“Now be a good boy and say your goodbyes to the lion, aetheling.”

Heiko’s brow arched at the audacity of his words, a single, incredulous laugh escaping his throat. “Have you fallen afflicted by a fit of lunacy, you pathetic gnat? Who do you believe you are to-”

“I am the trusted hirdman of King Ingo,” Dries interjected, “and you are the petulant Viper Prince currently in the arms of a man of a lesser station, all the while snarling like a feral wolf, making sure your reputation precedes you. None in your retinue are coming to your rescue, making it very clear that this sort of intervention is… typical, dare I say.” The hot breath against Heiko’s ear made him wince. “And, oh look, the Ealdorman Martijn is ambling over already, caring not of your predicament. Not even giving you a second glance. Or a first one, for that matter. He will entertain the lion, I suppose, so stop embarrassing yourself and say your goodbyes.”

Heiko’s pulse hammered with vicious anger in his chest. That same anger painted his skin a bitter red as he looked Dries in his irating, slate eyes. “Then release me.”

The man smirked. “What a wonderful world that would be.”

He dropped his arm from around the prince’s body only to seize his wrist with more force than ever necessary. It was painful, but Heiko would have sooner died than offer him the pleasure of a wince or a whimper.

“Pardon me, commander,” he began as he turned back towards the Ilysian, “there is something I must-”

It was the look on Commander Adesso’s face that hushed him so effectively. The barest hint of a shadow between his brows - a furrowing, as if…

Heiko exhaled, and a small portion of his rage escaped with it. He smiled.

“There is something I must tend to, Commander Adesso. Do try not to allow Martijn to bore you to tears, will you? Such would be unspeakably untoward.”

And just like that, the shadow grew. 

He turned to Dries, satisfied. “On with it, then.”

A command that needed to be spoken only once and he was being roughly led away, like an unruly colt.

“He is not a puzzle that you can solve,” Dries informed as they strode across the soft grasses, away from the rest, “you are a willfully uncivilized creature, and he is a legend of civility and awe. No matter how you try, you cannot familiarize yourself with those stiff standards enough to decipher him.” 

“You sound bitter, Dries,” Heiko drawled with placating sincerity. “But fear not. Just because you are a simple beast does not mean you must feel self-conscious around those who possess a bit of depth and intelligence.” He reached out to pat the man’s head like one would a hound. “I won’t let the big, scary Iron Lion hurt you, alright?”

The hirdman’s face twitched, and while the very sight of it invigorated the prince’s competitive spirit, vicious memories forced his body to flinch.

“Your stunt at Reuzen Field may have had the others soiling themselves, my lord,” – Dries’ voice grew deceptively calm in a single breath – “witnessing the cruel Viper Prince at work, but you’ll have to do better than that if you wish to shake me.”

“I did not do it for you, or any of the bastards Ingo has sent,” Heiko countered, his words burgeoning with vexation.

“No?” Dries purred, brow furrowing as he exhaled a hum. And then, like a viper himself, he seized a fistful of Heiko’s hair, right at the base of his neck, and yanked back, forcing the prince to expose his neck. “That’s good, aetheling, because, while the others may now see you as the volatile thing that you are, I simply see a little prince who no longer has his hairpin to defend himself with.”

Even in the wretched Ilysian heat, Heiko felt his body go cold.

“You…” he began. There was no use in burying the tremor in his voice. Dries had known him since childhood – there were very few places that were safe from his prying eyes, even within his own. Despite how unsettlingly close the man already was, Heiko turned towards him with a vicious glare. “I hope my father is watching your repugnant transgressions like a hawk, Dries.”

What the prince hoped would have persuaded the hirdman to withdraw served only to trigger the contrary reaction. Mere millimeters from Heiko’s face, Dries sneered. 

“If he was, aetheling, do you not suppose he would have already struck me down for those aforementioned transgressions?”

Heiko faltered, his chest suddenly hollow.

“You are alone, Second Prince Heiko.” 

He knew that all too well, but it didn’t keep the Dries’ words from piercing him, all the same. 

“It is about time you understood that.”

⚔

AN:

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