in the name of peace

Kiera and Helios chose to accompany their King to the first official discussion towards continuing the Golden Rose Treaty. They stood on either side of their King as he sat along with the other Kingdoms' ambassadors and Kings.

Kiera was surprised when she saw the Third Prince slip into the meeting, and it seemed like his father was also surprised to see him show his face. The King and the First Prince seemed at a loss when they quickly motioned for one of their servants to bring another chair for the Third Prince to sit with them.

"I apologize for my tardiness." He smiled at them all, eyes lingering on Kiera for a moment before he took his seat next to his older brother.

Throughout the meeting, she tried to ignore his repeated glances her way. She only focused her eyes on the space before her, trying to listen to the discussion as best as she could.

Helios noticed her awkwardness and watched the two with great interest. She had no doubt that he was going to relay the whole situation back to Gaspar as soon as the meeting was over. She could almost see the two of them now, teasing her about her Human lover. She tightly closed her eyes at the mere thought of having to deal with something so troublesome.

When she opened her eyes again, she saw Prince Sam quickly look away from her, pretending as if he hadn't been caught staring.

She wanted to sigh then but held it in. She didn't want her King discovering the current plight she was in as Kiera could only imagine what kind of lectures that would ensue if he took notice. She would already have a hard time once Helios snitched on her to Gaspar.

Kiera's eyes quickly focused on the group as one of the Kings slammed his fist down at the table.

"This is madness! Why would we give a part of our land to Westhold in order to continue the Golden Rose Treaty?"

Westhold's King didn't hold back, pointing one of his many ringed fingers at Exatra's King.

"That land was originally ours!"

"Poppycock, we won that land fair and square during the Sixteen Year War hundreds of years ago!" The two Kingdoms' Kings were locked in a heated battle, neither one refusing to let their voices be drowned out by the other.

King William sighed, massaging his temples as he rested his elbows on top of the grand table.

"I think we should end it here for today. By the look of it, we won't be getting anything done for the rest of the day if we continue going back and forth like this."

King Gerrod nodded his head.

"You're right. Let's end today's discussion here men. We'll take another few days to simmer down a little. In the meantime, please enjoy what our capital has to offer. I can suggest a few of our stores that are of refined taste."

"What do you have in terms of entertainment?" One of the ambassadors asks.

King William rose from the table before King Gerrod could answer him. He bowed his head to the other Kingdom's leaders.

"Do excuse me, gentleman, I'll be leaving first. Please, stay seated." Their Lion Lord smiled as he walked out of the room, Kiera and Helios followed suit behind him.

The next day they agreed to meet to continue the peace talks, they ended the same way as the previous discussion day. Except for this time, Westhold's King had demanded King Gerrod to lower the taxes on any imports from Westhold.

The Solomon First Prince stepped in before his father could shout obscenities at Westhold's King. The Third Prince only sat back in his chair with the usual smile on his face as he watched the scene unfold before him.

Kiera tried to hide her disgust at such a scene. The way the Human Kings approached the discussion was abhorring to her. None of them seemed like they wanted to actually discuss the continuing peace between the Kingdoms. If so, what was the point of all of this?

"My King," Kiera stepped up to King William one day, catching him in the middle of his tea time at his guest quarters. King William nodded at her.

"Yes Kiera?"

"Are all Human Kings like this or just the Human Kings on our continent? They refuse to actually come to a compromise, and they instead try to gain as much as possible without offering the other Kingdoms something in return. Even I could see this is a never-ending cycle if it continues on like this."

Her King nodded his head, his brown mane tied up with a ribbon behind his head. He takes a sip of his tea before he sets it back down.

"You're right Kiera. This does seem like it's going to be a never-ending cycle. But we can only sit back and wait for the three Human Kings to come to an agreement. All we're looking for is the continuation of the Golden Rose Treaty, as our country isn't looking to gain anything. We already have all the land we could ever want, as not many Humans would dare set foot inside of Wolfcyre Forest. To them, the Forest is too wild and uninhabitable."

Kiera mulled over his words. She supposed she could see why the Humans would think their Forest as undesirable. She hoped it stayed that way, as she could imagine the three Kings fighting for a piece of their beautiful homeland. If it came to it, she wouldn't have any qualms about fighting against their Human armies. No other Kingdom's armies would be comparable to the might of their Beast Army.

"Do you have anything else you would like to speak with me about?" The King said with one of his eyes open as he took another sip from his cup.

She furrowed her brow as she looked at him quizzically.

"I don't believe I do. Why?"

"Surely you don't mean to tell me you haven't noticed the Third Prince's infatuation with you?"

She sighed. "Oh, that." Kiera was sure her King hadn't noticed the continuing stares the Prince would occasionally throw her way.

As if reading her thoughts, King William released an undignified snort of laughter from his mouth.

"You really thought I wouldn't notice? Kiera, that man has been staring at you since the very first meeting like some sort of lovesick pup. It's pretty obvious, and I wonder if the other Kings have noticed it too. They'd be fools not to."

Exasperated, she pinched the bridge of her nose.

"There's nothing going on between us. He'll soon lose interest in me if I keep ignoring it."

"Well, I'm not too sure about that," King William shares a secret smile with the brim of his teacup. Then, takes another sip of his tea. "You know, if you wish, I could meet with him to try to get a feel for him, see if he is at all what the rumors say he is. I'll let you know what I find and if he's even worth your time."

Kiara felt her toes curl up in embarrassment inside her boots. She tried her best not to show it on her face.

"You are my King, you can do as you please. Just know that I have no current intentions of finding a Mate, especially a Human one." King William only chuckled at her, looking at her sides to the clenched fists she had.

"Very well then, that's good to hear because I've invited him over for tea. He should, by my calculations, be arriving any second now. I actually thought that was the reason why you suddenly came to find me." A sly smile spread across his lips as he watched Kiera's face morph into one of pure horror.

Kiera's eyes widened before she hurried to escape from the room. She heard her King's laughter behind her as she fled.