Foxtails and Fairytales: Facades and Fables of the Phantom Prince

[Arc 8] Ch. 1 Family Matters

Sebas

After a minute, she surprised me when she moaned and pressed her body into mine. I gently tried to pull away to take stock of the situation and she "noped" me by doubling down and pulling me back into the kiss.

She giggled and then pulled away. Her face was so close. Her red irises glowed as she looked at me through sleepy eyes. She wiped the edges of the lips with her dainty fingers and I couldn't help but look at her in a new light. I allowed my heart to accept others into my life, starting with Liz. The girl that has always managed to keep me grounded had somehow cut the chain around my heart and made it soar with hope.

"It's about fucking time," she grinned with a satisfied sigh. "Mmm... just one more." She then threw herself into me with a renewed passion as I felt her trust her entire bodyweight on me.

That one stole the reason from my mind, and I could only think about her. I let my arms wrap around her and I held her as I began reconsidering my future. One that had her standing before me in a wedding dress. A picture of her, Julie, and Lilith sitting on a couch with pregnant bellies while Nerinin, Talisa, and my moms (as grandmothers) held animal eared babies and chatted easily in the castle. I saw myself holding the little hands of little pink haired fox girl with honey eyes as we danced on the grass. I imagined a small vampire boy holding a wooden sword and trying to follow me swinging a sword. I saw warm prospects for the future. A family full of smiles. How could one feel guilty over such wonderful women and a beautiful family?

"Son of a bitch. Ya, now you just need to do that with the rest of them. That was one hell of a first kiss, master." She was breathing heavily and rested her forehead against mine. And since we were so close, I could see that she was crying again.

"You're crying, are you okay?" I asked softly.

"Fuck you, master. These are tears of goddamn joy." She giggled and pecked my lips.

"From one kiss?"

"Yes. You big dumb idiot. That's one reason. I want to keep you all to myself, but more that I want a big family and now I feel like I'll finally be a part of yours." Through the mental connection I felt a wash of relief that she shared with me. I was aware of a great fear and loneliness, a hole of despair that had been filled to the point with the image of a family I hadn't created yet, one that included her.

And where I had once held guilt there was peace. Where I had once been oppressive fear there was budding hope. And the place where I had stored all of my escape plans had been emptied by one very good reason to stick around.

That... was a future worth fighting for.

Now I finally had an idea about where and how to start. Now I just have to complete this deal with Minerva and figure out my next move.

*

Meela

I was just trying to find a quiet spot to mope after not being able to get Satiri alone. Inari must be having a hell of a time watching spin my wheels trying to get a girl. Is there something wrong with me? Should I just give up on her?

I snuck into one of the empty conference rooms at my hotel and curled in the corner feeling shame at the need to cry in a corner. Nobody was using it this late so I'm sure nobody would mind. I cried at how pathetic I was. I could barely even say two words to her. All of my friends were in the dark because they constantly talked about boys, their hobbies, or were spending time honing themselves in their fields of choice. Although we sometimes talked about the intimacy shared between sister-wives, that was all those were. A moment for sister-wives to bond or relief stress.

The idea that one could fall in love with another woman or would choose one over a man didn't seem like it was an option. Of course, that was because they were also noble born fox like me. its in their blood. But this is what it was like to be a fox noble, and I was the princess, so it was like I had to live up to some sort of impossible expectation.

Boys just had it so easy. All they had to do was wait around and wait for the girls to come to them and then pop a baby into them every once in a while. Sebas just had it so easy too. He'd never lived in the capitol and lived with the stress of the court or marriage interviews to be someone's third or seventh wife. Not that the number really mattered. Usually if you were farther down the line then you had more freedom to the point that marriage was just moving into a mansion or signing a business deal.

I never had any fantasy about a lovely dovey relationship like dad. Mom practically threw herself at him and I hadn't even understood the emotion until I saw Satiri. And Sebas had who knows how many girls just chasing him down. Meanwhile he's living exactly how he wants to. He just dropped everything and is living actually living.

Doesn't he care about the way the rest of us feel?! Screw him! Just doing whatever he wants.

Damn, if I had just been born as a boy...!

He wouldn't have had to run away...

He could have happily lived with auntie and been fine, or better yet he would've lived at the palace as a proper prince. If I had been a boy, Calypso would have never lost faith in mom. I could have just gone over and married Minerva and the war would have been over a long time ago. I could have been a decent older sibling. Maybe we'd have been closer, and he'd trouble me for favors instead of relying on Tiera.

At the end of the day, I'm just a gross girl fox who loves another girl and a terrible and unreliable older sister. I couldn't do anything for anyone. I'm just so useless. Sebas is just so perfect he should have been born in my place.

Finally, I just couldn't cry anymore. I'd just run out of energy and pressed my right shoulder against the wall and rested my head against it. I swept my three tails up and cuddled with them like a pitiful child.

If my ear hadn't been pressed right up against the wall like it had been, I never would have heard the conversation that took place in the other room.

"Okay what is it?"

"I want you to stay away from Jekyll."