[ 7 ]

As soon as the jet landed in Crown City, Paisely disappeared into the night, leaving Cade alone with his thoughts. Indigo Raine was nowhere to be found and his family didn't appear to be hiding him. Then there was the fact that Violet seemed like she was going out of her way to act defiant and make herself a target in Paisely's eyes. As brunette, someone of the highest authority, people like Paisely were already easily triggered by people talking back to him. But as a lieutenant of the Vesperian army, he was taught to have zero tolerance with maggots who would step out of line. To him, Violet Raine and her family were just another set of maggots to boss around. Last, there was the red boy who Cade hadn't thought much about at the time, but now he was beginning to see a connection between him and Violet.

He had been around when Violet was in the forest, and he was there again, at her house when he and Paisely arrived. Cade didn't know who he was, but he knew they were friends, and if the young general's eyes didn't deceive him, the red boy seemed to have feelings for Violet Raine. 

Cade decided not to think about it. He had no chances with her anyway. He lived in Crown City, close to the king, and she was a violet who lived in the slums of Porpra. The king would never accept her in his capitol, and she would never be happy anyway. Cade needed to remain in the capitol if he wanted to keep her safe. A part of him wondered why he went to such lengths to save her from harm. All she had been was nice to him when he lived in Porpra. But here was a little jab in his heart when he thought about her. It wasn't just that she had been nice to him, but that she was the only one nice to him.

Others had been too afraid to even approach him that day, because he was a brunette, and only looked at him from afar with pity. Such a young boy, losing his parents and sister so young. It was a real shame.

He would always be grateful and from day day to the present, he was in love with Violet Raine.

With Paisely gone and his schedules fulfilled for the evening, he took a car into the city, to the palace where he lived, with the king, a few nobles, and his most trusted military personnel. It had been a new rule set by Ciel Hemmings when his parents passed away. Because he didn't want to be alone in an empty palace, he would force people to remain by his side. He also thought it a smart way to keep an eye on everything, since the palace was armed to the teeth and filled with cameras buzzing all over the place. They were always watching, recordning everything, and some of it was even broadcast a few times on Kings Network, an entire television channel dedicated to the king himself and the royal family.

The car stopped at the front gates for a security check. Every care had to go through one, which took no longer than two minutes with a whole scan of the vehicle using a device Cade himself had created to speed up the process. Before that, they had been doing it by hand, relying on flawed human eyes, as he saw it. Cade flashed his military ID as protocol, since the people at the gates knew him by now. Then the car was allowed onto the property. He could feel the watchful eyes of the cameras on him as the car stopped in front of a luxurious flight of stairs that led up to the front door. 

A servant got the door for him, bowing her head as he stepped out. He took one look at her and almost grimaced in displeasure. Not because she was bad to look at, but because she was a violet, no older than Violet Raine probably. But that was how the palace recruited its servants. Male deserters of the army were made an example by being executed in front of a crowd in their home town's square. Female deserters were taken to the capitol for abuse and enslavement. They were forced to become servants of the palace and put in high voltage perimeter necklaces, which prevented them from leaving. Any step beyond the palace walls and they would be shocked to death. The collars were also an invention of Cade, per request of the king. 

Before then, there had been many escape attempts by the female servants. The only way to stop them were snipers in guard towers surrounding the perimeter of the palace. This new method was at least far less bloody.

The general silently walked up to the front door, getting it open with a scan of his thumb print. The doors whooshed open and he was allowed entry. He went straight to his room, as it was already night time, and almost everyone was asleep. As a military man, Cade always set his alarm for four in the morning, to go for his morning jog before doing anything else. Then he would join Ciel for breakfast, the only one in the palace allowed to have breakfast with the king.

Some of the other nobles, and even some of the other military staff residing in the palace, envied him for it. He could see it in their eyes as the two emerged from the throne room where a table with the finest foods was set up for them every morning. The two young, tall, and handsome as ever. A picture of perfection--a new generation leading the country into the epitome of greatness as it once was. Both only in their late teens, but fully capable and ready to take out an entire army if necessary.

On this night he laid awake in bed for what felt like hours, thinking of the events of the day. He hadn't seen her in so long, not in person at least. He had always kept tabs on her and her family, and when Indigo was forced to sign up for the army, he had tried to hard to have him placed in the nicest legion group. But being a violet boy from the slums didn't help him much. He was immediately placed in the experiments unit, a group of disposable boys used to test their newest equipment. A young prodigy in the medical field, Dr. Aspen Clifford, used his knowledge to push their boundaries without actually killing them. That kept them around long enough to be of use to the army. 

-

He woke as the sun was rising over Crown City, the capitol of Vesperia. The spot where the capitol was build had been picked because they said that the rising sun rose over the land and enveloped it like a blanket. The rays of sun almost looked like a crown, earning it the name of Crown City. Nowhere else in Vesperia were sunrises more beautiful, yet the people there seemed to take it for granted, as they had seen it all their lives. Cade certainly appreciated it, since he had known the bleak dimness of Porpra. It was always gloomy and the sun only made an appearance every once in a while.

The general went for his jog around the rose garden which was like a maze. The king had it built with movable walls which shifted into a new position every morning, making it a new challenge for the general. Cade had tried to jog the perimeter of the palace once, but he never again did it when a legion of guards went out to stop him, thinking him a bandit breaking in at dawn.

After breakfast, he returned to his room and showered, changing into a freshly pressed military uniform. After leaving his room every morning, he'd set out the uniform he wanted to wear that day and the maids would adorn it with his dozens of shining medals. He left his room once he was ready and walked the halls of the palace until he reached the throne room. Ciel was already waiting for him, blue eyes relaxed and friendly as he saw his friend enter the room. The king was dressed in a military uniform as well, which was his outfit of choice, as he didn't much like the other things the servants put together for him to wear. He also thought his military wear displayed more of his power than anything else he could ever wear.

Cade bowed his head before sitting at the table to have breakfast with him. 

"Good morning, your majesty." He said, his words the most false of greetings. For one, he thought Ciel Hemmings was paranoid and cruel as a king, not fit for the position. Also, they had grown up together, and though the possibility was there, it was a slim one. Ciel was never meant to be king. It was his older brother Mer who was meant for that position. Cade never thought he would see the day when Ciel would be king.

The blue eyed king puffed up his cheeks in a false annoyance. But soon he let a grin form on his lips. He could only be playful with Cade. He could only smile at Cade. He could only show his vulnerable side around Cade. "I told you so many not to address me as your king. At least not when we're alone. We grew up as brothers, my parents considered you their own. Only you are allowed to call me by my real name, the name that was given to me by my parents." He didn't allow others to even speak his name, less they wanted to provoke his anger. That was why the name Ciel was never spoken in the palace. He was addressed as king, your majesty, your highness, my lord, or king Hemmings. But never Ciel. That was reserved for the one person who knew him his whole life.

A sigh escape Cade's lips as a wave of nostalgia hit him, a smile creeping onto his own lips. But it faded slightly with a hint of sadness. Things were not the same anymore. He was not the same Cade who was sheltered from all the bad in the world, and the king wasn't the same king hearted Ciel who lived in his brother's shadow. "Those days are over. You are king now, and I am no prince. I'm just a general who you seem to be very fond of." He could be replaced in the blink of an eye, and he knew it. But still, Ciel never thought to replace him, no matter how much his advisors and other nobles insisted upon it.

He did have to admit that when the King and Queen took him in, he was surprised that they were good to him. They allowed him to live in the palace, and be friends with their sons Mer and Ciel. They even paid his tuition for the best schools in Crown City, and when he decided to go into the military, they were proud of him. They supported his decision and helped him get the training he needed. Still, Cade always knew he used to have a family of his own. He was no prince and he never would be. He was just the adopted son of the King and Queen, which they had picked up out of pity.

"I told you I would give you the title if you wanted it." He insisted, desperate to please his brother, as he saw him. If he wanted the title, he would have it. He only needed to say that he did. But Cade knew better. The nobles wouldn't allow it. The king favoring a brunette over any blondes was already outrageous to them as it was. Even in their capitol there was favoritism and segregation. Not that Cade had ever experienced it first hand. For that, he was thankful. "I can make anything I say into law. If I saw the night is day, then it will be so."

Cade replied once more with a shake of his head. How foolish of this little king to think that his words were more powerful than anything else. People would soon grow tired of him if he continued in his bubble of delusions and arrogant behaviors. They would probably turn on him in an instant if anyone more powerful were to challenge him. 

"It is not my desire to be prince." Cade said, looking down at the food on his plate. They always had interesting conversations that always seemed to bring up memories of the past. Memories from when they were children, not having to worry about a thing. But with the king and queen gone, the crown prince as well, Ciel had been thrust into the throne and he had vowed to find the people who did this to him--the people who took away his family. He would wage war on them and keep going until his very last breath. Cade had promised to stay by his side through it all.

But that was the thing about loyalties. Sometimes people switched sides.

Cade had been willing to help his friend avenge the deaths of his family, but as he delved deeper into the secrets, and the information known about the possible suspects, he found himself doubting his cause. When he knew that the Raine family were suspected of being involved, his heart got in the way of his resolve and he now had one goal in mind.

To protect Violet Raine.

-

is cade a traitor for chosing a girl he likes over his best friend?

maybe if you all remember reading it the first time, you remember that the king was an asshole though. so i thought cade has started to see that he isn't the nice boy he grew up with and knew. this boy is cruel and a totally different person. 

so in short, i don't think he's a traitor for doing that. then again, its my story and i love cade. so to me anything he does would still make him a saint in my eyes.

that's why he's so quick to throw him under the bus basically. anyway, i hope you all liked the update. it means a lot to me.

-clary