7: Blake

When I was younger my father would always tell me that a man never cries. A man never shows his enemies or anyone his weaknesses. A man should never show any emotion and should always mask what he is feeling. If you showed even the slightest bit of emotion or weakness, you were disowned by him and the family and made to redeem yourself by challenging the head of the crown, which is usually your father himself or your fathers father. If you couldn`t defeat the crowned king, you were made to live as a servant until you could one day win that challenge.

My mother was always against this stupid tradition. She`d always tell me that a real man is the type to show what he is feeling. She told me that a real man has the capability of crying, especially in front of their loved ones.

My mother is the kindest most caring woman I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. She doesn`t put up with my dads bullshit and wont tolerate him treating her children as if they are bellow him. To her everyone is equal and that`s the way it should be.

But I`m more like my father then some may realize.

I`m ruthless and take what I want. I demand attention and submission from the people around me and I will not tolerate disrespect. I kill people without remorse or mercy and discard their dead bodies without a second thought. But what makes me different from my father is the fact that I can openly display my emotions, and not just hatred and anger or disgust. Because a real man can be himself without others making him a façade to hide behind. A real man treats women with respect, something my father has never done a day in his life. Aridia, the Queen and my mother, deserves so much more then the cowardly man I call a father.

"Blake, darling. When are you coming back to Italy?" my mother questions on the other side of the phone. I sigh and rub my temples as I take the phone away from my ear before placing it back.

"I don`t know yet mother" I tell her honestly. I hadn`t planned on going back to Italy unless Taylor was on that plane with me, even if she fought and tried to escape. I had no reason to go back even though I was next in line for the thrown. The crown would be handed down to me the minute my father could see that I was ready to take on a major responsibility, and if he could see that I had a woman by my side. If you didn`t have a woman of your choosing to stand by you then you were forced into an arranged marriage with one of the neighboring kingdoms. You aren`t a king without a queen.

"You say that everytime we talk dear. It makes me think that you don`t want to come home and see your dear old mother" Aridia says with sass in her tone of voice. I laugh as I can already see her cocking her shapely eyebrow, a slight smile playing on the corner of her lips.

"Only you would think such things mother" I say teasingly.

She gasps dramatically and says, "I`m offended, my dear boy", I chuckle but furrow my eyebrow as I feel my phone buzz with an incoming call. I pull the phone away from my ear and check who it is before frowning and telling my mother I have to go.

"Parla o Mantieni la pace per sempre".

(Speak or forever hold your peace)