Ever Longing

With a smile of victory plastered on his face, Galliard watched as Tara peeled herself from the castle wall. The young prince disfigured her limbs entirely with the last blast of magic that he sent her way. The impact of it sent her crashing into the wall with a noise so loud even a mortal could hear it from miles away. He watched as the back of her head caved in, and blood painted the wall, with a smugness he was confident he inherited from his brother.

Ashlin stood back, watching him beam with pride. She could not help but be a little pleased. Since the young prince took up magic lessons, he had become stronger and more confident. Tara was no longer worthy enough to be his opponent.

"Is that all you are capable of?" Galliard mocked her the same way she had done to him on many occasions.

Her bones cracked back into place with a sickening sound, and he relished in it. Tara had nothing to say; she could only glare at him from where she was.

"Alright, lessons over," Ashlin called from her corner, looking the girl dead in the eyes. "Do not bother coming tomorrow; we no longer have any use for you."

Her cheeks turned a dark red, embarrassed that she had been unable to defeat the prince for some time now. Not long ago, she considered him useless, and now he could easily crush her beneath his boot. This was something that would leave a bruise on her ego for a long time.

"That was amazing!" Regan exclaimed, running over to him from where she was sitting in the shade so she could watch the battle. "I have never seen anything like it."

The rabbit girl had begged Galliard to let her witness one of his lessons from close up, and since she had free time to herself at the moment, he saw no harm in letting her do so. He quite liked the girl, she was good company, and he could see them becoming fast friends. Since joining the clans, she has opened up a lot more, and in the place of the shy girl he met in the forest was a vibrant ray of sunshine.

He found it odd that she was around him so much but figured Syrin put her up to it as her servant to keep him company. He had felt very lonely since Gabriella went off to marry that prince from the Crystal Empire. Regan might be unable to replace her, but she has kept his mind busy since his sister has been gone.

"I am getting stronger; I can feel it in my veins," he spoke, stretching his arms out in front of him. "This power, it is exhilarating."

"So is watching you fight," A blush painted her cheeks, the words she spoke being an embarrassment to her ears. "If only I could wield magic as skillfully as you."

Over two moons have passed since Regan and her people arrived, their training had been going well, all things considered. The fact that the Rabbitkin had been able to utilize their magics so quickly was a boon. While they were nowhere near the power of the Blessed, nor would they ever be, the magic veins within them would put them above many a mortal. Already some of the fluffle could shatter the stone golem with nought but a kick. Not to mention their command over nature was improving by the day, further strengthening them, Regan herself was becoming rather adept at using thorns as projectiles.

"You can do anything you set your mind to," Galliard tried to comfort her, he always hated seeing anyone upset. "You have become a good fighter for a mortal; you were not nearly as toned when you arrived."

"You noticed?" Regan's eyes widened in wonder, her already racing heart beating a bit faster. She always assumed that he did not pay close attention to her, at least not how she would want him to.

"Of course, I stop by and watch your lessons sometimes as well." Regan blanched as the prince revealed his activities, becoming embarrassed at the thought.

"Where is your familiar?" She asked, trying to get off the subject

She instantly regretted her question as Galliard's face dropped. It had been two months since Atrea gifted him with Kalama, and most of that month, it was not his side where she was constantly attached. Wherever Wrath was, the pup was never far behind; what irritated him the most was that Wrath seemed to enjoy her company. The young prince was not sure if he was angrier at the fact that his familiar preferred Wrath over him or that Wrath would rather spend time with the pup over his own brother.

Galliard turned around and walked away, leaving her behind without so much as a goodbye, Regan sighed. The young girl did not mean to upset him; all she wanted was to get the conversation off of her. But she groaned and found her way back to the room she shared with Monica.

Since they were the personal servants of Lady Wrath they had their own room away from everyone else. As much as she loved her family, she was grateful that she did not have to share a room with every female in her fluffle. When she returned to her room, she leaned against the door and sighed.

"You two do not belong together." Ashlin stepped out of the shadows of the room, making the girl jump

"I-I do not understand." Regan blushed, ashamed that the Amazon noticed her crush on the prince when she thought it was being hidden from everyone quite well

"Do not play coy with me." The older woman snapped, annoyed that she had tried to lie to her. "You are a mere mortal; you do not qualify to be a lover of the Price of Wrath."

The girl flinched at her words, which she has told her multiple times a day since arriving, but she could not help how she felt about him. Thankfully, it did not seem like he had noticed the feelings she harboured towards him.

"Who says mortals and blessed can not be together?" She asked desperately, ultimately dropping the pretence that she did not understand the topic.

Ashlin threw back her head and laughed at the hopelessness that is Regan. She had easily noticed the rabbit girl's fascination with her prince and was sure she was not the only one. The Amazon had decided that she would finally put a stop to it after how obviously she fawned over Galliard that day.

"Do you wish your family to be kicked back from where they took you?" Regan's blood ran cold at what the Amazon asked her, "Instead of focusing on helping the people that saved you, you have spent every spare moment you can find trying to seduce their Prince."

"T-t-they would not, would they?" Her voice trembled as she remembered everything they endured before Gillard so kindly helped them.

"How much would you be willing to risk to find out?"

The Amazon watched as the little hope she had that he would notice her bleed out of her. Ashlin needed to do this, she did not want her lord's relationship with his brother to be affected by him kicking them out after they had made such progress with getting closer these past months. Gailliard would not understand and would only come to hate him again.

"I do not wish to see you around him anymore." She said, stepping back into the shadow and disappearing, leaving only a whisper behind. "If I do, I will have to report this to my master."

Ashlin came out of the deep meditative state that she was in as her spirit returned to her body. As she opened her eyes, the room that she was in started to come into focus. Lady Wrath and Lady Lust were still playing a game of hierguard in the same spot she had left them in.

"Nice of you to rejoin us." Lady Lust spoke without looking up as she felt her presence return to the room. "I hope you did not scare the girl."

"Just a warning," Ashlin responded to her master's mentor, not even bothering to ask how she knew what she was doing.

"She must be devastated," Syrin said as she moved one of her pieces with her mind, the small soldier taking the head of his foe.

"We are the nobles of the clans; we do not marry for love but for power." Lady Lust scuffed at the notion. "It would do her no good thinking she would ever be able to be with him."

"As a bed warmer, maybe," Syrins eyes calculating as she gazes at the older lady in front of her waiting for her to make her move. "But Wrath would never allow her to sully his bloodline by letting him breed with a beast blood."

"I doubt Galliard would be one to bed someone just for fun." Lady Lust stated, taking her turn.

"He is a bit of a dreamer..." Lady Lust and Syrin both scoff at the Amazon's words. "That will do him no good in this life."

"However, It is interesting to see," Syrin leaned back in her chair and folded her arms. "By his age, most clan members are drained of all wonder, yet here he is, ever the beacon of Xal."

The other two ladies in the room stay silent; even though Ashlin grew up in a different place, her raising was similar to those of the thousand. She began training at a young age and killed her first man by eleven moon cycles. As for Lady Lust, no one knows of her upbringing, and she never talks about it, but fighting skills like hers did not come from a childhood spent relaxing and making friends.

"He can only keep that innocence for so long." Syrin's eyes held an inkling of pity for the future she could gander he would have to suffer through. "I would like for him to enjoy it while it lasts."