When Rivals Say I Do

Meeting

The day of the meeting arrived, and Elliot found himself at the border of Gaea and Kaos.

The dagger Vincent had given him rested at his waist. Though Elliot thought it might be rude to bring it to a negotiation, he didn’t want to part ways with it. Vincent had taken the time to give it to him, even while sick. The least he could do was bring it with him, unless he wanted Vincent to nag him about it.

Before he left the manor, Vincent seemed to be fine. They ate breakfast together in silence, with the occasional glance from Vincent and his comment about being careful around Kaos. The man truly didn’t trust Kaos, to the point that he had set their differences aside.

Vincent had told him not to trust any words that came from them and to always keep his guard up, never taking anything they offered at face value.

All Elliot could do was sigh and nod. It felt like his mother was sending him to war.

Before Elliot left, Vincent stopped him in his tracks by gripping one of his shoulders. Elliot was taken aback by this and the sincerity in Vincent’s expression.

“Be careful, Elliot.”

Elliot nodded. It felt weird to be fussed over by Vincent. He had thought that Vincent would just roll his eyes, let Elliot go, and throw an insult or two. He had assumed that the idea of negotiating was something Vincent wouldn’t take seriously, but at that moment, he sounded more nervous than Elliot.

He clutched the dagger at his waist. Now that he remembered Vincent’s reaction, Elliot couldn’t help but feel nervous too, but he knew he had come prepared. He had studied and felt confident in his knowledge; the sudden change in Vincent’s behavior wouldn’t affect him that easily. He hoped.

He shook his head and let out a loud sigh.

The border between Gaea and Kaos was heavily patrolled by the military. Camps were scattered around, and two tall towers that served as the entrance and exit for both kingdoms had soldiers who routinely changed every hour.

Safe to say, the atmosphere was tense. It was the first time Elliot had visited the border, and since all he had done was study, it had never occurred to him to check the situation at the border.

However, this wasn’t the time to question his ways; he had come all this way to prove that negotiations could solve everything.

Elliot was dressed in a dark brown linen button-up with bishop sleeves, his black pants hiked up to his waist, accentuating it. As for shoes, he wore dark brown knee-high boots. It was comfortable and casual; there weren’t really any attire regulations when it came to negotiations, but he thought showing himself as carefree and casual might open up the other party. Well, except for the dagger sitting on his waist, but it didn’t really make him look threatening.

As he crossed the border, two soldiers led him to a larger tent. It was two tents joined together and proudly displayed the colors of Kaos, black and yellow.

This was it, Elliot thought. He gulped as he was escorted inside. What he didn’t expect was to see the crowned prince of Kaos, Garett Valentin.

Elliot’s eyes widened. There, sitting leisurely on the opposite side of a round table with two soldiers on either side, was the prince. He had expected to meet with one of the kingdom's advisors; he was sure the queen or his father had no idea it was the prince who wanted to arrange the meeting. Suddenly, Elliot felt very much unprepared to speak to royalty.

He heard the flap of the tent close; it was so loud in his ears, even though he knew it made such little noise. Elliot took the empty chair and sat down.

Prince Garett smiled at him, but it didn’t reach his sharp, almond-shaped eyes. He appeared to have the same build as Vincent, and Elliot felt even more insecure because of this. His dark black hair was swept to the right, making him look put together.

“I was informed that I won’t be meeting Lord Leighton.” Garett leaned over the table, his dark brown eyes scanning Elliot’s face intently.

Elliot thought that being nervous wasn’t helping his case. He needed to make his father proud, and he needed this meeting to go well.

“Yes, I’m his son, Elliot Leighton.” He extended his arm to be shaken.

Garett gladly shook it with a firm grasp.

“An omega.” Garett continued smiling. That smile didn’t reach his eyes.

Elliot wanted to roll his eyes, of course the prince of Kaos is an alpha.

His biology had nothing to do with this, but he didn’t want to be rude, so he answered, “Yes.”

“Does Gaea think I deserve to only talk to an omega?” Garett leaned back in his chair. “I’m hurt,” he dramatically continued.

Elliot’s patience was being tested, and he wouldn’t easily crumble to Garett’s mocking. He had already experienced being questioned about his position because of his biology, so this should be nothing.

“I studied under my father, Lord Leighton, and I can assure you that I’m not just a mere omega.” Elliot replied with as much respect as he could muster.

Garett hummed in response. Elliot could feel his eyes scanning him. Suddenly, he felt that having the dagger made him safe. He stood up from his chair and circled Elliot, like a hunter circling its prey. “An unmated omega in a room with an unmated alpha. What do you think would happen?”

Elliot’s patience was running thin. All alphas could think about when an omega was present was whether to mate them or not. It was honestly exhausting dealing with another alpha.

“Let’s talk about our kingdoms, shall we?” Elliot smiled politely.

“You’re married,” Garett exclaimed as he spotted Elliot’s ring. “To a beta?”

Elliot sighed. This conversation was going nowhere, so he decided to entertain Garett’s questions.

“Yes, I’m married, and no, it’s an alpha.”