Four Monarchs

Chapter 4 : Ambush

"You can not blame me, I had never seen such a creature!" Lewis' fussing voice bellowed over the sound of the crackling fire he stood over as the group recalled their day. "It was a putrid sight and it wasn't even one of the monsters that horrid beast has brought into our land!" He flailed his arms with animation as he spoke, each point being accentuated by some overemphasized gesture. Lewis couldn't believe these fools were mocking him for his reaction, the creature was hideous! His reaction was justified in every way, at least that's what he would continue to insist. 

"I had never seen such a creature as yourself, yet when I was first cursed to lay eyes on you I refrained from screeching like a petulant child." Endaris tucked away the small smile that graced her face behind a delicately placed hand. Endaris didn't understand the feeling that bloomed in her heart in moments like these, all they were doing were exchanging words and yet it caused a reaction from her she couldn't seem to identify. 

Pigris howled a laugh at the interaction taking place before him. "Yeah have you looked in a mirror as of late?" He joked, crossing his arms over his stomach that now ached with humour. "Cause you ain't looking too hot yourself."

Batra rolled their eyes. "You don't even look of your people," Batra remarked to the goat. "perhaps if one of your kind had been cut up and crudely sewn back together." They watched as Lewis' face became red with anger, or perhaps embarrassment? They couldn't detect which but it amused them nevertheless. They took pride in any sour reaction from the goat. 

Pigris had to physically withhold another loud laugh from leaving him. "What? Did the monsters get to you before we did?" His question was rhetorical. And a little mean, he would admit. 

Lewis stamped his hoof into the ground, a pain shot up his leg but he ignored it. "Stop mocking me this instant!" His voice pitched higher in his cry of frustration. "I am a prince and I shall be treated as one!"

"Well maybe stop being so mockable and we'll think about it." Pigris retorted, leaning back onto the post he was stood against. Lewis cursed incoherently before storming off. "Don't go too far!" Pigris called after him. As frustrating as the guy was, even Pigris didn't want to see him become dinner for a monster. Lewis waved him off, a naivety in the gesture. 

Lewis stomped with each step, a familiar pain shooting through his legs with each forceful motion. He didn't heed Pigris' words, didn't feel the need. Why should he have to listen to commands from such a man? He didn't see the point, they hadn't seen monsters in the area in days. So Lewis kept going. He was immensely peeved, how dare they insult him in such a way?! They had been mocking him ever since he saw that ghastly creature, a frog they called it, a disgustingly ugly creature with a slime coating its skin as it made an awful noise.

"How ridiculous," He mumbled. In Goatewland he was beloved by all, a symbol of what their people were capable of, a symbol of purity and hope to all. He wanted to go back to his kingdom and life before. He just wanted all of this silly monster business to be over with. He tried to calm himself, tried to focus on anything else beside his longing for his home. 

As Lewis stomped off, disappearing behind the horizon, the camp grew quiet in his absence. While the three could easily band together when mocking the prejudice prince of Goatewland, they found they lacked much else to collectively converse on. Pigris' eyes drifted to the bat who sat adjacent to him. After their argument days prior, things had become even more awkward between the two, and Pigris was left feeling like he had done something wrong. 

Pigris was immortal, he had been raised to understand that he would rule his kingdom for millennias, that he was damned by his connection to the gods to live longer than any mortal who could love him. Pigris understood that his divinity separated him from others, that he had more purpose than most, that he was special because of the blood of god that ran rampant through his veins. He had grown up in the under-Realm helping his father guide the damned souls of mortals, because he was above them, better, superior. So why the hell should he have to apologise to some mortal princess who he just so happened to be stuck with during a monster war?!