The Cruel Prince's Wrath

Chapter 3

King Neron looked at the sorrowful and equally scared faces of his family and the dragon warriors he chose to sit in on this meeting. He knew what he had just said was extreme, but he also knew he would not survive the next battle and he needed a successor his fear leaving the throne in contest, although Iefyr refused to accept it, others might support him and push him to take the throne. Velkin had shown good judgment and a strong leadership but he was still so young and Iefyr had a very level head. He always had a feeling about Iefyr growing into a strong man, even as a child he had proven to be resilient.

“Father, I have too much on my mind to even consider ruling a kingdom so if you’ll excuse me-“ Iefyr went to stand and Neron slammed his hand hard onto the table.

“Sit down!” he growled and Iefyr obeyed.

“I’m worried about your brother too but if he has gone back to Cauladra there is nothing we can do for him!” he hissed.

“You worry for him and yet you speak of killing him?” Iefyr asked.

“I told you he is as dangerous as his mother if not more so, that blue fire, he has ice and spirit powers! I’m only glad I told General Hoka not to train him too much in the use of his fire, he knows some of what he can do with it, but I held back some of the other skills on purpose,”

“You were always suspicious of him, weren’t you?”

“It seems I had a right to be, doesn’t it?” Neron growled.

“Ievos is angry and hurt, I know him and the way he deals with that is to push people away, people he needs the most he pushes us away! He is self-destructive like that and so it does make sense he would have gone back to her, but I do not believe he would fight us. I do not believe he would do anything to bring us down!”

“Do you think he might… return to us if he has a chance?” Tanith asked.

“I do, if he knows we would accept him then I believe he would come back to us but since we have no idea where Cauladra has gone or if she will be coming back here then I do not know when we would get a chance. He always reacts in the extreme and he likely thinks he cannot go back on his decision now but if we give him the option to, then I believe he would take it.”

“I hope so,” Tanith muttered.

“Can we take this matter of kingship to the elders, king Neron?” Inar asked, “to avoid the trials and settle the dispute?”

“I still don’t understand why it cannot be as easy as I don’t want it, Velkin does?” Iefyr grumbled.

“Me neither,” Velkin said. Neron rubbed his eyes and sighed. “Why are you so opposed to me being king? Do you have just as little faith in me as you did Ievos?” Velkin burst. “I have earned this!  I sacrificed my bond mate for trying to kill me, and i had rejected her simply because she would not have been a good queen for our kingdom! Her words poisoned me and twisted me! I did love her! I had the bond severed which was not an easy experience to go through. What more can I do to prove my worth as a king?”

“That settles it, then, I refuse it and you can punish me if you like. Velkin would make a fine king, I do not want it.” Iefyr stood and this time he ignored his father calling for his return, Tolanda was hurrying after him and they let the large doors slam behind them. Tolanda gripped onto Iefyr’s arm as they made their way into the city to find somewhere to eat instead of worrying about politics. By the time they found somewhere it was clear Iefyr was still angry. They were both concerned for Ievos.

“I can’t believe my father just then,” he said as they sat.

“I know… I won’t let him kill Ievos,” she replied.

“You are just a human and a healer, it will be down to me but I cannot let it happen either,”

“I still hate myself and the elders and anyone who could have prevented that from happening, hurting him so badly he goes back to that woman,”

“I dread to think of it,” Iefyr said.

                                                                                        ~~

Ievos laughed with some of the elven warriors as they shared in drinks they were begging him for more stories of his time at the dragon kingdom. They had found an abandoned castle, somewhat derelict but they were all camped up here within the walls and any remaining hunters would bring food and fetch water. Others ventured to towns and cities for other supplies such as luxuries of which Ievos consumed with a group right now. He glugged more wine and then sat forwards. His sister Tyria was by his side and Dakin sat glaring at him from a distance, blatant dislike for the prince and he stood with the Queen who also glared over at her elven lapping up tales of dragons.

“Alright, there was this one dragon, his name was Inar, he was a great warrior and he looked out for me on our journey to the dragon kingdom when I was sick. He was strong and he was tough, but he had the softest heart, what a sight to see a giant cry!” he said, and they laughed, “he liked to think of himself as a father figure to me, he tried to offer me counsel on some occasions, but my own parents were useless why would I want a substitute as well?” at these words Cauladra stepped in.

“Ievos!” she barked, and all silenced any laughter, and the air grew thick around them. Ievos looked up at her from his relaxed position on a lounging chair they had recovered from this old castle, a defiant grin on his face. “A word!” she hissed.

“Uh oh, looks like I’m in trouble with the queen,” Ievos said to his friends as he put down his wine and stood to leave. One elf laughed at his taunting remark but regretted it when the queen’s cold eyes fell to her.

“You think he’s funny?” Cauladra asked and conjured her ice but Ievos took her by the arm pulling her around and he conjured fire in his hand.

“You hurt my friends and you’ll regret it, I’m just waiting for a chance,”

“And here I thought you would be obedient in your return; you were like a broken and lost pup. Heart shattered by that stupid human witch, I thought you would simply do my bidding,”

“I am over it now, that pain is gone replaced by an empty void just like before.” he said and then looked to see one of his old friends Kelanrir, the elf who had propositioned he and Ievos both join in raping Tolanda back in Laseron’Dir. He smiled. “Excuse me,” he said to his mother.

“Kelanrir! My good friend! I have yet to see you upon my return!” he called and walked to him with open arms and Kelanrir proceeded with a smile and as they met Ievos’ expression went cold and instead of embracing his friend, he thrust his hand inside his chest, using spirit magic he tore out Kelanrir’s heart and tossed it aside. Kelanrir gasped and took a moment to realise what had happened before he crumpled to the floor. Ievos turned back to his new friends scrunching his face. “I didn’t really like him,” he said and left the room of this castle to get some air. Truth was he was nowhere near over the pain of Tolanda’s betrayal. It festered inside his soul like a disease would the body. His mind clouded with darkness and he pulled out a small pipe having asked one of the elves running to the towns to retrieve something he could smoke. He did not care what it was or what effect it had just as long as it offered some relief. He stood in a courtyard, overgrown from its years of neglect. Tyria joined him and stood at his side.

“It is good to have the chance to get to know my little brother, but we have not had much chance to speak since you joined us,” she said. “I was pleased to see you, hoping for some… mother is insane,” she muttered.

“Yes, she is, and I don’t think I am much better so if you were looking for some comfort in your brother that will not happen. I cannot believe my sister was a w***e, it’s disgusting,” he barked.”

“It was forced upon me! Big fat stinking humans on top of me, it was disgusting, and I hated every moment of it! Imagine how many years I was working like that? Only sometimes would a customer be bearable, occasionally even pleasant, and even more occasionally handsome but I was still forced into sleeping with all these men, none of them, not the charming ones, not the pleasant ones and not the handsome ones, none of them were ever there to rescue me from that life… not even you.” She replied.

“I don’t rescue people, I am no hero,” he said and then heard a cry coming from inside the castle and looked to see his elven friend who had laughed and had insulted Cauladra in doing so had fallen to the ground dead. Cauladra looked satisfied. He rushed in and checked his friend then looked at his mother in anger.

“What did you do?” he growled.

“She just dropped dead,” one elf said.

“I didn’t see a thing, my prince,” another said. Ievos glared at his mother, he knew she had done something; perhaps a new technique she had learned.