Mated To The Cruel Prince

An awkward silence fell in the grandhall, the tension thick in the air. Azula’s cheeks flushed slightly, but it was not from embarrassment; it was a carefully crafted response to fit Islinda’s character.

Admitting Aldric’s handsomeness in front of his family was a bold statement that felt both out of place and too honest for Islinda’s personality. Unlike her, her significant other half was not brazen enough and easily embarrassed.

To Azula, Islinda was boring. What was wrong with admitting that the dark Fae prince was a piece of delicious eye-candy she wouldn’t mind taking a bite from, even to his parents? After all, King Oberon seemed to have contributed a part of that beautiful gene to him.

Although... now that she looked at the king, he wasn’t so bad looking himself. Whatever intention or thought Azula might have harbored about King Oberon vanished the moment her eyes connected with Queen Maeve’s.

Queen Maeve’s mouth tightened into a thin line, and her sharp eyes bore into Azula as if trying to peel back the layers of her soul. Damn, the summer Queen was scary.

Azula had to put in extra work on her expression to conceal her previous thoughts from the scary and crazily possessive Summer Queen. Even for a strong demon like her, something told Azula she wouldn’t want to deal with Queen Maeve’s kind of trouble right now..

Then, to everyone’s surprise, King Oberon burst into boisterous laughter, a deep, rolling sound that echoed through the hall. The unexpected reaction rendered everyone speechless, especially Azula. That certainly was not the reaction she had been expecting.

While the whole mirth from the king lasted, not even an ounce of warmth appeared on the summer Queen’s face. Queen Maeve definitely had the wrong power and would have perfected the role of an ice queen.

No one said a word as King Oberon wiped a tear from his eye, his laughter finally subsiding. "Oh, Islinda, you truly are a delight. It’s been far too long since I’ve heard such honest and unfiltered words in this court."

"Really?" The word slipped from Azula’s mouth, her eyes lighting up in excitement. She did not even realize how casual she had been with the Queen until Maxi slightly nudged her seat.

She cleared her throat at once. "I mean, you think so, your majesty?"

"Perhaps, having a human among us is not so bad. Your humanity and sense of humor is quite refreshing." King Oberon complimented her. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Maeve’s lips curled into a sneer. "How poetic."

Azula kept her face neutral, despite the queen’s thinly veiled contempt. She inclined her head respectfully, "I’m flattered by your compliment, your majesty."

She ignored the bitchy faced evil queen.

King Oberon continued, "Once more, I apologize for demanding your abrupt arrival at the palace. However, with the death duel looming over us tomorrow, I was scared that your connection to both of my sons might pose a problem. So I brought you here under my protection."

He assured her immediately, "Don’t fret, you are no prisoner. Until the competition tomorrow is over, you will remain here. Although I would advise to be careful even while in the palace. It wouldn’t surprise me if some miscreants would attempt to take advantage of your vulnerability as a human to cause trouble." King Oberon said with a straight face, not implicating anyone but hinting at a power play in his royal court.

Azula had to give it up to Queen Maeve who didn’t blink nor did emotion display across her face. Heck, she bet the Queen might as well be a statue.

"I don’t know what I have done to deserve your favor, but thank you, your majesty." She appreciated him.

"It’s nothing." He said. "Now that would be all for tonight. You should go to bed and replenish your energy. You have a day quite ahead of you, tomorrow." King Oberon dismissed him.

"Thank you, Your Majesty," Azula thanked him once more, rising to her feet.

"Not so fast," Queen Maeve suddenly said, halting her in her footsteps.

"What do you want with this lowly servant, my Queen?" Azula said politely, although she cursed her inwardly. To think she had been close to leaving this place only for the summer witch to stand in her way.

Queen Maeve suddenly rose from her throne, climbed down the dais, and approached Azula, who now watched her with apprehension. King Oberon watched as well, a glint of curiosity in his eyes. None of them had an idea what was going on in the Summer Queen’s mind.

Azula’s mind began to race. Had Queen Maeve seen through her facade? Or perhaps it was Maxi who had been discovered. That would be quite a disappointment. Maxi did not deserve to die, and if she was found out, it would complicate matters beyond measure.

As the Summer Queen drew nearer, her eyes never left Azula’s. The tension in the room was palpable, thick enough to cut with a knife. The entire room seemed to hold its breath, waiting for the queen’s next move.

When Queen Maeve finally stopped in front of Azula, she looked her up and down, her eyes cold and calculating. Azula did her best to maintain a neutral expression, but the intensity of the Queen’s scrutiny was unnerving.

She said, "I’m curious about something, Islinda?"

"What is it, my Queen?" Azula replied cautiously.

"Who do you want to win the death duel tomorrow?" Queen Maeve’s voice was icy, her eyes boring into Azula.

Azula was taken aback by the question. She laughed nervously, "With all due respect to your majesty, that is not a question that I can —!"

"Answer me!" Queen Maeve barked with such intensity that Azula nearly jumped out of her skin.

The hostility in Queen Maeve’s voice affected not only Azula. King Oberon attempted to step in, "Maeve! You will not —!"

Queen Maeve quickly whirled around to face her husband, "It’s just a bunch of questions, Oberon. You’ve had your fun, now it’s my turn, or are you going to undermine my authority in front of the human as well?"

King Oberon seemed like he would say something, but he closed his mouth, his lips pressing into a thin line. Queen Maeve took that as approval to continue.

She turned back to Azula, "Don’t think of lying to me. I would know. I could hear your heart beating from here." Queen Maeve placed her hand on her chest to prove her point.

At that moment, it felt like a boulder was pressing down on Azula’s chest.

"Go on, tell me, human, who do you wish to win the death duel tomorrow?"

Behind her, Maxi’s heart pounded faster than Azula’s. Queen Maeve was a troublemaker, and Azula had to tread carefully. That is, if she was capable of it—Azula had a knack for jumping headfirst into flaming trouble.

"Prince Valerie," Azula said.

"What?" Queen Maeve’s eyes narrowed.

"I wish him to win," Azula repeated.

Queen Maeve listened intently to the pattern of her heartbeat, and when nothing changed, her eyes narrowed even further. "And why do you want that?"

Azula shrugged, "I’m forever shackled to Aldric unless he says otherwise. That is if he would ever let me go. But if he’s dead, I would be free." She answered with a steady voice.

A flicker of disappointment crossed King Oberon’s eyes, but it was gone as quickly as it came. A small smile seemed to appear on Queen Maeve’s face as she glanced back at King Oberon, then returned her gaze to Azula.

"It’s nice to know that you’re a sensible young human. When you talked about Aldric earlier, I thought for a moment there, you were enamored with him. You should make a better choice."

"In that case, your majesty, does that mean I can choose Prince Valerie?"

"What?" The blood seemed to drain from Queen Maeve’s face.

Azula said innocently, "You said to make the safer choice, my Queen."

Her audacity infuriated Queen Maeve. "You —!"

"That’s enough, Maeve!" King Oberon commanded.

He then instructed Azula, "You may leave now."

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Azula curtsied.

When it came to Queen Maeve’s turn, Azula let her see the taunting smile on her face. "Thank you for the wonderful advice, my Queen. I’ll put it into practice."

Queen Maeve nearly suffered an aneurysm at that moment, but she couldn’t do anything but watch as Azula and her chaperone exited the grand hall.

It was just Queen Maeve and Oberon left in the grand hall. Silence echoed in the vast space as King Oberon stepped down from the dais and walked past her. Desperation surged within Maeve, and she reached out, grabbing him by the arm.

"How long are we going to be this way?" she asked, her voice echoing with frustration and sorrow.

Oberon turned to face her, his eyes cold and distant. "You started it, finish it. Now let go."

The look on Oberon’s face was so icy it felt like a stab to her chest. She had never seen such strong hatred from him until now. Her grip loosened, and she let go, watching as he strode away without a backward glance. When the door swung closed behind him with a thudding finality, Queen Maeve felt a hollow ache in her chest.

She stared at the powerful thrones on the dais, their grandeur mocking her. Fine, she thought bitterly. If she could not hold onto his heart, she would hold onto power. And if she were to lose both, she would rather burn this kingdom to ashes than let it slip through her fingers.