4_Hypothetically

The festivities were in full swing, the entire kingdom of Zaire was in jubilee.

A stark contrast to her jolly surroundings, Amethyst sat melted in her chair like a boneless cat, staring glumly into the giant fire at the centre of the banquet.

“That’s odd,” said a calm voice.

Blinking, she straightened, raising her head just as Cyrus approached. His appearance made her smile a little. He was Raiden’s brother and, therefore, her sister’s brother-in-law. He was usually cold to everyone around him, but Amie couldn’t recall a time when Cyrus wasn’t nice to her.

He smiled kindly at her, pulling out the empty chair beside her. “Princess Amie looks far too unhappy for someone who secretly schemed and plotted to be here tonight.”

A huge sigh blew out of her mouth. “Something… someone ruined my day.” That arrogant bastard, she'd rip him to shreds if she could.

His brows rose. “Who? Does that person know you have three older sisters who will butcher them for coming anywhere near you?”

She smiled wryly and he looked around. “Where are your sisters?”

Amethyst shrugged. “Somewhere in the party, I don’t know.”

His eyes still scanned the place. “You haven’t seen Milana?”

She hummed pensively. “I think Lana might be with Natalia, and since Talia is probably completing her duties for the festivities, as Queen of Zaire, they’re probably both with Manasa.”

Satisfied, Cyrus slowly nodded. “Okay. And? Did they scold you harshly for travelling all the way here despite being weak and frail?”

She groaned and he laughed, knowing quite well how perfectly healthy Amethyst was. Dealing with everyone’s concern for her health was something the fair princess just had to put up with.

“Don’t get me started!” she said in a low groan. “Apparently, I’m jeopardizing my own health and being irresponsible. If I wanted to come over that badly, I should’ve let them know so all three of them could come and fetch me, to ensure no harm came to me.”

Cyrus winced. “Oh, dear. And I used to think Raiden was too protective of me and Veronica. You have it far worse.”

“I have it the worst! I—”

“Why are you just sitting there when the party’s in full swing?” called a loud voice.

Amethyst looked over and smiled awkwardly at the familiar alpha a few seats away. “Eroz.”

The utterly gorgeous man narrowed his purple-black eyes at them. “You two…”

Amie raised her brows. “Huh?”

“What’s going on between you two?”

“What? Nothing!” Huffing, Amethyst glanced at Cyrus in confusion, but the prince had his gaze turned away, silently watching the guests.

She knew he wasn’t close to the alphas of his kingdom and so she let him stay out of the conversation.

“We’re just talking,” she told Eroz, her cheeks turning slightly pink.

The alpha laughed and nodded. “I know, princess, I was only joking. Trying to… get a smile out of the ice block beside you…”

Amie looked at Cyrus, but his gaze was still turned away.

Clearing his throat, Eroz left the awkward atmosphere.

“Oh, my,” Amie said. “I think Eroz wants to be your friend.”

Cyrus rolled his eyes. “Alphas and Betas can’t be friends.” He’d felt obliged to try being friendly with the alphas several years ago but had quickly realized how uncomfortable it made him to pretend they didn’t have a dark past between them. Knowing what they’d done to him, he quickly reminded himself that he did not need to be faking smiles with them just to erase the awkward atmosphere they shared. He owed them nothing.

Since he’d come to realize that, Cyrus was strictly only civil with the alphas. Nothing more or less. Amethyst clearly wanted to say something more about it, but he reached out, stopping her with a hand on the arm. “About the person who ruined your day…”

Remembering, she gasped. “Oh, right. Oh, I have to make good on my word, I can’t chicken out.”

Whimpering miserably, she buried her face in her hands and his concern grew. “What exactly happened? And what word? Did you promise this person something?”

Her head snapped up, her shoulders straightening as she looked hopefully at him. “Maybe you can help me! You’re good at fighting, aren’t you? I need to learn how to fight. Not just how to fight, but how to win!”

He looked at the soft fist she pumped into the air and gently covered it, lowering her hand. “How to fight? You? My dear Amethyst, the only thing you have experienced fighting is a bad cold. But, who on earth are you fighting?!”

She bit her lip and slowly leaned in. “Right, promise me you’re not telling Natalia?”

Someone leaned over her shoulder. “Not telling Natalia what?”

“Gah!” Jolting, Amie straightened and looked over her shoulder.

Her eldest sister stood there, smiling down at her with narrowed eyes of suspicion.

“Talia!”

“Yes?” said Natalia. “What’s our Amie hiding from me?”

Laughing awkwardly, Amethyst glanced at Cyrus and back at her sister. “Oh, my goodness! Look at this royal garment you’re wearing, you look gorgeous! Has King Raiden seen you in this?”

Natalia pursed her lips. Yes, he did. He saw her in it, took it off her and then helped her put it back on. Clearing her throat, she shook her head. “That’s not what I asked you, Amethyst.”

“Oh, Talia!” Amethyst sighed wistfully. “How I admire you.”

Her sister blinked. Natalia knew Amethyst better than anyone in the world. Considering that her sister was nearly just like her, minus the swords and daggers. “Really? Why’s that?”

“Why? But there are endless reasons! You’re the general of your kingdom’s army. An army of werewolves, led by you! A Vampire Viking! And you’re so strong and fearless and... and…” She sighed. “It must be so cool to have an endless supply of physical power.”

Natalia made a face of mild confusion. “Amethyst… what on earth’s going on? Last time you went on a rant like this, you persuaded me to let you sneak out of the house with me at midnight and we both know how that went.”

“Not well,” murmured Amie.

“OMG!” someone squealed.

A short, curvy woman came racing up to them, clutching her gown with the tips of her fingers like a proper princess. “I SAW ALPHA ARROE!” Her loud voice didn’t fit the image.

“Jade,” Cyrus groaned, gripping his ear.

“Sorry!” Jade loudly apologized, trying to catch her breath.

“What’s going on?” Amethyst asked her third older sister.

Gasping for air, Jade pointed a hand haphazardly about. “I was over there! With Veronica! Enjoying the party! And then Arroe walked in!”

With a high-pitched squeak, she grabbed Natalia’s arm and gave her a shake. “I’m gonna die, he’s so handsome!”

“Leave poor Arroe alone,” Natalia said. “You’re twenty-five, he’s like fifteen years older.”

“I don’t care, he’s like this sexy older guy!” Jade gushed. “He’s so shy and cute and he blushes when I look at him!!”

“He seems sweet,” Amie murmured disinterestedly.

“You have no idea, little one!” said Jade, gripping her gown as she watched Arroe. “I have to go! I need to get to him before any of the other wenches at this party!”

She zoomed away and Natalia made a mental note to keep an eye on Arroe, considering how much her sister liked him. She looked to the other end of the banquet and, just as Jade had said, Arroe was walking in, speaking quietly to Raiden. Natalia pursed her lips, certain her husband was working in the middle of a literal party. She had to get those two away from each other or they’d discuss work all night. “Okay, I’ve gotta go."

“Wait!” Amethyst grabbed her sister’s arm before she could walk away.

Talia looked down at her. “What’s wrong? You’ve been acting a little odd since you arrived, are you sure you’re okay?”

With a nervous chuckle, Amie shook her head. “It’s… nothing. I just have a question! A hypothetical, imaginary, theoretical question!”

Natalia blinked her hazel eyes at her youngest sister. “Proceed.”

Amie smiled tightly. “Well… what would you do… if, hypothetically and theoretically, a man was to attack you with-“

A man attacked you?!” Natalia smacked away the side of her silky royal mantle and, reaching into the folds of her gown, flicked out a slim dagger. “Say the name.”

“No!” Amethyst quickly stood, shaking her head as she gripped her sister’s hand. “N-no one attacked me, calm down.”

“You said—”

“Hypothetically!” She smiled widely, her eyes bright with hidden panic.

With narrowed eyes, Natalia studied her sister’s beautiful face. “A man attacked you hypothetically?”

“A man attacked Amethyst?”

Raiden walked up to them.

Amie gasped. “No—”

“She says a man attacked her,” Natalia told her husband, looking up at him as he stopped beside her.

“Who the hell would dare? Is he someone from my kingdom?”

“Or ours?” questioned Natalia. “If he’s from ours, let Mother know, she’ll make mince of him.”

“No! Guys…” Struggling to keep it together, Amethyst released a heavy exhale. “No, I wasn’t attacked. It was a hypothetical question.” She couldn’t let the whole world become aware of the humiliation she’d experienced! Weak little Amethyst, bullied by some muscled ogre as soon as she was left unprotected. Her Viking and Vampire ancestors were already sighing gravely as it was.

Raiden tilted his head, his silver eyes narrowing. “Hypothetical, you say?”

She nodded and Natalia slid her dagger back into its secret sheath. “So, you want to know what I’d do if I was hypothetically attacked?”

“Yes!” Relieved that they were letting it go, Amie eagerly came closer, her eyes bright. “If he barged into you and Raiden’s main castle and threatened to take your castle away! If he even held a knife to your throat and humiliated you by nullifying your attempts at defeating him. What would you do?”

With a scoff and a smirk, Natalia looked up at Raiden, exchanging a look with him.

“He wouldn’t come out of that castle ever again,” Cyrus said quietly, looking past the busy dancers at the princesses who spoke to some alphas. His gaze focused on Princess Milana. “If Natalia doesn’t chop him into smithereens with her swords, then Raiden will tear the sorry bastard apart with his claws alone.”

Amie’s mouth fell open. “Really? Won’t… won’t there be a period of careful consideration—”

“After a threat? No such thing,” Raiden said, smiling coldly. “Not with us.”

“I’d coat every inch of my sharpest sword with his blood,” said Natalia. “Self-defence, of course.”

Blinking at them, Amethyst thought it over, wondering if she was capable of such. She decided she was not. “Well, what if he’s far more skilled at fighting than you are and, also, he doesn’t give you a chance to kill him? Meaning, he flees your castle before you can chop him into pieces.”

“A better fighter than Natalia?” Raiden questioned, putting an arm around her shoulders. “Not likely.”

His Queen raised a brow. “And even if he was, nothing stops me from training until I’m strong enough to kick his ass!”

That made Amethyst perk up. “Right?! That’s what you’d do, right? Work hard, train hard, get stronger and then wreck him to pieces! Show him, through your unmatched sword skills and newly acquired strength that you are mighty and that he’s no match for your power!!”

Natalia placed a cautious hand on Raiden’s arm as they both stepped away from Amethyst and her passionate speech.

Noticing their silence, Amie smiled and straightened. “Hyp… hypothetically, of course.”

Natalia slowly nodded. “Yeah, that’s… that’s exactly what I would do.”

A nefarious smirk tugged at the youngest princess’ lips and her eyes sparkled. “King, Queen and Prince of Zaire… kindly excuse me.”

Sweeping aside the skirts of her gown, she tossed her hair and marched off through the throng of guests enjoying the jolly feast. It was a good thing that tonight’s feast was just a pre-celebration of the yearly ritual the kingdom would soon be performing, so, besides the dancers and entertainers, there were only the Alpha king and his queen’s closest family members present. Plus, the alphas from each pack in the kingdom. The rest of the kingdom was celebrating outside the perimeters of the royal castles.

That meant Amie was free from the venomous social bugs who gave her a hard time at most of the events she’d attended in this kingdom. She didn’t have to waste energy figuring out how to deal with them or forcing herself to laugh at their stale, insulting jokes. Hurrah! There was no time to waste on such things.

She had to begin training immediately to give herself a total makeover before the world!

She spotted Eroz where he was speaking to another alpha and hurried over.

“Eroz.”

He spun around, dark brows rising above his purple eyes. “Dearest Princess Amethyst. Hello, again.”

He took her hand and bowed over it as she smiled shyly.

“What can I do for you?”

Amie innocently tilted her head. “I need you to train me so that I’ll be strong enough to slay a giant.”

Eroz blinked. “I beg your pardon?”

She held up three fingers. “Can you do it in three days?”