Allian couldn't help but glance over when she noticed the person, her nose instantly wrinkling in distain when she saw who it was. The only person she wished never to see again. Of course. She huffed out a complaint under her breath before she started towards him. She had many things to say to him, mostly curses towards him, and more warnings to try to get him to leave the palace so she would never have to see his face again.
Her steps were silent as she neared him, and the wicked glare on his face was just as silent. He was clearly lost in the letters he was reading, most likely from his warriors, or from whatever lover he had waiting for him back at the front. "Why the frustrated look, Ezra?" She spoke, taunting him into an argument, "Did your lover at the front break up with you after realizing how insufferable you are?"
Ezra looked up at the sound of her voice, mouth pressing into a thin line at the mention of Alexei. He set the letter aside, setting the rock on top of it, still glaring up at her. "No, he did not." he said, doing his best to school his voice into something placid and calm, knowing that that would piss her off more than anything else he could have done. He did his best not to rise to her taunt, though the reminder of Alexei was still an ache that pricked at his heart. He looked at her from where he sat on the bench, still taller than her despite the fact that she was standing and he was sitting.
Allian was more than a little shocked that he responded calmly to her taunt, but she took it in stride, determined to hit some feeling that would make him pissed off. From what she could tell, his relationship seemed to be the perfect thing to do so. “Hm, no? Is he begging you to get back so you and him can command troops together? Or so he can listen to your rant about your visit here?”
She held her hands behind her back as she spoke, raising a teasing eyebrow. It added an extra dose of smugness to her tone, something she had learned after having to survive around nobles for so long. Exactly the added touch that Ezra would hate.
He clenched his jaw, pushing to his feet. His hand clenched at his side. Alexei couldn't listen to him, not unless he wanted to speak to the empty air. His lover, like many soldiers, had been buried in a very simply marked grave, just a wooden headstone with his name. "He," he said, struggling now to remain calm. "Is dead, your highness." He tacked on the title in an attempt not to lose his temper, though he wasn't sure how well it worked.
(All I have to say is….Allian can be a bitch…Ezra is right to hate her)
Standing her ground, Allian kept a straight face as Ezra looked down at her. She was shocked to hear what he said, and part of her wanted to apologize and console him. But she refused to. If they stood on better terms, it would've been a no brainer, but she was out for blood, and her words would be a final blow. "Did he die because you were here? Or do you actually have to take blame for the first time ever?" There was venom in her words, but smugness in her expression, though she felt only her day old anger in the moment.
(lmao well he does now)
At her words, his hand flew up as if he was about to strike her, though he pulled back at the last moment. Had she been anyone else he probably would have let it fly, but he couldn't strike a princess, no matter how much he wanted to. "He died six months ago." He snarled, taking a step towards her, teeth gritted and eyes narrowed in rage. "In a war your father started because of you." Because the king wanted Allian to have an even larger country to rule. Ezra's voice was ice, cold rage in every word he spoke.
Allian rightfully flinched when Ezra moved to strike her, but as soon as she realized he wasn't going to hit her, all of her confidence returned. "Not everything is my fault, general," She hissed, fire in her eyes. Fighting with him was pointless, but gods it felt good. "Countless soldiers have died before him, and many will after him too. Your nameless lover died for his country." She met his eyes and stayed her ground, looking up at him, waiting for his reaction. Her words were taking it far, too far, but she kept going. Anything to hurt him in the same way he had done to her before. "Maybe it was a good thing. Now he doesn't have to learn what you're like the hard way."
"Ah yes, because you know me so well." he snarled, words half a growl. "And I'm delighted to find out that you think people dying is a good thing, it bodes so well for your supposed future as leader of this country. Assuming, of course, that you can ever find a man willing to marry you, that doesn't have to be chained to the altar." he could remember when they were younger and she'd had crushes; he just hoped this was still a sore spot. "At least my lovers don't have to be bribed into staying with me."
(oh shoot I'm really sorry i thought I had replied already…I'll get one up really soon here)
His words hurt, Allian wouldn't deny that, but she wouldn't let it show in her face. "Things have changed since you were around, Ezra, but at least I treated mine with more respect than you clearly do to yours. Your nameless no one is probably cursing your name the longer you hide their existence." She spat, glaring up at him. She wished she was taller in times like this, having the height to look him in the eye would prove her arguments to be more than just infuriating and annoying. "Just like the others you dated in secret, General."
"He is dead, Allian." he said again. "Alexei is dead, and I never hid his existence. You just never bothered to learn it." he glared down at her, quite glad for the height difference. "I dated in secret because it was easier than bringing them around you. Easier than dealing with you throwing tantrums afterwards about how it wasn't fair I had a significant other and you didn't, you were a princess and I was just a noble." his words were hissed out, full of anger. "You and your jealousy were the reason that I couldn't be open about it. That, and the fact that your father, in case you haven't noticed, is not as accepting of same-sex couples as others might be. So no, I never brought them around to meet you."
"My jealousy convinced my father to start to accept same-sex couples. If you didn't realize," She spat, ignoring his other words to keep from completely giving up on her focus on making him mad. "And if I recall correctly, you scared half of my possible significant others off because you didn't like them." Allian crossed her arms, never losing eye contact as she tried to show him just how angry she was. The focus of her argument had shifted, but she was still seething.
"Because they were shitty men." he seethed. "I was protecting you from guys with reputations for using and abusing." he crossed his arms too, still glaring down at her. "Yes, sure, they were nobility but noblemen are shittier than most of the commoners I've worked with. They were noblemen and they wanted to use you."
"Speaking from personal experience I presume?" She narrowed her eyes, "Unless you forgot you are also technically a nobleman." Allian knew that a few of the men she had been interested in were known to have bad reputations, but the others were all good men. That Ezra scared off under the guise of them being bad. "It's not like I could have gotten with a commoner. I had different rules, unless you forgot that as well? I suppose years of being a soldier would stunt your memory and intelligence."
He sketched out a mocking bow to her. "It didn't stunt my growth, unlike, well, some of us." his mouth twisted faintly. "And I didn't say you should get with a commoner, I wouldn't expect you to stoop so low. Though I suppose it's less hard for you than for me. It would strain my back." his eyes continued to glare down at her. "And yes I speak from experience, having dated a few of them."
She was close to smacking him when he mentioned her height for the first time, but she held herself back. Until he insulted her again. Allian didn't hesitate to rock onto her tip-toes, reach her hand out and slap him before she had time to think her actions through. "I would recommend not bringing my height into this," She hissed, matching his glare, "If you want to keep any shreds of pride around here." Allian took a breath before she continued, "You may be tall, but your brain is the size of a pea, and you think that anyone who dares to stand up to you and your mood swings is a dirtbag who wants to hurt everyone. Though I wonder if you even have enough brain power to think something as complex as that."
His hand flew up to grab her wrist after she smacked him, and he held onto her wrist. "Then don't you dare bring my past lovers, or Alexei, into any more of our unfortunate encounters. I shall not beg your pardon for having romantic partners, and I shall not apologize for not always bringing them around to you." his words were quiet, but deadly firm.
"I will bring your lovers into our arguments as long as I deem fit. It's only fair. You refused to let me see the list of men that could be my potential lovers," She spat, fire in her eyes, "I lost the ability to choose because you are an idiot, and this is how I'm going to make it up." Allian tried to yank her hand out of his grasp, hearing light chattering voices coming towards them in the garden. The last thing she wanted was for anyone to see her and him together, mostly because rumors would inevitably start about them, and it would spiral until the one person she loathed would be seen as a potential suitor.
He didn't let go, too focused on her to hear the approaching voices. "That is quite different." he replied, eyes narrowed down at her. "There are different expectations for me than there are for you, and the list was never meant for you. If you wanted to see it, you should ask your father, or you should have asked nicely the first time, rather than demanding it. I don't answer to you, Allian." his voice was low, and they were close enough that it could almost have been intimate, had they not both hated each other. "I fear for the future of this country with you at its helm, considering you can't seem to use basic logic and manners."
Allian was focused on getting her hand away from him, she barely heard what he said, but she spat back a response, "I know too well how to use logic and manners. You don't seem to have a grasp on them considering you think you won't be answering to me when I become Queen." As she finished speaking, the source of the voices rounded a corner - two noble girls, well known for their gossip and news through the city. The pair paused when they saw Allian and Ezra, and Allian could see the excitement in their eyes. She opened her mouth to tell the girls that it wasn't what it looked like, but they had already turned and scurried off, their chatter even louder than before.
Allian cursed in frustration when she saw them leave, wrenching her arm out of Ezra's grasp, "God, you're an idiot." She stepped away from him, her anger now replaced with a clear sense of frustration, "Screw the list of suitors, you just sealed our future."
"If you become queen." he countered. His eyes flicked to the retreating forms of the two girls, and he just shrugged his shoulders. "And? I would not marry you if you were the last person left on earth, Allian, and two gossiping girls is not going to change that." he straightened, squaring his shoulders.
"I will become queen." She narrowed her eyes and gestured towards the path the girls had scampered back down, "You haven't spent more than a few minutes in the capital in years Ezra. Those two are the last people you want around drama. They have the power with their gossip to make our marriage final, whether we like it or not." Allian shook her head, the look in her eyes close to pity in a sense, "You really are clueless when it comes to anything but murder."
"War is not murder, Allian." he hissed. "There is a difference between murder and fighting. It really is terrifying, that you're so incapable of seeing differences like this. That you seem to be completely and utterly incapable of any kind of rational thought. You re led by your emotions, rather than your head. If you were a man, I would say oyu were being lead by the wrong head, but you aren't, so I don't know what to say to you other than that you cannot lead a country with your emotions."
