Aleneo walked down the stables, studying the horses locked behind their private gates. The varying shades of brown didn't catch his attention. The only one that stood out was the hulking beast that would be too big to be trained to ride in Aleneo's fast style and agile style.
He stopped at the end of the stables.
"Is this all of them?"
He already knew the answer. It was too short notice to bring in anymore horses. The tournament was officially starting in three days. It was a delay giving that the tournament should have started earlier this week. The tiny battle against the invading humans had pushed the starting date back to this upcoming Monday.
The stableman shook his head. "I apologize sir. These are the only ones available at the moment."
Aleneo put on the brightest and fakest smile he could muster. "Thank you. I understand."
He said goodbye to the stableman, leaving with a worse feeling than when he'd arrives.
He was screwed. Not just any horse was going to help him win the already tipped tournament scales. Erebus, though he knew nothing about riding or fighting with a sword, had already gained a large following. Aleneo hadn't thought he was hated until the worms started to come out from the woodwork.
Even the girls and women who'd fawned over him just a week ago had changed teams and were chasing Erebus's coattails. Aleneo seethed to think the rat of a man was getting all the attention that used to be Aleneo's. He hadn't even done anything to earn the attention. He was just his stoic self and that seemed to be enough for the masses.
Aleneo walked into the practice arena. He arrived just in time to get a front-row seat of what Erebus was capable of.
He sat on top of a large horse that matched his own size and statue. It was a pure black stud with flowing manes that glistened in the little sunlight that flickered through the overcast sky. Aleneo moved out of eye-sight and stayed by the front gate.
Erebus didn't look at all natural on top of the black horse. He gripped the reigns too tightly and was jerking the leather left and right as if the horse was a mindless machine he needed to constantly maneuver. A man who was most likely an instructor came up to Erebus and tried to explain how to loosen his grip so that he might ride more effortlessly.
Erebus gave a tense nod. He tried what the instructor had suggested. He lost control of the horse and it went in the opposite direction he'd wanted. He got angry and dug his heels into the horse's sides which caused the horse to buck.
Aleneo snorted as Erebus was tossed off the horse and landed in the dirt. The man jumped back up but didn't look happy at all about what had just happened. Aleneo hoped the instructor stepped in to stop Erebus from hurting the horse. It wasn't the animal's fault Erebus was incompetent.
But Erebus didn't charge at the animal. He yelled something at the instructor and started walking off the training plot.
Aleneo realized too late that Erebus was heading toward him.
He backed further away from the front gate, but there was nowhere for him to hide. Erebus slowed when he noticed Aleneo standing there.
His dark eyes looked Aleneo up and down, lingering on his right thigh. Aleneo knew what he was looking for. The wound. It was there—healed but the skin puckered and scared by the weapon.
Aleneo cleared his throat and shifted on his feet. "Are you done?"
Erebus stopped.
Aleneo wished he hadn't said anything at all.
"I am," Erebus said. His low voice sent a shiver through Aleneo.
Aleneo walked past Erebus. He held his breath as he did.
"Where's your horse?"
Aleneo couldn't think for a moment. His mind flashed with images of Angel bloody on the ground. All the numbness he felt since he returned ruptured in that instance. Those words were all he needed for the calm to crash like paper walls.
He turned on his heels and aimed his fist at Erebus's face. His knuckles didn't land. Erebus ducked down and tackled Aleneo to the ground.
All the air was knocked out of him as his back slammed into the dirt. He stared wide-eyed up at the cloudy sky. Ringlets of Erebus's hair fell into his vision and then Erebus's entire face. His narrowed eyes and his twisted mouth was all Aleneo needed to see to know that Erebus was at his pushing point.
Aleneo relished it. He smiled and would have laughed if he had the air to do so. He gasped like a fish out of water, desperate to breathe again, but it didn't feel like it was going to happen.
Erebus watched like a freak. As Aleneo relished Erebus's anger, Erebus relished in Aleneo's desperation—the whole thing was fucked up.
But Aleneo didn't care at all about fucked up. The only thing on his mind was revenge.
Aleneo resorted to the only move he could do. Headbutt.
He slammed his head hard into Erebus's. Erebus reeled back, his hands going to his face. Aleneo was still out of breath as he rolled over on his side and got up. He stumbled, his head dizzy from hitting the ground so hard.
Erebus cursed under his breath and removed his hand from his head. "What is wrong with you?"
Aleneo laughed in disbelief. "What is wrong with me? What is wrong with you? You killed my horse and my cousin!"
"And you killed all my men!" Erebus took a step toward Aleneo.
Aleneo backed up. He reached for his sword at his side. "If I kill you now they'll know it was in self-defense."
A smirk twisted the corner of Erebus's mouth. "Haven't you learned by now? The King and Queen adore me. They think I'm their true son."
Aleneo tilted his head. "You don't believe you're the Dark Prince?"
Erebus rolled his eyes. "Everyone keeps saying that, but it's not true."
Aleneo's hand relaxed on his sword's handle. He was dumbfounded by what he was hearing. He had no idea that he would have to convince the Dark Prince of his true identity.
"It's true," he said, a lump in his throat. It pained him more to say this and when he'd been hurt in the leg. "The wrinkle would have never let in your men if the Dark Prince wasn't among them. Mother—"
He grimaced. "The Queen knew of your arrival. She sensed you."
Erebus shook his head, but Aleneo could see the doubt spreading. His truth, his life, was starting to evaporate. Aleneo pressed on.
"All your life, you've felt different from them." He drifted toward Erebus. There was that same connection he'd felt when they'd been in the field and near the wrinkle. His insides were being torn apart, but he was also being put whole again.
Erebus was stock still. His chest rose up and down.
"You look nothing like your parents, don't you?" Aleneo's own chest heaved as he took a lock of Erebus's hair into his hand. The short hair was straight and soft.
He leaned in and whispered into Erebus's ear. "And I look just like them, don't I?"
Erebus shoved him back.
Aleneo expected it this time. He stayed on his feet and grinned widely as he watched Erebus crack. Erebus's eyes roamed Aleneo in a new way, a new light after what Aleneo had said—had revealed to him. Aleneo had no idea what his biological parents looked like, but they must have looked similar to them if this was Erebus's reaction.
Aleneo had hit the nail on the head.
He was waiting for Erebus to attack him again. He would be ready this time. But Erebus turned on his heels and walked away.
Aleneo stared after him, not knowing what else he expected from the man. The grin on Aleneo's face didn't fade. He gave a little laugh under his breath as he watched Erebus disappear into the set up tents around the practicing lot and the main grounds where the tournament was held.
But his laugh trailed off when he remembered that he was utterly alone in this fight.
Aleneo had circled back around to the stables to once again see if there was a potential horse he'd overlooked. He hadn't. The horses were the same. Nothing about them stood out and none of them were clicking with him. However, this time he was able to view the horse Erebus had either been paired with or picked out.
He was sure the instructor Erebus had been placed with had picked the horse out. The stud was the perfect size of Erebus, taller than the other horses and a little older so he was strong. He wasn't a war horse though, but he was too large to be very good at agility. Aleneo saw nothing special about this horse either and didn't know if the horse was a good fit for Erebus either.
Erebus was so bad at riding Aleneo didn't see how they were going to train him to be able to fight in a couple days.
He walked out of the stable feeling good but also bad about his situation. While Erebus's riding skill were horrible, Aleneo wasn't better off without a horse.
"Grab his reigns!"
Aleneo was distracted by a loud commotion that was happening a couple tents away.
"Don't let him go! Get the ropes!"
More shouts and screams came from that area. Aleneo, not knowing what was happening, took off toward it. He came running around the corner and skidded to a halt when horse hooves jumped in the air right in front of him.
His eyes widened and he ducked to the left just in time to not get knocked out by the horse's legs. He fell into the tent. The ropes tying it down broke from the pegs holding the edges down.
The fabric ripped under his weight and he crashed into something that was inside the tent. He cursed as he got to his feet and ran toward the animal.
"Stop!" He yelled at the men that were trying to throw ropes around the horse's neck. "You're going to piss him off more!"
The men, not expecting the prince, did stop out of shock more than anything. They backed up and dropped the ropes that they'd attempted to throw around the horse's neck.
The gray horses stopped bucking once it realized it was no longer trying to be tied down. It backed away from the forming crowd that had gathered after hearing the commotion.
Aleneo was shocked to find out that the horse was actually Wolf.
The horse was wounded on his right leg which eerily mirrored Aleneo's own wound. But there were other injuries. Cuts and superficial bruising. Aleneo felt regret for leaving Wolf after he'd returned to the kingdom. He shouldn't have left Wolf to be handled by random people. His owner had died—he was mourning and he had no one familiar around him.
"Wolf." Aleneo put both his hands up. He didn't move toward the horse, but he spoke softly to get his attention.
Wolf's eyes flickered straight toward him. Their eyes locked. Aleneo went still though he felt like the world was circling around him. Wolf huffed out his nose, his tail flicking back and forth in a jetting motion. For a brief moment, his black eyes darted toward the men that had tried to rope him down.
It was a silent question. It was one that hurt Aleneo to know.
Aleneo gave a slight jerk of his head. A faint nod that only Wolf would understand. Wolf didn't react at first. His eyes looked at the other men again before they returned to Aleneo.
Then, he dipped his head down.
One of the men started toward Wolf with the rope. Aleneo put his arm out. "No."
The man stopped. Aleneo went to Wolf, slowly because he wasn't entirely sure how spooked the horse was. He was large animal who was more skittish and unstable than most horses. It was expected from an animal that had been in battle. Animals that saw combat were usually put back into training and rehabilitation before they were brought back out for traditional riding.
Aleneo managed to get close enough to Wolf to touch him. He was careful not to move too suddenly that he might spook him. Wolf huffed as Aleneo petted down the bridge of his nose and then up to his head.
He scratched behind Wolf's ear and smiled. "I'm sorry I left you."
Wolf shook his head as if telling Aleneo it was okay, that he was forgiven.
Aleneo continued to pet Wolf as he addressed the men. "Where was he being taken?"
Wolf stiffened as if he knew the words Aleneo was speaking.
One of the men, who was dressed nicer than the others, answered. "The outpost, sir. There are no available stables during the tournament and no stablehands to take care of him. He's too wild to sell immediately either."
Aleneo was even more heartbroken to hear what he already feared. The outpost was a nice way of saying a horse was being sold for cheap to become a work horse. They were used in horrible conditions and not well-cared for. They usually died in one to two years.
Aleneo reached for a coin he kept in his pocket in case. He flicked it toward the man. "I'll take him from here."
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