MINISTORY: The Royal Trials

Chapter 6

Caspian paced his room, leaving a path of fury on the carpet. He wrestled with the idea of saying something to his mother, hoping that she could talk some sense into his i***t brother, but he knew that would just be seen as a tactic against him in the Trials. Instead, Caspian would keep the information to himself and hope that either Malcolm or Clarissa would eventually wise up.

Caspian couldn’t imagine, couldn’t possibly fathom, treating his mate the way Malcolm was treating Clarissa. He was enthralled with the idea of meeting his mate one day and giving her the absolute world. He was more disgusted and disappointed in his brother than he’s ever been in his entire life.

But, the fact of the matter was, tomorrow the brothers would face off in the physical attributes of the Trials and he had to focus on that. Caspian still believed his brother would make the better King and he could only hope that, with time and maturity, Mal would come to see the gift that the Moon Goddess gave him in Clarissa.

Caspian nor Malcolm slept a wink that night, they were both too overwhelmed with nerves to lay still. Malcolm ended up in bed with Clarissa and Caspian on the training grounds with Cole and Jett. By the time the sun was rising above the treetops, Caspian was sprawled out on the dew soaked grass in just a pair of gym shorts. Jett and Cole were laying on either side of him.

“You ready for today?” Jett asked.

“Of course he’s ready, he was born ready!” Cole said, kicking Caspian’s leg.

Jett grumbled incoherently at his friend and Caspian cracked a small smile.

“I’m ready.” He replied confidently.

“Give Malcolm a run for his money. Don’t give up.” Jett said,

“I don’t ever give up.” Caspian said fiercely.

The three of them stared up at the cresting sun until the morning birds were chirping and the staff started moving about the grounds. Caspian was slow stand, grabbing his T-shirt off the raised sparring platform and nodding once to his friends. He had to prepare for this next part on his own.

He sulked off to his room to shower and freshen up before changing into the traditional Trials’ attire. It was a pair of dark black joggers made of a soft, breathable material and a vest. Caspian’s silk vest was a dark maroon color while Malcolm’s would be navy blue to signify that they were both a part of the Royal family, but were challenging each other; today they were different teams. His toned chest was visible underneath the vest, glistening wet from his shower. During the physical battles, their vest would be removed. They were really just decoration at this point.

He didn’t bother doing anything to his hair, there was no point anyway. He pulled on a pair of black socks and stepped into a pair of slip-on shoes before heading off to breakfast. Malcolm and Caspian would each eat breakfast separately, they weren’t to see each other before the match. Not until the beginning ceremony where they would be ushered into a small office to exchange final pleasantries.

Caspian was directed to the parlor room, navigated down a particular set of hallways so as to not run into Malcolm. Cole and Jett were waiting for him at the small cafe table. They ate in silence. Toast with a bit of jam and two large glasses of orange juice was all Caspian could keep down, his stomach was tossing with anxiety. He wasn’t afraid of the competition, instead he was worried about what this day would do to his relationship with his brother.

It was 9:00 o’clock and finally time to begin the competition. Jett and Cole had already been instructed on how to take Caspian to the designated arena, and Malcolm’s chosen Beta and Gamma would do the same. The arena was just that, a colosseum of massive proportions. The Trials were meant to be a spectator sport, observed by anyone who wanted to attend. Sitting on a balcony overlooking the arena were the judges and Queen Lydia.

Malcolm entered on the opposite of the stadium as Caspian with a stoic expression. The two brothers walked across the grounds with purpose, meeting up in the center and turning towards the balcony. In unison, they bowed towards their mother and waited for her announcement.

Queen Lydia stood and moved towards the railing, wrapping her delicate hands around the white metalwork and clearing her throat. Everyone leaned in to listen to their Queen.

“Today we bear witness to the next King of the Werewolf Realm! Today either Malcolm or Caspian will become the next king, taking over the monarchy from me and the late King Zeke. It is with great honor that I introduce both of my sons today as champions in the Trials. They have both shown so much merit, wisdom, and capability over their years of training. Yesterday they presented their initiatives to this panel of judges and today they will demonstrate their strength, battlefield skills, strategy, and restraint,” Queen Lydia paused at the crowd erupted into cheers,

“The princes will retire briefly to the champions room to share a few final words before the Trials while the judges are announced.” Queen Lydia finished.

Malcolm and Caspian bowed once again and left together through the doorway to a private room. Once inside, they were sealed in for a predetermined amount of time, completely alone and in silence. Malcolm and Caspian stared each other down, standing mere inches from each other with equally cool and composed expressions.

“Good luck today.” Caspian broke the silence.

“You too,” Malcolm sighed, his posture relaxing slightly, “You deserve this.”

Caspian relaxed too and smiled at his brother,

“So do you. We’ve both worked hard for this day.” Caspian said,

Malcolm extended his hand and Caspian took it, pulling his brother in for a long overdue hug. They stayed like that for a moment longer before pulling away, their stern expressions returning.

“Let’s do this.”