DESTROYER.

𝐍𝐈𝐀 𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐒 𝐖𝐎𝐌𝐄𝐍 𝐅𝐀𝐑 𝐌𝐎𝐑𝐄 𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐍 𝐒𝐇𝐄 𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐒 men and i think that if she had daughters over sons she would have been a slightly better parent.    she certainly would have had more patience and i think,    as well as the effort for an heir,    nia kept trying to have more children because she wanted a daughter.    instead of blaiz being second in line,    nia’s daughter would have taken his place no matter what her personality was like because she quickly would’ve taken place as nia’s favourite.   𝐈𝐍 𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐍,    nia has never cared for giving the crown to her children in order of age but rather who suits the throne best.    nia would have mentored her daughter far more closely than she mentored her sons,   which she largely left up to huron.

𝐍𝐈𝐀 𝐒𝐔𝐌𝐌𝐎𝐍𝐄𝐃 𝐄𝐍𝐕𝐄𝐑 𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄 𝐅𝐎𝐑 a reason,   but also because as of late the aztrap has felt incredibly suffocating.    for an ice queen,   the forest has always felt just as much home to her as the buildings of troit and therefore the aztrap within it has.    but with so much running through her mind—the line of succession,   the coming battle with skaikru,   a war with the coalition as a whole,   blaiz’s insolence—it’s natural that she might feel overwhelmed.    that’s not weakness;   it’s just that the people around her are idiots who make her job harder.    hopefully,    enver won’t prove to be the same.

the logic everyone seemed to have about the sky people and their origins didn’t make any sense to blaiz. they hadn’t always been in space. their ancestors too had inhabited the ground so who was to say they didn’t have a right to claim it as well? but how could he express this thought to her—he couldn’t. wouldn’t dare.  ❝ who said I am weak? ❞ his fists clenching as he banged the table more for show than out of genuine outrage. a scowl settled upon his face as she yanked the cup from his hand and his other fist followed suit, clenching firmly on the table.  ❝ you’re impossible to ignore, ❞ he chided, slumping backwards in his chair.

his stomach dropped at the mention of his father, as though she’d just pushed him off the edge of a cliff. even the slightest mention of his seemed to have that effect since she never answered any of his questions about the man. everything blaiz knew about his father came from stories of those that used to know him, people who’d fought beside him. the lack of information his mother when it came to the topic of his late father always left the prince feeling suspicious; as though the questions went ignored because she feared the answers. 

❝ i don’t know what my father would have wanted, and i don’t honestly think you know either. i’m not even entirely convinced you knew anything about him except what a skilled fighter he was. ❞ blaiz told her bluntly, his face devoid of any emotion as he looked at his mother. his queen.  ❝ which is fine, you wanted more spares, ❞ he continued with a nod, his gaze turning increasingly cold.  ❝ but you will not stain his memory any further with your foul manipulations. ❞ the young warrior warned, his tone harsh as he rose from his seat, the chair scraping loudly on the floor as he did so,

❝ if you continue to threaten me, nomi, you will not need to exile me. ❞ the blonde said, reaching over the table to take the goblet she’d taken from him.  ❝ i will go on my own.❞ he said casually as he brought the glass to his lips, hiding a smirk he couldn’t resist.

𝐍𝐈𝐀 𝐅𝐄𝐄𝐋𝐒 𝐈𝐓 𝐉𝐔𝐒𝐓 𝐀𝐒 𝐒𝐇𝐄 𝐅𝐄𝐄𝐋𝐒 the anger coursing through her body:   he is his father’s son.   too defiant even in the face of his queen.    she should have known better than to dabble with his ilk;   it had been a brief moment fueled by that blackened organ in her chest and not her head.    her fists clench and her upper lip curls as she stares at her son,   listening,   waiting,    until she snarls,    “ get out. ”

nia'a chair scrapes loudly against the floor as she makes to stand,   turning away from him sharply before her sudden thoughts bring her gaze back to her insolent son.    son?   no--no,   he makes the mistake of thinking he means that much to her.   he is a pawn,   nothing more,   and right now he isn’t doing the one thing he was made for.    “ wipe that smug look off your face,    you insolent brat.    and since you are so wise about your circumstances yet seem to disregard them so easily,    listen to this:    you were brought into this world for one reason,   blaiz.   unfortunately for all of us that reason has come to fruition.   and now, ”    nia hisses,   fingers splaying against the table as she leans forward,    “ you are failing me.    that doesn’t bode well for you or you skaikru whore. ”

❝ but why? ❞ he asked, his gaze narrowing,  ❝ because they belong to enver? ❞ blaiz furthered with a soft laugh. the way their mother always indulged his sadistic ways worried him, worried him what the future should hold if it ever fell to his older brother to lead. and the younger prince knew it should be all the more reason he ought to strive to keep the crown for himself. but blaiz had never been meant to lead his people. how could he when he would only lead them in a direction they’d refuse to follow?

❝ and if she knows nothing of wanheda? that doesn’t mean she can’t be useful in other ways. ❞ the blonde said grabbing a chunk of bread from one of the plates to his left; it wasn’t as fresh as he’d of hoped, but he ripped a piece off with his teeth all the same and began to chew. blaiz would never admit it aloud, but he knew that he would never let it come to that, he would sooner help her escape than let his mother have her way. 

blaiz shook his head at her slowly,  ❝ i don’t see what the problem is, nomi. ❞ he said tossing the bread lightly onto his plate and picking up his now full chalice of wine.  ❝ i’ve been with plenty of women from the other clans, clans we’ve been warring with for decades and it’s never been a problem for. ❞ he replied leaning forward against the table, not sure his mother exactly needed the reminding.  ❝ what is it about this one that angers you so? ❞ 

𝐍𝐈𝐀’𝐒 𝐉𝐀𝐖 𝐂𝐋𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐇𝐄𝐒 𝐀𝐒 𝐒𝐇𝐄 listens to blaiz speak,   and with a shake of her head she ignores his question as to why entirely:    he should know better than to ask why and instead should know what his mother wants without her having to voice it.    nia doesn’t care about the why and she expects her sons not to either;    only to know what she would and wouldn’t want.   to think for themselves.    to not have to be told what to do.

“ the problem, ”   nia hisses,    “ is that she is skaikru and the others were at least from the ground.    i said nothing when you took that ouskejon girl from her cell the last time;   this time,   i say enough, ”   the ice queen growls.    “ skaikru spread their weakness like a plague to even our finest of warriors.   you have made not just yourself but me,   too,   look weak. ”   irritated by her son’s incessant eating habits,    she leans forward to snatch the wine goblet from his grasp.   “ are you listening to me,   skat?    they are leeches! ”

just like his former question,    nia ignores it.    nia knows she can be useful and that’s why she’ll keep his little pet around;    she could be used as a bargaining chip or perhaps nia could even groom her into submission the same way she did to tori and echo and countless others.    she slams his goblet back down on the table and leans back only to bring her own wine goblet to her lips,    and nia takes a sip of it before she averts her gaze and shakes her head.    such insolence from her one and only hope left for this clan.    what would her father think of her?    better yet...    

Everyone was weak at some point, even his own mother. That’s how they learned to live in this world, that’s how they became such a strong clan, not allowing themselves to have any weaknesses. Enver had been weak, when he was young, when he would cry himself to sleep most nights when no one was watching, because his mother wouldn’t show any interest on him, because everyone around him would tell him how weak he was, how unworthy of his blood and his title he was. And mostly, how he should’ve been put out of his misery the moment he was born. But he had proven them all wrong, he had shown them that he was worth something, that even if he wasn’t first choice to become King, that he was still worth something. And he was going to prove that to his mother.

Enver turned his head to look at her, opening his eyes slightly so that he could see her. He listened to her words, even though his mind wasn’t completely sane at the moment and he took them in, like he always did with everything his mother told him. “You are my mother, my Queen, my place is by your side. I’m not a traitorous bastard, I will always be by your side!” His voice was raised a little, but not too much. As soon as he stopped talking, another fit of coughing followed, his eyes letting out some tears as he did so. “I can’t make you love me.” He mumbled. When it came to respect, sure he could definitely earn that, but love? He couldn’t force someone to love him. Enver had no clue how love worked, he had never felt it for anyone or felt others give it to him, but he assumed it wasn’t something that could be forced. 

-

𝐖𝐇𝐄𝐍 𝐖𝐎𝐔𝐋𝐃 𝐇𝐄 𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐍?    all this whinging was only making nia more disgusted with him.    she sneers at him disgust as he speaks,   and by the time he starts to cough,   she can’t help the way she rolls her eyes and reaches for the very bottom of the bed to wrap some of the furs draped across it around her shoulders.    she paces around the table in the middle of the room and right back over to the fire,    muttering to herself all the while.

Enver titled his head to the side. “So you know? And you’ve spoken to Blaiz about it as well?” He had knows as much but he wanted confirmation. And he definitely wanted to know why the hell she was allowing this nonsense to continue. “Of course not, I still think we should kill them all, just thought it would be useful information. I guess those on the cells aren’t really worth anything anymore, not even the food we give them.” He shrugged his shoulders. Maybe they should just get rid of them. At the end of the day, they were nothing more than a waste of time and space. “Or we could hand them back to Skaikru, we’ll call it a show of good faith.” He paused. “Maybe that will make them put their guard down. Or the Commander’s. You think we could put a spy in the middle of them? It’s a gamble but they might not notice and we would get information from inside the settlement.” It was merely a suggestion, if it was up to him, he would just kill them. But his uncle had told him to start using his intelligence, Enver had plenty of it but he would always stick with violence, it worked and it wasn’t near as much work. 

Enver rolled his eyes at her words, shaking his head. “I was going to ask for an explanation, why the hell you are allowing this nonsense to continue but I guess you have your reasons.” He paused. “Whatever he’s doing, I do hope it works and doesn’t backfire on us, I really do.” Enver wanted to know what the plan was, he wanted to be in on everything that’s happening and be able to give his opinions, if his mother would let him. “So what is it? What is this magnificent plan that the golden son has thought of?” 

-

𝐍𝐈𝐀 𝐎𝐍𝐋𝐘 𝐇𝐀𝐋𝐅-𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐍𝐒 𝐓𝐎 𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓 enver has to say until his idea piques her interest:    sending the skaikru prisoners back.    they would only need to send one for the bleeding sickness to work and leif of yujleda still owes her a favour or two.    she’s sure she could acquire it.    since when has enver used his mind for anything other than torturing?    nia is impressed.   still,   she lets enver finish speaking before she does the same,   and for once her gaze on her son isn’t accusatory or stern or cruel but neutral.    with nia,    neutral is good.   neutral means respect.

“ your brother decided to sit and watch the prisoners for whatever reason, ”   nia scoffs,   shaking her head and turning to look out of the window momentarily.   “ the fool decided that it would be a wonderful idea to bring the skai gada to his quarters and win her over that way.   of course that was his way of thinking. ”   blaiz and his saga of thinking with his cock is one nia wishes would end.    she slams down the letter she had in her hands on the table again and turns to look at enver.   “ she may have information on wanheda.     blaiz gets to keep her as his pet for now,   just as you have yours.   if it’s true that she’s from their main settlement,   she may prove a valuable bargaining chip with skaikru in the times to come. ”

❝ yes, actually, but before i spoke to any of them i merely watched. ❞  he said plucking a grape from the bowl closest to him and tossing it into his mouth. ❝ there is not enough observation happening, nomi, it doesn’t have to be attack now and ask questions never. who does that benefit? ❞  he asked rhetorically with a shrug as he reached for a second grape. blaiz knew he was walking along a thin line, but toeing at the edge against his mother has never struck fear in him the way it ought to of. not the way it did in his brothers or the rest of azgedakru. and when she did managed to succeed, he never let her see it. he silently wondered if that was why she’d always favored him so, for his refusal to back down—even when she knew he was being stupid.

blaiz had no witty remark for this, he knew better, instead he sat silently for moment listening to his mother’s rant, doing what she could to get a rise out of him; and it nearly work. the prince bit down on the side on is tongue once more with a great deal more force this time. until he tasted blood. he didn’t know what sort of answer his mother expected of him except flat out denial and saying the wrong thing would be detrimental so the prince glided past it as though it meant nothing at all. 

he swallowed the lump in his throat, ❝ of course i do, nomi, you’ve never let us forget. ❞  he smiled softly reaching for a jug of wine and filling the glass before her and then his own. and thought of such a thing being done to venus terrified him in a way he knew it shouldn’t. blaiz could still remember being a child and hearing the story his mother so loved to tell him at bed time, as though it were a touching tale that ought to stir some sort of wondrous feeling within him. but that wasn’t blaiz and it never would be. 

𝐍𝐈𝐀 𝐀𝐋𝐌𝐎𝐒𝐓 𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐌𝐀𝐍𝐃𝐒 𝐁𝐋𝐀𝐈𝐙 𝐓𝐎 send her back to the cells,   but what good would that do now?   blaiz should have left her there,   should have brought her food,   should have warmed her to him that way...    but the more she thinks about it,    nia understands his motives.    enver would have gotten her hands on her,   and while nia thinks he still would have gotten the same information,   there’s nothing she can do about it now.    not until they’ve got what they need from her.    something unfamiliar pangs in nia’s chest when she hears him call her nomi,   but as usual,    she shoves it down.    crosses her arms over her chest as if it’s a physical barrier from the thing he’s trying desperately to reach.

“ you shouldn’t have been down there in the first place, ”    nia hisses,   irritated,    “ but i see your point. ”    it’s rare that nia will admit to anyone else but her being right.    unfolding her arms from her chest,    nia pulls out the chair she stands before,   the one opposite blaiz,    and sits down on it...   but she lifts that knife and points it towards him once more as a warning.    “ she lives.   for now, ”    nia says,    stabbing a piece of food with a fork and bringing it to her plate,    “ if you bring me whatever information she has on wanheda before the next week’s end.

if not... ”    nia shrugs,    beginning to cut into that piece of food,    “ she’ll die by fire.    and i’ll have you light the pyre yourself. ”

❞ 𝐈𝐭’𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐞’𝐯𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫.❞  They didn’t always see eye to eye on everything. But on certain things, for Azgeda , this they agreed on. He had no desire to be a king. Saw what it did to his family, it cost his mothers life. Growing up with their father, cruel and harsh as winters could be. And Nia was just like him, he didn’t blame her. How could he, it was their life. One of the things that he did take from his father, from his sister was that of pride. It was this that allowed him to help her, to give her whatever she needed. For the clan. Huron gave a nod of his head, ❞ 𝐈’𝐥𝐥 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐡𝐞 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐬. 𝐇𝐞’𝐥𝐥 𝐞𝐧𝐣𝐨𝐲 𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧. ❞ his eyes lingering on the image of Wanheda. Committing it to his own memory; before letting the paper slip from his fingers falling back on top of the table. Whatever until she received, Nia seemed confident that this Wanheda would be there. It was a good thing that he would be there but something she said caught his attention. ❞ 𝐃𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧’𝐭 𝐠𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐏𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐬?❞  Not that she couldn’t kill her enemies a well if not better then most of their soldiers. But he didn’t want there to be any opportunity for their enemies to think they could get an upper hand. Even if her answer was no, he was already going through a list of the chiefs  who should stay behind just in case. Moving away from the war table, Huron crossed the room towards the window. Arms folded as he looked out , watching their people meander by. He wanted things to be over with Skaikru and the commander as much as Nia: though for different reasons. But Huron was getting the feeling that it wouldn’t be so simple. That these people who fell from the sky wouldn’t be put down so easily. One had already seemed to have attached herself to Blaiz. ❞ 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐨 𝐰𝐞 𝐝𝐨 𝐢𝐟 𝐢𝐭 𝐢𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫.❞   he said this more to himself then to his sister.

The frown that marred his features already made the severe look of him that much more so. ❞ 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫  𝐢𝐧 𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐮𝐞, 𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐫𝐢𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠. 𝐖𝐞 𝐜𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐤𝐚𝐢𝐤𝐫𝐮 𝐨𝐟𝐟 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐤𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐟 𝐰𝐞 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐲.❞ hazel eyes turned to face his sister. He knew she knew this, he knew that look in her eye. Nia always had a plan, always seemed to be two steps ahead of the rest. But something about the joining of Skaikru and the Commander seemed like a formidable foe– for their clan specifically . ❞ 𝐈 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐡𝐞𝐫, 𝐈 𝐰𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞.❞

-

“ 𝐈 𝐖𝐈𝐋𝐋 𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐕𝐄𝐋 𝐓𝐎 𝐏𝐎𝐋𝐈𝐒 𝐒𝐎𝐎𝐍,    but now isn’t the time, ”    nia responds,    following her brother as he moves to the window.    she comes to a stop beside him and,   rather than settling on her people,    her gaze focuses on the lands sprawling past troit;    lands in which the enemy hides,   masking themselves in azgeda garb much like her son’s pet has.    the very thought of a skai gada in her city makes nia’s expression turn sour but she ignores it;   instead,   she continues,    “ once i set this bounty on wanheda’s head,   the commander will put a warrant out for my own arrest.    and when you send confirmation that roan has wanheda in his grasp and has brought her to polis... ”

nia shrugs,   but there’s a small,   mischievous smile on her lips as she turns to look at her brother once more.   “ this fight will be over,    huron.    or rather it’ll be skaikru’s fight that ends. ”   her expression turns sour again.   “ i won’t have you trying to kill the commander,   either.    i forbid it.   you’re too valuable to us here to lose. ”   and huron is perhaps one of the only people she truly trusts.    what would her boys do without him,    too?    

blaiz inhaled sharply as a mess of sticky apple juice and remanence hit him in the face and dripped down his shirt along his chest, he can’t hide the anger that flashes behind his eyes but managed to at least keep it from bubbling over. his lips twisted into a sneer, but made no move to wipe away the mess his mother had created on him. instead he licked his lips, a pleasant taste flooding his tastebuds, as her less than pleasant words rang in his ears.

she may be fearful for azgeda’s future with him as king, but blaiz was more concerned about his own longevity—or lack thereof, if he were to become king. self preservation may not have been one of their people’s tools for survival but it was for this prince. it had to be.

there was sharp sting where she struck him, but the pain faded quickly as his gaze refocused on the knife that never seemed to leave her hand and he wondered for a moment if she would really use it. something he’d not put past the ruthless queen.

with a deep breath, blaiz looked to his mother once more, ❝ because she’s different than the others, ❞ he said plainly as he leaned back in the chair, resting his elbow on the table. ❝ and if enver took a moment to talk, or even to observe the prisoners, he would have seen that. ❞ venus was different and it had intrigued him, but not for the ways he needed his mother to believe. no he wanted her to believe his qualm lie with his brother, which wasn’t entirely untrue. ❝ and by giving him full authority to slash and hack at whatever he wants you’ve inflated his ego to the point where he’s no longer useful. ❞ the young prince informed her with a raise of his brow. ❝ he’s not doing us any good, only harm. ❞

❝ she’s not from the northern settlement and she’s not like the others. ❞ he repeated, his tone firm and unrelenting. ❝ and if your ill-trained brute had gotten his hands on her we’d back to the start. she would have let him kill her first. ❞ more lies. nearly every word that left his lips was a lie, the very thing she’d warned him against doing, but lying was all too easy for blaiz. came naturally even. but when one is raised as he was, with who he had been, lying was a necessity.

𝐁𝐋𝐀𝐈𝐙’𝐒 𝐎𝐍𝐋𝐘 𝐒𝐀𝐕𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐆𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐄 𝐈𝐒 the fact that he stands his ground against his mother and,    despite his obvious struggle,   manages to keep his temper in check.   nia respects it,    and his ability to do so calms her a little.    perhaps they can talk like adults now;    perhaps nia can actually listen instead of picking apart every single thing he says.    nia keeps the knife where it is,   far enough from blaiz for him not to have to worry,   but despite the lack of movement of the utensil the fire in nia’s eyes has quenched somewhat.    blaiz might act like an insolent child more often than not,   but it’s moments like these in which he’s able to keep his cool which makes him the more redeemable one of nia’s remaining sons.

slowly,   eventually,    nia heaves a breath and leans back.   the utensil clatters to the tabletop and the ice queen reaches into a bowl of clean water—meant for hand washing—before she grabs a cloth and wipes her hands free of sticky apple remnants.    her sharp eyes find her son as she dries her hands,    her gaze unrelenting.    “ and you discovered this how? ”   nia demands,   her tone accusatory.    “ by delving into the prisoner chambers and having a nice little chat? ”    even if that were the case,   even if blaiz said yes,   nia would demand answers.   an explanation.    why he was there in the first place.   the fact that something simply is isn’t enough for the queen in this case.

“ regardless of whatever your intentions were, ”   nia spits,   her upper lip curling upwards,    “ you have let countless people in our home believe that you have taken up with a skai gada.”   nia’s disgust is clear in her tone,   her look,   her voice—    “ i should have you light her pyre for it.   i should have her burn at the stake just as my father did to my mother. ”    a sickly sweet smile overcomes nia’s features as she continues,    “ do you remember that story,   blaiz? ”    

Enver didn’t completely understand what was happening. Why did Blaiz take the prisoner for himself, what was he planning? He knew he couldn’t go to his brother for clarification, he wouldn’t give it to him. So he went to his mother, who he knew would at least tell him why she was allowing this nonsense to continue. He had hoped that she would’ve already put an end to this and send the prisoner back to the cells, where she belonged. 

“It seems that she doesn’t come from the same Skaikru settlement that is withing our boarders, she comes from the main settlement, in Trikru land.” He paused, moving forward to take a seat in front of his mother, allowing his legs to have some rest for a few moments. “And I’ve been told the ones within our boarders crashed here by accident and they have no knowledge of the main settlement or the ceasefire. It would explain why none of them speak about it when I’m torturing them, it might be true.” He leaned back on the chair, staring at his mother. 

-

𝐍𝐈𝐀'𝐒 𝐄𝐘𝐄𝐒 𝐍𝐀𝐑𝐑𝐎𝐖 𝐎𝐍 𝐇𝐄𝐑 son as he speaks and her arms slowly unfold.   groveling again...    although while she did know about the foremost part of what enver speaks of,   she didn’t know about the latter.   she supposes she’s grateful for it.    nia’s head tilts upwards.    “ blaiz told me as much, ”   nia responds,    her icy hues glancing over enver’s form,    “ but what is it you suggest we do with such information?    have pity on them? ”    nia’s lips quirk upwards with amusement in a way that suggests she’s not serious,   if he needed that clarified at all.

blaiz exhaled in a huff subtly before he noisily dragged the chair out from its place under the table, letting the heavy wooden frame scrap irritatingly across the floor. the prince dropped into the seat, biting down on the inside of his cheek in order to help bide his tongue. his mother was in a particular mood, it seemed, undoubtedly caused by him and his recent actions, so he knew better than to push the luck he was already testing.

he looked to his mother for a moment, leaning forward in the awkwardly angled chair to rest an elbow on his knee and waving a hand dramatically for her to proceed, before turning his attention to the piece of fruit in his hand. but he knew what this was about. and how could he not? he was sure enver had already gone to their mother as fast as he could, if only to carp about how he had one less person to maim and slaughter.  

his stomach began to turn, at the thought that his mother would demand she sent back down to the cells. to be handed over to enver so he could do as pleased. blaiz swallowed thickly, his grip tightening on the apple, turning it slowly to pulp beneath his fingertips. 

𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐘 𝐒𝐂𝐑𝐀𝐓𝐂𝐇 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐈𝐑 against the floor vexates nia all the more,    although it’s not because of the sound:    it’s because of her son’s insolence.    nia has to commend commander lexa on one front alone:    she knew which one of her sons was the competent one.    nia’s lips press into a thin line as she watches him in silence,   her jaw clenching with anger,   and his exaggerated movement of his hand and the way he crushes the apple in it only gives her more reason to be vexated with him.

anger flashes in nia’s eyes as she reaches across the table and grasps the pulp from his hand,    and there’s a split second’s hesitation before she throws it in his face.    it splatters across his cheeks and chin,   spilling down the front of his clothes too.    “ you are a child, ”   nia snarls,   her top lip curling upwards,   “ and i fear what the future of azgeda looks like in your hands. ”

there it is:   confirmation of blaiz’s suspicions.    nia has never said it out loud before,   has never voiced that she wants him to be king,   but if he hasn’t picked up on it already then he’s an idiot.   of course,   he’s the backup if retrieving roan from his exile fails.   does he know that,   too?    nia stares at him with heavy breath and fire in her eyes for a moment longer before she straightens quickly and grabs a knife from a selection of utensils.   she slams it down into the wood of the table.    oh,   she’s pissed.