Ossendar: Book Two of the Resoration Series Read Free

didn't even want to be a prince of Telur. The king didn't ask me, he told me about all this.”
    The prince seemed less than convinced, but he didn't say anything else because at that moment the king and the rest of the guests showed up.
    “Hello Darion. Hello Flare,” The king said as he approached them. “I see that you two have already met.”
    “Yes,” Darion said, scowling at Flare. “We were just talking.”
    “Good. Flare, let me introduce you to my other children.” The king said as he turned sidewise to point out the people with him.
    Flare spoke to each of the king's children as he was introduced to them, but he was subdued and quiet in his conversation.
    “This is my second son, Aldon,” The king said, pointing to a young man standing off to the side. He looked like his father in the face, but he was more muscular. He had short jet black hair that was already starting to recede. His skin was a dark brown from spending so much time in the sun, and his nose was crooked, apparently from a fight. He appeared to be several years younger than Prince Darion. He also wore a military uniform, although his uniform was of the regular army, and not the guardian uniform like Flare's was.
    “Hello,” was all Flare said, shaking Aldon's hand.
    “It's a pleasure to meet you. I am in awe of what you did at Mul-dune.” Aldon said seemingly sincere. He appeared to be a serious person with little room for jocularity.
    Aldon's words lightened Flare's mood, perhaps the night would not be a total disaster. But then again, the second son had nothing to fear from him. He would not be king regardless of the addition of the new prince.
    The king motioned to another young man standing slightly behind Aldon. “This is my third son Danal.”
    Danal appeared to be about twenty. He had shoulder length brown hair, and a slim build. Compared to his older brothers, Danal was downright skinny. He had a large flat nose and pasty white skin. He reminded Flare of the children he grew up with who spent more time reading a book than running in the sunlight.
    “It's nice to meet you,” Flare said, reaching to shake hands.
    “Yeah, it's nice to meet you too,” Danal said. There was no strength in his handshake. He made eye contact with Flare briefly, and then his eyes shifted to his father and then straight to the floor. If anything, Flare thought that Danal and Aldon were unconcerned about his recent adoption.
    “And this is my youngest son, Barrett.” Barrett was about sixteen or seventeen and he had sandy blond hair. He had a good complexion, and he would have been thought handsome by the young ladies. He was starting to add the muscle that comes with manhood, and he maintained eye contact with Flare the whole time that king Darion was introducing him.
    “Nice to meet you,” Flare said to Barrett as they shook hands.
    “I'm sure,” was the cocky answer that Barrett gave. His manner bothered Flare. He had been around spoiled royal children before, and it had been his experience that they could be trouble.
    “And these three ladies are my daughters. The eldest is Cierra,” the king said as he pointed to a young blond woman. She had dirty blond hair and brown eyes. Her skin was very dark, and she had the hourglass figure that men like.
    “Hello,” Flare said, feeling uncomfortable at the anger in the look that Cierra was giving him. She apparently did not welcome him to the family.
    “My middle daughter is Elizabeth ,” The king said.
    “We've already met,” Flare said. “I was supposed to guard her, but I was reassigned at the last minute.” Those words triggered the memories to come flooding back, when he had been assigned to guard the princess Elizabeth but he had been pulled off of the detail at the last minute. Sergeant Latts had said there were some bad rumors about the king's daughters and that they had ruined the careers of some promising young military men. Sergeant Latts had also said that perhaps the king was