Heaven's Kingdom Ch. 03

Jax eyed River, "Oh, I don't think the assassin will be too much of a problem."

The Queen's eyes narrowed, "You two are up to something."

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

She placed a hand to her head, "Just be careful. River, dear, please don't let him do anything too stupid while I'm away."

"I'll do my best, my lady," River said.

"That's all I can ask for. Well, I'm sure you two have plenty of things you'd rather be doing than standing here so I'll let you go. Be safe you two."

Jax nodded, "We will. Enjoy traveling, something I can't do much of."

"Goodbye, my son."

River bowed before turning and guiding Jax back towards the door. Once they passed out of earshot, she whispered quietly to him.

"I told you so."

"You talked to her about it ahead of time, didn't you?"

"I did nothing of the sort. Though now you know it's not just me saying it."

"Gods damn it," he hissed, "How'd she know about us anyway?"

River held her head high, "I don't know about me, but you were never subtle."

"And yet every time you left the castle with me you conveniently forgot your underwear."

She blushed, "Easy with that one."

"You heard what she said. Just how exactly do you look at me?"

"Like this," River smiled, staring at him.

For a brief moment, he felt his heart skip a beat.

***

River still remembered the exact day she met Jax. Still in the military academy, still barely into her freshman year, and still at the top. Though abnormally tall when compared to her peers in her class, she still fell short when pitted against the upper-class girls. Like nearly every student in the academy, her parents vanished into the dark of The Long War early in her life, so long ago she barely remembered having them. Thus, she'd landed in the care of the military, eager to train new potential recruits to fill the thinned ranks. Though a diligent student and an excellent fighter, it still came as a shock when she found herself summoned to the headmaster's office for a meeting with the Queen herself.

They said little, only that she would be accompanying her majesty to the castle for a potential special assignment alongside her normal studies and guard training. Whether she took it or not remained entire up to her. River knew what it meant.

A challenge.

She'd been eager to prove herself back in those days, the desire to excel burning hot within her. So, she boarded the Queen's carriage with the headmaster in tow and soon found herself inside the cavernous space of the throne room. The space lay empty with the exception of a small object in the exact center of the room.

Her eyes glowed blue as she focused her vision.

"A boy?" she asked.

The Queen raised an eyebrow from behind her platinum veil, "You can see him from here, child?"

The headmaster raised a hand, "River's senses have always been sharp, your highness. She carries the gods' blood like approximately a fifth of our student body."

"I see," the Queen nodded, raising a hand. They'd stopped just at the edge of the room, the boy sitting deep inside nearly half a kilometer away.

"Your majesty?" the headmaster asked.

"Young lady," the Queen knelt down to River, "Tell me what you can see."

River nodded, focusing on the child. He sat cross legged in the center of the room, hands on his knees. She felt her eyes widen in excitement at the observation of his glowing blue eyes. He was a sorcerer like her! Not only a boy but a fellow magic user!

"He's like me! He can use magic like I can!" she answered.

The Queen nodded, "Go on. What else do you see?"

She focused again. This time she felt herself pale. Around him lay a collection of metal spoons, all tied into knots. A fresh spoon rose in the air in front him. The boy cocked his head, watching as the spoon bent and warped like a wet noodle before tying itself into a bow and landing on the floor with the clatter of metal.

Even the seniors struggled with bending metal. Yet this boy did it easily! Seemingly on accident too.

"He's... he's bending spoons. He's tying them into knots," she answered.

The headmaster turned, "What? That can't be right, your majesty. I apologize for-"

"It's alright, headmaster. Your student is correct. I've asked him to stop but he simply requests larger pieces of metal to shape and bend."

"Is he the prince, then?" River asked.

The Queen smiled, "He is indeed. My only son and the only one to inherit his father's power. He's going to be quite some trouble if he can't get a hold of himself and learn to master his abilities. But I've given him the best of instructors and yet... something is missing."

"What do you require, your majesty?" the headmaster asked, "I'm not sure what I can provide that you don't already have but-"

"My son will require a bodyguard. Not yet and not immediately but soon, as his powers develop and with his status as prince, he'll have a massive target painted on his back one day."

"I can offer you one of the seniors. The best in their classes or even some of the alumni. I'm sure they'll be-"

The Queen pointed, "I requested River for a reason, headmaster. I've read the files of every student in your school and I think River is the best choice."

River's eyes widened, "Me? You want me for a royal bodyguard!"

"Indeed, I do, child. You are young, like my boy here. You have magic in your blood like him as well. And I would rather have someone whom he won't have to replace every fifty years or so. But more importantly... I suspect you and my son will find a lot in common with each other, which is exactly what I want."

He headmaster frowned, "Your majesty I'm afraid I don't understand."

"Headmaster my son needs a companion as much as he needs a bodyguard. You can train River, yes?"

"I can."

"Good. Then if she accepts, you will make her into the finest soldier you've ever trained. And after school she will return here to begin her guard duties. Is that acceptable?"

"If it is what your majesty desires, yes I can make it happen."

The Queen turned to River, "Don't decide too quickly, my dear. Go ahead and talk to him and decide after. We'll be waiting here for your decision."

River nodded, walking across the room. By now, the prince had amassed a small pile of spoons beside him, all folded and bent into oddly shaped knots. Up close he was definitely a few years younger than her. Yet his eyes burned with the uncontrolled blue of raw power.

"Mom wants you to be my bodyguard," he said.

River cocked her head, "You could hear us?"

"Of course. I hear everything. You're like me, you said."

She knelt beside him, "I am."

He stared at her, his irises and pupils hidden behind the bright blue glow, "Prove it."

She focused, her own eyes appearing blue as she tuned her senses to the room around her. A simple enhancement spell every trainee learned. She glanced at her skin, noting the subtle glow her flesh now gave off.

Immediately the boy brightened, "You are like me!"

She nodded, "Yeah, I am."

"What-what's your name?"

She held out a hand, "I'm River."

"River?" he cocked his head and paused, "Just River?"

She turned away sheepishly, "I, uh, I don't have a last name. I forgot mine when my parents died."

"Oh..." he frowned staring at the floor before quickly brightening again, "Well if you're going to be my bodyguard, you can always take my last name!"

River felt the blood rush to her face, "Uh, I'm not entirely sure that would be appropriate!"

"Why not?"

"Well, uh, people typically only take other people's last names when they get married."

"Oh... well then we'll just have to get married then!"

Her blush deepened, "I'm not sure that would be appropriate either."

"Why not? You're going to be my new bodyguard, right? I hear my mom talk all the time. She only introduces me to people she thinks will stick around. People tend to get scared when they see me for some reason."

River scratched the back of her head, careful not to disturb her bun of silvery white hair, "Well, uh, she asked me if I wanted to, yes. But I haven't decided yet. She says it's up to me."

He deflated, "Oh... okay. Well, if you say no, it was nice meeting you anyway."

Curse it. Why did the kid have to tug at her heartstrings like that? She studied him as he returned to bending his spoons. She glanced back at the pile of mangled silverware and sighed. She raised a hand, the glow in her own eyes rising until one of the spoons rose into the air.

The boy paused and stared at her as she moved the mangled spoon back in front of him. Finally, she dropped it, allowing it to fall to the floor. Quickly the boy's own magic caught it, hovering it in front of her like he was holding a feather.

"You're not as strong as me, are you?" he asked.

She exhaled, rubbing her head, "Obviously not. But you've clearly been at the spoon folding for a while so show me."

"Show you what?"

"Unbend that one and make it a normal spoon again."

"Why?"

She placed her hands on her chin, "I'm curious to see if you can. Tell you what, if you can do it, I'll let you know if I'll become your bodyguard or not."

He frowned and turned away, "You'll just say no."

"Maybe, maybe not. Unbend the spoon and you'll hear the answer from me first."

He sighed and glared at the object. River watched in awe as the mangled piece of metal delicately uncrumpled itself, slowly reforming back into its original shape. The process took considerably longer than the mangling but... the boy could do it. The spoon floated up to her face and she gently plucked it out of the air and gave it good squeeze between her fingers.

Solid.

She smiled and ruffled his hair, "Good job. Didn't think you had it in you, but you did it."

"It's just a spoon," he said turning away, "If I can bend a spoon, I can bend a person. I don't know why mom thinks I need a bodyguard."

She crossed her arms, "Well you're just a kid. And a prince like you needs protection."

"From what?"

"From a lot of things. Killers, assassins, enemy soldiers, you name it! Plus, every member of the royal family has a personal bodyguard and... I guess from now on I'm going to be yours."

Immediately he brightened, "Really? You mean it?"

"Of course. You unbent the spoon after all. But I'm going to need you to unbend the others. It's a waste of good silverware."

"Actually, these are made of platinum."

"Close enough. But I do still have my training and schooling to complete so I won't be around much during the day."

"But you'll be here after, right?"

"Yeah... I guess so," she said turning back to the Queen.

"Yes! This is going to be awesome! I can show you around the castle and everything! There's also this huge library where we can go and read books and stuff! Also, mom has this garden with this giant stone chess set! I can't move the pieces yet but I'm sure one day I'll be able to! If you can't move them it's fine, I can move the pieces for both of us. We can go exploring and stuff up the mountain too! I hear the caves are filled with these weird slime worms and other monsters. I bet you could slay them all though! And-"

River smiled, "Wait, wait, wait, hold on a second."

"Yeah?" he paused.

"You haven't even told me your name yet."

"Oh," he grinned sheepishly, "Uh, I'm Jaxis. But everyone calls me Jax. Except my sisters, they call me weirdo and freakazoid."

"Well I'm not like your sisters. But I'm not sure it would be right to call a prince by his name. Do you have a title at all?"

"Yeah but mom won't tell it to me yet."

"Hmmm, well I guess a young lord like you would have trouble remembering the exact title and ranking. I guess I'll have to settle for lord then."

"I guess that's fine."

River rose to her feet, "Well, my lord. I'm going to go inform your mother of my decision. When I get back, I'd like to see all the spoons back in spoon shape. Can you do that for me?"

He nodded, "Sure thing!"

He immediately focused on the mangled knot atop the pile and began unfolding it as River walked back to the Queen and headmaster. Lady Diana stared at her in a mixture of nerves and anticipation.

"Well?" the headmaster asked.

"He's unbending the spoons now."

The Queen cocked her head and blinked, "What?"

"Yeah, uh, he's making them spoon shaped again."

"How did you get him to do that?"

River shrugged, "I asked him to."

"Well I'll be damned."

The headmaster cleared his throat, "Do you have an answer for the Queen?"

River nodded, "I'll do it."

The Queen breathed a sigh of relief, "Thank you, child. You have no idea what that means to me and more importantly, him."

"I'm guessing that my life just got a little harder."

"A bit. I won't lie to you and say it will be easy. No doubt your training will be more intense and challenging because of it. But... you won't just be protecting my son from physical threats against his life."

River frowned, "My lady?"

"You'll be protecting him from himself. You'll be protecting him from the monsters inside his own head. And most importantly, you'll be protecting him from loneliness. You'll be his companion just as much as his bodyguard. Are you sure you're up for it?"

River glanced back at Jax, focusing as the boy diligently remade each spoon, placing them into well-organized rows in front of him.

"Yeah... I'm up for it. Should be fun."

Nearly thirteen years had come and gone since that day. River smiled, the fondness of it warming her like a fresh cup of tea. Jax stayed close to her as they toured his garden. Numerous exotic trees and flowers decorated the space. Stone paths weaved through the grasses like snakes. A small crystal-clear brook cut through the space, emanating from a small pool towards the mountain side. Above a small waterfall drained into the pool.

Jax's eyes darted from side to side around him as they walked through the space. Around them, the various women of the Royal Guard walked their patrols or stood at their posts. All of them turned their heads to glance at their prince as he passed. Despite their attempts at maintaining their guard façades, all of them looked him with subtle smirks as he passed. River smiled back.

"Why are they staring at me?" he asked.

River placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder, "They hardly ever see you, my lord. Cut them some slack. Plus, you're the most handsome man they've ever seen."

"I'm probably the only man they've ever seen so we're not setting the bar very high."

They came up on a guardswoman, kneeling in the dirt, tending to a pink flower. Immediately she turned and stood up at attention, her brown hair whipping as the moved.

Unlike the others she wore no armor plates, though still kept the same form fitting magitek under suit. Instead she wore a set of coveralls and gloves, worn and tattered in places from years of work and abuse. Her face lay dotted with patches of dark earth, no doubt from her work. On her belt hung a variety of tools the each easily could have served as weapons. Overall, she appeared far less like a guard than a gardener.

"My lord! It's good to see you! You as well, Captain!" she said hastily.

"At ease," River said, raising a hand, "Jax, this is Chane, your royal gardener."

"It's nice to meet you," Jax said, holding out a hand, "I didn't know I had one of those."

"You'd be surprised what you learn when you leave your room," River said.

Chane took his hand, planting a kiss on the dorsal of his hand. Jax blinked, cocking his head.

"Oh! Uh, you don't need to do that," he said, quickly retracting his hand and beckoning her to stand.

"Of course, apologies, my lord. Please forgive me."

He shot a pleading glance at River, who only smirked in response. He sighed, rubbing his head. If the prince was going to be around these ladies for the rest of his unnatural life, he'd have to get them on as equal terms as his place would allow. Plus, it would help pave the way for the fun to come later.

River could hardly wait.

"A simple handshake will do," he said, holding out his hand.

The girl quickly removed a glove, "Of course, my lord."

He took her hand, giving it a good shake. A firm grip, like River, though her hands felt noticeably smaller in his own. Still, they carried a particular strength that only working with nature produced. No doubt his own hands likely felt dainty in her own by comparison. She appeared nervous, like she feared offending him.

He gave her a reassuring smile, taking a small amount of satisfaction in the flustered look on her face.

"There, wasn't that better?"

She nodded, "Yes, my lord. Much better."

"So, you're the one responsible for making this place so beautiful?"

"I am, my lord. Thank you. I'm still a trained guard so I can protect you just as well as the other girls here, but my primary day to day responsibilities are maintaining this place, should his lordship ever like to visit."

"Well, you've done nice work. Like a little slice of paradise."

River leaned down, "You were going to ask her something, my lord."

Jax cringed, mentally slapping himself, "Shit, uh, yeah. I've heard there's a large cave towards the back of the garden here."

Chane nodded, "You're correct, my lord. Just a short walk from the waterfall. I've been trying to figure out what to do with it for a while now, but the entrance is too large to properly cover up."

"Can you show me?"

"Of course, my lord. I'll take you right away," she said, placing her gloves on her belt, "Simply follow me."

She took off down the stone path, giving River the opportunity to admire just how skintight the suit really was on her. It clung to every curve perfectly, like someone dipped her into liquid metal, the scales of the suit stretching to accommodate every movement of her body. Like all of the girls in Jax's service, River found her sexy. The fact she screened them all herself certainly filled her with a sense of pride. Now that she'd succeeded in getting him out of his tower, hopefully the real fun could begin.

Though for the moment, she'd settle for teasing her prince for his wandering eyes.

River whispered in his ear, "See something you like, love?"

Jax blushed, "Where would you have me look?"

"Where you're looking right now. You gave me a nice toy to play with last night, the least I can do is return the favor. Especially here, no window shopping required."

"Well you're quite the horny minx today."

"Just say the word and I can have her naked in a heartbeat."

He grit his teeth, "I'm not sure ordering that would be appropriate."

"What makes you think I'd have to order it?"

Jax paled, "I suddenly have a very sneaking suspicion you're responsible for all the staring today."

"Well, I did screen every one of them."

"We're going to have to have a talk later tonight, you and I."

She smiled, "Whatever you say, love."

They approached the entrance to the cave. A large opening of rock and stone that led into a deep blackness. River paused, readjusting her sense and focusing in on the darkness, forcing it to reveal itself. Inside, the cavern floor lay mostly flat with a series of pools at various levels along the walls accompanying it. The stonework, while raw, could be easily smoothed and carved into something fit for a prince with the help of the royal engineers. With the addition of some magitek, it could easily be converted into... well, whatever Jax wanted it to be.

Though she had a few suggestions of her own.

Jax's eyes glowed blue as he surveyed the inside, "Do you know anything about the inside of this place?"

Chane nodded, "I studied geology at the academy. Outside of my guard training, that is."

"Tell me, do you think we could turn this cave into something?"

She raised an eyebrow, "What does my lord have in mind?"