Point of View: Damien
The throne was never my dream.
I've always hated how it boxed us in how it made pawns out of kings and prisoners of their sons. My name is Damien, the second son of King Lucian of Velloria, and if you ask anyone who knows me, they'll tell you I'm a prince born of fire and fury. Strong. Fearless. Cold. A ticking storm waiting to strike. But what they don't know… is that I wasn't always this way.
They don't know that once, I used to smile. That I loved fiercely. That I cried like a boy when Mother died and that the boy who buried her also buried whatever softness was left in him that day.
Now, I only trust one person Caspian, my elder brother. The heir. The calm one. The golden son who handles everything with grace and silence, while I drag thunder into every room I enter. People say I'm the kingdom's shadow, but he is its light. And yet, despite our differences, we are each other's anchor. He understands me in a way no one else ever has or ever will. He's the only one who can look me in the eye and say, "Breathe, Damien," and I'll actually do it.
But not even Caspian could stop what was coming.
"Damien," my father's voice sliced through the air like a blade as I stood before him in the war chamber. "You're reckless. Unpredictable. You've refused three guards in the last six months, and your behavior.."
"Isn't any of your business unless I'm dead," I cut him off sharply, jaw clenched. "I don't need a glorified babysitter trailing behind me."
King Lucian narrowed his eyes at me from behind his desk. Silver crown resting beside him, robe falling off one shoulder, his presence always filled the room like a storm cloud. He wasn't just my father he was the king, and he made sure I never forgot it.
"You may not value your life, but I do," he snapped. "Which is why, starting today, you'll be assigned a new personal guard."
"Not happening," I hissed, turning on my heel to leave.
Caspian was seated in the corner, arms folded, watching the storm brew between us as usual. He stood slowly, voice calm and frustratingly logical.
"Damien, just listen."
I froze.
That was the thing about Caspian. One word from him, and I halted like a dog on a chain. I didn't respond, but I didn't walk out either. My fists were clenched so hard I could feel my pulse throbbing through my knuckles.
King Lucian rose from his seat. "This isn't up for debate. Your new bodyguard arrives this evening. He's trained by the best and owes his loyalty to me. He won't fail like the others."
My head snapped back to face him. "So he's a spy. A watchdog."
"He's a protector," Caspian interjected. "And maybe you should stop treating everyone like they're the enemy."
I met his eyes. "They usually are."
The king dismissed me with a wave, and I stormed out of the chamber, boots echoing against the marble floor. Every breath I took burned with frustration. A guard? Another one? I didn't need anyone watching me. I needed space freedom from all of this. From the suffocating expectations, the lies, the manipulations, the way everyone wanted to mold me into something I was never meant to be.
By the time I reached my quarters, I was already boiling. I flung the door open, slammed it shut behind me, and leaned back against it, dragging a hand through my black hair.
There was a knock a few minutes later. I didn't answer. The door creaked open anyway.
Caspian.
Of course.
"You're burning holes through the floor again," he said quietly, walking in with his usual patient grace.
"Do you think this is funny?"
He sighed. "No, I don't. But I do think you need to stop pushing people away before they even reach you."
I stared at him, jaw ticking. "Why do you always defend him?"
"Because he's still our father, and we're still princes of Velloria. Whether we like it or not."
I turned away. "This is all pointless. I'll scare the new guard off like I did the rest."
Caspian's lips twitched slightly. "You might want to rethink that."
I raised an eyebrow. "Why?"
He headed toward the door. "Because this one isn't like the others."
Caspian's words echoed in my ears long after he was gone. "This one isn't like the others." What the hell did that mean?
I wasn't afraid of anyone. No man could tame me. I'd broken the last guard's nose just for stepping in my way. If my father thought some new soldier would change anything, he clearly hadn't been paying attention all these years.
Still, a part of me small, quiet, unwanted was curious. Not about the man himself, but about why Caspian would warn me. He never said things lightly. And he rarely smiled the way he did before he left my chambers. It wasn't smug it was knowing. That unsettled me more than I cared to admit.
Later that evening, I sat on the edge of the courtyard wall, legs dangling over the edge, overlooking the torch-lit training grounds. I liked being up high. Alone. Where no one could touch me, and my thoughts were louder than the noise of this palace.
Then I heard the footsteps.
Soft. Heavy. Controlled.
Too calculated to be a servant. Too bold to be nervous.
I didn't turn.
"You're not exactly what I expected," a deep, unfamiliar voice said behind me.
I still didn't turn. "And you are exactly what I expected. Annoying."
He didn't answer. Instead, he stepped beside me close enough to stand guard, but not close enough to be an idiot. He wore all black, no royal insignia, no blade visible. But I knew he had at least three weapons on him just by how he moved.
"Alec," he said coolly.
I glanced at him now. Sharp jaw. Dark brown skin like polished earth. Hair trimmed close. Eyes as cold as mine, but quieter like someone who'd seen war and decided to keep it with him.
"I didn't ask," I muttered.
He smirked slightly. "Didn't expect you to."
I hopped off the wall and faced him fully. We were the same height, maybe he had an inch on me. His stance was guarded, professional, but his gaze wasn't afraid. That irritated me.
"I don't need a babysitter," I said plainly.
"Good," he replied. "Because I don't babysit."
Our eyes locked.
For a moment, the air between us grew dense—tense. I expected him to flinch or look away like the others always did. But Alec didn't move. He stood his ground like a soldier made of stone.
"I won't have you trailing behind me like some dog," I warned.
"Then walk faster."
That earned a dark chuckle from me. "You've got a mouth. I wonder how long it'll last."
"Longer than your patience, probably."
I hated that Caspian was right. This one wasn't like the others. He wasn't trembling or too eager to please. He didn't bow or try to flatter me. He stood in front of me like we were equals which we weren't but it almost made me want to test him just to see if he could be broken.
"Whatever game you think you're playing, Alec," I said lowly, "you'll lose."
He met my gaze without hesitation. "I don't play games. I end them."
He turned and walked away like the conversation was over.
I stared after him, slightly stunned, slightly amused. What the hell had just happened?
No one ...no one ever spoke to me like that.
And yet, he had.
"You'll lose," I had said. But for the first time in years, I wasn't sure I believed it.
That night, I couldn't sleep. My thoughts wandered from Alec's face to the words my father said earlier in the chamber. To Caspian's calm warnings. To the way this new guard didn't blink or flinch or try to please.
Why was he here, really?
What had King Lucian promised him?
And why did a part of me feel like… something was about to change?
The kind of change I wasn't ready for.