup to be a villain. Why not use his twisted DNA
to the family’s advantage? Maybe the boy could learn to control the Beast.
Maybe he could use it to increase the family’s power. If the little monster
was here, it might as well make itself useful.

Vincent
gave a cold smile. “Put it in the nursery.” He decided and looked over at the
nursemaid. “I don’t think I’ll kill it today.”

Chapter One

Do you
think a beast has to be ugly?

We
citizens of the Northlands certainly know better and that’s why we’re here
today.

Our prince
is as handsome as any knight in shining armor.

…But he
has the heart of a monster.

Opening Statement
for the Prosecution-
The People of the Northlands v. Prince Avenant

Scarlett
Riding-Wolf could talk smart people into doing dumb things.

It
was the main reason that Avenant,
rightful
Prince of the Northlands, had
hired her to be his lawyer.

Well,
“lawyer” was perhaps the wrong word, as Letty wasn’t technically an attorney.
She was a do-Gooding ugly stepsister who’d taken over the Enchanted Forest and
was busily making it into a fifth kingdom for the world’s outcasts. And “hire”
was perhaps the wrong word, too, as he certainly wasn’t going to
pay
Letty. They were supposed to be “friends,” after all.

But,
Avenant knew if anyone could help him reclaim the Icen Throne it was that pushy
redhead. He’d been there when Scarlett masterminded a prison break, and
convinced most of the Four Kingdoms to begin granting Bad folk the same rights
as Good, and overthrew that bitch Cinderella.

If
Letty could do all that, surely she convince one little tribunal of wizards
that Avenant wasn’t a beast.

A
trial had taken his crown away and a trial would get it back. Eight months
before, Avenant had been arrested for crimes against his people, deposed as
their prince, and incarcerated in the Wicked, Ugly and Bad Mental Health
Treatment Center and Maximum Security Prison. He’d been humiliated in the WUB
Club. Locked-up by peasants and fools. Half-starved with their rancid food.
Forced into group therapy. It had been a waking nightmare.

But
he’d never surrendered.

Not
even for a second.

He’d
always known that this day would come. The day when he took everything back
again. The day when he resumed his rightful place on the throne. The day when
he
won
. Today, the moronic judges in front of him would rule in his
favor.

It
was inevitable.

To
aid the cause, Avenant did his best to look as innocuous as possible. He
folded his hands on the desk and tried to radiate Good intentions. Which was
difficult, considering he planned to make this whole kingdom pay for what
they’d done to him, but what better place than a courtroom for theatrics and
lies?

He
even managed a smile.

Letty
paced back and forth in front of the judges. “All we’re asking for is
justice. We haven’t come here for war or fighting. All we want is for you to
see the truth.” She gestured towards Avenant. “Prince Avenant had his kingdom
stolen from him. His enemies wanted to claim the Northlands as their own and
were willing to exploit every loophole to do it. He was deposed because he was
born Bad. That’s the only reason. But, if you would just look passed your
prejudice to see the need for change…”

“That’s
not
the only reason!” Honorary Princess Rosabella Aria Ashman was on
her feet again, looking furious. “He’s a tyrant! Why do you think we call him
the Beast of the Northlands? He terrifies the entire kingdom.”

Belle
was kidding herself if she thought he’d earned the nickname because of his administrative
techniques. She had never seen the real Beast. Few people had, although most
of them sensed the darkness lurking inside of him. All his life, Avenant had
worked to control the monster. He had a wall in his mind, keeping it
contained. But, it was getting harder and harder to hold it at bay. The Beast
was breaking free. He could feel it stirring inside his mind, wanting to
emerge.

And
its biggest trigger was Belle. Whenever Avenant looked at her, he could feel
two sets of eyes focusing.

Wanting.

“He
embezzled a mountain of gold from the royal treasury.” Belle continued. “
That’s
why we finally overthrew him and
that’s
why he was sent to prison.
Where he would
still
be if he hadn’t escaped, which was
also
a
crime! It all came out at the first trial!” She waved a hand at the judges.
“How can you
listen
to this garbage?”

Avenant’s
mouth curved as the head wizard banged his gavel for silence. Belle’s lawyer
tried to keep her seated and quiet, but the woman was too furious to listen.
Her outbursts were irritating the judges and only helping Avenant’s cause.
Belle was passionate. She always had been. But, ice cold logic would rule the
day.
Avenant
would rule the day.

They
could both feel it coming.

In
any contest, momentum built as one side pulled into the lead. Avenant knew
victory was swinging his way. So did Belle. After so many years of
competition, the two of them could read the signs. Whether it was over first
place at the middle school science fair or for the crown of the Northlands,
Belle and Avenant had been locked in a never-ending war for supremacy since
childhood. She was his greatest opponent and she’d thought her last victory
had been their final battle. That he’d finally been defeated.

She’d
been so wrong. He would never stay away from what was his, even if it meant
enduring this farce of a trial.

Avenant
sent her a bland look.

Belle
glowered back like she wanted to incinerate him with the force of her temper.
On the surface, she looked like the straight A student she’d always been. The
interesting little oddball who held charity poetry readings at her cluttered
bookstore. The Good girl who did her best to stay far, far away from the Beast.
But underneath the conservative yellow suit and the conservative cut of her dark
hair and the conservative make-up on her beautiful face… the woman could be a
raging
bitch
.

That
was so damn appealing.

“You’re
trying to twist this all around, as usual.” Belle's brown eyes blazed at him.
“When your parents died, you seized the throne even though you weren’t Good and
it was illegal for you to rule. Did I try to overthrow you, then?
No
.
It wasn’t until later that I rebelled and you know it.” She jabbed a finger at
him. “So, you being locked-up had
nothing
to do with you being Bad. It
had to do with you stealing from our kingdom, you ass!”

Avenant
knew she’d see the smirk that he kept hidden from the others. Knew it would
just make her angrier. Avenant knew Belle better than anyone.

Or
so he’d once thought.

“Your
honors, this blatant antagonism is exactly what I was talking about.” Letty
put in. “Prince Avenant never received a fair trial for his alleged crimes,
because all the evidence was collected and presented by the very people who
wanted to steal the Icen Throne. All the financial records of this so-called
‘embezzlement’ are tainted by the greed and self-interest of Rosabella Aria
Ashman and her group of extremist friends. Prince Avenant was deposed thanks
to the lies of
that
woman,” she pointed at Belle, “who has fanatically
persecuted my poor client for years.”

Belle
gasped in outrage. “That’s not true!” She looked over at Avenant like she
expected him to suddenly switch sides and back her up. “You know I didn’t lie
about
any
of that.
I’m
not the liar here.”

Avenant’s
jaw ticked.

“He
was officially pardoned by Prince Charming of the Westlands.” Letty pressed
on. “He’d be welcomed in the Enchanted Forest, if he wished to stay there. Instead,
he’s risked
everything
to come back here.
This
is his home.”
She moved towards the long bench, her expression open and persuasive. “This
tribunal was called to determine the true ruler of the Northlands in a peaceful
and fair way. In fact, it was Prince Avenant’s idea to convene you here and he
is committed to respecting your decision.”

Avenant
nodded as if he actually recognized the authority of these morons to determine
his fate. He didn’t. In fact, amusing as it was to watch Belle fume, he was
regretting this whole silly misadventure. It made him look weak to just sit
here, when he could be freezing these insipid wizards into ice and claiming
what was his through open war. There was a reason he’d banned all lawyers from
his lands before he’d been overthrown.

Letty
had been the one who’d championed the use of legal strategies to reclaim the
Northlands. The woman was so depressingly
Good
. Avenant had been
willing to go along with her plan, though, because it offered something a
battlefield couldn’t. If he won this trial, he would actually
see
Belle’s
face when he took back his throne. He’d be in the room with her when she
realized she’d lost. That possibility seemed worth all the extra paperwork.

Unfortunately,
it was turning out to be a discouragingly easy triumph. He didn’t just want to
win. He wanted to defeat
Belle
. He wanted it to be her and him,
struggling for victory. And when he emerged on top, he wanted her to know that
he’d
done it. Just him. The lawyers and the judges were spoiling the
whole contest.

“I
submit that Prince Avenant coming here, at such personal risk, proves that
he
should be wearing the crown.” Letty continued. “His heart is forever with the
welfare of the Northlands. He has been supportive and open throughout this
process. He’s shown deference to the wisdom of the court and has only the
deepest concern for his citizens.”

Belle
gave an audible scoff.

Even
Avenant had to squint at little at Letty’s hyperbolic sentimentality. But, the
three ancient judges seemed moved by the idea and that was all that mattered.

“All
we want is fairness.” Letty concluded. “This is about Prince Avenant’s
legacy. The palace she took from him?” Another gesture towards Belle. “That
was the place where he was born. Where his parents lived and died. Where he
should have been allowed to rule, as his ancestors have for centuries.” She
sadly shook her head. “This case is really about bigotry. He was driven out
because he was labeled Bad and Bad folk can’t rule according to these
antiquated laws.”

There
were Good folk and Bad folk in the Four Kingdoms. The Good were in charge.
They always had been. Assured of their moral superiority, they smugly waited
for their happily-ever-afters and relished the fact that they were genetically
blessed. For so long, they’d believed they would always be in control.

But
now the Bad folk were fighting back. They outnumbered the Good and they were
beginning to assert their power. Social change was sweeping the Four
Kingdoms. These ancient wizards were terrified of what might happen if they tried
to keep Avenant from the Icen Throne. The protests would be all over the
news. Bad folk would shut down the Northlands with strikes and picket lines.
Letty would make sure of it. And the more violent factions might take things
even further. The judges didn’t want radical trolls and goblins firebombing
their houses.

Avenant
was about to be the first Bad folk in history legally granted a crown. After a
lifetime of being told he wasn’t Good enough, it was finally going to happen. His
parents would’ve been shocked. They’d weaned him on the idea that he’d have to
hold the Northlands by force in order to sustain the family legacy. That was
all they cared about. Keeping the line intact. Maintaining power. They’d
expected him to rule through pain and fear and tyranny. It was how they’d
trained him. What they’d hardened him for, through countless insults and
beatings.

And
closets.

Avenant’s
hand clenched against the table. Remembering his parents was always a bad
idea. The Beast snarled in agreement.

“Prince
Avenant had his whole life stripped away.” Scarlett insisted. “He was called
a beast and plotted against. Because of prejudice, he was driven from his
lands. He’s the
victim
in the story.”

Belle
opened her mouth to argue that point, but her lawyer quickly clamped a palm on
her arm, urging her to keep silent.

“For
so many years, we’ve branded people Good and Bad, without really seeing into
their hearts.” Letty said passionately. “All that’s changing, now. We’re
finally realizing that everyone is born both Good
and
Bad. We can all
live in equality and peace, if we can just move on from the past. Maybe Prince
Avenant has made mistakes, but he’s paid for them. He’s forgiven everyone who
plotted his downfall and we ask that they forgive him in return. All he wants
to do is come back to the Northlands.” She placed a hand over her heart.
“Please. Let him come
home
.” Letty headed back over to sit beside him
at their table.

The
courtroom was a cavernous space, with white stone walls and a gallery of busts
depicting dead judges lining the perimeter. Through the windows, Avenant could
see snow falling and blanketing the kingdom in another foot of frost. His
homeland wasn’t called the “Northlands” because of its sunny climate. He absently
used his powers to create patterns on the chilly glass. Controlling the ice
always calmed him. He wished he was standing in the cleansing blizzard, rather
than stuck in some depressing little room.

Other books

The McClane Apocalypse: Book One by Kate Morris

One Night With Her by Lauren Blakely

America the Dead by Joseph Talluto

The Ghost of Marlow House (Haunting Danielle Book 1) by Bobbi Holmes, Anna J. McIntyre

Sinful Weekend by Francesca St. Claire

The Mountain and the Wall by Alisa Ganieva

Parallel by Shana Chartier

Grand Junction by Dantec, Maurice G.

Rory by Vanessa Devereaux

Vain: A Stepbrother Romance by Hunter, Chelsea