15

I'm not sure how much of what our father said was the truth but we returned and the set his plan into motion. Without fail what he instructed us to do worked.

Peter was distraught over his mother being in a prison cell and awaiting an execution date. I suggested that we petition his father to rethink the punishment and remind him of the good his mother had done while being queen. My brother and I offered to cover the amount the queen had embezzled. Just as our father said he changed her punishment since the amount would be replaced. Peter was grateful and trusted me. I had his ear. My brother now was trusted and had the support of the administration. He also set up the transport to protect the queen on the way to the housing that Peter and his mother believed we secured and set up for her, so she could live comfortably. We said it was a vacation house we purchased and it explained the servants we hired in to take care of it and her as well. The two also believed we did it so they could still see one another without others knowing, to protect Peter's reputation. Thus making Peter hold nothing against my brother and he was indebted to him instead.

Our father plan also made the common people and military support both of us even more, as I went in person to help with relief efforts for the commoners and my brother went in person to the military outposts to give them the lost items. The people and military were told it come directly out of our houses funds to make up what they queen had taken and give it back to them. Other nobles also new that we had replaced it the only thing is, it was funds our father had given us under the table, out of his own personal funds. It was money that was never ours to begin with and only the 3 of us new the truth.

It was all a set up that had worked perfectly and give us even more power than before. Nobles who originally support the queen supported us since we had saved her life and we're backing the crown price so his reputation wouldn't be tarnished. To keep his place secured. Our support from the military and common people grew as they started creating art of me and spreading stories of how I came and helped give them aid. I would be the peoples queen who valued mercy.

Peter needed us to keep his support. It soon became known through the noble families that our house was given the crest of a blue wolf, while the order of knights created for me was a white wolf. My brothers title also raised to that of a Duke due to his achievements in war and within the administration. We became house that shouldn't be taken lightly. The order of Iris was also known as the white wolf order and were one of the most prestigious order of knight right behind the imperial family and tied with the blue wolf, which was the knights of our house.

I opened a school for knights which was the most prestigious school, it was based off skill not title and became widely known in the surrounding kingdoms as well. We taught our knights how to use a type of magic that didn't take much skill but would allow them to have defensive and offensive advantages. It was a skill only developed at our academy. Which is what made it so prestigious and that we had exams you had to pass and we only excepted the top 20% of those who passed. Most who came out of the school either became knights of the order of the blue wolf or order of Iris, although some always went to the imperial knights. I also created an academy to teach students to be medical aid on battle fields and other to be able to hold administrators and ambassadors positions. Tim helped fund and find teachers for the school, he also started to cultivate land to produce more grain and cattle so we would have food storage and sold it to common people for cheaper and opened donation centers where people could receive shelter, clothes and food for little to no cost. Other nobles donated money or clothes to it and he provide work for commoners by giving them jobs in the field and as seamstress to change nobles gowns and fabric into clothes to be sold or handed out.

The legacy the people saw behind me was that of progress and peace. It was a legacy being built by both members from house Ashford. It was the last name our father gave us. While some nobles and other countries called us the crown princes guard dogs, due to our symbol being the wolf. We were the only house aloud to use it, anything affiliated to me had a white wolf symbol and my brothers all had a blue wolf. I was aloud to continue using my symbol as the crown prince and I were only engaged after that I would need to go through the channels and act for the imperial family.

My brother married a named Rose women from the guild we were in.

4 years pasted. Tim had 4 children with Rose and it was time for me to marry Peter. Peter had visited his mother 3 times each year going on a vacation for a month each time. Him and his mother were both grateful, any suspicious his mother had about me and Tim had faded since most had said if we were the kings children we would have our eyes on the throne and wouldn't of saved the queen. If she was dead the crown prince would of lost a lot of power and part of his following, making it so we could of easily overthrown him and taken his position. Instead of that we were known as his guard dogs, his strongest supporters and protectors. His closest allies.

I would be Peters wife in only a few more days, after a long engagement. It took over 5 years for a wedding as we needed to fix his image due his mother being exiled. During that time a war broke out which he and my brother left to fight in. That left Rose and I here and getting the things we had tried to established off the ground which was extremely successful. The war made both take off even more since knights and medics were needed and common people needed help more than ever since there husbands and sons were off fighting or getting trained to go fight. The order of the white wolf and half of the order of the blue wolf stayed behind in case a second wave attached from a different side of anyone tried to claim the capital or throne while Peter and Tim were away.