*Zax*
"Do you understand the great lengths of restraint that I am putting into action to keep myself from throwing you back out onto the streets where you belong?"
Casimir, my father, spoke through gritted teeth as Zephyr led the three of us away from the foyer and towards the dining hall and I wanted to scoff at his words, he thought he knew restraint just because he was a little peeved at my actions as a former ruler of the Kingdom.
He did not understand restraint but he would soon enough when he was around Mabel for as long as I have been.
And even though I haven't spent more than a handful or so of solar passes being around that spitfire of a female, she had begun to grow on me, in a sense.
Like a tremendous itch from an unknown source that I couldn't dig my nails far enough into to relieve, Mabel Minerva had seemingly dug her way beneath my skin like the tales of females had done long ago to their loved ones.
And their lovers as well.
However, I could not spare another thought concerning myself with ingraining the fibers of her being into my body, she would have to learn how to entrust me with her life over time.
It could not be rushed or be of faux genuineness, much like the supposed caring and affection ways that my father attempted to display to Zephyr and I whilst we were younglings growing up in the shining light as royalty but he would turn his back upon us once the curtains were drawn and the wandering gazes faded away.
Because that was the beauty of growing up with a crown upon your head and a title to your name.
Both were useless unless put into good actions.
"Is that true, Father? That you had to restrain yourself ever much so that it is putting a physical and mental strain on your weakening body?"
I snidely said with a cocky grin that shouldn't have been on my face in the first place, my father was a man who could not bear the thought of appearing weak to a single soul, royalty or commoner.
He would much rather slit his own throat with a sword than ever show an ounce of vulnerability to another soul.
My father wasn't one to express emotion, as I've mentioned before, he was as true and as solid as a stone wall.
Cold and empty on the inside with a hardened exterior for an outside.
It was not entirely his fault for becoming a bitter old man, I blame the rather unfortunate disappearance of the many women that once roamed upon our planet and the woman who ruled alongside my father, my mother who I could barely remember after all of these years of slowly decaying memories of her.
Loving thoughts surrounding the woman who had once been my mother disappeared when my father crossed his arms with a growling huff, appearing to come across as more animalistic then some of the creatures I've encountered in the wilderness during my period of exile.
"How dare you assume that I am anything but the strongest ruler of the royal lineage that this Kingdom has ever seen! If it wasn't for that creature you've brought back on your voyage–"
I cut him off a sharp glare, a voyage?
Did he think that I enjoyed my secluded exile passing of time with only my harebrained cousin to entertain as he had only joined me out of both pity and boredom?
"A voyage, Father? How mindless do you think I am? You threw me out without a care and banished me from the rightful land that I ruled over for several solar and star passes all because of one account of foolishness error?"
Of course, this mistaken error that I was referring to occurred long ago but it was not something that my father took lightly to heart, as he was quick enough to remind me of such facts.
"One account of foolishness error, you say? That account does not include the multiple times you have intentionally broken my trust and restored faith in you, such as the time when you snuck out of the Palace to consume illegal substances that altered your brain chemicals permanently with none other than your idiot for a cousin and the influence of your rightful ruler, Zephyr! I do not mean to offend you, Zion, we do know that you could not handle the responsibilities of managing the Kingdom, after all."
My father apologized to Zion who had grown increasingly quiet with the multiple insults thrown his way and for once, I was partially envious of his ability and willpower to stay silent in the face of anger and frustration.
Fates knows I could not keep my emotions and temperamental ways under control even when provoked by the likes of my bothersome father figure.
However, I would not get the chance to question my father on his ethics as a scream was heard from miles away, a feminine scream that I was beginning to know all too well.
A scream of terror and of danger and I could feel my roughened heart thud inside my chest cavity as my sharpened teeth bared themselves while I anxiously scanned the expansive dining hall for Mabel or Zephyr, both who have seemingly disappeared without a trace whatsoever.
Sure, Mabel had been escorted to the bed quarters that she had been assigned but that did not explain the fact that my brother was not here as well.
Where exactly had he gone away to?
And why was Mabel screaming for help as if her life depended on it?
Because her life did depend on it, you moronic fool.
It was as if my body suddenly sprung into actions by such intrusive thoughts that plagued my mind, as if I had simply needed a nudge in the right direction for my body to be allowed to physically move towards the scream that still echoed through my skull even as the vibrations ceased abruptly along the Palace walls.
Fates!
What if something has happened to Mabel?
What dangers could have happened to her in this short of a time span?
I questioned myself mentally on these perplexing circumstances even as I rushed out of the dining hall, my father calling for me to come back and finish our discussion, which I didn't want to do mainly for the fact that it wasn't a discussion so much as it was a masculinity and dominance contest between the two of us, but I ignored his pestering ways of persuasion as I made my way through the winding halls of the Palace in search of the tiny female who had captured my mind in less time then it took for her to understand our native language.
The hallways were confusing to say the least bit, as my father could not spare any expense on the modeling of the Palace but he could offer much disappointment to his eldest son whenever possible.
I was able to locate Mabel's bed chambers within a few moments of my feet pounding heavily across the slick flooring of the Palace and when I heard the muted noises of distress coming from inside the bed chambers, my younger brother's voice hushing Mabel roughly as if he wanted to permanently silence her with more than just his words, the anger from inside my veins burst out just like my arms did as I ripped off the door like it wasn't merely more than a small obstacle in my way towards securing the female from the edge of danger's grasp.
And the danger was currently my brother who, upon the sudden intrusion of my arms ripping the door to shreds, glared up from his position above Mabel as he pinned her much smaller body down without exerting much strength at all.
Because she may be strong for her kind but she was no match when compared to ours.
"Zaxton! How rude of you to interrupt us! Can you not see that we are in the middle of something here?"
Zephyr accused me of intruding on their private moment but one glance at Mabel's body, his hand smothering her mouth to silence her screams and cries, her eyes teary as she silently begged for me to help her out of this perilous situation for my brother harassing her and then physically assaulting her had damaged Mabel's internal and external composure.
She had not been equipped with the knowledge firsthand to understand that our kind was not always pleasant or welcoming towards females and to know that I had left her in the hands of this blasphemous, revolting male who called himself my brother disgusted me more than it should have.
Which is why within only a blink of an eye of time passed before I tackled Zephyr, tearing him away from Mabel before he could lay another scratch upon her precious skin and I was ready to rip him to shreds, ready to tear him limb from limb for hurting the only female to ever grace this planet within several decades.
And I would have killed him, had it not been for my cousin and my father who found us fighting on the floor of the bed chambers and were able to separate us before I would snap Zephyr's neck for the unspeakable crimes he was about to commit.
"Release me, Zion! Right this instant!"
I demanded of my cousin as he held me back from continuing to attack my brother but my cousin refused to give into my wishes of command.
Instead, he held me back further with a tightening grip as my father forcibly pulled Zephyr away from this scene, my teeth bared as I threatened to rip out his throat in a nonverbal manner.
But Zephyr was not leaving the chambers without another piece of information that he felt needed to be announced to the rest of the remaining people inside this room who were unaware of Mabel's true identity. I was mainly speaking of my father though with this reference.
"Unhand me, Father! You cannot hide the identity of the creature you have brought back to us, Zaxton. That creature is a female in nature! You have brought back a female. You know exactly what this means."
He stated his facts through harshly gritted teeth and a clenched jaw, perhaps he was clenching it from how hard I punched him in the weak bone moments ago.
But his words dropped like a catapult attack upon this room and Casimir froze as his eyes became wide with both realization and wonderment,
"Is this true, Zaxton? You have found and delivered us a female?"
My father asked and my hands twitched by my sides, my tense muscles ready for another round of battle if so much as provoked with the slightest snide glare or remark thrown in my direction.
They speak as if I had been intentionally hunting for a female to deliver to them for many star passings now, as if Mabel was nothing more then a vessel for a womb to be transported across the planet and thrown into the ring of slavery.
But she is more than that.
Something seemed to change inside of my father at my lack of response to his probing questions and his attention shifted over to Zephyr with what seemed to be something borderlining disappointment displayed across his hard features.
"If you speak of the truth, Zephyr, then you should know better than anyone else that this female is precious and should not be harmed. She was not promised to you, therefore you do not have the correct ownership over her and you cannot treat her as such. Now, I cannot take your tyrannical, overpowering ways much longer when it concerns this female. We will be seeing ourselves out of the Palace immediately."
My father spoke collectively for all of us and I was about to protest, to tell him that we needed the safety of the Palace even as much as we hated being around these idiotic buffoons but my father motioned me over to the side of the hallway after we exited the room, despite the increasing volume on Zephyr's insistent protests.
"We are not leaving the Palace Grounds, Zaxton. Please be sure to escort the female and your cousin to the appropriate servant's quarters, yes?"
Ahh, yes.
The servant's quarters, where I used to hide out as a child when my father would grow tired and angered by my annoying childish ways of pestering him.
Even as I wanted to tell my father where exactly I wanted to bring Mabel, somewhere she could be safe without being under the watchful eyes of royalty, I knew I had no other choice but to follow through with the commanding orders.
For if anybody was capable enough to help Mabel find her way back to her own homeland, it would be Casimir.
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-Ro♥️