Page 35 of The Ruby Dragon Prince
I stopped and leaned forward, resting my hands on my knees and trying to catch my breath. I shook my head, then looked up at the farmers with me. “You are more important to this kingdom than I am. Go!”
I could see that they didn’t want to obey me, but I was a prince, and they knew as well as I did that they needed to get free.
As soon as I was satisfied that they were gone, I stood straight and turned to face the guards closing in on me. I was lucky that Rottum wasn’t with them. It meant that the guards didn’t know what to do when they reached me other than grab hold of me so I wouldn’t run away again.
“What do we do with him?” the guard with his hand around my arm asked.
The other one shrugged. “Take him to the king, I suppose,” he said.
“Yes, take me to my father,” I commanded them. I never would have been so bold before, but the entire incident had given me more of a feeling of power than I’d ever had in my life.
Perhaps being mated to Rufus and fathering his eggs had given me that sense of strength as well. If I could be the papa to dragons, I could do anything.
That confidence faltered as soon as the guards marched me into the large tradesman’s house where my father and Lord Groswick, along with a few of his other councilors and noblemen, were enjoying a lavish meal with the frightened-looking owner of the house.
“Your Majesty,” the guard who still had his hand around my arm announced himself with a deferential bow.
“What is this?” Father demanded, glaring at me from the head of the table.
“Prince Tovey was captured with a group of farmers who were plotting rebellion,” the guard said.
“It was nothing of the sort,” I protested. “I was lucky enough to meet some of the farmers of our kingdom who were discussing the problems they’re currently facing.” It was true, in a manner of speaking.
Father didn’t seem impressed. “I specifically told you and your wretched brothers to go to the town square and stay there under guard,” he said, throwing his napkin down and standing. Several of the others at the table looked alarmed. “You are a disobedient little fool who cannot grasp even the smallest directions.”
Of all the things to offend me to the point of snapping, that was not the one I thought would get me.
“You cannot keep my brothers and me prisoners forever,” I shouted at him. “Just as you cannot bleed the people of our kingdom dry in order to build your own coffers. This is a kingdom, not your own personal game. My brothers and I deserve the freedom to live our lives however we please, and the farmers and tradesmen of our kingdom deserve to thrive and benefit from their own ingenuity. We all deserve freedom from the fear and uncertainty you seem determined to inflict on us so that you can steal more wealth than anyone could ever need.”
“Silence!” Father bellowed. “I have never heard such insolence in my life! I am the king! How dare you speak to me this way?”
“Someone has to speak up for those who do not have the power to speak,” I said, facing him with as much calm and righteousness as I could muster. “What you are doing with this kingdom is wrong, Father. These are people’s lives. They are not your possessions to play with as you see fit. The kingdom will crumble if you abuse them the way you are plotting to.”
Everyone at the table looked shocked. Well, almost everyone. One of the older, silver-haired councilors grinned.
“I will not hear another word from you, omega!” Father silenced me again, not noticing the reactions of the others. He stomped away from the table to stand towering over me. “If you think your freedom is curtailed now, just wait until I am through with you.”
“What do you plan to do with me that hasn’t already been done?” I demanded. “Lock me and my brothers away in our bedroom? Limit our access to anything in the castle? You have already done those things.” I peeked past him to the others at the table in case some of them weren’t aware of the cruel way Father treated us.
Instead of inspiring any of the other nobles or councilors to come to our defense, my words had Lord Groswick rising from his seat with a smile that had my blood running cold. I suddenly wished Rufus was there with me.
“I have a suggestion, Your Majesty,” Lord Groswick said with a sly look.
Father turned to him, and when he saw Lord Groswick’s smile, he grinned, too. “I welcome any suggestions,” he said.
“Give the disobedient omega to me,” Lord Groswick said. “Not in a few months’ time, as we had planned, but now. I know exactly how to bring him to heel. Once I am done with him, he will never think of disobeying again.”
“I will never go with you,” I seethed at Lord Groswick, clenching my hands into fists.
It was the wrong thing to say. Indicating to Father that I hated Lord Groswick and didn’t want anything to do with him only spurred him to action.
“Yes, I think it’s about time my willful omega sons are given to alphas who can bring them into line,” he said with a hateful smile. “Omegas are good for nothing but breeding anyhow. It’s about time you got on with that,” he told me.
I fought to maintain my hold on the bravery that had come so easily just moments ago, but it began to fail. For all the courage I’d just shown, I was smaller and weaker than almost everyone in the room. The guard who had held me earlier grabbed me again as I tried to back away from Lord Groswick’s approach.The sudden feeling that I was in over my head turned my stomach and made me cry out inside for Rufus.
“Give him to me now,” Lord Groswick said again, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand as he raked me with a lascivious look. “I’ll teach him his place.”
Father laughed as though he found the idea of his own flesh and blood being forced into a horrific union amusing. “Take him,” he said. “He’s yours to do with as you please. And if something should happen and he should end up dead, well, whatever the case, I will have it declared an accident.”
