Max's POV

When I was 6 years old my mother and baby sister Ella were killed.

Well there was no proof they were killed, but it was an unspoken agreement that they had been. One night they had just simply disappeared.

Their carriage had been found by lake Malice, they're horses were gone, their belongings were still there untouched, but no sign on my mother and Ella. But everyone knew what had happened. No one goes near Lake Malice and comes back the same.

Lake Malice is where most magic practiser's lived, but all the ones that lived there were the ones who practiced dark, black magic.

As a six year old people assumed I didn't remember much of them, but they're wrong. It still feels like only yesterday my mother was reading me to sleep with baby Ella curled up next to me.

By the time I was 9 I was finally going back to normal and not grieving anymore but then my father decided to get remarried. I guess he thought I'd be best for me to have another woman in the house, which I can understand what he means by that. Even as a young child I refused to wear corsets and get all dressed up for pointless day to day activities.

The woman he married went by the name of Marian Janssen. As if having a new step-mother wasn't bad enough she came with two daughters my age, Lissa and Brigid. With the devil's flowing red hair they both make my life hell.

Marian was as bad as they come. She seemed so sweet and kind to everyone, but I knew the truth. She was horrid to me; she would yell at me, force me to do things for her like a slave and now and then when she was a bad mood she would hit me.

As a kid there wasn't really much I could do about it and my father never believed me so I just gave up.

I knew she didn't love my father and only married him for our family was well off, we weren't rich but we had it pretty easy. I hoped one day she would slip up and everyone including my father would see her for what she really was. But the opposite happened.

When I was 11 I was wandering the fields behind our house with Iggy and Draco. Iggy and Draco had been my only two friends for years.

Draco was technically my cousin on my mum's side, but really he was just my best friend. He had black hair that was longish and fell down to his chin, his eyes were sea green and he was a head taller than me.

I can't even remember when Iggy and I met; he just always seemed to be there. He was taller than most people I knew and he was thin and pale with strawberry blonde hair and pale blue eyes.

That day Iggy had fallen over and cut his forehead open and Draco had taken him home. With nothing better to do I had decided to go home early.

As I walked into the kitchen I saw the knife come down. My hand flew over my mouth to stop myself screaming as it plunged into my father's back.

I had never seen so much blood before; it just seemed to never stop flowing from him. The blood finally stopped flowing and I think it was because there was none left in the body.

Marian wiped the knife clean and put it back in the knife draw.

That day I had seen my step-mother kill my father.

No one ever found out how my father was murdered, but I knew the truth.

Marian and her two daughters inherited everything, the house, the money, and much to their dismay, me.

Ever since that day I knew I was no longer safe. I had never spoken of what I had seen in case she found out I knew and then I would be next. Ever since then I had literally became the slave of the house.

I awoke with my heart beating so fast I thought it was trying to escape from my chest. Ever since I had seen my father murdered my dreams replayed it over and over again every night.

I picked myself off the blankets on the cold floor. For 6 years I've been sleeping on the floor in the basement, I was a slave to my own house.

"Max!" I hear Marian scream at me from upstairs.

I sighed and stretched then got to my feet and headed up there.

"Yes?" I mumbled.

"I spilled the coal" Lissa pouted and I saw the coal bucket had been tipped over in her attempts to move it.

"You really are useless aren't you?" I sighed and her mouth swung open.

"She was doing your job you ungrateful swine" Marian yelled, throwing her wooden spoon at me which I neatly dodged.

I sighed again and got ready to start another day in hell.

Fang's POV

"But father, this tradition is barbaric" I exclaimed.

"I know Fang, but it's the way things have always been" my father told me for the millionth time.

"Well I think it's time to make a change" I told him and he sighed.

"You know that's not possible" he told me again.

"But one of us will be king, we can make it possible" Dylan added.

"Son, just because your king doesn't make you the most powerful force out there. We are but pawns to the greater powers" he told us, his eyes showing pain beyond what we could ever know. Dylan looked at me sadly and I returned the look.

All of a sudden the doors slammed open and I sighed. Arianna.

"How dare you send servants to follow me!" Arianna yelled at our father.

"Arianna" Father sighed and her face was going slightly red.

"I simply wanted to make sure your safe" Father said and I rolled my eyes.

"That's a lie and you know it! You just want to make sure I'm not doing something that would disgrace this family!" She yelled and we knew she was right.

"Arianna when are you going to grow up and realize that no matter what you do, you are still apart of this family and nothing is going to change that" he told her.

"I am not just some child you can control anymore" she said turned to leave.

"Why can't you be more like your sister?" he sighed and she froze.

"I am not Riley Anne. Unlike her, I will not follow your stupid rules. One day I will marry for love, not power, riches, or some stupid curse" she hissed then continued to storm away.

"Can't you talk to her?" Father asked me and Dylan.

"Sorry, but what she says is understandable" I said and Dylan nodded.

Arianna was my younger sister, at 16 she was the most rebellious, stubbornest and had the most will power than anyone I knew. Riley Anne was my older sister. She was 22 and at the moment she was near engagement and being courted by the cocky, vain Prince Lucian.

Then there was me and Dylan, we were twins and therefore both aged 17. Dylan had the golden looks were I had the darker looks.

I love Dylan with all my heart, but I wish I was an only child.

We were both princes near the same age, and with that came a price. It was traditional for when all males of the family were 18 they would hold a ball and pick out one bride. Then, they would fight to the death until only one male was left and he got the girl and the kingdom.

When our father turned 18 he had to kill his 4 older brothers, still today he was traumatized by it.

And this time next week was Dylan and I's 18 birthday.