“So, you expect me to just pick some woman at random and marry her? That really doesn’t sound right to me.”
“You are the prince. Any woman would be happy to marry you. The pick is yours for the taking,” his father said.
“Father that is not what I’m looking for. When I get married I want it to be to someone I love with all of my heart. Not just to anyone who wants to be a king’s wife.”
“I’m not sure where you get these silly, romantic notions. That certainly wasn’t in my day. Do you think I was madly in love with your mother when I married her? No. I did it because it was expected of me. And you will find a woman and do the same if you want to wear this crown.”
Cort was getting angry. He wanted to tell his father and the council to go right to hell.
“Father this is a silly rule. I’m going to find a way to appeal to the council and get his archaic rule changed. I’ll not lie down and let myself be forced into some kind of a silly arrangement.”
“You have the right to challenge the ruling, but I doubt you will get very far. These rules are in place for a reason and you aren’t going to change the council’s mind. Dismissed.”
Cort stood up and began walking out. “We will just have to see about that!”
He let the large doors to the chambers slam shut behind him.
The council had no idea who they were dealing with.
3
Teegan
The hotel was fantastic.
Teegan sat her suitcase down on the floor beside the large canopy bed and flopped herself down into it. She was shocked to see how easily the bed conformed to her body as she began to sink down into it. The mattress was so comfortable that she debated whether she should even try to get up, even though it was still only about six in the evening Ronovia time.
Ronovia was located just off the south of France. It was a country a lot of people had never really heard of, but one that Teegan had always wanted to visit. The place had a very interesting history and culture that she was dying to get to know more about. The first night they were being put up in the hotel by the Siri Yoga Intensive. That was what Siri had named his company. In addition to teaching yoga Siri was also involved in yoga products, vitamin water, new age books and teachings, rune reading, his own tarot cards, etc. The man had created quite the business empire.
Teegan wanted nothing more at that moment then to just fall asleep and wake up in the morning refreshed and ready to go with the group. The plan was that they would spend the night in the hotel and the next morning bright and early they would be taken to the isolated location close to the ocean where they would begin their lessons.
She was so jet lagged that she didn’t know if she could stay awake for several more hours or not. But she knew that if she fell asleep right then she was going to regret it because she would be wide awake at two in the morning. They were not scheduled to leave until six and she had no idea how far they would have to travel. Odds are that there was going to be a lot of hiking involved.
She was ok with that, though. But she had to make sure she was properly rested.
Teegan forced herself to get up out of the comfortable bed and to grab some fresh clothes out of her suitcase. She knew that there were some nice local clubs and bars nearby. Maybe she would go out and have a few drinks, mingle a bit, or at least just get out of the room where she would surely be dead asleep in twenty minutes.
She wondered if she might run into someone else from the tour when she was out and about. So far she had yet to meet anyone having come straight from the airport to the hotel by taxi. She was pleased to see that that her name was left at the front desk and her room was properly reserved, all expenses paid. The culture shock just watching the world outside of her window as she was being driven to the hotel was something she would never forget. It was like landing in a whole other world.
The cab driver spoke perfect English and he’d kept her fairly well entertained during the trip. She appreciated it even if she didn’t really want to talk that much. At least he was friendly and nice to chat with. She hoped that the rest of the people in the country were that friendly. It was kind of scary when you were new in another country and knew absolutely no one.
Suddenly she was beginning to think that going out by herself to a club seemed like something of a bad idea. But she quickly dismissed the idea from her mind and reminded herself that she was in fact a big girl. The hotel seemed to be located in a nice area and most of the clubs and bars around the area tended to be more upscale based on the types of cars pulling up to front to drop people off or pick people up. At least that was what she’d just observed from the taxi.
It was possible she was completely wrong. But she was feeling a bit frisky and adventurous. This was actually the first time she’d ever been outside of the country and to be selected to attend this amazing retreat with someone she respected and admired so much was more than a dream come true.
When she told Ellie about it the girl basically told her she was full of it. She had to actually forward the email to her before Ellie believed it. Then Ellie let out one of her legendary screams right into Teegan’s ear. After the deafness went away Teegan managed to ask Ellie if she would cover for her at the yoga studio for the week she was gone. She agreed to give Ellie all of the profits that week of course, but she couldn’t just close up for a week and risk her students finding another teacher that they liked more. Her business was still a bit of a fledgling operation and she had worked too hard to take that sort of a hit.
But even if Ellie had said she couldn’t Teegan would have come here. Nothing in the world was going to derail her from doing this.
She left the hotel and walked down the street towards the Canal, an upscale bar that looked like it might have been fun. She was feeling a bit less tired by now and she hoped that some energizing fun might just be the thing she needed to carry her over the hump.
When she walked into the bar she was happy to see the place looked even better than it did outside. The thoughts of how much the drinks and food here might actually cost were being forcibly pushed to the back of her mind. This was something she’d saved up for and she was not going to worry about the money. She’d been saving for this trip ever since she’d decided to apply, confident that she would one day be selected. But even so, the fact that it was actually happening and she was really there was mind blowing.
She found an empty seat at the bar and ordered a beer. She figured it was best to start off light. It was also tempting to maybe order some food later, but right now she wasn’t too hungry. A waiter walked out of the kitchen just then with a plate of the most delicious smelling food she’d ever been around. Her mouth began to water and her stomach started to pang. Maybe she would grab some food soon. After all she was going to be doing intense yoga all week to burn off those calories.
Looking around she saw the place was filled with people of all walks of life. There were groups of a younger crowd, there were older people, couples, singles, groups of guys, groups of girls—all of them seemed to be having a blast. She wished that she had some friends or someone there to actually talk with, but she didn’t think she would be alone long. She was a girl sitting in a bar drinking by herself. It was only a matter of time before some guy came over to talk to her.
Hopefully it would be someone interesting…
4
Cort
“Ugh, why did I let you drag me out tonight?” Cort asked. He took a big gulp of his beer and tried to hide in the shadows of the corner.
Cort and his two best friends Markus and Brody were hanging out at the Riverside, a popular club that they frequented whenever they wanted to blow off a little steam. Cort thought that was the thing he needed after that tense meeting with his father but now that he was out he was more desperate than ever to just be left alone to brood for a bit. He had a major decision to make and one that did not really need the help of booze, fun with the guys, and random ladies constantly throwing themselves at him.
“Because this is what we do,” Markus said. “I mean if we weren’t here you would just be somewhere feeling sorry for yourself. We figured a change of scenery would do you good.”
“Well, maybe being alone is what I really want at the moment,” Cort said. “I appreciate the thought guys but I think I’m going to bail.”
“Oh, you aren’t leaving so soon are you? I was just hoping to catch a few minutes of your time.”
Cort turned to see a beautiful girl with long black hair, a sweet face, wearing a sleek black dress that perfectly accentuated every curve of her nubile body. He was interested on a purely physical level of course but he really did not want bothered by this. It was obvious the moment that she stepped to him that she knew who he was. Over time he’d developed a sixth sense about the intentions of women. And many times he’d used those intentions to get laid and had even had a few great relationships, but in the end it just never worked out. He always felt that being the prince was the biggest thing with these women. All of them had delusions of grandeur of being a King’s wife one day. It was both a blessing and a curse.
“I was actually,” Cort replied. “I’m sorry, but I don’t think I’d be much fun at the moment.”
“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that,” the woman said. “I’m Vanessa by the way.”
“Vanessa,” Markus said stepping in. “Our buddy is feeling a bit shy this evening. He needs some alone time right now but we will be glad to come by your table later for a few drinks if you are still around.”
Vanessa seemed disappointed but she tried to hide it with her flirty demeanor.
“Ok, I’ll hold you to that,” she said walking away slowly.
“What the hell? Dude, turning that down? You are in some sort of a funk,” Markus said busting Cort’s chops.
“I told you. This thing with seceding my father as king… it’s got me all turned around. I think I’m just going to go home.”
“Nah man. Don’t do that. You will regret it. We just need to get a few drinks up in you,” Brody said. He immediately went to the bar.
“I have a drink already!” Cort called after him holding up his beer but Brody was already talking to the sexy bartender.
“He is right,” Markus said. “Just know we do this all out of love, man. We hate seeing you moping around. It’s not you.”
“Well, what would you do in my shoes? You think I should just cheer up and marry some random woman to appease a silly rule created by some idiot bureaucrats two hundred years ago?” Cort asked.
“It could be worse,” Markus said. “You keep forgetting that you have all the power here. You could go out and find the best, coolest, most beautiful girl around here and she would marry you. I realize time is of the essence but I think if you put together a team of recruits it can be done.”
Cort laughed. “Listen to what you are saying. It sounds like we are putting together a sports team or something. This is marriage. Call me old fashioned but I really want to fall in love someday. I really want to make something great work here with the right woman. I don’t want to be railroaded into something I’m going to regret or be stuck with for the rest of my life. You know the rule. Once a woman is pronounced queen there is no divorce from that. The King is basically stuck with her until one of them dies. And don’t say it!” Cort laughed.
“I was not about to suggest the queen have some unfortunate accident at some point down the road,” Markus joked.
“You are terrible, man!” Cort laughed. His friends were too much sometimes.
Brody returned with a couple of long island iced teas, Cort’s favorite drink. He begrudgingly accepted it.
“So, what did I miss?” Brody asked.
“Go ahead Markus,” Cort responded. “Tell him your plan.”
Markus rolled his eyes.
He was about half finished with his drink when he felt something rubbing his shoulder. Turning his head slightly he was not at all surprised to see a sexy blonde girl who looked as if she might have been slightly underage but had charmed the bouncers, or at least had a fake ID to gain admittance to the club. But the way she carried herself suggested she was much older than she appeared. She was looking at him with that mixture of recognition and hope, which Cort had termed the “Stalker Eyes”.
“Hey, there handsome. Would you like to dance?”
“I appreciate it, but not so much right now. Maybe later,” Cort said trying to let her down gently.
The girl was persistent though.
“Well, maybe I can find other ways to make you feel better,” she moaned in his ear.
Cort almost choked on his drink. He smiled and took the girl’s hands off his shoulders.
“I have other things on my mind right now. I was just leaving,” Cort said.
Before she or his friends could even protest Cort finished his drink in one gulp and walked out of the club. He needed some fresh air. It felt good hitting his face and filling his lungs as he his feet slapped against the pavements, his boots making slight clomping noises on the pavement.
It never ended did it? Everywhere he went the women would find him, sniffing around like hungry dogs, smelling the fame and the prestige that was given to him simply by being born. He had done nothing really to earn such recognition. He was just lucky enough to be born to the right people. That was it.
He was so tired of it though. It had its perks of course, but he hated that people did not want to ever get to know the real him. It was like he had to be a constant performer. If anyone knew the real him and found out he was a real man with real problems and flaws then the whole image would be shattered to pieces.
And his love life had suffered so because of it. He just could not get away from women who only wanted him because of what he was and not who he was. He was a lot more than the King’s son. Why couldn’t anyone understand that?
As he walked he realized that Markus and Brody were right; he didn’t want to go home. He would really just sit alone and have a few drinks of whiskey while watching some of his favorite shows or maybe strumming a bit on his acoustic guitar until he fell asleep slumped over it night after night.
Maybe he would work on the new song he was writing. He’d been writing a lot lately. It was therapeutic to work out the demons and the frustrations of everyday life. Lately he’d had to deal with more than most people. Of course he would never let anyone hear any of his compositions. It was just for him. Just something personal he did. Maybe one day after his death he would leave instructions for his body of work, some recordings of his songs for people to listen to and judge where he could no longer hear them.
He noticed that the Canal was open and he decided to pop in there for a drink or two. It was a nice little upscale bar that he occasionally went to. He was hard not to recognize but a place like that catered to a crowd that seemed to respect his privacy enough to leave him alone. At least he hoped that would be the case tonight. Things like that could change in an instant.
He went inside and casually walked up to the bar. He ordered a whiskey on the rocks and sat down at an empty stool. The place was pretty busy with a wide assortment of characters all having fun, so far oblivious to the fact that their next possible king was in the room. Even the pretty bartender didn’t seem to notice him, but she was eye flirting with him anyway. Then again that was how she got tips.
Cort begin to sip his drink and glance around inconspicuously. This was when he noticed the pretty girl sitting beside him. How did he not see her before? She was about his age with an angelic face and a demeanor that emanated strength and self-confidence. Her smile was beautiful and as she caught him looking at her it widened considerably. She was the type of girl who seemed perfectly at ease by herself but was also very approachable and friendly.
Cort smiled back at her and went back to his drink. The girl did the same thing. Was it possible that there was a woman in the country who did not know who he was? Or was it just the fact that she did not really care? He was now thoroughly int
rigued. As he watched her it became evident to him that she was a foreigner. The way she was looking around as if there were things about the bar and the people that she did not understand, but she was taking it all in with a mild curiosity that was innocent and he found rather beautiful.
“Hi,” he said after a few moments. It felt awkward to be watching her without at least saying something.
The girl’s eyes lit up slightly as she glanced back at him. Wow, she had the most perfect eyes he’d ever seen…
“Hi,” she said back.
“How are you?” Cort followed up. He realized he was really out of practice with making small talk. When women routinely hit on him he didn’t really have to say much or keep the conversation going. This was harder than he remembered.
“I’m good,” she replied.
She was American. He could tell by the accent. That was why she didn’t recognize him. A wave of relief washed over him right then and he found himself feeling far more relaxed. The pressure was now over; he could just enjoy the good company and not worry about anything else. It had been a while since Cort had felt like this.
“So how are you enjoying your visit to our country?” Cort asked.
The girl smiled a bit embarrassed. “Wow, is it that obvious?”
“Well, yeah,” Cort joked. “I’m Cort. What’s your name?”
“Teegan,” she said. “It’s great to meet you Cort. And yes I am having a great time visiting.”
“What brings you to our little corner of the world?” Cort asked.
“I’m just travelling around. I heard this was a fun place to be, so I stopped here for a bit.”
He loved how vague she was being, but he was not sure if she was being flirty or if she was just comfortable sharing much about herself with a total stranger.
“So, what do you do?” Cort asked.
“I teach yoga,” she replied. “Have you ever done any?”
Tank (The Bad Disciples MC Book 3) Page 17