Daughters, Swords &Dragons

The water was as boiling hot as her temper, she was soaked to her shoulders.

Her skin glowed a soft red due to the heat

"The crown prince, Ara, is here to see you." Her maid Melantha announced.

The ripples in the water annoyed Laifeyar making her grimace at the bubbles "Let him in."

An apology was the first thing to leave his mouth, it irritated Laifeyar as he spoke "I'm sorry mother, I failed you and embarrassed you."

His apology infuriated her "What sin did I commit, to birth a failure of a son like you? "

"My hope is that your brothers aren't equally as slow witted as you are lest I might regret having children so dull."

Ara's heart stung from the bite of her words. Anyone could say awful words to him and he wouldn't give a hoot but his mother's words cut deep into his soul. "I have been locked up in an underground prison for weeks. Did you bother to see me?"

A soul, he sometimes he thought she no longer had from the way she neglected his existence "Do I need to see the mistake I birthed and be reminded of my failures?"

Laifeyar pursed her lips "Get out."

Once upon a time, he had desperately wanted to prove his worth to her, he wanted her to care for him.

To love him and acknowledge him but now "Have you always hated me? What unforgivable thing did I commit to deserve your hatred?"

Irked by his persistence she raised her voice "I said get out!"

He retreated out of the bath with great sadness and anger.

The next few days were a drag and finally the final day of the occasion arrived.

Vastus threw an even grander feast today all eight Princes were present.

Regasus could feel the tension in the large ballroom, it reeked of pure unadulterated hatred, lust and impure relationships between nobles.

It was no secret that the royal family secretly loathed one another to the point of assassination.

No one dared voiced their opinions of hatred; the pretense to like one another was more suffocating, than a tight collar on a dog's neck.

"I am terribly uncomfortable." Augustus professed leaning closer to him.

Regasus agreed in his head as he observed his surroundings "Honestly, they can't even hide their detest for each other. It's a shame really, I'm not sure I can taste my food from all the bad omen in the room."

They whispered to one another.

"Hmm..." the emperor cleared his throat, garnering everyone's attention.

"It is with great honor that we unite the two houses of Roveriasazar and Alcon through the betrothal of our two children Valdis and Ara. We look forward to healthy offspring after the wedding."

The emperor raised his goblet and so did everyone else "To the unity of the house of powers. House Roveriasazar and house Alcon."

"To the unity of the house of powers!" Everyone chorused and drank.

"Please, everyone knows that he's trying to marry Valdis into their household so they'll gain the secrets of power from the Alcon family." Augustus sneered through a plastic grin.

The man could say the cruelest things through a toothy grin and Regasus chuckled "Which is why no one but the alcons know that only the last born of the alcon might gain the power to summon dragons and only the truly powerless can rule Alcon."

They sipped their wine and engaged in coded charter through smiles.

Augustus noticed Ara suspiciously signaling a fair maiden whispering in her ear a mistress perhaps, he dismissed paying no heed to the harmless conversation.

Soon heavy steps filled the noisy and terribly deep in their cups, ballroom "Who is making that irritating noise?" the emperor snapped massaging his temples with his fingers.

A guard Jack, a war general, staggered into the ballroom covered in blood with arrows in his chest. "T-they had a-attacked at the church your ma-majesty."

His face covered in blood another knight ran in panting "Your majesty, there's a siege, the palace is under attack! "

An arrow sliced through the air striking through his skull piercing right on the wall above the throne.

At that all hell broke loose

"The palace is under attack! "