Thank you to my wonderful beta, Stella!
His father was obstinate.
His mother was indifferent.
He was ashamed. How could he, the Prince of the Western Lands, have fallen for something so stupid as this?
He looked at himself in the river, snarling at his reflection. The son of the Great and Terrible taiyoukai of the West… reduced to nothing but an insignificant puppy.
His thoughts drifted back to his father.
How could his father demand such a request from his son? Sesshomaru completely understood the need of this arrangement… but for his father to agree to hand his son over to the panther clan? It was a disgusting idea, indeed!
He would never soil his bloodline with such a filthy creature. He absolutely hated panthers.
So when a fellow prince told him of a possible solution for his predicament, he took his word and sought a way out of the arranged marriage.
Deep in the forests to the East of his castle was a dark priestess by the name of Urasue. Sesshomaru was very skeptic over this, for he had heard terrible rumors of the priestess.
It was said that once a King had come to her, pleading for the life of his dying fiancé. She had taken the King's hand and smiled, agreeing to help save the princess' life, but had warned him that her service did not come cheap. Her price was frightful, and would cause the king more harm than good. He was reluctant, but as he thought of his fiancé and her beautiful face, he hastily agreed.
With this, the king's fate was sealed.
He had to try. She spoke of spells that could change the mind and how it processed; even allow Sesshoumaru to persuade his father to annul this arranged marriage with the horrible Panther clan's daughter.'
He was desperate.
