Page 139 of The Wild Prince's Favorite
Kassein owned nothing but a mad dragon, but he stood, wishing to offer that woman the world. He didn’t care for his brother’s throne or his Empire, but Alezya deserved everything. He wanted to give her all that he had, everything she needed, anything she wanted.
“Commander?”
He ignored Tievin’s questioning and resumed walking.
He was still due to meet his sister, but now, he didn’t care about training. Instead, as soon as he found her in one of the clearings they had been using to train on the sunny days, he walked up to her with determination.
“Did a dragon take a dump in your boots?” she scoffed at his frown.
“I want to negotiate.”
“I usually take a bribe first.”
“With the barbarians.”
His sister’s smile dropped, and she glanced toward Lorey.
As usual, her companion was nearby, and she had been seated on Kiki’s long body like it was a tree trunk, drinking from a cup. But now, her surprised expression was on Kassein.
A few seconds of silence passed, only interrupted by Tievin’s loud panting. Lorey gave him a brief look, but it was Kiera who closed her mouth, blinked, and then reopened it first.
“Say what?” she spat. “With the Northern tribes? The ones who have been a pain in our Imperial Butts for generations?”
“...Is this because of Alezya?” Lorey guessed first.
Kassein gave her a short but firm nod. Meanwhile, his sister rolled her eyes back hard.
“Men in this family, I swear... Kassein, this ismadness. Even for you. The Northern tribes don’t give two dragon shits about listening to us, remember? Every previous attempt has been greeted by spikes. They’d probably enjoy dragon steak for dinner every night if they could!”
Her dragon rose its head next to Lorey and growled in warning.
“They couldn’t... listen to us before,” Lorey remarked. “We couldn’t understand their language, nor could they understand ours. Alezya might be the first woman in centuries to learn.”
“You know this isn’t just aboutlanguage,” Kiera scoffed. “We have met many Western tribes, and most of them didn’t welcome us with weapons or try to kill our people thousands of times. Look at what they can do to one of their own and a woman at that! How do you think they’ll react to your big boots and your stupid-sized dragon?”
“Most of the Western tribes we met were intimidated enough by Kiki not to,” Lorey noted, petting the dragon’s head, “and they didn’t have instances of meeting one before. It is easier to establish trust upon a first meeting than it is after centuries of fighting. The Northern tribes rightfully fear the people of the Empire. Your father and the previous owners of the Onyx Castle either let their dragon hunt there, killed them for sport, or ignored them. You cannot blame those tribes for being terrified and distrustful.”
“But to have Kassein, of all people, try to establish a rapport?” Kiera said. “Kassein, evenourpeople call you the Wild Prince. A Wild Prince who owns a damn mad dragon, to boot. And you’d be crowned King of Chaos and Destruction too if Darsan hadn’t claimed that title for himself for an entire decade prior!”
“Kiera,” Lorey called with an annoyed tone.
“You know I’m right! I’ve never been one to coddle my younger brother, and I won’t now. Kassein, just because one woman was blind enough to fall for your moody charm and tight ass doesn’t mean the tribes will be willing to let you set foot on their wretched mountains unscathed. These people want you dead and your dragon’s ass on a skewer!”
“They can’t kill me,” Kassein stated.
“I know that, smart ass,” his sister rolled her eyes again, “but it doesn’t mean the tribes will be willing to let you march up their land, sit down, and break bread together!”
“...Maybe notallof the tribes,” Tievin mumbled.
Three heads whipped toward him with interest. He cleared his throat, visibly uneasy, and took a step forward before realizing it brought him closer to Kiki, and took two steps to the side instead. Then, he tightened his coat around him, his eyes going down to his notes.
“What was that?” Kiera squinted her green eyes.
“Do you have an idea, Tievin?” Lorey asked more softly.
“I-I wouldn’t call it an idea,” Tievin admitted, “but I did... have some...observationsregarding the tribes that I think may contribute to the Commander’s idea.”
“What observations?” Kassein asked before his sister could speak.
