Access Denied

Syrana made a huge deal about the meeting that Myranda didn't even want to go to. As her sister brushed out the back of her hair, the younger sat resigned to her fate.

She still complained regardless. "Why do you want this so bad? You're already up at the top rungs. It's not like he'd ever take me as his actual princess or mate. He'd probably just make me a concubine or something...or worse..."

"Myri, I am going to smack you with the back of my hand in a second. You don't even know him. He seems really sweet - and that letter was just - wow." Syrana swooned. "Plus, you're being a bit of a judgmental asshole." Syrana followed up with confidence since Syri's ears were not in range.

Silas had finally come to collect their daughter earlier, and was not interested in their gossip. In fact, he looked really disgusted at the news, but Syrana didn't seem to notice.

"Uhg. It's called a front, an act, a fake, a facade. There is no way someone who came from the two worst rulers we've ever had is actually a good person. I don't believe it, and if I don't come back it is NOT because I ran off with him. I'll probably be in the palace dungeons or something," Myranda muttered.

"If he thinks he can charm me, he's got another Goddess-damned thing coming," she added under her breath.

"Stop it, Myranda. Just stop. If you say one more negative thing, I will make your mouth regret it."

The younger sibling grunted and muttered something under her breath as her sister made her hair shiny and smooth.

"Ow - shit! That hurt - why did you tug so hard!?" Myranda let out in anguish.

"...Is...is this egg? How did you get egg in your hair?" Syrana asked with surprised shock.

"Look, it was a long night. I stayed up pretty late making those pastries, and letting dough set and chill. I may have gone to bed without taking a shower last night...." Myranda confessed and looked as far away from her sister as she could, but that did nothing to protect her from the soft bonk that Syranna gave her head with the brush in her hand.

"Ow! Fuck! Syra...that hurt!" Myranda cried out in pain and immediately began to rub the sore spot.

"Ack - don't mess up my hard work," Syrana hissed and swatted at Myranda's hand.

"Then don't hit me on the fucking head!" Myranda returned and winced when her sister went back to brush the imperfections out of her long hair some more.

"Whatever - don't be a little brat then," the elder sister teased and didn't give her younger a chance to reply as she rolled into her next words. "Jyriah and Silas got together and made a plan to get you out of the sector tonight. It's also to make sure you get there. I'm not letting you chicken out this time. As stubborn as you can be, you're about to make the biggest mistake of your life."

"I think we can agree no one should judge a book by it's cover, and what are you doing right now? Judging; because you're too hard-headed to be able to see your own silliness. I love that you're headstrong, Myranda - but I don't like when it leads you into more trouble than you should be in because that head gets stuck up your ass. Just go meet him, please please please. You should have seen your and his face when he handed you that plate. It was magic," Syrana spoke-out like a love-sick princess.

"Stooop, oh my Goddess, ew - no - it was just - uhg, shut up" Myranda groaned and hid her face into her palms to hide her cheeks. The last thing she wanted to admit was that her sister was right, so instead she ignored her words and just kept trying to believe it was a mistake.

It had to be, right?

...Right?...

Myranda just sat in contemplation for as long as she had been able, until her big brother walked into the door and greeted them all with his jovial attitude. He practically skipped into the entrance with the face of a happy child.

"You look really nice, little sis," Jyriah said with a proud smile.

"Don't" Myranda replied curtly.

"Haha, you're still stubborn and cute, and just because you asked me not to, I'm gonna tease you harder," the eldest of the siblings pressed on with a giant grin.

He too had inherited the beauty of their mother, but the white-blue eyes of their father. He was also much taller than Myranda by at least two feet. His hair was mostly burgundy like Syrana's was, but it had stark black and gold highlights, and it was short and styled to accommodate his slim face. When they were young, all the girls chased him, but he had never reciprocated.

It must have been a relief for him to finally have found someone, especially while he served as a soldier. Myranda truly was happy for her siblings, but right now she was so miserable about her situation that all she could feel right now was envy.

Jyriah shook his head at her expression and chided her immediately. "Myri, I heard you were upset, but this is a bit too far. All you've complained about for years is that you were mate-less and had nowhere to go and nothing to do. Now you have a mate, a direction, and think about all the stuff you could do at the side of the new Alpha King. Please, just... try... You've got the Prince all wrong. He really is a good wolf. Do you really think that I or our sister would try this hard to get you to just talk to him if he wasn't perfect for you?" Jyriah prodded with his words, and this time with his finger as he poked her in the arm.

"Oh my goddess, this is embarrassing..." she muttered under her breath.

"Nah," Jyriah denied playfully.

"I'll be here, so don't you even think about trying to sneak back," Syrana revealed and finished up with her hair, and then quickly added, "--and don't let her talk you out of it either, Jyriah."

"Me?" He looked wounded and in his usual overly-dramatic fashion, pouted. "I would never."

"You have, you would, and you absolutely could." She denied his expression and waved him off.

"Yeah, yeah - not this time. I promise. Someone has a date with destiny," the eldest sibling joked and tugged at Myranda's wrist to lead her towards the tunnels that led up to the upper levels.

"Be on your best behavior!" Syrana called after them as loudly as she could before the front doors shut.

The youngest of the pack had never been to the upper caves before. You couldn't go up unless you were accepted, married, wanted, or assigned to a stronger clan in the higher echelons of society.

Even though Myranda was with her brother, she was still terrified to go up there. He could see her hesitate, and put a hand to her shoulder to comfort her.

"It's alright - you won't get in trouble. You're with me, and you've specifically been asked for. I'd love to see the punishment of the person who defies Metas' orders," Jyriah hugged his little sister to his side and guided her further upwards.

"...I really, really don't like the fact he called for me. I mean, who does he think he is? - and don't answer that..." Myranda complained softly. Nothing her brother had said sank in to her very hard, very concrete head.

"Well, Myri - I think we know who he is, but if you need to go back to school..." he trailed off, and then let out an 'ack' as she softly elbowed him in the side.

"You are the worst ever. I'm going to tell Joss to be really mean to you, and then we're gonna play pranks on you....and...I'll make him my best friend ever and you'll regret everything ever, mister," Myranda said playfully and returned all the pokes in the shoulder he gave her right back into his side.

He in turn started to laugh and have a playful spat with his sibling as they rounded up the stairs.

"Ahem."

Jyriah straightened up at the sound and turned his head up to see who had addressed him.

It was General Harbinger. So named for the death he often brought on the battlefield in his charge. He was a no-nonsense wolf, and unlike most of their Lycan kind, he preferred to walk as a half-wolf, and half-human at all times.

It took a lot of self control for one to be able to do such a thing, but the way Harbinger walked around easily - he made it look effortless.

Jyriah saluted his superior and began to explain immediately. "Sir, I'm escorting this serving merchant up towards the front garden as asked by th-"

"I know what you are doing, and so do the King and Queen. If you were smart - which I suspect you aren't, you'd march her back down to the tunnels where she belongs, and don't show your face around me for at least a week," Harbinger barked.

He was rather large, and his white silver-like hair was slick and intimidating as it looked sharp and ragged like he had just been rolling around in wet snow.

"The prince himself asked me, what should I tell him sir?" Jyriah said with a straight, respectful face. He was terrified from what Myranda could see.

"I'll deliver the news myself. Turn her around and don't let her out of the shop. Merchants are not eligible for royalty," Harbinger slowly turned his brow eyes towards Myranda and sneered. "The Alpha and Luna have directed us to arrest you and give your position to someone else should you even dream about coming above your level again."

Jyriah leaned forward gently in a respectful bow, and then saluted his superior. "Sir, yes sir. I will escort the civilian back to her home, sir."

"Good...and don't be foolish enough for me to not smell you siblings. The stench of you tunnel dwellers is overwhelming. Now get out of my sight before I feel like punishing you," the General growled at Myranda specifically and sneered at her appearance.

"Ugly wasn't the right word... Goddess damned hideous is better," he said as if he dared her to say a word back.

"Good observation, sir" Jyriah said between gritted teeth and pulled his sister back down the stairs before her mouth got her into more trouble than she was already in.