𝑨𝒍𝒍 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔 𝑰 𝒍𝒐𝒔𝒕 𝒐𝒏 𝒚𝒐𝒖- The Cruel Prince

Prologue

I stand next to my aunt Taryn as the King and Queen of Elfhame begin with their speeches.
The hall is filled with people: fairies, elves, hags, all dressed in gaudy dresses, gold jewelry, silver jewelry, and precious stones.
Lord Royben, with his wife Kaye and his daughter, sit at the table of honor, for their annual visit to the High Court.

I point my eyes to the girl.
Her name is Nalyv.

She is not much different from last year.
Her hair is short and white, tied in a small braid.
She looks a lot like her father. From Lady Kaye, she only got her pair of light pink and white fairy wings.
Her green eyes are menacing when she turns to look at me.

I snort, giving her a crooked look.
She watches me, not looking away.
Fuck it, I think, as I break the eye contact.
Despite this, I can feel the tips of my ears getting warm.
Stupid traitorous body.

After dinner, they start the dancing.
I talk a little with my cousin Leander, though he is too distracted by looking at Devi. She has green skin, elf ears, fairy wings and curly black hair.
She is the daughter of the Bomb and the Roach.
She is nice, but naive. She will end up getting herself killed, that's what I think.

Nalyv comes toward me, a glass of pink wine in her hand.
<<You look even grumpier than last year.>> She tells me, sitting down next to me.
I move my chair a little.

<<You shouldn't drink, you're too young>> I reply, with a dry tone.

<<Apparently you're even more obnoxious.  Great. In any case, I'm not even a year younger than you, and the one who shouldn't drink is you. Don't be surprised if one day you get poison in your cup after being too presumptuous with some of the Folk>> she says resolutely, a grin on her lips.

<<Could you stop annoying me? I wasn't bothering you before you came to talk to me>> I say irritated, as my aunt Vivi approaches us, her purple dress billowing behind her.

<<You started it all, Vael>> she says, a veil of resentment in her voice.
I remain silent.

At eleven, she was my whole world.
Now, at twelve, I just wish I had never met her.

Just the year before, she was my best friend and my favorite person.

Then, following a wave of anger from some boys picking on me at school, I took it out on her.
And I said really terrible things, god.

I told her not to touch me, because my body really hurt, after being beaten up that afternoon, by those stupid kids.

I told her to stay away from me, and not to talk to me. I told her I didn't even needed her in my life.

Then I told her I wished she would disappear.

She wasn't supposed to know anything about that.

I was angry. It had been going on for a long time, and I couldn't tell anyone.
What would the Folk think of me? Vael Greenbriar, the weak son of Jude Duarte and Cardan Greenbriar. I would never have stooped to that level.

I knew Nalyv had trouble controlling what she said, and the fact that Faeries cannot lie did not helped her in particular her whole life.
It wasn't a thing she could control. She always said it was like a curse. She explained me a lot of times: words just seemed to slip out her mouth without her willing, but despite this, she really thought them, so it was her fault. She always said that a lot of people in the Court of Termites hated her because she always said too much about everything.

I knew it too.
I just wasn't prepared when she said too much to me.

She spit out everything she thought. And when I say everything I mean really everything. I kind of deserved it.
That day, however, she crossed the line.