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"Do you not think that you are reacting a little over the top?" Hunter says softly.
"Grab your belongings," Orion orders ignoring his words.
"Excuse me? Why would I do that?" Hunter frowns, crossing his arms across his chest.
"Boy, grab your belongings!" Orion repeats, his voice increasing in volume.
Hunter counts to ten but his temper soon shoots up to compete with his brother's. "Call me that again," Hunter warns lowly. Orion slowly turns and allows his gaze to fall on Hunter. His eyes slowly flick up and down Hunter with disgust before he marches into Hunter's room himself. Hunter does not even reach five before he follows his brother in. His eyebrows lift up as he sees his brother stuffing all of his clothes into a bag. "What do you think you are doing?" Hunter asks; his jaw ticks as he speaks. He snatches the bag from Orion but his brother does not release his grip so it hangs between them.
"Did they tell you or did you find it out yourself?" Orion quietly asks. His quiet voice threatens danger much more than it would if he had spoken louder. Hunter straightens his shoulders and stands tall, he will not show regret over any of his actions.
"She told me." Hunter keeps his voice calm. One of them needs to be. "They never let it interfere with their assignments."
Orion shoves the bag into Hunter's chest. It takes Hunter by surprise and air escapes his chest with the force while he lets out a grunt. He takes a step back to recover. "How would you know?" Orion hisses.
"Zandar has been making sure of that. You ever thought they were scared of revealing it because of how you are acting now?" Hunter pushes back. Orion, being prepared, stands his ground.
"There are rules for a reason," Orion snaps. "Stay out of it, Hunter. This does not concern you unless you make it concern you. Now get the rest of your belongings."
"Why?"
"Why? You are seriously asking why? You really think that I am going to let you stay in his house now? You are coming home with me." Orion shakes his head, irritated that he has to explain something so simple to his brother.
Hunter rolls his eyes and throws his bag back onto the bed. "No." Orion rolls his shoulders, teeth pressed tightly together, jaw tense. The colour in his eyes is quickly replaced by a thick darkness. Hunter steps forward, meeting his brother eye to eye. "Ross told you to get out of his house. He did not say the same to me. Until he kicks me out I am not going anywhere."
Standing as close together as they are, both take note of the stubborn tilt of the chin, the black swallowed eyes and the unflinching determination in every line of the face. "I am telling you to come home. You have no issue with our mother now; I do not see the problem."
"That does not mean I feel comfortable sharing a house with her!" Hunter argues. "Regardless, Ross offered me this room and I am staying here. You should go home and get some sleep. Maybe you will think more clearly come morning and not push away the few loyal friends you have."
"So you have picked a side then?" Orion grinds out.
"There are no sides here. I am sleeping here but you are still my brother." Hunter placates.
Orion scoffs and pushes past Hunter, his shoulder solidly connecting with Hunter's. Because of all the training Hunter had previously done it sends pain through his tired muscles down his arm and into his chest. Orion however is already out the door by the time it shows on the younger's face. The front door slams moments later and Hunter hears footsteps coming down the stairs. He goes to his door and looks over at Ross.
Ross leans against the wall and nods at Hunter, "You did not have to stay for my sake."
Hunter forces a laugh, "Trust me, I am staying for my sake. You imagine sharing a room with him tonight?" Humour is pushed into his voice and Ross smiles weakly but then glances at the door.
"This is the opposite of the way I wanted him to find out. I know I should have come clean with him before there was a chance of this happening. I thought it was you walking through the door. I soon realised that mistake!" Ross rubs his temples, grimacing. "I might even lose Jacqui now."
"I doubt it. Get some sleep, all of that can be dealt with in the morning." Hunter suggests. Ross nods and turns on his heels and once again goes upstairs. Hunter pushes back his hair and walks into his room and falls down onto the bed. Despite his advice, the last thing he feels like doing is going to sleep. His blood still pumps fast in his veins and his eyes refuse to stay closed. He sits up.
After some deliberating he gets up and leaves his room. He opens the front door and jumps. "It is the middle of the night." Hunter says with disbelief. Jasper shrugs his shoulders and glances back over his shoulder. "I am not going to let you in to talk to Ross so I think you should turn around and go home. Leave this till the morning." Again he gives the same advice. Jasper chuckles and scratches the back of his neck.
"Jacqueline is holed up in her room, the door is locked and she refused to speak to me. She is acting as if I am the one in the wrong! I cannot stay in there any longer. I need to talk to Ross." He actually sounds rather calm, the traces of anger from earlier seemingly gone. "I promise to behave."
"He is asleep. Go home." Hunter gently pushes Jasper back as he steps outside. He then shuts the door behind him. He takes in Jasper's wide open eyes and trembling stature. Looks like he will not be sleeping anytime soon either. "Or you can come for a walk with me."
Jasper nods and they both head down the cobblestone streets together, comfortable in their silence.
○ ○ ○
The sun rising in the sky casting warm glows across the countryside, the village and the castle, brings a fresh new day. Hunter rolls out of bed and tugs on his boots. He walks out to find a plate of fresh sliced bread and jam on the kitchen table. Ross eats from another plate across the room. With a grateful nod Hunter consumes his breakfast and heads out. He halts at the door and glances back at Ross. "He will come round, surely?"
"Until recently I did not know he could forgive, so who knows?" Ross replies, shrugging his shoulders. "Honestly, as much as I hate to lose a brother, I care much more about keeping Jacqui. If Orion ruins this I do not care if I get his forgiveness or not."
Hunter nods and pushes open the door and walks out into the warm rays of the early sun. He jogs to the gate leading to the castle's grounds. He frowns when it is not his brother's figure that he sees. Hunter slows to a walk and raises an eyebrow. Zandar inclines his head in greeting and pushes away from the wall.
"Where is Orion?"
"He had business to attend to. You and I shall be protecting Lady Arabella today." Zandar replies. The gates are opened for them and they step within and quickly cover the ground separating them from her quarters. Zandar relieves the guards and enters the sitting room. No activity meets them, the room completely vacant of living beings.
Some sounds come from Lady Arabella's room and Hunter hears Alice's laugh. The door suddenly bursts open and she comes skipping out, tears trailing down her cheeks as giggles erupt from her throat. Hunter cannot help the smile that rises to his lips and softens his features. Alice tries to speak but just ends up gasping for air in between her many giggles. Arabella strides out, mouth twisted up into a grin. Just like Alice she does not observe that there are two other presences.
Lady Arabella's mouth opens but no sound comes out as Zandar gently clears his throat alerting her to their presence. Her grin slowly fades away and she soon becomes the image of a perfect lady. With Alice, however, it takes a little longer as she brushes away the tears and tries to think of something that will stop the fun. Soon enough she brushes down her skirts and stands with her head held high.
"Lady Arabella. I request your permission to take Orion's place today." Zandar politely speaks to Arabella. Her eyes flicker to Hunter's and one corner of his lips rise. Instead of flittering away she keeps his gaze, trying not to feel anything as she does so. This is a mistake. The air cracks between them.
"Of course." She says and moves her gaze away. She smiles at Alice. "I think Alice and I would like to go for a ride this morning." Alice grins.
"Where are Miss Litt and Miss Frith?" Hunter speaks and shivers travel up her spine.
"I gave them the day off. They have family to visit and I knew I had Alice here to keep me company." Lady Arabella explains. "Shall we go?"
Zandar opens the doors and Lady Arabella threads her arm through Alice's and they glide out, Alice a little less elegantly. Zandar and Hunter fall into step behind them. She feels his eyes on the graceful curve of her neck left bare by her thick beautiful hair braided around her head. She fights the urge to turn around and tell him off. These feelings are making her feel rather uncomfortable. It had been easier yesterday to go about her day without his presence but she had to admit that she missed him being there.
They get to the stables where two beautiful grey mares are held by a young man. They have already been tacked up and are ready to go. They stand calmly but anyone can see the excitement flickering in the slightly larger ones eyes. This is the mare that Lady Arabella goes to and gently strokes down the nose. The mare nudges her and nickers happily. "Hello Beauty." She whispers and nods to the man that she has the horse.
He allows Alice to take the reins of the other mare, quietly telling her that her name is Snowdrop. He then goes and gets Hunter's horse and a horse for Zandar. He stands off to the side waiting with the two male horses that paw at the floor, eager to get going. Zandar helps Alice mount her horse. That leaves Hunter with Arabella. He lifts her up onto her mare, his hands warm on her waist. Her cheeks flush and she refuses to look down at her him as she says, "Thank you." Hunter steps back and bows his head slightly.
He and Zandar mount their horses and shorten their reins to control the excited males. They are about to ride off as a group when a familiar stature jogs down to where they are. The Crown Prince, Theodore, grins broadly as he stops and bows to his betrothed. Hunter curses himself inwardly. He should be distancing himself from her, not seeing how she reacts to different things. She affects him just as much as he is sure he affects her. Theodore pats Beauty on the shoulder and looks up at Lady Arabella.
"Would you mind if I joined you for a ride, My Lady?" He asks softly. His blond hair ruffles in the slight breeze.
And here comes the betrothed... Looks like Hunter needs some reminding of his place... Where do we think Orion has business to attend to?