Race for the Throne

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Iverson walks over with a box in hand. “I had it polished and cleaned last night. Vincent, I hope you wear this proudly as much as you love my daughter.”

Serena walks over to Vincent. She puts an arm around him and smiles. “I know he will.” She said.

Junaluska pops up with Reginald. “Here he is.” She said smiling.

Lucas was running from the little girl who was the flower girl. “Nooo…Don’t touch me!” he said. The little girl who was just a year younger then Lucas was blowing kisses at him.

“But I wanna kissy you!” she said.

Serena started laughing. “Come here you two, we are going to practice for the wedding.

Brandon laughs as he realized they were caught red handed. "Should have known we couldn't get past you grandma." He said. He turned around and gave her a kiss on her cheek.

Brandon then walks over to Jasmine. "This has really been a great vacation so far and a lot of fun. Thanks for letting us come grandma."

~~

Serena puts a big smile on her face. "You are amazing Vincent. I love you so much." She said as she kissed him. "You always know what to say."

Serena gives Vincent the directions to the reef and they are there within no time. Serena helps Vincent get ready before she does. She hands him the rest of the gear. "Are you ready?"

"It is a delight. I am happy that I got to meet your girl friend. Now make sure she gets some food in her. Caleb is going to be busy until the afternoon. I am making my stuffed peppers for dinner tonight just for you Jasmine." Sarah tells them.

"Thank you so much Sarah, I cannot wait. I am so happy that I got to meet you guys as well. I had it easier than Brandon did meeting my family." Jasmine goes over and kisses Sarah's cheek. "I will get you to Moldova for the solstice."

~~~~~~~

Vincent waits until Serena is ready before jumping in the water. He is amazed by colors and wildlife. He wants to touch everything. There is a manta ray swimming towards him. He pointed at it and looks at Serena.

George walks in and smiles. “If it means seeing all the girls in their pretty Moldovan gear I vote to go for a week.” He said winking at Jasmine. “I have been to Moldova, but it has been a long time. Do the men still wear that boxer skirt thing?” He said laughing. “It’s their official gear I think.”

Brandon laughed at his grandfather. “You would say something like that. When did you go to Moldova grandpa?”

“When I was just a little older then you, I went when I was part of the military. It was before that blinking war. I had a great time there. That was before I met your grandma here too.” George said walking over to Sarah. He kissed her hand. “Glad I didn’t fall for that blue eyed pretty now, never would have met you my dear if I had.”

~~

Serena points to the body of the manta ray and nods her head to Vincent. She points to his stinger and nods her head no however. She touches the top of the manta ray as it swims up to them. She smiles internally as she watches Vincent and the amazement that he has with all around him.

"Ohh yes Moldova is known for their blue eyes. I am stuck with the grey ones." Jasmine goes over and kisses George's cheek. "I promise to wear mine just for you George." She winks at him. "So Brandon what are we going to do until Caleb steals me away."

~~~~~~~

Vincent touches the ray as it swims over his hand. He goes over and sees a creature that looks like a flowy pillow in the water. He motions to touch it.

George hugged Jasmine and then looked at Brandon. “Keep her Brandon, I still can’t get over this girls sense of humor.” He said with a smile.

Brandon laughed as Sarah took his ear and they walked into the next room. He could hear her telling him off. “They never changed.” Brandon said with a smile. “As for what we are going to do, we are going to do physical therapy so that I know your shoulder and arm will not be so tight if you try to show Uncle Caleb anything with that bow.” He explained. “It wouldn’t hurt to work those muscles anyways.”

~~

Serena immediately signs for him not to touch the jellyfish that he wants to touch. She swims over to him and pulls him back a little as she can see the stingers getting close to his arm. She doesn’t want him to get stung by it. It was pretty to look at but not to touch. A sea turtle is swimming close to them. It is bigger than the one they saw when they were last out. She doesn’t touch it as it swims by however.

"Here I thought I could get a day off. Or could it be that you want to touch me? If it is the latter, all you have to do is ask." Jasmine winks as she eats the food. "I am a little nervous about showing Caleb archery. I can't even pull back a string yet."

~~~~~~~~

Vincent wants to touch the turtles so bad. He points up and meets Serena on the surface. "Wow it is so amazing out here, but why did you stop me from touching that one fish? I loved how translucent it is."

“You don’t have to pull the string back to show him how to use it. All you have to do is correct him on how he is doing it.” Brandon explained. He smiled at her as he ate his food. He took a sip of milk. “How about I massage you down and we have another good night like we had last night. Bet we could build a pillow fort.” He said winking at her.

~~

Serena swims up to the surface. She takes her snorkel off and dips her head back to get the hair out of her face. “That so called fish you were trying to touch wasn’t really a fish. It was a jelly fish and it can sting you. It is very uncomfortable to be stung by it and can even be deadly.” She explained.

“The fish are all out and about today. I am enjoying the show they are putting on for us.” Serena said. “I am glad there haven’t been any sharks around either.”

"I would love to see a shark? Have you ever seen one before?" He swims over to Serena. "I don't know about you, but I need to get out for a little bit." He helps Serena back to the boat. He lays on the deck of the boat. "I know you had a coral reef in your room at the castle, but I think I like the horses better for the house."

~~~~~~~~~~

Jasmine blushes at the prospect of spending another night with him. "Are you sure? I don't want to get in trouble with your family. A massage does sound good though." She finishes up her food. "I better get ready for the lesson with Uncle Caleb."

She goes upstairs and gets dressed in a sweater and a pair of jeans. Her hair is back in a pony tail. They will be leaving soon. And while she is happy to be going back, she wishes she could take them with.

Serena looks at Vincent like he is crazy. He then helps her out of the water into the boat. “Sharks are big sea creatures that can attack people and even kill them. I have seen one or two around the boat as grandpa and dad fished once before. They caught it together. They had it mounted and it is in the castle in one of the studies.” She explained.

“I think I do agree, the horses would look nicer in the house. I liked the coral reef theme in my room at the castle but I think that having a theme in the house would be nicer. There is so much more we can do with that and so many more colors to choose from.” Serena said smiling. She was watching the sun glint off of his body. “I’m really enjoying the view.”

~~

Brandon finishes his breakfast and takes the dishes to the sink. He then washes them and watches as Jasmine goes up to get ready for the day. Caleb comes in with his bow. “I didn’t think you were ever going to wake up this morning. I knocked on your door this morning but you never answered me.”

“I was so sleepy, Uncle Caleb that I just needed to get some more rest. I forgot what it was like to work on a farm.” Brandon said with a chuckle.

Caleb sat down at the table and looked around. “I haven’t seen Jasmine either this morning. She still up in the bed?”

Vincent sees Serena admiring him. He smirks at her and poses a little bit. "Why don't you take off the suit and work on your all over tan as well?"

~~~~~~~

Jasmine enters the kitchen. "No Jasmine is up and ready to go. I must admit helping you out is a little bitter sweet for me. I love archery, but sad that I cannot do it. Just let me know when you are ready?"

Serena whistles and claps as Vincent poses for her. “Such a sexy man.” She said. She then takes off her wet suit and puts on a pair of sun glasses. “I think I will come over and sunbathe with my hot man.” She winked at him. She then lies down beside of him and takes his hand. “Make sure you don’t burn. I would hate for you to get burnt.”

~~

Caleb looked at Jasmine and then at Brandon. “Sometimes the best way to get over things is to still do it.” Caleb said. He looks over at Brandon. “If you need us we will be outside.” He said.

He watches as Brandon walks over and hugs Jasmine. He then kissed her. “If you need me, I will be inside.” He said. Brandon then watched as Caleb walked outside with Jasmine.

“So how long had you been shooting the bow and arrow?” Caleb asked.

"You can always put some more sunscreen on me if you like." Vincent smirks at he as she lies down next to him. "I will put some on you as well."

~~~~~~

Jasmine walks outside with Caleb. "Ever since I was a young child. My dad taught me at first, and then Vincent Watson did too. I had to beg and plead for my Dad to teach me at first."

She is a little nervous around Caleb. "Brandon told me about you. How long have you been in the military?"

Serena smiles at Vincent as she leans over and kisses him. "You are a good man Vincent. How about I put some sunscreen on you?" She reaches for the bag and pulls out the sunscreen. She then puts some on Vincent's chest playfully yet sensually. She straddles him as she uses her hands on his chest.

~~

I am 42,Jasmine. I went into the Military when I was 18, I never did like being home and I always wanted to travel. After being in the military for twenty years I decided it was time to come home." Caleb said. He strung his bow and aimed at a target. He didn't hit center but closer to the outside of the target. "What else did he tell you about me? It wouldn't surprise me if he hated me."

Jasmine shakes her head. "No he does not hate you. He spoke fondly of you. You taught him the stars and the sword." She touches the bow and moves it up and over. "You are not using the sight correctly. It is typical of a swordsman. Now try."

~~~~~

"I am not going to get a tan if you insist on blocking my sun." Vincent winks at Serena. His hands slide up and down her legs. "I must admit it is nice to get sunscreen applied like this."

Caleb strings the bow again and releases. He hits a bullseye. "What is a the difference in how I am aiming?" He asked. He then looks at Jasmine. "For a long time I was angry with his majesty. I thought how could he have a son but not show him love?

I then was angry at her majesty seeing as it would have been more her fault then his, knowing that King Iverson was not the man I thought him to be. I hates the name Miranda and its decendenta for all these years. Had I not been there Brandon would have known nothing or very little of a mans world." Caleb said.

~~

"Maybe I don't want you to sunbathe, maybe I want to make out with my husband instead." Serena said with a smile. She leans down and kisses Vincent passionately.

"You are not taking air resistance into account. It will be different the farther you get from a target as well. That is why a bow sight is different." Jasmine takes the arrow. "Think of it this way, as an arrow travels it goes down a little. The further you are the more it will drop. That is why there are different levels on the sight. The farther you are, the different color you will use for targeting."

She wrings her hands slightly. "No one ever knew of Brandon. It was by Celesta's choice. I cannot speak for Kalista, but I can only guess what his sudden appearance did. She was angry at first, but now she is being accepting.

It is not Kalista's fault that Celesta chose to be a Priestess. Iverson didn't meet Kalista until after that fact. Who knows what would have happened if Celesta didn't do that. All of our lives would have been different. I would not be here because mom would not have came to Rosario. Brandon would be the Rosarion king, but he would be a completely different person with Artemis as his male role model." At that Jasmine shivers. "Even on a bad day, you are better than he for that.

We cannot look to the past though, we have to look to the future. Brandon is going to be at my side as a Moldovan King. You guys have an open invitation to visit anytime. Regardless of how Kalista treats him, my family will treat him right.

I will let you in on a secret. I am going to ask him to marry me. Once we get back, I am going to find a perfect ring. I am sick of waiting for him."

~~~~~~

Vincent's breath is taken away from the kiss. "Maybe I like the same thing." His hands rub her back holding her close. "Maybe I like Princess Watson being affectionate." His lips meet hers an reciprocates the kiss.

Caleb strings his bow again and looks at Jasmine. “If I want to go farther do I aim upwards more? I was always a better swordsman then a bows man.” He explained.

He then relaxes the bow and looks at Jasmine. “I know she didn’t, but I was angry because I thought his majesty had done or said something to Celesta for her to go that route. I let it go from my mind however and those feelings resurfaced after she came here. I was on leave and she came here to have privacy for her pregnancy with Brandon. All the emotions came flooding back and once again I was angry, only this time the anger never really went away.”

Caleb sighed gently as the breeze rolled around them. “I know nothing of what could have been, I only know what has happened. Through the years my faith has not been as strong as it should have been and for that I have been punished by the goddess.” Caleb said. He pulls a little box out of his pocket and hands it to Jasmine.

“I want you to have this. It was once the ring I would have worn when I asked the woman I loved to marry me. She said yes, but my past sins haunted me. The goddess took her from me long before she took my name. I and her parents buried her beneath a willow tree where she lived. She was buried with her wedding band and I kept this close to my heart. It will do me no good as I have vowed never to love another. I want you to have it so that you can ask my nephew to marry him. You make him happy and his love for you is more then you know.”

~~

Serena smiled at Vincent “I love you Prince Vincent. You are the love of my life.” She whispered in his ear. She kissed him again as his arms held her close. She could feel her heart beating out of control. It didn’t matter that they were still married; he could always make her heart beat out of control for him. She kissed his neck softly as her hand caressed his cheek.

Jasmine nods. "That is exactly what you want to do." She listens to him talk about Celesta. "No she fled right after the discovery of the affair. Kalista, Mom, and Junaluska caught them in the act. Mom ended up breaking Iverson's elbow."

Jasmine takes the box and sits down. She opens it and inside is a beautiful ring. It is a tri-colored gold woven brand. "It is beautiful, but are you sure? I know this ring will have memories of you and your love. I don't want to take them away from you."

~~~~~~~~

Vincent pauses for a moment when Serena calls him Prince. He looks at her eyes. "I guess it is real now. I am a Prince, wow that just hit me." He looks into Serena's eyes. "With your help, I know I can do it." He tilts his head as she kisses his neck.

Caleb nodded his head to Jasmine. “The ring has no meaning, Jasmine. It is the memories that have and hold the meaning. I want you to take that and give it to Brandon because you love him. Give it to him as a symbol of your love. You will always have memories of him in your heart if something happens and you will always hold his heart.

I cannot tell you enough of how sorry I have treated you while you have been here. I pray you forgive me. I know I should not direct my anger at anyone in particular. The goddess does things for a reason even if I cannot understand her intentions.” There was sadness written on Caleb’s face as they talked.

~~

Serena kisses up to Vincent’s lips. She looks into his eyes as she runs her fingers though his hair. “I know it must be a different kind of feeling. I can’t tell you that I know how you feel because I don’t. I have always been in this light and it is normal for me to be called princess. I want you to know that no matter what happens I will always be there for you. I will always be there to hold your hand and to tell you everything will be alright” She kissed his lips lovingly before sitting up slightly.

Jasmine could not help herself. She goes over and hugs him. "All of that is water under the bridge. I am glad I came out. I think it helped both of us. Uncle Caleb, thank you for everything. Now I really cannot wait for you guys to visit us. I would not have blamed you for hating me at all."

~~~~~

Vincent brings his hands up and down her sides. "I know you will be there. It will not be easy to go from commoner to Prince. I cannot wait to meet that and any other challenge with you at my side." His hands stop under her chest.

Caleb hugged Jasmine. For a moment he felt awkward, but here this young woman was accepting even after he had admitted to her that he hated her because of her name and he had been sorry for it. He wiped his eyes and tried to hide it from her. “People can change, Jasmine. I am thankful you gave this middle aged man a chance. Thank you for showing me how to improve my bow skills. It will do me wonders when I go hunting.”

~~

Serena looks at Vincent with much love in her eyes. She was about to lean down and kiss him when her stomach growled at her. She started to laugh. “I am sorry Vincent; I think my stomach is ruining the moment. Just know that I will be here for you and that we can face all obstacles together. There is nothing we can’t do together.”

"I know that people can change. I only wish I could shoot with you." Jasmine looks at the bow longingly. "I hope I will be able to use my crossbow soon."

A bell begins to ring. "Sounds like dinner is ready, we better get washed up. Thank you for the ring. It is perfect for Brandon."

~~~~~~~

Vincent laughs. "Don't worry we have plenty of time. Do we really have to leave tomorrow?" Vincent waits until Serena is off of him before taking out the meal the maid packed. "I love being out here with you."

Caleb walks over and gets his arrows. He then walks over to Jasmine. “I bet you will be a fine crossbow user.” He said with a smile. “You are welcome Jasmine. I hope that you can give it to him soon. You will know when the time is right.” He said as they walked into the house for dinner.

“Did you learn anything Caleb? Or did she beat you with the stick?” George asked as he sat down at the table.

“How are you Jasmine?” Brandon asked. He had been nervous for her all afternoon.

~~

“Sadly we do have to leave tomorrow, though it will be fun to come back for a vacation again. We can come anytime.” Serena said as they begin to set out the meal. She takes a bite of the sandwich and smiled. “I love pulled pork sandwiches. I can’t wait to go home and get settled into our new life together. I still can’t believe I get to sleep beside of you every night.”

Jasmine laughs. "We are both alive and well, but I need to wash up before we eat." She goes over and kisses Brandon. "I will be right back."

"Well she seems to be in good spirits, and you seem to be alright as well. So is she a good teacher?" George asks.

Jasmine stops in her room first to hide the box in her bag. Then she goes into the bathroom. She hears the door behind her. "I am fine Brandon. I really miss archery though.

~~~~~~~~

"Not only that, but we get to start out lives in a new house." Vincent takes a bite. "Our cook is good, but Nathaniel is still better. I cannot wait to hold you in my arms and not worry about being caught by your father."

Caleb nodded his head. "She is a great instructor. I only wish I could have seen her use that bow. I bet she was better then her old man." He said.

Brandon had followed Jasmine upstairs. "I just wanted to check on you. I was worried that something would go wrong." Brandon said. "You look happy, I take it that you and Uncle Caleb are going to be fine?"

~~

Serena laughs at Vincent. "I think that will be the best reason to go home. I can hug and kiss you and let you hold me and him not get mad at either one of us." She said with a smile.