"These conditions are ridiculous," I slid the folder down the table back to him. His stupid conditions just annoy me. I can't give him the nod. And here I was beginning to think that it was going quite well today and I would have some free time after the last meeting. Not happening. "I'll never sign this for you, you'll have to change it."
"I'm just reacting to the changes here at home and, of course, to the little inconvenience between Zessie and Narral," he looked at his papers with pleasure on his clean-shaven face. He doesn't look like a member of the Council, more like a spoiled nobleman who accidentally wandered in, which is funny, because he's definitely not a nobleman. He must be at least forty-five and I must admit, he looks really good for an ordinary businessman. "I'd say they're adequate adjustments."
"That little inconvenience, as you call it, will only increase demand. We will need to get more steel to our allies, and faster. That alone should be sufficient compensation. There will be a lot more blue steel to be mined than in other years, and you want to add the exporting rights to the East." arming Mergo with our steel is a terrible idea. And he calmly continues to smile. Damn, that man pisses me so much. "In other words, your income will increase dramatically, Jaubert. And you have the need to add thirteen percent to that?"
"This will also increase the income of the crown. It's only natural to expect higher taxes," he instructed, his brown eyes rising from the papers. So he's not kidding.
"I have Kuz'si for such things, I don't need to increase the income of the crown additionally, but I really appreciate your concern." I really need to open mines, the new season is coming. And he has the best ones at the moment, and he's right at the top of the waiting list. So I have to deal with him. He doesn't look like he wants to give up. I need to get him to five percent, not thirteen.
"You must open the mines,"
"I hate to disturb," Emmett pushed open the door to my office, as aggressively as ever. Maybe I shouldn't leave him at the head of the army, apparently no one here can say no to him. Not even my own guards. And this is not the South, so he could interrupt my meetings whenever he feels like it. "but you're already late," he stopped in the middle of the room when he realized I wasn't talking to myself here. "Oh, hey Max."
"Emmett, nice to see you. Everything going well?"
"I'm late for what?" I looked at him incredulously. He's wearing a dark, tight shirt and pants and grins stupidly. I don't have a plan for anything and neither does he. He wants to go to the training ground. That's not exactly the way I want to spend an afternoon. Not that I don't want to hit something.
"Yes, everything is great, thanks," he turned to him, apparently confused by my answer. "Can you please leave us?"
"Sure," he picked up the folder and hurriedly stood up. "We can sort this out later, if I'm not mistaken."
"You're not," I assured him. "and you're right that I have to open mines, but I never said it had to be yours. Certainly not, under these conditions. I would recommend that you go through the contract again."
"Your Majesty," he bowed. "Emmett," I kind of expected them to hug or something. My brother gets along with him much better than I do, but it's probably better this way than if I liked my Council members. That would lead to entirely new kind of problems, I presume.
"See you tomorrow on Lemford?"
"I guess it depends on how long the negotiations with the other Council members will take," he laughed quietly on his way to the door as he added. "Keep your fingers crossed for me."
"Yeah, as always," my brother laughed on his way to me. "you work so hard. You can't even enjoy it anymore," he glanced over the empty top of my desk. "Not a single unfinished paper, I am amazed, my lord."
"Do you want something, or are you just tired of doing nothing?" I tried to dodge his giant paw, but he grabbed me around the shoulders anyway.
"You're so cute when you're getting angry." my office disappeared. It was replaced by a long, white corridor, without equipment or anything to tell me exactly where we were. There is no point in asking why. If something happened, she'll tell me anyway.
Surely something is happening, again. I quite miss the times when I had the whole afternoon for myself and I didn't have to do anything at all. Now it's all contracts, dinners with nobles, afternoons in my office. "I'm not angry and take that hand off me." every time I frown at him, I end up laughing. He evokes in me all the things I felt for him as a boy admiring my big, very independent brother. "What do you want?"
"I don't want anything. You act like you don't know there's a Tournament today." He timed it perfectly so that the gate would open in front of us just as he finished saying it.
He led me into one of those impractically large rooms in the Senate. Normally they are almost empty with a few people and guards, but not this one. The only empty space is the path marked by the red carpet in front of us, otherwise the place is teeming with people and other beings, scattered between stalls, seats and what looks like giant transparents and banners with several faces that look familiar to me, but I could be wrong. I meet so many people every day that I've lost track. I haven't seen a lot of the creatures here in a damn of a long time. Like the little foresters with their greenish skin and Islanders mages. They're so different from us that I'm not sure they can be considered human at all, even though they almost look like us. Like the people of Tre'Asco, they let themselves be changed by magic. Their skin varies in color, as do their eyes. And their abilities are also quite diverse. Although they are often impractical and the body usually does not withstand such an onslaught for a long time. So no matter how powerful, they often don't live long.
But none of them even noticed that we came. All of them watch a giant projection from the snowy arena on the walls of the hall.
Between the drifts of snow and the occasional conifer, I couldn't see much. Blue skies without clouds over the arena and singing birds in the trees lead me to believe that the next race has not yet begun. The mountains calmly wait in the background for new challengers. At least that's what I thought. That is, until a figure in a white uniform ran past one of the trees and merged into the snow in silence. Someone next to me gasped.
"You mean the Tournament," I caught a glimpse of the long braid of hair before it disappeared from sight of me again through the trees. It put a smile on my face. Why I'm not surprised she's there.
"Well, what else?" he pulled me past all these people. I vaguely remember the same Tournament, a few years ago. Actually, it must have been more than ten years. Father and I watched soldiers and their commanders fighting for a chance to confront someone in a white uniform. And then we watched the Immortals defeat one of their people after another. I really wanted to learn to fight like them, to move like them. They were born to fight. I thought so even then. And she would agree with me now, too. They have dedicated their whole lives to this. And I still admire that. "For some papers, you'd miss it. You work too hard."
I almost told him I wouldn't have missed it if I had known, but I don't want to spoil his good mood. Arguments with him are worth shit. He's terribly offensive and he always has to be right. Plus, I'm glad he's in a slightly better mood, after everything with Catarina. So, he can be a little pain in my ass.
"Sure, mister I'm not even thirty yet, and I have to do everything myself," he let me go with a laugh and turned among the people. Weaving between them is not nearly as difficult or lengthy as in Ecrana. And the crowd in front of me cleared out much faster.
Here, as elsewhere, the Heirs have created their own, undisturbed place to watch this entertainment. With its own bar, seats hidden under tarpaulin, providing a minimum of privacy, and a sacred space that most of those behind me dare not intrude. Lucky that I don't have such a problem. As Andrea tries to run across another icy trail – she does so with a great deal of ease, as if the road beneath her feet doesn't even slip – her father and uncle laugh peacefully, side by side with their friends. I even know a few of them - several business partners from the world below us, the commanders of their personal, uncomfortably large army who must not be missed, their entourage, and even Luke and his wife are among them. Oh great, my whole family is here. Except for my nieces and father, I guess. "I found him, now give me back the drink, Jim."
"Steven!" not trying to hide his enthusiasm, Jonathan left the conversation with Thalus' sidekick Miels and immediately hugged me. It's hard not to like him when he does that. Every time and completely effortlessly. Like her and Damien, he's wearing their white uniform and, like them, looks stunning in it. Ready to save the day when needed. Though, something tells me he won't even come near the arena. Jonathan doesn't fight, or at least so I think. I'd never heard him talk about it, and I always thought he was a little despisive of it. "It's so nice to see you," his welcome was interrupted by loud applause.
We both looked at what was going on. Her opponent caught up with her, not so gracefully. He stumbles after her, trying not to lose sight of her as she zigzags in front of him through the trees. I have no idea who he is, from the back he looks like a pretty muscular guy and pretty fast, too. He matched her pace quite quickly across the slippery path she was running. Both of them ran around the last trees in a row, into the open, which got them to the middle of the race - if I remember correctly, and they are the same arenas. This seemingly empty wasteland awaits them, and then they'll have to climb up. Again, if these arenas don't change.
"I said members of your family, not a member." Damien, leaning against the bar top, pushed the glass away from Emmett. "You have to listen to me better."
"I don't have to listen to you at all. And I will not look for him everywhere. I won't miss Ans losing," he folded his arms and turned around. Her opponent overtook her while I wasn't looking. At least that's what I thought, but she stopped on purpose. The first tendrils the diameter of a well-grown tree with thorns broke the snow and slowed their progress to the next stage of the race. They rippled in the ice arena and crashed to the ground between them with booming force.
Colliorde is a pretty scary plant. It can survive for decades only thanks to the power it pulls from the ground around, from other plants, and if something alive approaches it, it also takes from it. Until only the wasteland remains. An empty piece of nothing like here, only snow remained. I'm not sure if it's real or just an illusion. Andrea is in no hurry to get to the plant, the guy found out that he shouldn't either. This fun of theirs is terribly brutal. One hit and the guy doesn't stand a chance. And neither does she, a twisting tree trunk is a terribly unfair obstacle, especially on freshly fallen, untrampled snow.
"She never loses." Jonathan came back to me with a drink in each hand. He handed me one glass, I'll bet anything there's whiskey in it. Unlike his brother, he does not like cocktails and similar novelties. He always sticks to the time-tested classics, and so does his daughter. "She's not going to lose, not even this time, Emmett," he said seriously. His faith in his offspring is unshakable, Emmett has not tried to protest further. "Anyway, didn't you go get Edgar?"
"I don't think he's coming." everyone's eyes turned to me. I tried to focus on her and ignore them. Andrea deftly slipped past one of the plant's ropes. She dodged the second twisting tendon and stopped the third with the help of magic from moving. She does everything with such ease, every movement and decision. Next to her, everything seems so simple. I feel sorry for the guy who stands against her, compared to her, everything's a lot harder. And he looks like a clumsy amateur. "He had a terrible fight with Andrea."
"So? They argue all the time." Damien started laughing loudly in the back. "They can't communicate with each other without shouting."
"They argue, but not like this." Andrea slid around the falling piece of plant, rolled to the side, and stood with a smile on her face. She's having such a good time. She dodged the last of the ropes and took a few steps aside. There was another wave of applause and enthusiastic cheering. I was expecting her to jump on the first platform and end it as long as she had a head start. Instead, she turned, stopped in the air a giant, thorn-covered tendril the size of a tree that was approaching her opponent, and smiled again. Maybe she thought red porridge wouldn't look very nice in the snow. Maybe he's an acquaintance of hers and she doesn't want to watch him die. Anyway, she just saved his ass. She made sure the man nearby was all right, waited for him to get up and waved at him before heading up.
From what I remember, the six platforms at the end of the match itself are what binds them all together. All races in other arenas. I just never asked why the platforms. They're big enough to comfortably fit a few people, and they're certainly not the worst obstacle. So what is their significance? It has to represent something, it is like that here with everything.
"What were they arguing about?" Jon lowered his voice. Smiling, Andrea set off for the first of the ice blocks, which hold the magic in the air, but above a pretty treacherous abyss. I really hope she doesn't fall. Who even invents it, such slippery, dangerous obstacles. Probably Damien, why am I even bothering…
"I'm not sure… about basically everything. Dad is nervous about the war and thinks Andrea won't stop it." she bounced back and used a spell to descend onto the other platform. There she paused for a moment before running to get to the third one. Why doesn't she use magic on all of them? "They were both screaming, but I don't know how it started. I came later, because of that hand."
"If it was after that stupidity of yours in Dira'K, I'm not even surprised," I tore my gaze away from her skipping and frowned in confusion. I wouldn't think Jonathan didn't approve of it. After all, he now watches his daughter continue her irresponsibility. "I've seen her do it more than fifty times," he nodded to the spectacle in front of us. "and she never fell. Yet, the very idea of it happening still scares me, after all those years." Andrea made another jump, it wasn't as smooth as she did before. She ran, bounced badly, Jon turned so he wouldn't see her hit the edge. She scared me, as well as all the people around me, it seemed like a painful jolt. I expected exactly what he feared to happen and, ready to watch her fall. Breathless, she'll head into the abyss below. But she didn't hesitate for a second, she was ready for it, she already had a dagger in her hand, stabbed it into the ice and pulled herself back without any problems. Her opponent has a similar problem, just two platforms behind her. "I know you understand why he's worried about you, it's such a simple argument because you are his son. You just can't understand how it feels."
"Maybe, but he doesn't have to act like that about it." I don't particularly mind arguing with him, but the way he yelled at An really pissed me off. He has made me very angry, he continues his haughty behavior that he has become so fond of in recent months. Because he knows best, because he thinks he's right, because of one vision.
"No, he doesn't have to, but then it wouldn't be him. Your father is very temperamental." Jon laughed and turned around again. He watched his daughter's last jump with joy. She stood triumphantly on top of a snowy mountain. She tore down the yellow flag and waved it overhead, before she tied it to her arm. Everyone around us began to applaud their Heiress enthusiastically. Actually, Successors. A little girl with a long braid and a giant smile.
She won and we all acted like we didn't expect it. As if she could lose. She can come back with another triumph to her credit. It's so simple. And yet she managed to surprise me again, I thought she would leave the arena, instead she jumped back onto the platform and went to help her opponent. Of course she did. Not only is she beautiful, but she still has to help everyone, care for them. Damn, it's one of the things I love about her anyway. "She can't help it, can she?"
"No, I guess not," she helped the guy to the top platform and hugged him enthusiastically. I'd say he's one of her friends. I'm sure I've seen him before, I just can't remember where. He's awfully tall compared to her. With dark hair and an excited smile, he is a little too friendly to her. "She's just exceptional, in everything she does."
"Yes, very special. I'd let him fall," Damien said, standing on my other side, I don't even know when he stood up to me.
"Why? If anyone should hold a grudge against him, it's her, right?" my brother joined us. "I mean, since she slept with him..." slept? I wanted to look at him again, but they were gone. Both. Now it's really just an empty arena. Emmett frowned angrily.
"Don't be such a schoolgirl. Well, they slept together, that's one thing..." Damien seems to be having a good time. If I didn't think it was impossible, I'd almost swear he was getting drunk. "Leynthall is a nice guy and you don't like him because he's kicked your ass more than once. I would have let him fall, because he almost let himself be killed in that field. That's not a very good performance for someone to whom we have to entrust the army. He's got more than one long training session ahead of him."
"Like the commander?"
"Like the commander," Emmett confirmed. "he's just below Marcus," he leaned over and added almost in a whisper. "And before you, he was underneath her. If you understand what I..."
"We all understand you, stop being disgusting. Or the two of us will go to that arena. And we'll see who ends up under whom," Jonathan interrupted him coldly. He doesn't even need to raise his voice for Emmett to shut up.
"You're not fighting today?" does he ever fight? I didn't even see him with a sword in his hand. Never. Even though Andrea convinces me that I never want to see it, I long for it.
"No, I don't enjoy it that much," he smiled strangely when he said that. Just like Andrea when something comes to her mind. Some bullshit. I guess they have it in the family. "But you should try."
"Try?"
"If you dare." Damien had put down his drink for perhaps the first time in all this time. And folded his arms slowly. "Someone has to fix your family's reputation, no wolf has ever won." Emmett narrowed his eyes, straightening up menacingly beside me.
"Steven," I turned to follow her voice. "I was hoping you'd be here by now," still full of energy out of the arena, she ran up to me. Just as enthusiastically, I picked her up and spun it around. I'm never quite sure what the uniform allows her to do. But when he's with me, I don't really care what I can and can't afford. She's mine, that's just the way it is. Unlike others, I will not give her up. Ever. "Did you see me?"
"Of course, like everyone else. You were wonderful, amazing and absolutely charming, as always," I smiled and kissed her once more. I really found her performance astounding. "I would have been here much sooner if I had known," she let me go immediately.
"What do you mean?" she quickly looked at Emmett and back at me. "You knew about it."
"No, An. You didn't tell me." I don't blame her. I also forget a lot of things, especially lately. There's always a full list of what to do and it's Basil's job to remember for me.
"Well, no, I didn't have the time to look for you yesterday. You had a meeting with Cormier or something. I didn't even find your secretary, but I talked to that lovely friend of yours, Pelletier, and there was also this tall guy who doesn't like you." what tall guy? What is she talking about? "I gave them a small white envelope with a gold card inside, since they said you were supposed to have some more meetings with the Council in the afternoon. It seemed like a simple enough task for two members of your Council to do."
"You mean DuChamp?" I guess by her standards everyone's tall. She just shrugged.
"It doesn't matter, you're here now." Emmett decided to join our conversation. Damien handed her a drink. A tall glass with something transparent. "Thank to me. I'm just the perfect big brother."
"If you were, you'd make sure he knew about it yesterday when our invitations came," Luke joined as well. So cool. Now all three of us are together. "Hi Steven by the way, and congratulations to you Andrea, as usual," he smiled at her with a much more sincere, handsome smile.
"You know me, Luke." she proudly sneered.
"Another trophy to your collection?" he pointed to the yellow cloth around her arm.
"Well, as usual," she let the glass hang in the air, smiled the same way she does when she sees me, and hugged him casually. What's even weirder - he returned it. I thought everyone avoided him on principle, just like me. But to her, Luke's part of everything. "I'm not losing, not now, not ever. Which is not true of your brother. How come you let Marcus win? Where is he anyway?"
"In the infirmary and I didn't let him win. Neither of us won." her eyebrows flew up as she looked at Damien. Meanwhile, Jonathan had disappeared somewhere.
"Don't look at me, I don't know why they both got eliminated." I'm not sure what the rules are in this Tournament or how they both eliminated themselves, but it explains Emmett's snide remarks. He can't take a loss. He bears it even worse than the Heirs, and that says something. "But Jonathan suggested something very funny."
"Well, I really doubt it, but go ahead," she looked around. "wait... Don't tell me he went to prepare."
"Not that funny," he slowly adjusted his uniform before deciding to answer. "He thinks, as I do, that it would be a shame if Steven was only here as a spectator."
"You want to face him?" she turned back to me in surprise. Dark eyes are frankly confused. "Why?"
"And why not?" it's not such a crazy idea. If I don't end up like Marcus... not that I know how he ended up.
"Because Damien never loses. He just wants to show off and prove to himself that he can beat you. As long as everyone sees it, he can continue to claim that no wolf has ever won."
"Don't you trust me one bit?"
"I don't trust him," she said, offended. "He plays by the rules, but he's trying his damn best to stretch them."
"Think about it a little, princess," Damien put on a sweet voice. "the next Tournament will be in ten, fifteen years. So it's probably his only chance to face the Immortal."
"Damien," her icy voice made me frown. "don't even think about it."
"We never fight or compete with each other. Never publicly," he explained to me. "and in ten years a lot can change. It's the perfect, maybe the only opportunity for one of the Steeleses to show why we're keeping you close." so he has no problem with me joining them. That's encouraging. That he wants to compete with me not so much. I have this weird feeling that Damien doesn't fully approve of my relationship with his little princess, and this is his way of fixing his appetite. Too bad I'm supposed to be an appetizer.
"I'm quite tempted to change these rules, right now." she finished the rest of what I thought was vodka, lots of vodka, and frowned even more. "If you're so bored, you can join Stephan and Thal. Or better yet, you can join Jonathan, and you can both be of some use."
"Steve doesn't need your permission, Ans." my brother likes the idea too. So… what chances do I have against Damien? I'm pretty sure I'm faster, which gives me some advantage. I certainly don't talk that much. And my ego can fit into such a large hall like this one. But he knows everything here, every single arena, the shortest path to the goal, the obstacles and shortcuts. Of course, he always wins. "Besides, neither Marc nor I will continue."
"How does it even work? What are the rules?" I should know what I'm going to nod to. "Can anyone just enter the Tournament?"
"It starts months before this. Anyone in the Senate can apply. It's like a pyramid, people compete with each other and the best one moves up," An began to explain, waving her hands. "We don't watch every single game, it would be too lengthy and boring, but there are those who enjoy it. In the end, it ends here, the best of the best compete against each other until they get to us, the Heirs, and have the opportunity to show what they really can do." she waved her hand, two pyramid schemes appeared on the wall behind us. At the top are she and Damien, and below them are people who have competed with each other to stand up to them. In her case, it was the commander. No one in Damien's, because both Emmett and Marcus have been eliminated and their names are crossed out. Unsurprisingly enough, the Immortals win by no beat. "However, we are now getting to the part where anyone can challenge anyone. For all this fun, we wanted to make it more personal. But no one is saying that the other person has to accept it."
"So, I can just challenge you to fight me," I confirmed to myself. Damien nodded with a broad smile. I would really want to win against him if only I knew how. I definitely don't want to lose.
"Do you understand that you must not fight him?" she looks at me as if I'm the crazy one here. "It's a race. Both of you will start at the same time, you have to get through all the obstacles, first to the finish wins. And apart from not being allowed to lay hands on him, nothing is forbidden. It can get brutal really quickly."
"And if I win?" is there any prize for the winner at all? They always have to win.
"You can desire anything in our power, and that is anything. Not that it mattered..." Damien folded his arms. He looks me straight in the eye. Quite threateningly. He wants to stand up to me, just as I want to stand up to him. "In front of Hallies' Heiress, I challenge you to face me in the Tournament," he held out a white-gloved hand to me.
Somewhere in the back of my head there was a reasonable voice advising me to give it up and send him to some place where the sun doesn't shine. If I refuse now, I'll save myself the embarrassment of one of their arenas and have peace. At the same time, I realize that this moment has reached all those people, peripherally I see his giant hand, projected among all present. So I don't have a choice anyway.
"It'll be my honour," I shook his hand.
Fuck. Hopefully I'll figure something out in that arena. Or I'll lose, like Emmett. It's probably not so bad when he's still here. It's just that Damien will forever throw it at me. And it will be all the worse if I join them in eternity.
"You're a complete lunatic," Emmett said with the same wide smile that Damien couldn't get rid of. "This is really going to be something."
"Oh well, you said I work too much," I shrugged. It probably doesn't matter now.
"Shall we go get ready?" Damien really can't wait. That's why he sent Emmett for me, bastard. He planned everything nicely and I nodded obediently as he wished. I resignedly agreed. I don't quite understand what the fuck I'm doing. But everyone here takes it as fun and even if I lose, at least I can say that I was not afraid to stand up to him. But other than that, I don't see any other advantage.
I was stopped by her hands, straight up icy and on my face. She pulled herself up to me and kissed me. For a brief moment I saw a picture, a brief fragment of her standing in the arena, surrounded by snow and an icy wind. She took a deep breath, the air not at all what I expected, fresh and icy. It was completely devoid of everything else, so she lowered her hand and prepared her dagger. The one she'd stuck in the ice so she could pull herself back.
"I do trust you, you can win," she whispered quickly.
"He's not going to an execution, Andrea, you don't have to say goodbye to him," Damien grumbled annoyed. He realized she wanted to give me a hint. She didn't explain it much to me. Business as usual. But at least it's something?
"Damien is very arrogant, especially in the arena." now she is speaking in a way that he could hear. "He's going to want to make you feel like you're winning. Take your time, don't rush anything."
"Thanks?" sounds like good advice, just not for the race. I guess I'll have to move a little bit faster there.
"You have nothing for me?" asked Damien, feigning concern.
"Don't underestimate him. And be careful, both of you," she replied with a charming smile. And he gave it back to her because he would never say no to her. I seem to be the only one here who does.
"What happened to Marcus?" I asked as I made my way through the white corridors to our destination. I have no idea where he is leading me, everything here looks exactly the same. I don't understand how others know where to go here. And silence begins to bother me. I have no desire to be alone with him. And certainly not when he smiles like that, as if he knows better. Because, well, he probably knows, but hey, who doesn't?
"Nothing big, I think he broke a couple of ribs. By the time we finish it, he'll be back. That is, if his wife lets him go." his absolute lack of interest almost disturbed me. First of all, I don't want him to talk about me like that in a moment. And secondly, how come he doesn't care about Marcus? Isn't he like a part of their family or something?
"But how did it happen? And why is Emmett eliminated?"
"I don't know your brother's motives. He knocked himself out. In some arenas, both sides have to work together. That is, if both sides want to get to the end. The two were to get to the other side of the river, a short distance from the waterfall. There's a strong current, there's a lot of wind..." Damien slowed down, his gait and his pace of speech. "They got almost to the end, there's this bridge, I wouldn't say rope, but it's certainly not solid either. Marcus mistimed his jump. Emmett caught him in time, but he still hit one of the pillars, hence the ribs, and then he let go. And instead of continuing, Emmett jumped after him. So not a single one made it to the finish line. And both got eliminated."
I've seen Emmett do a lot of crazy things, and he always found a way when he wanted to. He had to decide that he just didn't want to go any further. He didn't want to win that way. "Even if he finished it, you'd still challenge me."
"Of course, it's not fair to leave you out of our entertainment," he smirked to himself. He must think I'm really naïve.
"It's entertaining for Jon and An. For the others, too, I suppose," I returned his smirk. "not for you. You don't have to pretend to like me when she's not here. It doesn't matter that much to me."
"And I'm the arrogant one here, huh? The world is not just black or white..." laughing, he digressed. "So at least one of you found him!"
"What amused you so much?"
"Your son, actually two of them," he added to his stride, as if he was about to get rid of me. "only Luke seems to be rational."
"I'm not sure I shouldn't take it personally," father laughed and quickly greeted Damien. Much more enthusiasticly than I would. "I kind of expected you not to refuse," he added, leaving the two men in white uniforms behind.
"You know me..." now I don't want to go there any more. It's not that my father has a pathological obsession with his children and projects his own ambitions onto them. Or that he would bear the loss about as well as Emmett. And then I have an even greater need to prove to him and to myself that I am much better than others. Great, real fucking great.
"Sometimes I'm not sure."
"Well, I guess that's another thing we have in common."
"Keep your tone, Steven," he laughed again. It's probably better than if he raised his voice, I just couldn't bring myself to joke with him. He's been acting like a madman lately and I'm really tired of it. I want my father. I need him. Just the way he was. "I know you want to win, but you don't have to be first in everything. Try to think about it."
Why should I think about it? I'm not going to run around and give it up. If I'm going to bother with it, I'm going to give everything to win. And if Damien is really as good as everyone thinks, he'll be better than me. And maybe not. But I will definitely not give up. "I love you, Dad, but I'm not going to pretend I don't want to win, not even for you. That's insane."
"Not as much as you might think." Damien is so annoying these days. "Can you go change so we can get started?"
"Only if you ask nicely."
"Keep it," Jon stopped me, his voice still calm. "I don't want to start judging now."
"You're going to be our referee?"
"Stephan and Thalus are gone, so it's just me. Andrea probably wouldn't be impartial in this case. Which leads me to the fact that you'll both act like best friends when you're there." at the same time, Damien and I frowned. "This is where the fun ends, Damien. If anything happens to him, she will break you and I will not defend you. He's going to fall into the water," he pointed his thumb at me. "you pull him out. Do you understand that?"
"But I can swim, Jon," I wanted to defend myself rather than Damien. I am not incapable of taking care of myself.
"I'm really glad to hear, it'll come in handy." her father's dark eyes moved to me. "The same applies to you if he falls first. I'm not going to let either of you ruin her this day. Now be so kind and go prepare. The uniform is waiting for you."
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