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2020-11-04
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The Sentinel Prince Is Giving A Ball

Summary:

A Sentinel Fairy story

Notes:

(See the end of the work for notes.)

Work Text:

The Sentinel Prince Is Giving A Ball

by Debra Baschal

~~~~~~~~

 

The word spread like wildfire throughout the kingdom.

The sentinel prince was giving a ball to find his guide.

When the prince heard the news he lost his royal temper.

Prince James stormed through the palace's ballroom where preparations were under way for that night's party. Spying his parents he stomped over to them, ducking and stopping several times to avoid being run over by the servants setting up for the night.

"What is going on here?" Prince James demanded angrily, even as he gently kissed his mother, Queen Grace hello.

"We're giving a ball and inviting all the kingdom's unattached guides. In the 6 months since your abilities finally came back while you were being held prisoner in the Kingdom of Tranmore, you have not shown favor to anyone from either the neighboring royal families or our court. We felt it was necessary to invite all the eligible guides here in hopes that you will find your guide." King William informed his son.

"At the very least, we will be eliminating them from your search." Queen Grace added. "It'll make it that much easier with all those possibilities gone."

Prince James sighed, nodding in agreement. "Too bad Steven never connected as my guide." He shook his head. "Maybe we could give it another try?"

"I'm sorry son, it's too late." King William apologized. "Your brother found his sentinel last week."

"Oh, really? Who?" Prince James asked, happy for his younger brother.

Queen Grace smiled. "Do you remember Princess Molly Pendergrast Of Sierra Verde?"

Prince James nodded. "She's the guide who was here last week." His forehead wrinkled in confusion. "But. they're both guides."

King William laughed lightly. "I know, but her older sister, Princess Alicia, is a sentinel. Steven's sentinel as it turns out."

"Has he left already?" Prince James asked, afraid he had missed saying goodbye to his brother.

"No." King William shook his head and gave his older son a fond smile. "They both insisted that they stay for the ball tonight. Molly returned home to inform their parents what had happened. They'll be arriving in time for the ball tonight."

Prince James released a disgusted sigh. "Please tell me I'm not going to have to dance with every available guide tonight like cousin Christopher had to at his ball last year?"

The King and Queen both burst out laughing at the thought. Prince James grinned at their reactions.

"No, My dear." The Queen assured him. "Christopher was looking for a wife, not a guide."

Prince James' grin turned into a smirk. "You mean Aunt Constantina and Uncle Maximillan were looking for a wife for him."

King William smirked back at his son. "It worked. The two of them were married a few days later, and Cindy just presented him with a son." His face went thoughtful, with a barely concealed twinkle of mischievousness in his eye. "You know, after you find your guide, maybe we ought to have a marriage ball for you?" He teased not really meaning it, knowing that his son was still in mourning for his wife Serena and their son Alec, both of whom had been killed several years ago during a fever epidemic.

Prince James groaned dramatically. "I wish I was still being held by the Tranmores."

 

Blair groaned as he spotted the pile of dirty clothes and dishes that cluttered the living room and kitchen of the house where he lived with his stepmother, Lady Edwards and his two stepsisters, Cassandra and Samantha. He had just finished cleaning the upstairs and taking care of the garden when he had come in to find this mess.

He was thankful that the three of them had left to go shopping in town for something to wear to the Sentinel Prince's Ball. He knew his stepmother's greatest desire was for one of her untalented but ambitious daughters to become the guide for Prince James. She was certain that once they met and connected as sentinel and guide, that the prince would fall madly in love with them and marry them, making one of her daughters Queen and her, Queen Mother.

Lady Edwards had even sent them through guide training; though both had failed miserably. Blair had known that the girls, though pretty - if not beautiful, were not guides. Neither one had the ability or the temperament that were so necessary for a guide to have. Both were overly ambitious and manipulative, not to mention being rather rude, self-absorbed and very selfish. Neither one could or would put the needs of their sentinel and kingdom ahead of themselves and their own wants and desires.

In short, neither were cut out for public service.

Unfortunately, his stepmother couldn't see beyond her own desires for wealth and power. Although what power the mother of the Queen had was beyond Blair. Although they might have had a chance if they had only wanted to marry the prince.

Shaking his head at his stepmother's foolish ambitions, Blair began picking up after his sloppy family.

As he put both the dishes and laundry to soak in their respective tubs of hot soapy water and began his preparations for the mid-day meal, he thought back to his mother and stepfather. His own father had been killed in a carriage accident along with Blair's older sister, Serina, when he was a tiny baby, leaving him with no memory of Sir Richard Burton or his sister.

His mother, Lady Naomi, had been a free spirit who had loved her son, life and the world - in that order. She had shown him what a wonderful place the world was and how to make the best of each day. She had been the first to instruct him about guides, having recognized his abilities at a young age.

Her marriage to Eli Stoddard when he was 4 had been one of the happiest days of his young life. Eli had loved him as his own, a feeling that Blair had returned with his whole heart.

Eli had continued his mother's teachings and had added his own love for history and learning by teaching his young stepson everything he could. The loss of both Naomi and her daughter in childbirth a year later had compelled the grieving man and boy to become closer than before.

Eli married Lady Edwards when Blair was 8. His hope was to provide his beloved son with the love of a mother and two stepsisters. For the next 3 years, they did have a happy life, until Eli contracted a mysterious wasting disease. Blair was heart broken, as the only father he had ever known had died a slow agonizing death. It had taken six months from the first signs of the disease to the end; Eli had grown weaker, gaunter and frailer with every passing day. One of the local sentinels had suspected a slow acting poison, but could prove nothing.

Upon their return from Eli's funeral, Lady Edwards had shown her true colors. She informed Blair that since he wasn't one of her children, he would no longer be treated as a member of the family. He had been removed from the bedroom he had always been in and was forced to move into the root cellar off the kitchen. While it was nice and cool in the summer, it was freezing in the winter.

He was also expected to earn his keep by doing all the cleaning and cooking and other chores. In return, he was allowed only scraps of food and second or third hand clothes, but he was allowed to remain in the house where he grew up. Being able to remain near the graves of his mother and both of his fathers was the most important thing to young Blair.

Undeterred by the cruel twist of fate that had befallen him, the boy had set forth to work with a cheerful enthusiasm that infuriated his stepmother. Determined to break her stepson, she attempted to embarrass and humiliate him every chance she had. While Blair became quieter and was not as outgoing as he once was, he retained the optimism and love for life that had angered his stepmother.

Blair's only retreat had been school and learning. His stepmother had not been able to take that from him. By law, every child in the kingdom was required to attend school 8 hours a day, six days a week, 10 months of the year, until they completed the grade they were in when they celebrated their 18th birthday. Since Blair's birthday had fallen 2 weeks after the start of the new school year, he was almost 19 before he had been exposed to his stepmother's wrath all day, every day, 3 years ago.

Exhausted at the end of every day, Blair was still able to indulge his love of learning, even if it was only spending 10 to 15 minutes reading before succumbing to sleep.

Blair smiled as he thought of the book he had finished the night before, it had been written by his father, Sir Richard, who was a renowned expert on both sentinels and guides. He had never realized that when a family had a sentinel, there was also a guide, if there was more than one child in the family. The older child was the sentinel while the younger was the guide. It was also very rare that the guide and the sentinel would connect each other from the same family, in fact there had only been three cases in the entire 500-year recorded history of sentinels and guides. The sentinel's abilities would go dormant after the onset of puberty, unless they had already connected with their guide, for an average of 10 to 15 years.

Blair was almost tempted to leave the book where his stepmother could find it, but didn't since she had destroyed several other books he had written without even reading them. His father's books were too precious to him to risk losing them forever. As were Eli's books.

Eli had been the third child in his family. His older two siblings had been a sentinel and a guide. While he had been neither, he had possessed the ability to pass the traits on to his children. He had also been a student of Sir Richard's. He had also been an acknowledged expert on sentinels and guides. Blair had made sure that his work had been hidden from his stepmother.

A loud commotion at the front of the house jerked Blair from his thoughts as his stepmother and stepsisters entered the house noisily. Leaving the kitchen, Blair hurried to help them with their purchases. 50 parcels awaited him in the carriage. He spent the next 5 hours fetching and carrying, lacing and powdering, teasing and curling, sewing and searching for lost items as he assisted his stepsisters and stepmother in their preparations for the ball.

Finally allowed a moment to himself, Blair hurried to the attic and dressed in a suit of fine clothes that had belonged to Eli. Feeling that he was now properly dressed for the ball, he met his stepmother and stepsisters in the front hall.

"Where did you get those clothes?" Lady Edwards demanded, furious that her stepson looked so handsome even in clothes 15 years out of date.

"They were Father Eli's" Blair replied. "I made sure that they were clean and mended after I heard about the ball. Since it's only proper for the three of you to have an escort, and as the only male in the family, that duty falls to me."

Lady Edwards hrumph in disgust as she glared icicles at her stepson. "Since you are not a member of this family, it doesn't concern you. However, my cousin Bracket will be escorting us. Now remove those clothes this instant." She demanded. "Besides, who would want a piece of trash like you?"

Blair sighed in defeat and removed tunic and vest he was wearing. Lady Edwards snatched them out of his hand and quickly threw then into the fire that was burning on the hearth.

"If I catch you wearing any more of my husband's things, I'll burn them and have you whipped." She hissed at him in anger. "Put on your own clothes and burn those breeches that you have tainted with your filth." She ordered. "And if your chores aren't finished by the time we return, I will have you whipped."

Blair hung his head in humiliation as the three of them left the house in a flounce of perfume and finery. After hearing them drive away, Blair returned to the attic and dressed again in his own rags. Refusing to burn the pants as he had been ordered, he packed them away at the bottom of the trunk where he had found them.

With his heart heavy, Blair returned work to finish the chores that had been left undone by the rush to get his stepmother and stepsisters dressed for the ball. After cleaning the downstairs hearths, he was adding more hot water to the dish and clothes tubs, when a loud banging at the door almost caused him to burn himself. Setting the kettle down, he hurried to answer the door.

Blair gasped as he recognized the Grand Duke Simon Banks and Earl Joel Taggert standing in the door.

"Why aren't you at the ball, young man?" Duke Simon demanded. "Sir Rafe and Sir Henry both insist that you're a guide."

Blair hung his head. "No one wants someone like me there." Blair informed them with a sad shake of his head, not realizing how low his self-esteem was, thanks to his stepmother. "Besides, I have a lot of chores that I didn't have a chance to get to earlier and I'll be whipped if I don't have them done by the time my stepmother and stepsisters return from the ball." He confessed in a mumble, unable to look any of them in the face as they entered.

"Nonsense." Earl Joel disagreed. "By the order of the King, all eligible guides are to be at the Ball. Since both a sentinel and guide insist that you are not connected with a sentinel, it's illegal for you not to attend.

"I'll clear your not getting your chores done with your stepmother." Duke Simon assured him. "Who is she anyways?"

"Lady Edwards." Blair replied.

Duke Simon nodded, knowing the woman in question. He'd had no idea she had a stepson, though.

"We need to get you ready." Sir Rafe observed as they moved towards the stairs.

"Umm. My room isn't up there." He motioned towards the kitchen. "I sleep in the root cellar, but these are my neatest clothes. I don't have anything suitable for the ball."

"Are there any other clothes in the house that might fit you?" Duke Simon inquired.

Blair ducked his head and shrugged.

"There's Father Eli's clothes. I was going to wear them until my stepmother forbade me to. She promised to have me whipped if she ever saw me wear any of them again.

Duke Simon shook his head.

"Father Eli? Your father was Sir Eli Stoddard?"

Blair nodded. "My stepfather. He was also a student of my father."

Duke Simon's eyes grew. "Your father was Sir Richard Burton?"

Blair nodded. "He died when I was just a baby."

Duke Simon nodded a look of understanding on his face. "I'll clear your wearing those clothes with her too. Where are they?"

"In the largest trunk in the attic."

"Sir Rafe, go find him something while Earl Joel and I help him get cleaned up. Sir Henry, find him some way to get to the ball." Duke Simon commanded. They separated quickly to carry out their various tasks.

 

Prince James excused himself from yet another potential guide. All the input from everything had given him a massive headache. Spying his brother and his new sentinel, he moved over to join them. "How's your head?" Prince Steven asked as Prince James joined them.

"It feels like they're using it as the dance floor."

Princess Alicia grimaced in sympathy. "I hope you connect with your guide soon, otherwise a dark, quiet room for half a day is the only thing that'll help. My senses had been back for almost 18months before I met your brother."

Prince James nodded grimly glancing around. "Have you seen the Grand Duke Simon or Earl Joel yet?"

Both shook their heads. Prince Steven grinned. "Not yet, but you know Rafe and Henry like to make an entrance."

Prince James shook his head, grinning and mock growled. "Cocky connected pair."

Both Prince Steven and Princess Alicia laughed as the Kings and Queens from both kingdoms joined them.

"Are you complaining about your brother and his sentinel already?" King William asked, teasingly.

Prince James laughed. "No, we were just talking about how Sir Rafe and Sir Henry like to make an entrance."

They all nodded, knowing of the pair's flamboyant ways.

"I'm just glad that Sir Rafe is the sentinel if the pair." Queen Grace commented. "I don't think either of them would have survived if it had been the other way around."

"Does anyone know where they are?" Queen Rhonda asked.

King William nodded. "They were sent with Grand Duke Simon and Earl Joel to check the surrounding countryside to make sure that all eligible guides were here tonight, since both can sense guides. They should be here soon."

"Why aren't you out mingling with your guests, dear?" Queen Grace asked Prince James.

Prince James grimaced. "You mean your guests, Mother. I wanted nothing to do with this if you remember. Besides, the royal prize has a headache and had to get away from all the attempted guides out there."

Queen Grace smiled gently. "Surely there must be at least one out there with potential?"

Prince James smiled back at his mother. "A lot of them have potential, but not for me to connect with them. Of course some of them have no business being here. Like Lady Edwards and her two idiot brats. Neither of them is a guide, even though she seems to be convinced. By the way, what type of name is Edwards for a woman?"

"Edwards was the family name of her first husband, Earl David. According to his will, she'd loose everything if she ever replaced it by taking another man's name in marriage. She got around that by having his family name declared her first name." King William explained.

"Prince James nodded in understanding. "This way she could marry again, but still keep his estate and lands. I suggest we check into the judge that allowed it. Whoever it was, is crooked."

"Even if she lost them, they'd still go to her daughters, so why all the fuss?" Princess Alicia asked.

"They weren't Earl David's daughters. They were from her second husband Sir Sidney who got the title from her I might add. The elder daughter was born 6 months after the wedding, so I guess they had to. He died from a wasting disease shortly after the younger daughter was born." Queen Grace informed her.

King William's eyes narrowed. "That was how Earl David died. She also married Sir Eli Stoddard."

Prince James's eyes grew. "Didn't Sir Rafe say there was something strange about his death?"

"Yes." Prince Steven agreed. "But his senses had just come out and he hadn't connected with Henry yet. He couldn't prove a thing. Thank heavens Sir Eli had a son who inherited everything, not that black widow."

"There is a son?" Queen Grace looked confused. "I've never seen him at court or any other affairs."

"That's because he's never attended." Prince Steven answered. "I asked Samantha about him once, She said that he was touched in the head and didn't do well in public, but her mother refused to sent him away. Felt it was her duty to her late husband to care for the boy."

"If he isn't right in the head, why doesn't she just make sure he's a victim of that wasting disease too?" Princess Alicia asked.

"Ha!" King William sneered. "She loose everything she got out of that marriage. If anything happens to that boy, the estate reverts back to the throne, since Sir Richard was my third cousin and had no other heirs except young Blair. Although I guess he's been Archduke Blair since before his first birthday."

"Sir Richard was a sentinel wasn't he?" Prince James asked.

"Yes he was, he was also the leading authority on sentinels and guides in this part of the world." King William told him. "Sir Eli, well, actually he was Duke Eli, but preferred to be know as Sir as Richard had, was Richard's guide and best student."

"How did Sir Eli survive Sir Richard's death? I thought sentinel and guides usually died with in weeks of each other?" Princess Alicia asked.

"Sir Richard's wife was also a guide, but had only partially connected with him. After his death, she and Eli were able to survive by sharing what they had in each of them of what remained of Richard. When Lady Naomi died in childbirth after their marriage, Eli connected with young Blair, who is reputed to be not only a guide, but a royal guide as well." King William answered.

"What is a royal guide and how does it differ from a normal guide?" King Jack looked slightly mystified. "I've never heard of it before."

"A royal guide is someone who can help almost anyone. They've also been called guide's guides. What that means, is that they have the ability to at least partially connect with almost any guide or sentinel who is grieving and give them the ability to keep living, either until they connect with someone else, or until their abilities go dormant. Lady Naomi's father, Duke Daniel was a royal guide." King William informed him.

"Oh, no. Here comes that woman and her spawn." Prince James groaned as he realized that Lady Edwards and her daughters were heading towards them, quickly. He looked at his brother with a grin and playfully whimpered in a high squeaky voice. "Hide me."

The others started laughing as Lady Edwards and her daughters joined them.

"Good evening Your Majesties." Lady Edwards said as she and her daughters curtsied low before the two royal families.

"Lady Edwards." King William nodded to her. "What brings you and your daughters here tonight? None of you are guides." His eyes twinkled in mischief. "Perhaps you're acting as escort for your stepson, The Archduke Blair? By the way, where is my young cousin? He is here tonight isn't he?" His eyes narrowed as he stared at her.

"The Archduke Blair?" Cassie screeched in surprise.

"That little scullery maid isn't an Archduke." Samantha declared smugly. "He's at home doing his chores so he doesn't get whipped like he deserves."

Prince James signaled a handful of nearby guards to move closer as King William glared at the 3 women in front of him.

"The royal order was for every eligible guide to attend. Since the connection of a member of the royal family, even a distant cousin such as the Archduke to their chosen sentinel or guide demands notification of the crown, I know the boy is still eligible!" King William ground out. "And since when does a member of the royal family act as a servant in his own household? Especially to a group of commoners who pretend to be better than they are!"

"But your Majesty, I am not a commoner. I am a Lady." Lady Edwards protested.

"Only by marriage to Sir David Lash Edwards." King William countered. "Your father was a school teacher, and a very poor one, money-wise that is." He nodded to the guards who surrounded the 3 women. "Take them to a secure chamber until we can summon The Archduke Blair and get to the bottom of this matter." He looked at his wife. "Remind me to check out the local viscount to discover why we weren't informed of the boy's mistreatment."

The lead guard nodded then escorted the women out of the ballroom so quietly no one noticed they were being taken away.

Seeing a chance to escape the ball, Prince James turned to King William. "I'll go retrieve young Blair so we can get to the bottom of this matter."

"That won't be necessary." Duke Simon stated as he, Earl Joel, Sir Rafe, Sir Henry and Blair joined them.

Blair was now dressed in a matching tunic and leggings of royal blue that brought out the blue of his eyes, with his hair loose. He swallowed as he faced the royal family, not only of his own kingdom of Cascade, but the kingdom of Sierra Verde as well, and bowed low to them.

"I apologize for being late, your majesties. I had no idea I was suppose to attend this ball. Thank you again Grand Duke Simon, Earl Joel, Sir Rafe and Sir Henry. I appreciate all your help in getting me here."

"The pleasure was all ours." Earl Joel assured him.

"What can you tell us about your stepmother, my dear?" Queen Grace asked.

Blair shrugged nervously. "She's called Lady Edwards, she told me, when I was little, that she didn't want to ever forget her first husband. Then she married my stepsister's father, Sir Sydney. Just after Cassandra was born, he was killed in a hunting accident. She married my fath... er, Father Eli when I was 8. Cassie's 3 years older than I am. After Father Eli died of a strange wasting disease, that even stumped a sentinel, she allowed me to stay in his house, where I paid for my keep by doing chores."

"Did Sir Eli insist that you call him Father Eli?" She asked.

"No." Blair answered, blushing slightly. "My stepmother insisted on it after his death, since I wasn't really his son."

"How does she treat you?" Queen Rhonda asked, having guessed that the woman in question had a temper.

"As well as anyone in my position could be expected to be treated, your majesty."

"And what position is that?" Queen Rhonda asked.

"She is allowing me to live in the house where I was born and raised, even though she does not have to let me since I am of age. Since I'm there on her good graces, I have to abide by her wishes." He explained with a shrug.

"What do you remember about your father?" King William asked.

"If you mean Sir Richard, nothing personally, I do know that he was a renown expert on sentinels and guides, at least in this kingdom. I have 7 or 8 of his books that I hid so my stepmother wouldn't destroy them like she did the rest. I also know that Father Eli was one of his students and that they were close. My stepmother told me that he had married my mother to keep a promise to Sir Richard that he'd take care of the two of us, and keep us out of the poorhouse."

"Out of the poorhouse?" King William was shocked. Sir Richard's personal income from his estate and lands were enough to finance Cascade, not to mention the yearly income that his family received as members of the royal family. Lady Naomi had become a very wealthy widow as trustee of her tiny son's estate. He also knew she had a good head for business. Realizing that the young man had no idea of the proper circumstances regarding who actually had the true power in his family, the king determined to educate the young nobleman before him who fate had treated so cruelly.

"Did you know that Sir Richard was not your father's true title?" He asked.

Blair paled slightly. "No your majesty, I didn't. What was it?"

King William smiled. "He was The Archduke Richard."

"Archduke?" Blair's eyes grew large. "But that would mean he was a member of the royal family?"

King William nodded. "He was my third cousin. We share a great-great grandfather."

"But. that means."

"That's right my boy. You're family. You inherited the lands and estate when he and your sister were killed. You are The Archduke Blair." He gently informed his young cousin.

"Lady Edwards got nothing but joint guardianship of you, with the throne until you reached your twenty-first birthday." Prince James added.

Blair looked stunned for a moment before his expression turned to one of anger. "I've spent half my life, with my stepmother making me feel like a charity case, existing on scraps off food and wearing rags while she and my stepsisters had the best of everything and I'm the one who owns it all? Payback is going to be sweet."

King William nodded at the truth of his statement. "Eli also adopted you when he and Naomi married. And that wasn't out of duty to a promise he made your father, Eli was married at the time. Lady Hawthorn." He grinned. "But everyone called her Wendy, was killed in the same accident as your father and sister. I don't know why you weren't told of your inheritance though."

Blair waved the comment off. "Probably because my mother wanted to wait till I was old enough to understand, after she died, Father Eli probably thought she already had." His eyes narrowed. "And my stepmother didn't want to spoil the good thing she had by telling me." He shook his head. "If she had just treated me like a son, I would've made sure she wanted for nothing and we all could have been, well maybe not happy, but content."

He looked around the ballroom for a moment. "Where are they? I know they came here, but I can't seem to find them."

"We had them taken to a secure chamber until you could be summoned and we could get to the bottom of everything." Prince James informed him. "If you want to see them, I'll take you there."

Blair nodded. "Thank you I'd like that your majesty." He turned back before they had gone more than a few steps. "She killed Father Eli, didn't she?"

"How did you know that?" King William asked, startled.

"There was a sentinel there at the time who said there was something suspicious, but he hadn't connected with his guide yet and didn't have enough control to go deep enough to confirm his suspicions."

Sir Rafe reddened in shame. "I apologize that I let you down and your father down."

Blair grinned as he realized who Sir Rafe was. "That's OK. Like I said, to hadn't connected with Sir Henry yet and couldn't go deep enough, but you did try, and I thank you for that."

"I still wish I could've done more." Sir Rafe maintained as Sir Henry put his arm around his shoulders and Prince James lead Blair from the room.

 

Prince James escorted the younger man through the palace towards where his stepmother and stepsisters were being held.

"Just how much trouble are they in?" Blair asked.

"Well, Your Grace." Prince James began grinning slightly.

"Hold it." Blair interrupted. "Even I know that an archduke isn't called your grace. An archbishop maybe but not an archduke and certainly not by the heir to the throne.

Prince James grinned. "True, but I loved your reaction."

Seeing what the prince had been doing, Blair relaxed and shook his head in fond exasperation.

"Some one lower ranked than you would probably refer to you as Your Highness or My Liege." Prince James informed him.

"So, what about my stepmother and stepsisters? What's going to happen to them?"

"I'm not sure about your stepsisters, I know they lied to members of the royal family." He grinned at his distant cousin. "They told my brother Steven that you weren't right in the head and couldn't be allowed out in public. For that they could be stripped of and rank and titles and banished from the kingdom. If it's discovered that they've been privy to what your stepmother has been doing, then it could be a lot worse. Your stepmother, who we think killed several of her husbands, including Sir Eli, will probably be sentenced to death."

"Death?" Blair repeated looking horrified.

"I suggest that you hold off any feelings of horror until we've learned the whole story. If we discover what I think we will, you may want to take care of her yourself. Even if she isn't sentenced to death, I doubt she'll ever be released from prison." James counseled.

Blair nodded his agreement. "I don't really wish her, or them bad, but I doubt I'll ever be able to forgive them how they treated me in my own house." He admitted honestly.

"Before you said that payback was going to be sweet. What did you mean?"

Blair grinned impishly. "I was going to switch places with them. Make them do all the chores and feel dependent on me for everything for a couple of years before I set them up in a little house far, far away from where ever I am at the time." He blushed at his uncharitable thoughts. "I wanted to make sure they knew they were dependent on my good graces as I thought I was on them for the last 11 years. Pretty petty, Huh?"

Prince James shook his head in wonder that the younger man had only wanted that little bit of poetic justice.

"No." He assured him. "Just human. They're this way. At least you can get a little of your own back right now."

He put his hand on Blair's arm to direct him in the proper direction. Both men froze as a wave of disorientation washed over them causing them both to drop to their knees.

As the feeling passed, Prince James realized that he felt better than he had in months. Seeing Blair still slumped to the floor he grasped his shoulder lightly.

"Are you alright?" he asked softly.

"Don't yell." Blair moaned.

"I'm not." Prince James countered, even softer. "I think I may have just found my guide though."

"Make it stop please." Blair begged. "Everything is too much." He whimpered.

Prince James pulled his new guide into a gentle embrace, holding him carefully, but very close.

"We've just connected as sentinel and guide." He explained. "You need to relax and allow the information from your senses to wash over you. Don't try to force it into something you can understand; it won't work. Just calm down and relax and let the information flow over you like a stream over a pebble in its bed. Just let it go and you'll start feeling better." Jim whispered as he held the younger man close providing protection and comfort to the overwhelmed youth.

Following the other man's instructions, Blair stopped resisting the massive amounts of information his senses were suddenly feeding him and allowed it to flow through him. After several minutes he realized that he was gaining control of his suddenly amplified senses.

Pulling back slightly from the comforting embrace, Blair looked up at his new sentinel and grinned. "I never understood why a newly connected sentinel and guide should switch abilities until now." James nodded in understanding as he continued. "The best way to help someone is to know exactly what they're going through." He grinned. "And switching a couple days a year can give you a lot of understanding and knowledge."

Prince James agreed using his newfound knowledge of guides and their abilities.

"Open up your hearing and tell me what you hear." He instructed Blair.

Doing so, Blair grimaced as he recognized the voice he heard after listening to his sentinel's heartbeat and breathing.

"What's wrong?" Prince James asked. "What do you hear?"

Blair looked disgusted. "I hear my stepmother berating my stepsisters for causing problems." He suddenly looked furious. "She's blaming the two of them for everything and just promised to put the blame for everything that's happened on them."

Prince James shook his head, as disgusted as his guide. "She won't get away with it. There's a sentinel stationed outside the room who is listening to everything they say. They were told that when they were put in there. Plus it's posted on the wall, painted in large letters right onto the wall in fact. They could only miss it if they were blind, and then it's written in written language of the blind on the tabletop."

Blair shook his head. "My stepmother may be very smart about getting what she wants, but she can also be very stupid about other things. I mean, how did she expect to pass those two off as potential guides? Neither of them have the ability to be guides. Even if they had it, she's raised them to put themselves before everything. Neither of them could or would put their sentinel and country before themselves."

"Like you said, she's smart about some thing and stupid about others. She had to know what she was doing to you would get her into a lot of trouble, but she still did it." Prince James looked as bewildered as Blair about Lady Edwards' actions. "She is also going to loose whatever she has left of Sir David Lash Edwards' estate. Taking the man's family name as her first name isn't legal. No honest judge should have allowed it."

"Doesn't that mean she has to paid his estate back of anything she stole?" Blair asked, half-appalled at his stepmother's duplicity and half-elated that she was finally getting what she deserved.

"Maybe we ought to go remind her about who all is listening to her." He suggested.

Prince James grinned in agreement as they both got up off the floor and continued on.

>

Blair quickly learned what he needed to know to run his estate and lands and how to a royal guide. He also had to learn the etiquette of the royal court.

Together Prince James and Archduke Blair flourished as connected sentinel and guide. Protecting the kingdom from any and all encroaching invasion and evil.

Both married wonderful women and raised happy families.

After King William's death many years later, King James and his most trusted advisor and guide Archduke Blair ruled the kingdom with honor, intelligence and wisdom.

And they lived happily ever after.

 

The End

Notes:

This orphaned work was originally on Pejas WWOMB posted by author Debra Baschal.
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