Branded As Yours

Amadiar ; year of the blades. ••••••••••• Prince Cal ~ ••••••••••• The Bastard Clan Leaders were all beginning to piss me off. We'd been in this meeting now for three hours and still, no decision had been made in regards to our waring country, Oltarg, which was currently pushing our border lines and quite frankly trying my damned patience. I tapped my fingers idly on my thrones armrest, staring down in boredom as the Clan Leaders sat on the long table below our dias, all arguing and refusing to come to a mutual decision. This was the problem with democracy. All talk and no action. My Father may have been King, but he couldn't act without having these four idiots backing it fully, which never happened. These meetings weren't about bettering the Kingdom or protecting it - all they did was argue. My clawed nails made clacking sounds on the hard wood as my fingers tapped and I noticed a few Clan Leaders eying them with annoyance. Good. "We should go over and slay their King!" The North's Clan Leader spat, slamming his dagger down on the table so the hilt remained upright, vibrating from the force he'd put behind it. The West's Clean Leader grunted in agreement, whilst both East and South growled their disagreements. "i***t! What will that achieve? His Bastard Son will just take the throne in his stead!" South yelled. "Then we will slay him, too!" North retaliated. "Then what? We pick our way through his seven sons, twelve married daughter's husbands and numerous half-brothers and cousins?" "We slay them all!" North announced, glaring down the table at South, who matched his look. I rolled my eyes at their brute stupidity. Both North and South Lords were huge, especially by Fae standards. It was no wonder they had West and East under their thumbs respectively, like little lap dogs always looking for the smallest shred of praise. I snorted. They were ridiculous and pitiful. I hated them all. "Silence!" The King boomed as the four began to argue. "We need to settle this matter today!" His fist slammed on his throne to emphasise his words and I turned to look at him. Father was well built, though had become frail of late. The Healers spoke of Death approaching him, that he had little time left with us before entering the ever-sleep. Watching him now, his frame shaking from sickness, rather than anger, made my lips tilt up in a smirk. The old bastard would be dead in 50-100 years, tops! "What about you, oh great noble Prince?" The North Leader sneered, noticing my smile and no doubt assuming it was aimed at him. "What do you suggest?" I stopped my tapping, my smirk stretching into a smug grin just to piss him off and by the tightening of his jaw, it had worked. "I say we kidnap his Queen." I drawled, staring down the North King. "We take his b***h and make him bow down to us." "i***t child! Mates are sacred!" North spat, looking outraged. The others murmured their agreements, even the South. "Exactly. He can't refuse anything we demand with his w***e in our clutches." "Fool!" Father muttered lowly for only my ears. "Our country honours the bond between mates. You dare to suggest we defile it?" "Why not?" I demanded, sitting up from my slouch. "We all honour this 'bond' when it's the best weapon against a mated male we have! Are we to ignore this obvious chip in his armour just because of some stupid superstition from centuries ago - when the other kingdoms, and even our very own bitches, do not?" "You know not of what you speak, boy!" Father growled, his expression hardening. "You're still a child." "I never intend to know of it! How foolish it is, to bind yourself to one who is unreliable and selfish for an eternity! I've said it once and I'll say it a thousand times; the mating bond will be the death of us all!" "Then you intend to remain unbonded?" North asked, his tone dripping with contempt. I realised in that moment how heated our conversation had become. "I do." I told them truthfully, clenching my fists as I rose from my throne next to the Kings to stalk towards the Clan Leaders table. "Bonds are just a way to make men slaves to woman. You all claim to be Free men, when really you are ruled by a mere female. How pathetic." "What of Princess Kora?" South asked suddenly, looking between myself and Father. "What of your intended Mate, Prince?" "I have no intentions of Mating with the Princess." I drawled as I plucked the dagger North had left from the table. "Though she is welcome to keep warming my bed. A man can never have too many f**k buddies." The Leaders raged at the thought of our neighbouring Kingdoms Princess, the beautiful Kora, being any mans 'f**k Buddy'. She was a great beauty, after all, and sought after by all unmated males of nobility and status. Her Kingdom was small, but it was a great resource of weapons, making it converted by many. Any man to mate her would be honored. But it was one honour I had declined. "Then you will never be King." Father told me severely, his expression like flint. "You dare to tell me what I shall and shan't do?" I sneered, looking over him hatefully. "You don't have much time left to live old man; your words hold no more command over me than these dog's do!" I pointed towards the Clan Leaders with disdain using the point of the dagger. "You little-" North began, but a glare from my Father cut him off. "It is true that I am dying, but you forget, Son, I am the one to decide who will obtain my throne. No Fae without a Mate will ever wear this crown." "We shall see." Giving everyone in the room one last glare I stalked from the Council Chamber and out, walking the hallways of the palace up towards the stable without a backwards glance. The maids and servants avoided me, eyes downcast as I passed. They were wise to, considering my current murderous mood and the fact I still held the dagger clutched in my first. If they crossed my path I'd probably cleave one of their heads off. "Idiots, all of them holding such reverence over a stupid f*****g bond with sluts who don't even honour it themselves!" I muttered darkly as I entered the stable. My War Horse huffed at the sound of my voice and I made my way over to him. "I'll make all of them pay." I vowed, turning to look back at my fathers Palace. "I'll make them all suffer, when I am King!" I used the dagger to slice open my palm as I spoke, confident within my words. As my blood bubbled to the surface I laughed manically. Yes, I was willing to make a blood oath on it; I would be king and this Kingdom would be mine. Then everyone would truly fear me. I'd burn this Kingdom to the ground before I would allow another to take it from me. I didn't like sharing what was mine.