The City of the Broken (Prince of the Broken) by Ceri Beynon Page B

it’s the shortest I’ prepared go. I can be a cheerleader with modesty” I say and he laughs. I search through the rails and come across a pretty top that’s sparkly and black.
    “ Perfect”!
    I think I ’ll pass as a cheerleader. I only hope the Kings secretary doesn’t recognize me from before.
    “ Shouldn’t I wear make-up as well? She’s used to seeing me looking natural. After all Calix she is bound to pay attention to me, just because I’m with you. She’ll think we’re dating and wonder what happened to me, you know the real me ,what with you being seen with another girl so soon”.
    We pop into a chemist, which is old fashioned and quaint with bottles of aromatherapy liquids everywhere. I choose a plum lip gloss which is cheerleader-esq, while at the same time retaining a little of myself.
    “ This will do. Please try to keep her away from me though Calix”
    “ I will Seren, I promise. You really look different, but I don’t know if she’ll fall for it. Besides, even if she doesn’t, she wont with absolute certainty be able to tell father you were here. I’ll just deny it saying I brought a cheerleader”.
    “ Okay, Calix, we’ll do it. I cant wait to see this”.
    We walk out to hear ‘Welcome to the Black City’ by My Deathly Romance playing in the stadium and hear the vast crowd singing along.
    “ That song could be the anthem of this city” I enthuse.
    “ True” he agrees.
    “ Its one of my all time favourite songs” I shout.
    “ Mine too. Come on Seren, this is it, the event to be at. I’m so glad you’re here. You’re making this moment perfect for me, even though you don’t look like yourself” he says and we both giggle.
    We go backstage. Calix is obviously a V.I.P, not simply because he’s royalty but also because he’s contributing to the game as well.
    “ We’ll go and meet some of the stars of the sport”.
    “ The stars? I don’t even know who they are. I’m sure it would mean a lot to some people Calix, but I’m afraid that it wont to me. For all I know they could be any old players”.
    “ Shh…don’t say that and actually Seren, I would like to meet them. I’ve met most of them before, some are pals but they have a couple of new players who I’d like to be acquainted with, even if its just for the sake of duty”
    Calix can be my perfect date, a romantic hero but whatever time it is, he really does seem dedicated to his royal duties. His father ’s probably drummed it in. We walk into their changing room and the boys are all kitted out in black shorts with black sport shirts. Each shirt is emblazoned with a silver ‘EB’. They look so fierce and determined, a team ready to win.
    “ Hey Prince Calix, great to see you again” the most striking (in terms of looks and charisma) team member steps forward and greets Calix with a special handshake. They must know each other better than I thought.
    “ Seren, this is Frederic Forefront” Calix introduces me to the one man that could rival him in looks, although I get the feeling Frederic Forefront is more arrogant and rebellious than Calix, so not my type anyway.
    “ Pleasure to meet you” he says gazing me fixedly in the eye. This is not a man to be messed with.
    “ Our team are just getting prepared for the game. Its very much a mental thing. Our physique and stamina are what we work on all year round after all”. He has an interesting speaking voice. It sounds foreign, although his English is perfect, better than that of most English natives. I wonder if he was recruited for being broken. He looks focused and extremely disciplined but I still get the feeling of  a dark secret lurking somewhere underneath. It would appear that the whole team are in awe of Freddie. Every word he speaks they listen intently, obeying him as one would an army general or commander in chief.
    “ Well, you really go for it tonight, give it all you got. I’m backing you one hundred per cent, but don’t tell the other