A few moments after Keigo left, Zalair opened the door quietly. He looked out with his green eyes for the other, then closed the door, as he walked out.

With silent feet, Zalair walked down the halls. He stopped at a window to peer out. There he saw the children laughing and playing. Amused for a second, Zalair showed a smile, then he continued on.

A chill wind rose, making Zalair’s clothes move around his body. He stopped, looking to the floor at one side, then slowly to the other side of him and up out the window. He let out a long sigh as he walked over to the window. Placing his hands gently on the sill, Zalair turned his head up to look out at the glorious crisp sparkling night sky.

“Why?” he asked sadly, his eyes thinning in sadness and longing. “I was supposed to protect these souls, and yet… I let one break.”

He couldn’t look away from a bunch of stars. The stars of the mighty warrior Orion. Three stars as a belt, one for each hand and foot, and one opposite for each center, then coming down his sides were two more stars- making ten total.

“The ten stars, the ten souls…” Zalair sighed, thinking back to a phrase he heard his mother once tell him.

“You were born when the sun was in the constellation Orion,” she had said. “And so, with these ten holy rubies, you’ll always have Orion’s might with you. Should one leave you, you’ll be less complete.”

“I’ve lost ten percent,” Zalair mused to himself. That smile only lasted a moment as he heard a familiar sound.

Angered by the attempt at his life again, Zalair spun around quickly and grabbed the spear into his hands. He glared at Keigo, an aura of doom looming over him.

“You’re really pissing me off.”

“So’re you.” Keigo sneered, trying to jerk the spear one way or the other.

Fed up, Zalair punched Keigo’s jaw, yanked the spear forward and spun it around. With a slam of the handle into Keigo’s gut, sending the prince down to the ground, and a jerk of the blade to slice his cheek, Zalair moved with precision and grace.

He finished the quick movements with the spear blade-down into the stone floor.

Keigo stared in shock at the other for a moment. “Oh, I’m sorry.”

“For what?” Zalair asked, not wanting to joke around.

“This!” Keigo shouted as he kicked Zalair’s shin, sending the prince forward.

The two froze as the sound of, not one, but two something’s shattering rang in their ears.

Slowly, and with faces as pale as the snow, the two looked down to Zalair’s body.

The first break was the large gem on Zalair’s left hip. The second came from the ruby on his foot’s cuff.

“You… You broke two more!!!” Zalair shouted, mounting a death assault.

“I- I’m sorry!” Keigo shouted.

“Sorry my ass you are!” Zalair screamed, grabbing the other around your neck.

“St-stop it!” Keigo gasped, trying to push the other off.

As they rolled and tumbled, the sound of two more rubies breaking angered the green-eyed prince more. Keigo barely caught a glimpse of them this time: the other ruby on his hand, and the other one on his foot.

“You are so dead!” Zalair bellowed.

“That’s quite enough!” came a burly voice. Zalair yelped in shock as an arm went under his belly and lifted him up like a sack of flour.

“Wh-whoa!” Zalair looked to his side and up, seeing the King Chevis holding him up under his arm. “K-K-… King Chevis!”

“Stop trying to murder my son,” Chevis glared down at Zalair. “And you, stop trying to murder your childhood friend!”

“Fr-frie…” Keigo didn’t want to finish that word.

“Friend?!” Zalair shouted, shoving out of Chevis’s hold. “That ‘friend’ just broke five of my most precious possessions and all you can do is tell me not to kill him?!”

“Zalair, I know you’re angry but…” Chevis frowned, trying to reason with the angered prince.

“No! I don’t want to hear it- from any of you!” He turned a glare onto the still shocked Keigo. Then he looked back to Chevis. “Forget this! I will not- can not- marry Keigo of all people!” He shouted, holding up his fingers as he counted. “Number one, he’s a complete and total ass. Two, he broke that which he knew is important to me. And three, he’s tried to kill me ever since I got here.”

“Zalair…” Chevis tried to get a word in.

“Oh! Oh!” Zalair stomped his foot, “And four! The bastard’s hated me for thirteen years! He’s a complete and total … total …” Zalair’s body shook in anger as he tried to think of a good insult.

“Total what?” Chevis asked, tilting his head to the side. Keigo slowly stood up, wanting to know also; He knew that when Zalair was a child he’d make up some random insult for something, one that would never make sense.

“Total marshmallow!” Zalair shouted at the top of his lungs. He gasped a moment to catch his breath, still angered. Then he turned and ran back to the guest room, shouting the whole way to be left alone.

Slowly, the king and prince looked to each other. It took a moment for the insult to sink in.

That night, their laughter rang around the whole palace. A burly loud laugh from the king, and a loud laugh from the prince.

Zalair hid himself under the table of the guestroom with pillows and a pile of blankets over him, too embarrassed to do anything.