Differences in Perspective

Prince Pharon watched his brother talk to the ugly cow that High Lord Volanti had named a participant from across the the lawn.

Secretly, Pharon thought the High Lord must have been drunk when he named her his participant. Either that or she'd lied to him as well. Or maybe, it was a case of blackmail. Who knew and what did it matter anymore? The Cow had been defiled and could no longer be a participant.

Blaize had gone to make that clear to her, now.

And yet, Blaize's expression was angry.

Pharon watched as Blaize began to storm away. Then suddenly, Blaize stopped walking and turned around. Then he actually sat with that Cow.

What the Other was happening?

Pharon sharpened his hearing to listen to their conversation.

"Two days." Blaize snarled.

"Three or you can take your chances with my Lord." The Cow replied holding up three fingers.

"Gods! Do you know how f-improper you are?" Blaize swore. He raked a hand through his white blond hair, making some of it stand on end.

"Perhaps you should ask those guards how improper I really am. Or does your unique ability only apply to dead servants?" As soon as she finished speaking, the Cow took a drink of her tea.

Pharon watched his brother bare his fangs. He knew then something had gone horribly wrong.

"Three days." The Cow said icily.

Blaize's jaw worked. Finally, he nodded.

"Oh and your Highness, try using your brain the next time you want teach me a lesson." The Cow added.

As Blaize threw himself away from the table, he knocked over his chair. The dull clang of the metal rang out in the garden. Conversations ceased and all attention was now centered on Blaize and that Cow.

Blaize grimaced and strode quickly away, not bothering to pick up the chair.

Pharon expected the cow to be affronted and fearful but instead she appeared smug and sure of herself. She hadn't even blinked when the chair fell. Nor did she pick it up for another participant to sit in. She merely picked up a stack of papers and continued sipping her tea as she read.

Pharon watched his brother stomp over with a guarded expression.

"I have agreed to be the Cow's partner for three mating events per week, starting next week." Blaize growled. There was a furious shine in his eyes.

Pharon smiled, "Brother, that is impossible. You are the Crown Prince of Viceria. Everyone wants to be your partner. The Cow will just have to make do with watching from a distance. Who is she to make such a ridiculous request anyway?" Pharon started to walk away. Watching the Cow's smug smile was making him lose him temple as well.

Blaize's hand caught Pharon's shoulder. Pharon stopped walking as Blaize's hand tensed.

"You will make this happen, Little Brother." Blaize leaned to whisper in Pharon's ear. "Don't forget whose pride landed me into this mess." His tone was a dangerous one that only a few had heard before.

Pharon shivered and nodded silently.

Blaize clamped him warmly on the shoulder as he returned to his usual jovial self.

"Good! Well, I'm gonna go get drunk." Blaize laughed before sauntering off.

***

"Give me control. Give me control. Give me control. GIVE ME CONTROL RIGHT NOW YOU-"

"SHUT UP!" Kane yelled aloud.

Everyone in the garden turned to stare at him.

The other voice, the one that had been annoying him nonstop to gain control of his body, was only in his head. The voice was very much real, though.

It belonged to Ishmael, the Fire Spirit who had formed a contract with him only four days ago.

Kane had been in his rooms, resting from his healing when the Fire Spirit found him and possessed him. Kane watched helplessly as it brought him into the depths of the labyrinth beneath the palace. Kane had thought that would be the end of him, but then he saw the corpses of the Crawlers littering the ruins.

At first, the Crawlers had all been roasted alive, but then in central room of the labyrinth, Kane saw a pile of sliced, crushed, scorched, stabbed, and frozen Crawler corpses. The number of Crawler bodies in this room had at least equaled that of the burned ones in the rest of the labyrinth.

Then Kane's gaze fell on the half-breed female slumped against the right wall.

Kane, who'd just thought he'd gotten another chance with Kylara, nearly broke upon seeing her like that.

Still, he could nothing as the Fire Spirit was still in control of his body.

They walked over to Kylara and finally, Kylara's chest moved.

As the Fire Spirit picked her up, he said, "It's Magic Exhaustion."

Kane felt sick with relief and savored the warmth of her soft body in his arms as the Fire Spirit relinquished it's control over him.

Kane followed it from the labyrinth.

They returned Kylara to her rooms and then had a long talk, before coming to an agreement. In the end, the Fire Spirit, Ishmael, became Kane's contracted partner.

It had been a dream come true for Kane until he realized that Ishmael, having been imprisoned for the past ten thousand years only had two things on his mind, one of which revolved around Kylara.

Kane blushed as he felt everyone's stares on him. The girl, who'd been chattering to him, pouted as tears welled up in her eyes. Before Kane could explain, she ran away sobbing.

"Thank you very much for that." Kane said internally. He stared at his fists on the table.

"Who cares about that troll?" Ishmael snorted.

Kane sighed, "I've requested Kylara as my partner everyday next week, but if she doesn't request me there's not much I can do."

"Give me control. I'll make her reequest us and then I'll-" Kane closed his eyes tightly and willed himself not to hear what Ishmael said. It didn't work.

Kane grimaced. Ishmael was hard to deal with and if Kane gave him control, Kylara might be so antagonized that she'd never speak to them again.

Looking up briefly, Kane met Kylara's gaze. He glanced back down with a blush.

***

"My Lord," the blond female to Rhana's left purred, "may I call you, Rhana? I feel as if we've known each other for ages already."

Rhana smirked and his eyes took in her plump lips and cat-like eyes. He remembered her nice backside and thought about saying yes, but then his eyes dropped to her disappointing chest. His expression soured slightly.

He glanced at Kylara. How had she gotten so fat and ugly?

Rhana remembered how attractive she'd been at fourteen. He'd wanted her so badly then that he'd even convinced his father not to slaughter her after they acquired her pathetic father's estate.

It was all her stupid mother's fault. If that knife-ear hadn't Commanded her to run and imbued her limbs with magic, Kylara wouldn't have escaped him. If his kitten had been in his care, she'd never have grow into a cow.

Rhana was about to reply to the female, the only daughter of the Count of Munks something, when he heard Kane shout at the female sharing his table.

Rhana glanced at him with a gloating smile.

Kane had no experiences with females, well, at least no good experiences with females. Rhana had made sure of that. He'd owed it to that loser for stealing his Kitten.

Rhana was turning back to his table's conversion when he saw Kane do it. Kane looked at Rhana's Kitten with longing. Kane still hadn't given up on her. Rhana's jaw tightened.

"Disown her." He heard the elven girl to his right say.

Rhana's head whipped around, "Repeat that." He snapped. Miss Goldleaf, the female to his right, blinked at his sharp tone.

"Please." Rhana added with a smile. Miss Goldleaf simpered.

"My father has promised to disown her, if that Cow comes home unmated. But just look at her! No one will want her!" Miss Goldleaf said triumphantly before launching into a tirade of Kylara's numerous flaws.

However, Miss Goldleaf had lost Rhana's interest. His attention was firmly fixed on Kylara as a slow smile spread across his face.

***

Glade drummed his fingers on the wrought iron table. Under the table his left leg bounced up and down.

"Brother, you will break the table, if you don't stop drilling." Brook said. She gently covered Glade's dancing fingers with her hand. "You've been like this since you got here. Won't you tell me what's wrong?" Brook pressed.

Glade glared at Miss Adamare one final time, then exploded.

"It's that stinkin' half-breed and father. At first it was, 'you only have to claim her, if you like her'. Now, it's 'you will do what I tell you and claim that' disgusting, fat, improper Cow! What's good about her? So, she knows what an uncut gemstone looks like, big deal!"

"Glade," Brook sighed.

"I finally understand what you mean sister, when you say you're just going to be sold off to the highest bidder. How did a half-breed become more important to Father than me?" Glade asked desperately.

Brook sighed again and squeezed his hand, "Brother, you know how much attention he's paid to her over the years. He obviously care for her somewhat, but you are his son, and I am sure he cares for you more. Just tell him outright that you want someone else, I know he'll listen." Glade met his beautiful, sweet, kind sister's eyes. She was a perfect female. He wanted his mate to be someone like her, not her polar opposite.

Glade nodded and hope lit on his face.

"Yes," he said with a smile, "I'll say, 'Father, I do not want her and I will not claim her. If you like her so much, you should claim her.'"

Brook gasped and snatched her hand away from Glade's, "Don't you dare. Don't you even joke about that. I- I couldn't stand it if a half-breed became the new Lady of Volantis."

Glade blinked, "Don't worry, that would never happen." He said with a sad smile.

"But if it did," Glade thought glancing thoughtfully at Kylara, "would he finally forgive me for what happened to Mother?"