“Dad?” he whispered, shaking him. “Dad?”
His father stirred, rolling over and yawning. Finally, he opened his eyes. “Hey,” he muttered, smiling broadly.
“Good afternoon.” Xavier grinned. “Mrs. Sommers said you didn’t get home until really late.”
“Yeah, it was nearly four in the morning when I got home,” his father muttered with a grin. “Lana and I had a lot to talk about.”
“Really? The only talking I saw you two doing when I left the celebration was the kind that had your lips attached,” he teased, smacking kisses at his father.
Jeremiah laughed and pulled him onto the bed next to him. Giggling, Xavier snuggled against him and sighed as his father began stroking his hair.
“Are you going to marry Lana?” he blurted in a whisper.
“What!” his father choked. “It’s too early to talk about that, son. We’ve decided it’s better if we take things slowly.”
“Oh, come on, Dad. Haven’t you even thought about it?”
He sighed. “Yes, I’ve thought about it. Would it be okay with you if someday in the distant future, I asked her to marry me?”
Xavier grinned. “Sure, as long as it’s not too far into the distant future.”
His father laughed. “Okay, point taken. I invited Lana for dinner tomorrow. So be on your best behavior.”
“Of course I will, Father,” he chirped innocently.
“So, how was the sleepover at the Hardcastles’?”
“Fine…mostly,” he muttered, avoiding his father’s eyes. “So, when will the academy start up again?” he asked, trying to change the subject. Why had he asked about school? Stupid, stupid, stupid! There’s no way his father wouldn’t know something was up now.
“Okay. What happened at Ephraim’s?” he asked, tipping Xavier’s chin so that he met his eyes.
“Nothing.”
“Nothing? You know I will find out. Just tell me, son.”
He inhaled deeply. His father wouldn’t be happy that he blatantly disobeyed Ephraim, but he tried to minimize it. “Ah…, well…Court and I kinda got into a little trouble with Ephraim,” he replied nonchalantly.
“I see. Explain your definition of a little trouble?”
“Well, he told us to go to sleep…and we didn’t right away.”
Sighing heavily, his father announced, “Lord, boy! Getting information out of you is like pulling teeth. What were you doing instead of sleeping?”
“Ah… just…talking.”
“Just talking, eh? Nothing else?”
“I…well, maybe we were goofing around a little.”
“And how many times did Ephraim tell you to stop goofing around?”
“Um, a few,” Xavier muttered, blushing.
“Xavier…” his father sighed exasperatedly.
“I know, I know. I just couldn’t seem to unwind after you and Lana made up…I’m sorry,” he pleaded.
“I understand that, son. I’m just a little disappointed,” Jeremiah stated, exhaling. “But, knowing Ephraim, I’m sure he handled it so you’ll be more mindful of him in the future.”
“Yes, sir. He sure did!” he mumbled sincerely.
Chapter 11: Dating
Two days following the celebration, Jeremiah had the first of his “take-it-slow” dates. Five minutes before Lana was due to arrive at the palace for dinner, he galloped down the stairs and into the receiving room wearing a dark green pin-stripe suit.
Xavier looked up from his magazine and muffled a snicker as the king studied his reflection in a polished silver vase on the mantle above the fireplace.
“Well? What do you think? How do I look?”
He tried to keep a straight face as he answered, “Ah… you look…good, I guess.”
His father turned to him with a wide grin. “Yeah? Does this tie look okay with the suit?” He turned back to his reflection and combed his fingers through his hair before studying the tie.
Xavier burst out laughing. “Jeez, Dad, I don’t know. Ask Mrs. Sommers if you’re worried about the tie. But, hey, if you’re going for the overgrown leprechaun look, I think you’ve nailed it.”
His father was too nervous and wrapped up in his reflection to hear the rib. “Naw,” he muttered to himself as he smoothed the tie down his chest. “It’s fine; just wanted a second opinion.”
When the doorbell rang, the king all but lunged for the door. “I’ll get it!”
“Yeah, no duh,” Xavier teased, slumping back across the couch. “I wasn’t planning on answering it. I value my hands, arms, legs…my life really.”
Ignoring him, his father reached for the door, took a deep breath, and yanked it open. Lana didn’t have a chance to even breathe before he pulled her into his arms and kissed her.
As the kiss grew awkwardly long, heat crept across Xavier’s cheeks and he snickered uncomfortably. “Hey, old people! Excuse me, but there’s a minor present!”
The king waved him away and continued kissing the woman in his arms.
Shaking his head, he scurried from the room and into the dining hall where Mrs. Sommers was putting the final touches on the table. It looked beautiful with the floral arrangement in the center and a rose bud in each wine glass in front of the place settings.
“Hello, dear,” she called cheerfully. “Has Lana arrived?”
“Yes, ma’am. She and Dad are…still saying hello,” he answered with an enormous grin.
She returned his smile before tears filled her eyes.
“Mrs. Sommers?” he questioned apprehensively, moving toward her.
She shooed him away. “I’m all right, sweetie. I’m just so pleased for your father. He deserves this happiness. Lord knows he hasn’t had a lot of it.” She blotted her cheeks with her apron before returning to her business-as-usual attitude. “I’ve got too much to do today to get weepy. Go on and sit at your place, honey. When your father and Lana are ready, they’ll join you. I’ll prepare the soup for serving.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he replied and sat next to the head of the table as she disappeared into the kitchen.
“Hello, Xavier,” Lana’s honey-smooth voice announced their presence.
He jumped to his feet and turned to greet her. “Hi, Lana! I would have said hello earlier if Dad hadn’t attacked you the moment you walked in,” he teased, giving her a hug.
She giggled and gave him a quick, tight hug.
“Hey, you better keep your smart aleck remarks to yourself before I attack you!” his father reprimanded as he worked to keep a straight face.
Xavier gave him a fake horrified look. “Ew, Dad! Don’t you dare attack me like you did Lana! She might put up with it, but I’d barf on you!”
His father lunged at him and smacked his bottom before he could even think about dodging him. “Let that be a lesson to you,” he announced smugly.
He choked out a laugh. “A lesson? What kind of lesson? That my father hits like a girl?”
“All right, you two! Is this how the whole night is going to be? Settle down!” Lana laughed, smacking both father and son.
Laughing together, the three sat at the table just as Mrs. Sommers reemerged with a large serving pot.
“Hello, Miss Applegate. It’s wonderful to finally see you at the palace for dinner,” the governess announced, ladling soup in their bowls.
“Thank you, Mrs. Sommers,” she responded sweetly. “The cream of mushroom soup looks delicious.”
She gave an appreciative nod and returned to the kitchen.
“Lana, I know we haven’t talked about it, but...if you’d like your job back at the Governing Hall...”
“No, Jeremiah. I don’t want the job back. I have a new job...”
“Lana, don’t be silly. It would be no trouble to give you the job back. Surely, you only resigned out of anger...”
“Jeremiah Wells!” she interrupted, her back stiffening. “I didn’t resign out of spite! I resigned due to a conflict of interest! And, unless you’re not the intelli
gent man I’ve taken you for, you’d realize that I still have a conflict of interest!”
“Okay, okay. Take it easy!” he chastised, holding up his hands in surrender.
“Don’t talk to me like that! Don’t talk to me as if this was all my doing. You’re the one...”
“Lana, please, stop. I’m sorry. Lord Almighty! I didn’t mean to rub you the wrong way. Please, forget I ever mentioned it. I just thought it would be nice working with you again. I’m sorry if I offended you. Really!” he gushed sincerely.
She stared at her bowl for a long moment before finally nodding. His father expelled a breath he had been holding and turned to Xavier with a “that was close” look.
By the end of the meal, the couple appeared to have completely forgotten about their brief tiff as they snuggled on the sofa. But, when the air of intimacy between them grew more intense, Xavier squirmed and fidgeted with a magazine, trying not to watch the couple. Finally, the discomfort became too unbearable, and he excused himself and fled up the stairs to his room. He ventured one last glance at his father in the receiving room below, holding the woman he loved in his arms. With a stroke of a finger against Lana’s cheek, his father coaxed her to look at him before kissing her. It was a soft, tender kiss full of love, and within seconds the king was glowing.
Xavier smiled. He had no doubt that his father would marry Lana. With any luck, it would be soon.
The king and Lana continued to see a lot of one another over the next few weeks, but they never went out alone together. Xavier guessed that this had something to do with his father’s “take-it-slow” dating plan. Whenever the couple went out for dinner or dancing, they always had a small entourage with them.
The movie theatre was another one of these “take it slow” dates, if you could call an outing with eight boys and another couple in tow a date. Xavier sat between Court and Beck in the dark movie theater, chomping on salty popcorn and watching the film. His father sat next to Lana in the row in front of them, a few seats down.
His father didn’t seem too interested in the movie. The woman next to him ensnared the majority of his attention, and he went out of his way to find reasons to touch her. When a loose strand of hair fell into her face, he stroked it away from her eyes. More than once he intentionally brushed against her hand while groping for more popcorn from the bowl in her lap. Then, at one point, he playfully licked the butter off her fingers while she giggled and half-heartedly pushed him away. Xavier watched, snickering as his father slyly slid his arm around Lana’s shoulders and coaxed her to cuddle against his shoulder.
“What’cha’ laughing at?” Court asked with a grin.
“Dad,” he whispered, nodding toward where the king sat, now stroking Lana’s cheek and jaw with his forefinger.
“Crikey, I think he’s moving in to snog her,” Beck noted in awe. “The king sure doesn’t waste time, does he?”
Xavier snickered. “Yeah, what do you say I make it more of a challenge for him?”
Both boys nodded with a grin.
Scooping up a handful of popcorn, he turned back to his father and Lana, who were no longer watching the movie but staring at one another. Then just as they drifted toward one another to kiss, he tossed the popcorn at them. It worked. Lana jerked away and Jeremiah turned and hissed, “Hey, cool it!”
“Me?” he asked innocently. “I’m not the one who needs to cool it, Dad.”
Snickering, the boys turned back to the movie. The film was a typical scenario. The hero finds a damsel in distress and helps her. They fall in love and live happily ever after. After a series of spectacular explosions and stunts, the hero and the damsel, realizing they were in love with one another, began to kiss. As the romantic scene unfolded on the screen, the boys squirmed uncomfortably and groaned.
“Man! Enough lovey-dovey stuff! Blow something up!” Beck called out, sending the other boys into hysterical giggles.
“Yeah, blow him up,” Caleb called out, but was interrupted by loud guffaws and laughter. He didn’t fully understand why the older boys were beside themselves with laughter, but he joined them.
“Cut it out, boys!” Ephraim hissed, and the boys’ laughter was cut silent. The group remained silent for all of thirty seconds when Court began making exaggerated kissing noises as the characters in the movie continued to kiss. Beck and Xavier burst out laughing again. After another glare from Ephraim, they attempted in earnest to stifle their giggles.
Following another brief moment of silence, Beck quietly imitated the female character on the screen with a high-pitched voice, “Oh, James. I was so scared when all those bad, bad men blew up the building. Please, hold meeeee!”
Xavier caught on and imitated the hero in the lowest voice he could muster. “It’s all right, sweetheart. I’ll protect you. I’m the hero after all.”
“Oh, Jaaaames!” Beck squealed, and the boys made smacking and smooching sounds again.
Both Ephraim and Jeremiah turned.
“Boys!” Jeremiah called, glaring at them. “Knock it off.”
The laughter instantly stopped.
“Sorry, sire,” Beck muttered meekly.
The boys sat quietly as the romantic scene continued on screen. As Xavier watched a brilliantly bad idea came to mind, and before he could think it through, he whispered, “Hey guys, watch this.”
With a small flick of his finger, a loud whistling sound filled the theater moments before a loud crack and a shower of fireworks exploded above the movie screen. The boys’ laughter caught horridly in their throats as a continuous stream of fireworks whirled, whistled, and exploded above the movie screen, which erupted into flames. The people around them screamed and scrambled out of the theater in a mob.
“Rebecca, Lana, get the kids out of here!” Jeremiah ordered as he and Ephraim hopped over rows of chairs and raced to the front of the room.
“Boys! Come with us,” Rebecca called, leading them to the back of the auditorium.
Xavier watched, shell-shocked, as his father and Ephraim fought to gain control over the fire using their empowerments. When he felt a hand on his shoulder, he looked up at Lana.
“Come on, Xavier. Your father and Ephraim will get the fire under control,” she called softly and led him out into the lobby with the rest of the group.
Filled with regret, he dropped his head and avoided his friends’ eyes. What had he done? God, what he wouldn’t give to keep his father from finding out that he was responsible for the fire. Desperately, he began clearing his mind and replaced his guilt with fear and puzzlement of how the fire started.
Several pain-staking moments later, his father and Ephraim exited the theater and approached the group.
“Is everyone okay?” the king asked.
Xavier could feel his father’s eyes on him, and he worked to keep his thoughts innocent.
“Yes, sire. We’re all fine. Any idea what happened?” Rebecca asked.
He and Ephraim looked at one another before speaking.
“It was the strangest thing,” Ephraim began. “We’d get the fire put out in one area only to have it flare up again in another…”
“So that means someone in our group is responsible,” Rebecca concluded.
The king nodded. “Yes, it does. Now, if you would all excuse me, I need to speak to the owner and see if we can settle this thing without the local police becoming involved.”
Jeremiah strolled to the concessions booth and interrupted the manager, who was already on the phone. The man slowly hung up the phone, his face unmasked with awe. Suddenly, he knelt at Jeremiah’s feet.
“Sir, please. There’s no need for that. Please stand. I just wanted to apologize profusely for the damages, and I am more than happy to pay for it and help you acquire new equipment. One of the boys in my group must have brought fireworks into the theater and got the stupid idea of setting them off. I promise I’ll find out which one is responsible and he will volunteer his services for the next two months.”
“Of
course, sire. That sounds fair…Lord! I can’t believe I’m meeting you. I’ve heard a lot about you. You’re a very powerful king, they say.”
“Thank you, Mr. O’Donnell…”
“All right, you lot. Who’s brilliant idea of a joke was this?” Ephraim hissed, snapping Xavier’s attention away from his father and the cinema owner.
But, the group remained silent and shuffled their feet.
“Come on now. Surely you know by now we’ll uncover who the culprit is and he will be punished. Let’s skip this childish act of innocence. Be a man and take responsibility for your actions.” Ephraim’s stare bore into each boy, but to no avail.
The king returned from his talk with the owner and looked at the boys who stared at the floor in front of their toes.
“Okay, boys. Mr. O’Donnell has agreed not to press charges. Now, who’s responsible for this stupid, dangerous stunt?” he questioned.
Again no one answered.
“Boys? If I must, I’ll invade your thoughts to learn the truth.”
“Xavier did it,” Jonas spat out.
“I did not!” Xavier blared, glaring accusingly at Jonas.
“You did too. I heard you…”
“Shut up! That’s a lie!”
“Xavier, that’s enough,” his father instructed firmly.
“I’m not lying, pipsqueak, and you know …”
“Don’t call me pipsqueak, you big stupid …”
“Xavier!” Jeremiah thundered, intercepting Xavier as he started toward Jonas with his hands in fists. “THAT’S ENOUGH!”
He froze in his father’s grasp, but continued glaring at Jonas.
“Excuse us,” Jeremiah declared shortly to the group as he pulled Xavier to the side. Jonas waved mockingly and mouthed the word, “Busted” at him.
“Jonas, eat shh…”
“Xavier!” his father hissed, cutting him short. “Calm down and watch your language, boy. Now, I want the truth. Did you create those pyrotechnics and start that fire?”
The Prince of Warwood and The Rise of the Chosen Page 9