The Kingdom of Consahdance (Book 2)

Chapter 5: Caspian

Everything that I have been working toward is crumbling before my very eyes.

I've known my father to be a spiteful man. One that always has to be in control of the situation, but his malicious attempts of excessive control have only been directed at his children. Now, it's starting to extend toward Allyson.

His decision to control his heir has affected her life in many ways. Now, she's at risk of marrying my brother— a boy that has already abandoned his people once before. Conlaed will not treat Allyson as his equal in the same way that I would. Allyson would take on the role of our mother: a simple, pretty decoration to have beside the king.

The world we envisioned, the future we are fighting for, is now at risk because my father is unwilling to see a Catipilis rule over this country. I'm certain that if he knew the truth of Allyson's past, he would send her back to Linae. Powerful as she is, that doesn't change anything for him.

Twisting around the ring on my pointer finger, I study my room. Everything is the exact same as I had left it not too long ago. The only difference now is the slight collection of dust coating everything.

If my father allowed the servants to do their jobs rather than using them as his means of entertainment, perhaps the palace would look better.

My father, like most nobles in this country, severely mistreats his servants. He'll send them to run errands and do impossible tasks as a way to provide himself joy. Once, he sent a young man to hunt down a rare pheasant for us to eat for dinner. When he came back three days later with the pheasant, my father threw him in the dungeon for three months.

It's to ensure that they remember their place, he had explained to me when I questioned this decision.

Though Conlaed was gone for three years, he went to a country that arguably treats their Catipilis and Grases worse than this one. He had claimed a new identity and lived a new life with some relatives of our deceased cousin. Conlaed knows nothing of hardship, of pain. He escaped our father's cruelty.

He left me.

There's a soft knock at the door, drawing my attention. I cross the room to see the visitor, expecting to see Allyson. I'm shocked when my brother stands on the other side, his hands casually in his pockets. His body is turned to the side as though he was about to escape.

I should close the door in his face. He's the reason everything is becoming a disaster. Nothing he can say or do in this moment of time will change that. "Did you need something, Conlaed?"

His fiery amber eyes awkwardly dart to the side, unable to make eye contact. My brother takes a step back before he stiffens and thinks better of it. Then, he fully faces me with a hardened look. "I came to discuss this competition between us."

Competition. That's what our situation has been reduced down to. A competition for the throne and for Allyson's hand in marriage. The word makes it sound like we're playing a game of football.

That's all it is to him. A game. He doesn't care about politics or marriage. All he wants is to take from me. Just as he always has. "It is not a competition," I snap. "This is our lives at stake. Not just our lives either, but Allyson's."

At the mention of her name, Conlaed's face darkens. The area around us warms from the anger he is suppressing. "I'm well aware that Allyson is involved in our mess. That wouldn't be the case if you hadn't brought her here."

The explanation for how he believes he is not to blame escapes me. We are only in this current predicament because Conlaed made the decision to come back. He could not allow Allyson to escape him and his influence.