PROLOGUE TWO: BIRTHDAY OF THE YEAR
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Newly crowned Crown Prince Alcandor looks around for his mother, the current reigning Queen, Queen Manthestia. He doesn't see her anywhere near his little sister's first birthday party. He waves at his grandmother, Queen Regent Esperanza before swimming off to find the Queen. At first, he hears whispers in one of the side rooms and listens to it for a second. "Alvon is a much better contender than Alanni or even Alcandor." Spits a male Merrow that he has never seen before. "The men of the Merrow populace deserve better than pandering to our weaker females! The Queen's sister even agrees with us!" He continues as two more Merrow men nod alongside him. Frowning, Alcando decides that it wasn't too important before continuing to swim down the Royal hallways.
He eventually gets to a door that is partly cracked open he sees his mother, his aunt, and his mother's main aide. "I don't care what the information is or who it is from." Says his mother. The aide makes a questioning noise before she gets cut off by a wave of his mother's hand. "Ignore all comments that have come in for a King. We don't need a King!" She sneers before she gets a look from her sister.
"Even Alvon?" His aunt asks his mother with a queer look on her face. "He's such a good boy and is much more well-behaved than either of the two children from your circle. Plus you didn't bear Alanni yourself, you are her third parent." She says condescendingly.
His mother snorts and shakes her head. "This Queenship shall be passed only to my daughter, Alanni, even if she wasn't born of my womb." Alcandor frowns, as he had just been crowned the Crown Prince. "I'll give it to Alanni once she's old enough to understand the burden she has been placed in. Of all the daughters of our bearer, Queen Regent Esperanza, I was the one chosen to be the new Queen. And Alanni will be chosen as the next Queen." The aide and his aunt give each other looks before frowning.
Suddenly, a hand grabs his shoulder and drags him into the room. A previously unseen aide pulled him in front of his mother. "What are you doing here, boy?" His mother spits at him before staring at her sister. "This is exactly why we need to keep the Queenship instead of passing it onto our sons." She sneers at Alcandor before talking to the aide. "Bring him back to the kitchen. We don't want the Queen Regent to worry that he is missing."
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After being shoved back into the kitchen, he goes over and says hello to one of his grandmothers, Grandma Mura. She gives him a kiss before trying to spoon some baby food into Alanni's tiny mouth. "Say Ahh Alanni!".
Alanni giggles and spits out the food. "Alek! Mura, more!" She babbles as she is fed food.
"Alek, hmm? Esperanza, remember that name for Alvon's mother for one of her next children." She stops feeding Alanni before wandering over to Esperanza.
Alanni giggles before seeing that Alcandor is in the room. She holds her hands out for Alcandor to pick her up, but before he can, his cousin Alvon comes over and roughly snatches her out of the chair.
"Look what we have here," He snickers to his two younger brothers. "A baby female shrimp, pampered as all of them get." He hurtfully pinches her cheeks before she starts crying.
”Put her down Alvon!” Alcandor says before grabbing his two smaller cousins and pulling them away. “Just because she was born the day you became an Alpha, doesn’t mean you can torment her. If you don’t stop, I’m getting Grandma E!”
Alvon looks scared and roughly shoves Alanni back into the chair.
Alcandor saw enough though and runs up to his other Grandmother, Queen Regent Esperanza, before tattling on his cousin. She jumps off the chair before grabbing a spatula and smacking Alvon with it. "You dare hurt one of your cousins! Your baby cousin at that!" She chases him out of the kitchen while smacking and scolding Alvon.
Alcandor picks up his baby sister, shushing her crying before bringing her to her crib to sleep after she starts falling asleep on him. "It'll be okay, Ala. Big brother will protect you and keep you safe." He quietly walks out of her bedroom before heading back down to the party.
When he gets down there, he sees his grandmother Esperanza bugging his aunt. "Fine, Mother. I'll name one of my future sons, Alec." His aunt walks away from his grandmother. "What a stupid name." She tries to tut under her breath, not knowing Alcandor was close enough to hear it. Alcandor frowns but lets it go.
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Later that night, Alcandor gets woken up by a weird noise but shrugs it off to go get a quick snack from the kitchen. He walks into the kitchen, but it is strangely fully lit. "Hmm, someone must've forgotten to shut off the lights before going to bed." Alcandor shakes his head before grabbing a small treat left over from the earlier party. He walks by Alanni's bedroom before noticing that her bedroom lights are also on. He runs into her room before noticing that her crib is empty and a ransom note is left in it. He drops his treat, shattering it all over the floor, before turning around and darting off to his grandparent's room. "Mura! Mura! Come quick! Alanni got kidnapped!"