The Messiah [1]

5: Jax

Seated at the dining table, his fingers idly tapping the polished oak surface, Jax let himself sink into his poor mood. There was no one else within the cavernous eating hall, and though Jax had initially savored the silence, it was beginning to grate on his nerves. He had learned at a young age that being near his father was never a pleasant experience. The king was naturally controlling - always needing things to go exactly as expected. The very idea of not meeting his father's high standards was setting Jax's nerves on edge.

"Jax!" A shrill voice screeched from the doorway, disrupting Jax's deep sulk.

He looked up, eyes crinkling in delight at the sight of his sister, Jax pushed himself to his feet. In the doorway, in a dress so frilly it nearly swallowed her whole, stood Sierra - the princess of the New World. Jax's absolute favorite person in the entire castle.

"Sierra!" Jax laughed, lips twitching into a smile as he pushed away from the table and walked over; scooping her easily into his arms, her giggles echoing in the stone room.

"I'm so glad you came to dinner!" Thin arms encircled his neck, clinging on tightly as Sierra talked a mile a minute. Jax tried to listen, but eventually gave up when her speech became too garbled to understand. Instead he nodded, making all the appropriate noises when she looked at him for assurance. Sierra took after their mother, with her soft chestnut brown hair falling in delicate waves around her cherubic face.

"and that's how I saved the day!" Sierra sang, struggling to give a mock bow, and almost tipping herself out of Jax's arms.

"Really? I can't believe you've had such a productive day. I'm ashamed to say I haven't done anything as grand." Jax responded, smile crinkling the corners of his eyes.

Sierra patted his cheek sympathetically, "Don't worry, Jaxy, not everyone can be as cool as I am."

Jax snorted, but wisely kept his mouth shut. Taking two large steps, he deposited Sierra in the chair next to his, purposefully ignoring the maid who gestured to where she should be sitting - to the right of the king.

"Yes, I understand the importance. Just leave the paperwork on my desk, and I'll get to it right after dinner. The girl is our most important priority."

The King's voice carried through the open door, halting all movement inside the chamber. For a moment, the servants stared at one another as if captive in some spell. Then Sierra blew a raspberry and everyone leapt into action.

Jax dropped into his seat, stacking one foot on his knee in feigned relaxation. He watched the open door, oblivious to the servants scurrying around the room, setting down dishes and brushing away non-existent dust in a nearly crazed frenzy.

"Jax, why does Papa's voice scare everyone?" Sierra asked, her eyes wide as she watched the servants around them.

Jax smiled, "Because although Papa would never hurt one of them, it doesn't do any good to upset the king."

Sierra nodded sagely, as if the answer had been right in front of her the whole time. Her lips quirked, and as Jax watched, she opened her mouth to ask another question. But, before she could get the words out, the king strode in the dining hall.

King Jasper looked from his daughter to his son, a tight smile briefly quirking his lips. The king was in his late forties, but Jax thought he looked rather younger than his age. A shock of dark hair sat on top of a very angular face. A high nose, broad forehead and dark eyes marked him as a Harper - one of the oldest and highest families in the non-magic community.

"Ah, I see everyone was able to make it. How delightful." The king's eyes lingered on Jax, who had made a habit out of avoiding family dinners.

Jax grunted in response, his fingers resuming their rhythmic tapping.

"Papa, can we eat now? I'm hungry!" Sierra did a jig in her chair, impatience writ in her every movement.

The king turned his attention to his daughter, and Jax watched as his expression softened.

"Of course, darling. Sorry to have kept you waiting." He walked to the end of the table, seating himself quickly and gesturing for the servants to begin plating food.

Pleased, Sierra instantly began pointing out dishes that she wanted.

Jax lapsed into silence, only speaking to the servants that poured his water and ladled food onto his plate. The table fell into an easy rhythm, with Jax's sister leading all conversation. As Sierra droned on, Jax slipped away into his daydreams, praying the dinner would pass without incident.

Φ

Unfortunately, it did not.

Though the royal family had made it to dessert - which Jax was sure had to be a new record. Rarely did he not argue with his father, a fact that never ceased to displease the king and infuriate the prince.

"Jax," King Jasper began, setting down his fork and wiping his mouth, his attention suddenly focused on his heir, "I heard you've recently been attending your studies - please tell us what brought on this sudden change of character."

Jax sighed, placing his spoon on the table. He wasn't in the mood for arguing, and the last thing he wanted was to upset Sierra, so he merely shrugged before saying, "I don't know. I guess I've just been extremely bored lately. With the regulations and sudden curfew, Basil has cut my training in half."

Jax couldn't keep the bitterness from creeping into his tone.

The king sighed, "We've been over this Jax. You're not training to be a guard; you're training to be a king. The more time you spend studying, the better off you will be."

Jax gritted his teeth, fighting down the rise of irritation, "A good king knows how to fight, and protect his people. You can't learn that in a book!"

"Enough, Jax. We are not having this discussion again." The King snapped, setting his goblet down with a forceful click against the wood.

"Maybe if you would tell us why you've put the compound on lockdown, I could handle the orders more gracefully." Jax spat the words at his father, his control slipping with his temper. The only thing that kept him sane in the compound was training. During practice he wasn't a prince. He didn't have to worry about offending someone, or ruling a kingdom.

"Enough! You will handle these orders whether you want to or not. I'm not asking you to stop training, I am telling you." The king slammed his fist on the table, the vein in his neck throbbing, "As both your father, and as your king."

Jax opened his mouth to speak but was cut off by Sierra's outburst of tears. Ashamed for forgetting his sister's presence, and furious at his father's demands, Jax pushed away from the table.

"As your majesty wishes, I will do." Jax ground out, jaw tight as he stalked from the room. Jax would do as his father commanded, but hell would freeze before he followed any other orders.