''Just a crow''

-Dinner-

The dinner was tense.

The royal couple at the end of the table, the sisters to the left, the brothers to the right.

A custom, they'd share their meals as a family when together, but it didn't stop things.

"Brother Veris do hold yourself back." Calypso said with an edge to her look. "It is unbecoming of a prince." Being the oldest gave her some authority even if by standards, mages couldn't speak over royalty in such a way.

Veris, still in his golden armor gritted his teeth, blood boiling on the inside. How dare that little bastard take what is rightfully his? Calypso had no claim to the throne, Edward was a drunk, Mar should have never gotten the crown, Josephine is a cry baby, it was his, his!

He would have said something but with wave of her hand, there was a ball of ice gagging him.

Tho he crushed it in anger at Josephine's light laughter, scaring the young girl when the ice exploded into pieces all over the food platters.

"Speak to yourself, mage." He spat with cold control.

"Calm down, you still can get enough whores like this." What was this? Since when did Edward support the crown openly? Wasn't he his man of confidence? And why does he seemed mesmerized by that damned crow?

That crow.

Ever perched on the back on either monarch's chair, eyeing them carefully, it made him disgusted that a death bird was in between the castle's walls and carrying its unluck everywhere.

The tension didn't rise even as all retreated to their chambers.

Tonight of all nights, the crown felt heavy on the head.

Mar sighed, having be undressing to change for the night but was standing topless with his crown in his hands.

"What's wrong?" His wife asked.

"Would it help if I said everything?" Getting a 'really?' smile when he looked at his wife after saying such a thing, nightgown just not transparent enough to see anything but he could make out her features.

"It is troublesome that the wolf of the south has not bowed down." She agreed, sitting on their bed with a sigh.

"The noble houses following him will be a trouble to deal with." He knew that, his brother had a lot of support but he couldn't imagine the mess it would cause to have him as the head of a kingdom. If he was just and good, Mar would have stepped down for him, never having expected to be king as he is the fourth child, but Veris was not good, not just, so he couldn't.

He finally put the crown down on the little red cushion next to the queen's ones.

"We can deal with this together."

"Like we have until now." He agreed.

Hellebore smiled, having made a good choice but here was the wolf of the south, putting the obstacles the wind whispered of to her in place.

She knew that infighting was inevitable and one of these days blood will be spilled between the royal siblings for the claim.

There will be a war between them no matter what will come, Josephine will be hidden, Calypso will chose the king's side, Edward will fail and run to hide behind his elder brother and the wolf would gnash its teeth until blood coats them.

She was amused, the wolf doing all he could to reject his true self, being a human, or he would have realized she was not a simple death bird but Hellebore.

A crow that was barely human and a human that was barely wolf, both on opposing sides, both of their own interest but only one of them cared for the world surrounding them.

A wolf rejecting their true self, suppressing it against a crow that is glad for every moment she can spend in this world of thought and reason. A wolf that beats his animal down through abuse of oneself and a crow that barely embraced what being human means. A taxidermy canine and a living bird.

She knew of what was to come.

And she will not let the wolf strike.