Winter Vixen

Confusion and Aggravation

When Nouren awoke the next morning, he stretched his body as far as it would go, feeling stiff and as if he hadn’t moved an inch the entire night. He felt that he’d slept well, but his mind was exhausted. Nix had been running through it, and in every part of his dreams he saw her. Nix’s blue eyes gazed into his soul in a way he never thought possible. Could someone see into your soul? Nouren had no idea, but that was how he was feeling right now. Her silver hair was laced between his fingers, her scent was stuck with him and he longed for the winter weather of home in the mountains. But he wanted to bring her with him, to sneak her away from this place and claim her as his own.

Claim? What’s gotten into you? He thought, shaking his head. Nouren stood up out of his bed and cleaned himself up for the day, dressing and grooming to perfection. With his dark, princely crown atop his sleek blonde hair, he opened up the door to his temporary chambers and found himself able to hear whisperings of slaves nearby, who were unaware he was in range.

“I’m surprised that Nix was let off so easy,” he heard a female giggle.

“Nix never gets punished,” another voice sneered. “Apparently, she’s too good for that. It’s always her mother. That poor woman always gets the punishment, it’s a wonder she stays by that b*tch.” Nouren wanted to snap his teeth at them, but he remained silent as he quietly stalked towards the voices. He had to learn more about what was going on with Nix. Nouren realized that these two foxes, vixens as Nouren remembered Liam informing him, were cleaning a lounge area that was meant for the East wing. It was where his family, the Wolfthorn’s, were residing in their visit.

“I bet she seduced the King and that’s why she dances for him. Poor Queen Flora, having to put up with such behavior.”

Nouren was about fed up listening to them talk so ill about Nix. He wanted to snarl at them in frustration. Nix wasn’t like that, and Nouren knew it within his heart.

But how can you? A small voice asked in the back of his mind. You don’t know her that well. You’ve met her for one night. Nouren shook the voice out of his head. It was when they danced, she smiled her brilliant smile, something he’d never seen during her performance. The way she spoke about the King assured Nouren that she wouldn’t have entertained the King in such a way. She was utterly afraid of him. Even if there had been such a scandal, Nouren would have heard about it long ago. Servants and slaves alike were proving to Nouren that they both loved gossip.

“She’s not even a native,” one of the voices whined. “Maybe that’s why. She’s some exotic pet to the King.”

“Nix came here as a kit, no one knows where she’s from.”

“Do you think she’s some sort of weird replacement for the princess?” The other vixen snorted at the question, and Nouren had to agree with that one.

“If she were, she wouldn’t be living a life of poverty. She’d be walking around here like a snobby princess.” Nouren felt that the snobby part could have been left out, but he knew that if that had been the case, he’d have met Nix long ago as Princess Nix of Patet. He shivered, and liked the way her name sounded in that way. But he wanted to change Patet into Caelum; Nouren wanted Nix to be his princess.

“I wonder who is going to get punished then?” one of the voices said. Nouren perked his ears up. Punished?

“I heard that she was given permission to decline the demands of royalty. But if not her or her mother, then who?”

Nouren was more confused now, and decided he was going to walk away from these two gossiping hens and go find the dining hall. His mind couldn’t comprehend why anyone needed to be punished, and for what he didn’t understand.

“Nouren!” Princess Cora called, watching her brother come into view through the doorway. “We were wondering if you’d be sleeping in today.” His sister was wearing a beautiful peach colored gown with gold filigree designs, and it off-set the color of her hair perfectly. Nouren knew that with the dreary weather high into the mountains, Cora preferred summer colors.

Princess Cora and Prince Liam were seated together at the long dining table. It was adorned with cream-colored plates with gold lining the rims, glass goblets with gold rims, and candelabras that seems to be made of gold. Nouren was sensing a pattern here with the Patet kingdom. The table cloth was a dull green, but it suited the soft colors of the dishware.

“I had thought about it, but my stomach would not let me,” he jested, trying to shake what he’d heard a moment ago from his mind. “What are we to have for breakfast today?”

“Delicious fruit from the orchard, and the most wonderful tasting eggs,” Cora moaned into her fork, closing her eyes in delight from her breakfast. Liam chuckled at his bride to be.

“You’d have thought she’d never eaten a breakfast meal before,” Liam laughed, squeezing her hand to let her know he was teasing her. It made Cora roll her grey eyes at him and giggle.

“Well then, I must try this delicious food,” Nouran said while taking his seat across from the happy couple. Immediately a fox slave rushed forward to fix his plate, and it made Nouren uncomfortable. He was accustomed to being served, but the conditions these foxes were in under the rule of King Regus made it harder for him to accept their service. It was forced, and Nouren knew they couldn’t be happy here. He thanked the young todd, and noticed the boys face flush red. It made Nouren suspect that these creatures never knew kindness from their superiors. The thought of it made Nouren angry, but he washed his feelings down with a glass of orange juice.

“Well?” Cora inquired, and Nouren realized she was waiting for him to give feedback of the food his sister thought was incredible. He stabbed a piece of the scrambled eggs, and he too felt the same way.

“Okay Liam,” Nouran spoke with a mouthful. He swallowed and asked, “What are in these eggs? They’re delicious!”

“I’m not entirely sure,” he laughed. Before Prince Liam could continue, the main hall doors opened and Nouren’s parents walked in. The prince would have been happier to see them, except his father looked angry and his mother looked like she wanted a drink. Casandra held her arm in his, and he held out a chair for his wife to sit. The tension in the air made Nouren fidget in his chair, and the conversation between Nouren and the couple died. Even the foxes around the room had a hard time with the aura that emanated from King Torren.

“Good morning,” Nouren ventured, and he immediately regretted speaking at all.

“Good morning?!” Torren snapped, seating himself next to his wife, not giving any of the slaves a chance to pull his chair out for him. “Good morning indeed. Do you know what I had to do while you were busy sleeping in?” It took Nouren everything to hold his tongue. “I had to sit in on some silly meeting with the King while he made a spectacle out of that poor girl. All because you wanted to dance with someone outside of his court!” Nouren’s ears went flat against his head in anger, and his grey eyes were narrowed.

“What did he do to her?” Nouren gritted out, the animal within him clawing at his soul in rage.

“Nothing other than simple humiliation, thank goodness. But knowing that man, someone is in for it,” his father spat, and thanked the young todd that served him his food, the same one that served Nouren his. The similarities in what his father had said and what Nouren heard earlier this morning had him aggravated.

“Why does anyone have to pay? What was so wrong that there is a punishment required?” Nouren snapped furiously. His father glared angrily at him, but his mother put her hand over her husbands, and it kept Torren from speaking; then Prince Liam chimed in.

“When there are rules broken, father puts a punishment in place. It’s to teach a lesson,” he spoke, his golden eyes cast downward. “He either will declare a punishment against you,” he said looking at Nouren, who was seething. “Or he will punish your father, for not properly teaching you our ways. That would be my guess.” Cora let out a small gasp, and held onto Liam’s arm.

“This is absurd!” Nouren cried out, throwing his hands in the air with frustration. “No one should be at fault, it was just an unfortunate circumstance!”

“As much as that makes sense, King Regus does not see it that way,” King Torren spoke, much softer in his tone. He sighed, pushing his plate away from him and rested his head in his hand. “It is my fault for trying to shield you from this, from the slaves in this kingdom.”

“That does not make you a bad man,” Nouren growled out. “You were doing as you thought best as a father.” As much as Nouren hated to admit it, he could understand why his father had hidden the fact of slaves in the Patet kingdom from him. He could be a bit rash sometimes, and Nouren knew he wouldn’t have been able to hold his tongue for long. But as most secrets do, this one came to a boil and it spilled over into the drama they were facing. The table remained silent, and Nouren had enough, his emotions boiling over. He rose from the table, and left the room.