Against Nature Chapter 13

King Stefen stopped in his tracks as his brother asked him about Liana. He immediately dropped his head and whispered, "I really don't want to talk about that, Randor." He then proceeded to study the deep burgundy carpet that covered his bedchamber floor. It was soft and plush, no doubt made of the finest quality materials. Nothing in the Dyperian Castle could rival its sublime beauty—the needlework involved must have taken hours with many different seamstresses working on it together. It was breathtaking.

But his admiration of their craft was abruptly cut short when two hands clasped his shoulders firmly. "Stefen, talk to me," Randor pressed; "I know you're going through a rough time right now, and I want to help."

Stefen pulled away from his brother obstinately. "How can your knowing help anything? There's nothing you can do!" he snapped, suddenly getting angry. He walked to the balcony of his room and stared out over Eternos. "My marriage is coming to an end, and there's nothing I can do it about it."

"How do you know?" asked Randor as he came to stand beside him. "Maybe if you talked to Liana, you could work things out. Surely, whatever you did can be forgiven if you…"

Stefen whipped his head towards his brother and wrinkled his nose in intense anger, but he knew he had better not allow his fury to get the better of him. Randor had just given him permission to stay in Eternos, and taking the King of Eternia to task over an unintentional insult would not be a wise decision. He took a few moments to breathe deeply as he closed his eyes. When he reopened them, he noticed his brother's concerned look and asked simply, "What makes you think it was something I had done?"

Suddenly feeling slightly embarrassed, Randor tore his eyes away from his brother and stared at the next balcony, which was attached to Adam's bedchambers. "I...I just assumed it was, in light of your tendency to have nights on the town." He moved his head to scrutinize his brother again and explained, "I highly doubt your trips to Madelia were the first time you actually went out like that since getting married. Naturally, thethought led me to believe that it was something of a habit."

Stefen placed his hands on the nearby railing and leaned forward a little, looking at the ground beneath them. "Well, it wasn't my fault," he informed him as he watched several soldiers exercise in the courtyard below them. "I don't even know if it was hers. As you know, when Father disappeared and everyone assumed that he had died, I couldn't handle being in Eternos any longer. I had to get away from the memories and pretend that it hadn't happened. There was no body to prove Father's death, after all, but the people constantly mourned here and made it impossible for me to forget…so I had to leave. I had travelled from kingdom to kingdom for several months before I found myself in Dyperia. When I had met Liana, her father had been on his deathbed and spent his last days on Eternia begging his daughter to find a suitable husband to be king—he hadn't wanted her to rule alone. After we had met and gotten to know one another a little, we decided to get married. It had been convenient for the both of us. She had needed someone to rule at her side and I had needed a new home. My being a prince and her being a princess made it seem like a natural solution to our problems." He pushed away from the balcony slowly and dropped into one of the nearby chairs. He hunched over as he rested his elbows on his knees and wove his hands together in front of him "We didn't marry for love," he admitted, "but we didn't think that would be a problem. After all, royalty do such things all the time."

Randor sat in the chair beside his brother and asked softly, "So, what happened?"

Stefen shook his head and mumbled, "I went on one of my little…excursions into the city. It had been uneventful. I had spent time at a bar, listened to the music, drank a little, and came home. When I entered my bedchambers…I found Liana with another man."

Randor gasped.

Lifting his head and nodding, Stefen replied, "Yeah, I know. I didn't see that one coming either. She tried to explain herself—she actually tried to blame me by saying I was cheating. The funny thing is I hadn't at that time, but what I've done since hardly counts as cheating, does it? I had grabbed my belongings and left the kingdom, so she knows it's over."

The brothers sat quietly for a few moments, each contemplating what had happened. Eventually, Randor reached out and squeezed his brother's knee. "I will support you no matter what you decide, and that's why I have to ask: do you really want to end your marriage?"

Stefen glared at his brother sharply and spat, "Would you be able to forgive such an act?"

Randor shrugged and stated calmly, "I don't know. No one knows how they will react in certain situations without it actually happening to them. I'd like to think I'd be able to question my role in the incident. If I had somehow contributed to the problem, I would like to think I'd take ownership and try to work things out…but I don't think I have to worry about that with Marlena. We did marry for love, after all, and our relationship is as strong as it was the day we got married, more so, in fact."

"Well, that's nice for you, Randor," replied Stefen, resentfully, "but what exactly are you trying to say? Do you think I'm partly to blame for my wife's infidelity?"

"No!" he replied rapidly. "I'm not saying that at all…but I think in light of your 'excursions,' she might have actually thought that—"

"Two wrongs don't make a right, Randor, even if I had been cheating!"

The King of Eternia nodded. "No, it doesn't, and like I said, I'll stand by you no matter what you decide. I want you to know I'm here for you." He stood and offered his hand to his brother. When he took it, Randor pulled Stefen to his feet and suggested, "Why don't we go to the dining room and eat breakfast?" He grinned a little and continued, "Food always makes things well again."

Stefen knew he was trying to make him feel better, so he rolled his eyes for Randor's benefit and replied, "Lead the way, Brother."

=)=)=)

If looks could kill, he would have been a dead man. Teela practically shot daggers with her eyes as she looked at him briefly before turning her attention to the queen. As his mother spoke of her afternoon meeting with visiting diplomats, Adam made his way around the dining room table and sat in his usual spot across from Man-at-Arms.

His attention never left Teela as he moved, and he could tell she was aware of the fact. He could see her neck strain as she tried not to turn to look at him. It seemed as though she had taken a page out of Duncan's recent playbook and decided not to speak or even acknowledge him.

"Well, if she's not talking to me, she's not yelling," Adam told himself as he also turned his attention to his mother. He supposed he should enjoy the peace while it lasted. Undoubtedly, Teela would let her fury be known when they were alone, so he hoped breakfast took a long time.

Unfortunately, his father and uncle joined them shortly thereafter and the meal officially got underway as the kitchen staff brought in their breakfast already served on individual plates. Because everyone was now busy with their food, Adam turned his attention away from Teela and studied his uncle who had taken the seat beside him. The king didn't look overly upset, so he wondered if things had gone well that morning. He glanced at his father briefly before whispering, "How did things go? Are you still banished?"

Stefen glanced at him as he dropped his head and turned towards him slightly. "No, I'm not banished," he replied softly. He looked up at his brother before continuing, "Luckily, bad news gets people's minds off of undesirable topics and actions. It focuses them elsewhere. Remember that when your king, Adam—you just might get what you want that way sometimes."

Adam raised his brow in surprise and held his mouth open a little, and Stefen smiled at the expression—the boy looked so shocked that he started to chuckle in amusement. "Careful, you might catch flies," he said with a grin.

The prince suddenly smiled and shook his head. "Well, the Ancients know I don't want that to happen," he replied. "Thanks for the advice, Uncle Stefen. I'll try to remember that."

"Remember what advice?" they heard King Randor ask.

Adam turned startled eyes toward Stefen. He hadn't realized he had spoken so loudly.

Stefen laughed in amusement and mumbled, "Don't look at me this time. I have no idea what to say."

The prince turned to his father, knowing he couldn't share his uncle's words unless he actually wanted King Stefen banished from Eternos, and said, "We were just…uh, talking about, ah…"

Stefen quickly thought of a believable topic and interjected loudly, "We were talking about women! I was just giving him a little advice. And, don't worry, Randor, despite my current situation, I still have plenty of good advice to give."

Adam's jaw dropped open. "Wha—" he gasped for a moment and then glanced at Teela. Her complexion had turned a deep red and her brows had furrowed into a look of contempt, so he quickly turned to his father to see the king staring at him.

"You do realize, son, that you can come to me about any questions you may have," Randor said, confidently. "I am not as old and out of touch as you think. I can assure you that I have had quite a few experiences…"

Adam's eyes widened as he exclaimed, "Oh, Ancients, no!"

Randor looked at his son in confusion until his wife grabbed his attention. "Oh, you have, have you?" she asked with a smirk.

Now, it was the king's turn for his jaw to drop open. "I didn't mean it like that! I meant…," he stuttered, "…w—what I meant to say was…"

At that moment, King Stefen couldn't hold it in any longer. Laughter erupted from his lungs loudly and Adam latched on to it, willing to do anything so he didn't have to contribute to the conversation. He began laughing, as well.

Eventually, when they had settled down, they discovered everyone was looking at them, but only the queen looked amused. Adam immediately jumped up and said, "Uh, I'm finished. I'm not that hungry this morning." He rushed around the table to head towards the hall, but before he could leave, his father's voice rang out throughout the room.

"You do remember Teela is assigned to accompany you at all times today," he reminded him.

Adam froze and squeezed his eyes shut for a moment. He had forgotten… He turned around and noticed Teela had already begun to make her way towards him.

"I'm finished, too," she said coolly as she eyed him. "Where is our first destination, Prince Adam?"

"Ouch!" he thought as he noticed that she used his title. Aloud, he replied, "I…I was going to go back to my bedchambers to make sure Cringer was up."

Teela rolled her eyes and said, "Well, if you don't have anything else planned right now, we can get an early start on your combat lesson. You're behind in your training and if I have to be with you all day, we might as well take advantage of it." The captain stomped past him into the hallway and began walking to his room.

Adam groaned as he followed her.

=)=)=)

Teela flung several shields around as she tried to find the one she usually gave Adam during his training. She couldn't find it and she was suspicious. The thought crossed her mind that maybe Adam had hidden it at some point, thinking he would get out of training in the future.

She went from pile to pile and still didn't find it. She groaned in frustration loudly and kicked a nearby box. She didn't know what was inside of it, but the release of stress and anxiety that she had felt inspired her to do it again. She kicked the box hurriedly several times before she stopped and bent over, resting her hands on her knees.

She knew she was too wound up, but she didn't know the cause. No, that was a lie. In reality, she did: it was Adam.

She glanced through the door that led to the courtyard from the palace's equipment room and frowned as she observed Adam sitting on the edge of the fountain talking to Cringer.

There was no denying that the Prince of Eternia was frustrating and most of all infuriating. Adam and she hadn't spent much time together this week, because he supposedly hadn't been available. For days, they had skipped their combat lessons, because he was supposedly at meetings for his father or he was flat-out missing. "Only the Ancients know where he runs off to all the time," she thought to herself before she paused.

Actually, she probably did know, thanks to last night.

Madelia.

Even though she knew Adam loved to have fun, she hadn't expected to ever find her childhood friend in such an establishment. Adam did many things, but she had never known him to break the law, and yet, he had gone to an illegal bar. It didn't make sense, and not only that, it had been dangerous.

Teela straightened her posture and gave the box one last kick before she went to the next pile to look for the shield. If she didn't find it soon, she would simply give him a random one that probably wouldn't be as comfortable, but it would serve him right…

He deserved a little discomfort after all the worry he had put her through last night. After Dion had gotten her up and told her the king wanted to see her immediately, she had been preparing herself for the worst. When King Randor had told her Adam had taken off with his uncle to an illegal club, her heart had stopped. She remembered panicking silently, wondering what kind of dangers Adam had possibly put himself in.

Now, she knew: illegal substances, alcohol, and women…and not just any women. No, they were the kind who looked like they'd fall head over heels for Adam if he so much as looked at them. When she had rushed into the club with her father and seen Adam on the dance floor, she had noticed the women in the room were salivating. Some were actually telling others what they would like to do to the 'gorgeous man' or 'handsome prince.'

She rolled her eyes at the descriptions but sighed after a few moments. Who was she kidding? Adam was gorgeous, and every woman in the club had thought so, too. She had watched in horror as these women started to approach him. She still didn't think Adam realized the danger he was in. They looked like they were getting ready to strip him of his clothes, and she knew that was a very real possibility…but of course, dear naïve Adam didn't have a clue or a care in the world!

No, instead, he started sucking face with one of them!

Teela thought back to that moment and felt an emotion that she still refused to identify rise within her.

She wondered if Adam even knew the woman. Regardless, this Ashlyn certainly didn't know Adam for as long as she had. She was willing to bet that the woman didn't even know Adam's favorite food, his favorite book, his favorite color or anything else…but she did. She knew Ashlyn probably wanted Adam because he's a prince, and that wasn't the criterion for a good, healthy relationship. She hoped Adam knew the courtesan's motivations, and if he didn't, she would only be too happy to inform him.

Ripped out of her thoughts, Teela found Adam's shield and grinned in success, but her reaction quickly faded as she turned her attention back to the prince and remembered her prior thoughts. She was angry Adam had given that leech the time of day, because that's all she was. And, she was also angry Adam had put himself in a dangerous situation…and he was going to find that out very soon!

She stepped out of the equipment room and gave Adam an icy stare before walking towards him.

=)=)=)

Adam stood in silence as he watched Teela approach him. She still didn't look happy and she had only spat six words to him when they had stepped outside: "I'm going to get our equipment."

As Teela reach him and handed him his usual shield and sword, he studied her face for any sign as to what she was thinking, but Teela wasn't looking at him directly.

Sighing heavily, he decided to get this over with. "Okay, let me have it," he said softly.

"What?" snapped Teela, finally meeting his eyes.

"I know you want to yell at me about last night, so go ahead."

Teela scowled at him deeply and opened her mouth to say something when she was interrupted by someone yelling.

Adam turned his attention away from the captain and looked in the direction he heard someone calling his name from. He knew the voice and immediately smiled as he spotted the person. "Ashlyn!" he said and dropped his shield and sword uncaringly to the ground. He had a feeling she would show up at some point that day, considering she had wanted to come the morning after he had met her to make sure he had been all right. He took a step toward his friend to let her inside the palace grounds but quickly remembered who he was with. He turned back to Teela, and he thought he saw a flicker of pain or sadness as she looked at Ashlyn, but he couldn't be sure. The expression had been gone in an instant. "Teela?" he questioned softly, touching her arm briefly.

Immediately, Teela glared at Ashlyn before shifting her expression to Adam. Without any kind of censuring or care that Ashlyn could probably hear her, Teela shouted, "You are not allowed to see that woman anymore, Prince Adam, and you know that!"