Jeremiah knew that he wasnât liked among his people. He knew that most of them loathed him because they believed the rumors that he was not actually the son of the King. It broke his heart (as well as his motherâs heart) that people honestly believed that one of the most beloved royal couples in generations had any sort of extramarital affairs. Jer saw nothing but love between his parents and saw how devastated his mother was when they lost his father and his sister in battle.
Jer never saw himself ascending to the throne. Not only was he too young, but he was never polished the way his sister was. Ava was groomed from the time she could walk to be the perfect princess. Jer had so many more freedoms. Then his powers manifested. It came as a complete shock to everyone in the immediate family as magic hadnât been seen in his bloodline for generations. Never once did his father question his mother when she said that Jer was his son. He had that much faith in his wife.
They tried to hide his powers, hoping that they would disappear without proper tending. Of course, that only made things worse. When Jeremiah would feel any emotion strongly, his magic would manifest. He needed to learn control. Â
It took him the better part of three years to get used to controlling his magic, then another five to learn how to use it properly. The elder mages claimed that they never saw such raw power in a young mage in their lives. Because of that, Jeremiah needed an anchor. His mother suggested Ty and once she explained her reasoning to Jer, he accepted her decision. Â
Honestly, if it wasnât for the love he had for his parents, Jeremiah would have easily given up his throne to another. He didnât want to lead, he wasnât ready nor was he trained to lead, and there was still a war going on. Â
As Ty rounded on him, Jeremiah took a step back.  âYou have to stay with me,â he replied, hating the way that Ty spoke to him.  âThatâs how an anchor works, Ty. Also, that is no way to speak to your future King.â He wanted to sound more powerful than he did. Jer simply didnât have the personality nor the charisma like his father and sister did.
They had been friends once. A few years separated them, but there were only so many children of noble blood so those years hadnât gotten in the way of friendship simply because there werenât that many options. And admittedly because theyâd clicked fairly well. Which had made Jeremiah pulling away and dropping him for no apparent reason all the more hurtful. It was part of what made Ty so angry. Not only had he lost control over his life, but it was to someone that he already held hard feelings for.
Heâd had his own place, a gorgeous apartment with a view of the bay. All his own. Now, though living in the palace, he apparently wouldnât even have the privacy of his own sleeping quarters. The indignity of that made his anger over the loss of his planned future spill over and Jeremiah was a convenient target.
âFuck that,â he growled.  âI may have let them bind us for the good of the fucking kingdom, but they didnât say anything about also giving up my privacy. And youâre not King yet, Princeling,â he said with as a sneer.  âSo Iâll talk how I want to. Why isnât the room next door enough? And whereâŠif weâre sharing your suite is the second bed?â