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Book:Bullied by Navy Triplet Stepbrothers Published:2024-7-13

Mia
It was a wonder how relationships can change actions. When we were coming here for the first time to look for Albert, we had been stopped by the border guards, drilled so much that we had to wonder if we were coming to steal from them or to get back what had been stolen from us.
Now, it was different. The guards were there but it seemed like they had been waiting to welcome and usher us into the land. They smiled and bowed the moment they saw us, fussing all over us that it was uncomfortable.
One of them reached for the bag in Quinn’s hands and it took his quick reflexes to keep him from getting it. He didn’t have to do that. We were fine on our own and could carry our luggage ourselves. It was just one bag that all our stuff was in and that wasn’t too much of another. Moreover, we were both supernatural beings. Why did they have to pick up after us as if we were tired?
“You are welcome back, sirs and Miss.” One of the guards said, with a slight bow.
I noticed that there were six men at the border instead of two as we had seen on that day. “I thought you always used to be two here.” I asked.
Even when we were still locked up in prison, I had heard the other inmates boast of how peaceful the land was and one guard could have stayed at the border and nothing would have happened to him. He had said that they were two so they could keep each other’s company and not be bored. He had then gone to lament how the king was the problem in a land that had never known anything else but peace.
It was a sad sight that the internal trouble they faced which was the king had been resolved and instead of them knowing peace as they had always wanted, they had to deal with the external trouble that they had never bargained for. I felt pity for them.
“Yes, Miss.” The guards smiled at me. “We were always two but the number had to be increased when men suddenly started getting missing and coming back injured. We had to be more vigilant at the border to check if whoever strange person was coming to the land. Moreover, ever since you sent that letter that you would be coming, the king increased the number today too so two of us can escort you while the others stay behind to keep on watching the border.”
I sighed. This was serious. This was more serious than I thought.
John shook his head slightly at the guard. “You don’t have to escort us into the land, we know our way to the palace. I believe you should all be here guarding the border since you say it’s a serious thing you have been facing here. You don’t have to waste manpower on us. We are strong enough to fight off anything that jumps at us on our way to the palace. I’m sure you know that too.” He ended his words, smiling at him.
John’s smile was bright and his words comforting that I was stunned. The guard, though, didn’t care and he wasn’t moved at all. I scowled at him. He was more stone than human. He gave John a polite smile, bowed and insisted that he had to carry out his orders.
“I’m sorry, sir. I understand you but this is not about what I know or understand, this is the king’s orders and I have to do it just as he had asked me.”
“What if one man escorts us?” Quinn asked. “I can tell the king when we get to the palace that I made you not have one man to escort us.”
“The king already gave his orders, sir.” The guards insisted.
Quinn sighed, seeing that the man wasn’t going to bend at all. He grumbled. “You can do as you please. We are already wasting too much time here.”
I smiled to myself, knowing why the boys didn’t want anyone to follow us. It was all because they needed their privacy.
The guard smiled and bowed to them. “Noted, sir. Sephtha and I will be escorting you.”
The walk to the palace was stiff with silence as we had suspected it would be. The guard we had been talking with took the rear end while Sephtha took the front and we walked in the middle like a bunch of distinguished folks. I found it uncomfortable and would have called them dramatic if I hadn’t known that they were vampires of immense strength and wouldn’t have had to be this scared if there was no reason for it.
We got to the palace. The guards bowed and departed, leaving us to get into the palace ourselves. He shouldn’t have walked us then into the land when he knew that he wouldn’t walk us into the palace to show the king that he had followed his orders.
I smiled at his retreating figure. He was a stickler for orders. He didn’t do it to have the king commend him for doing well but to ease his conscience that he had done what he had been asked to do.
I almost respected him at that moment if he hadn’t been too stubborn when we were trying to tell him to let us go by himself. He had made the walk the most boring one I had ever had.
“Good evening, your highness.” We greeted and bowed as we went into the palace.
“Welcome, my friends.” Ethan grinned at us.
It was evident that the king had been waiting for us. I could see preparations that made it impossible to doubt that we were truly welcome.
He had assigned the guards who would escort us to the palace and to make us comfortable, he didn’t have his court men in attendance today even though we all knew that they always had their first meeting of the day at this time.
The only people present in the room that we met were the king himself, his queen and his best friend who was the general of the army.
I guessed that was all we needed to meet. After all, they were the most important people in the clan and the ones who made the decision.
“We rushed here as soon as we read the letter. How is everything now? What are the travails you have been dealing with?” Jack asked.
Ethan chuckled. “I would be a bad host and not worthy of being king if I started to bore you with details the moment you arrive. Let’s talk after we have had dinner.”
Quinn chuckled. “I don’t think I’m going to be able to relax to eat with the curiosity burning in me. Is it going to be a short dinner?”
Ethan chuckled. “So we can get to business immediately. No, sir. It’s not going to be a short dinner. Learn to relax and be patient, my friend.”
“Hear that, Quinn.” Jack teased him. “The one who had called us here told us to be patient. Why do you want to worry yourself?”
Quinn sighed. “I’m sorry, your highness. It’s just that I couldn’t help being worried when I got the letter. We all are.”
Ethan’s eyes filled with warmth and his gaze softened as he looked at us. “I appreciate your concerns but we have to eat first. Don’t worry about not having an appetite. I’m sure you will change your mind when we get to the table. I had the chefs prepare the best recipe they had and I’m sure they would have been done by now.”
“If you say so, your highness.” Quinn grinned.
“I know so, friend.” He got down from the throne, helping Ava down from hers as well as he held her name. “Shall we?” He asked, walking towards where we were, already standing. Rudolph moved behind the royal family, his stance as rigid and protective as I have always known him.
Ava broke free from Ethan’s hold as soon as they got to me and pulled me into an embrace.
“I missed you, girl.” She said.
I grinned, wrapping my hands around her. “I missed you too.” I replied and smiled because I truly did.
We looked at each other and giggled, covering our mouths with our hands as we did.
The men looked at us, shook their heads and chuckled.