Sterre & Elke nummer zoveel

https://nl.pinterest.com/pin/728316570967322077/

https://nl.pinterest.com/pin/522206519289887811/

https://nl.pinterest.com/pin/Afbnvl-YJXxlF6zIZiPJe0y51W6zYqilohPBwN96-e0CshlYJWUM4ro/


Morgayne

Raphael

https://i.imgur.com/zryH1IV.jpg

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0wt7NhHscMM/T6EUq-1TyFI/AAAAAAAAB7M/cTge6aqEw7E/s1600/astonishing-white-gryphon-fantasy-wallpaper.jpg

When he was a small kid, Raphael thought the wooshing sound of the wind was scary. Now, being older, the sound gave him a sense of freedom whenever he soared through the skies at immense speed, spreading his wings at will.
At this exact moment though, the sound of the wind in his ears was a grim message, like someone whispered in his ear. It spoke of a life imprisoned, a life in which he could never freely spread his wings. On the contrary, the odds of him dying in the giant building up ahead, were not his favor. After all, he was planning to kill the crown princess.
The hippogriff anded in front of the main gates, his four legs steadily on the ground. Soon after, the four legs changed into two legs and a handsome man stood in the spot of the magical creature. He was almost completely naked and although he wasn't insecure about his body, Raphael didn't want to make a first impression like this. As a male attendant in the harem of the princess, he would want to make an impression. But not like this.
He put on the soft clothes his servants brought with them and started walking toward the giant building up ahead. It was huge, which made sense if you knew the people living in here were actually dragons. Although Raphael never had anything to complain about his own house, this was definitely a lot more impressive.
His servants, who would return home after delivering, carried most of his bags and cases. These bags were filled with clothes mostly, but hidden among the rich fabrics were numerous poisons and other weapons. Raphael was prepared for any situation in which he could have an opportunity to kill.
He knew that this would be a slow operation. It was his job to make the princess trust him, feel at ease with him and safe in his arms. And the easiest way to achieve that was by becoming a male attendant in her harem. Because of his house he would enter with a high standing, making it easier to win her favor. At least, that was the plan.
A faint smile showed on his face. If he managed to kill the princess, he would spark an uprising of the smaller houses. Nobody dared to rise against the dragons when they are at full power, but weakened by betrayal and death, it would certainly be possible to beat them. The dragons had to be brought down. Because there had been nog dragon rider for over a thousand years, the dragons had forgotten their place.
Focus. He had to look innocent and charming for his entrance into the palace of dragons. A small group of people was waiting for him at the steps and he put up a charming smile. The family of dragons and the family of hippogriffs were both strong families, the hippogriffs being one of the biggest supporting houses to the dragons. It was an honor for both families that he entered the harem.

Her sister had been yelling at her almost the entire day. This was a big day for her, it was the first time an actual important person would be joining her harem and she wanted to look her best for the ceremony. Of course, that wasn't an option when Morgayne hid her dress somewhere in the castle and forgot to mention that to her slightly older sister. Seventeen minutes. That was how much older she was and yet Marian was convinced that she was better at everything. She was better at a lot of things, but never the importent ones. Marian was smart, strategic, charming and very pretty, but that were qualities you needed as a princess and a future queen. It certainly wouldn't win the people over. Morgayne on the other hand was just as pretty, although they weren't identical twins, but she was a warrior, fierce and loved by those she trained with. The army. That was important to her, but Marian said they were just savages. Perhaps her sister even believed that she didn't need an army, being a dragon and all. She could very well be right, but even dragons got the flu every now and then. Would be a shame if her neck got sliced while she was throwing up.
'Morgayne!' This time it wasn't her sister, her mother decided to show up. She was still in the courtyard, with her usual black and brown clothes in which she trained as a human.
'My dear,' it was a bad thing if her mother tried to be nice, 'do you have any idea how long it will take you to get ready? We have a guest coming.' She raised one of her eyebrows and thought about it a bit, or at least she pretended to think about it.
'Around twenty minutes, I think?' Probably more if she had to look really good, but it wasn't her whore coming to the palace, she didn't care at all about the guy.
'He will be here in ten, go get ready or I will ban you from flying and training for a month.' Morgayne opened her mouth to protest, but the look in her mothers eyes was one of murder if she would speak now. Perhaps not the best time to antagonize her. So dutifully she nodded, turned and ran over the courtyard so she could get dressed. Ten minutes, should be do-able.

She actually made it. With around three seconds to spare before the new boy-toy came in view. Her sister had wanted to hit her for almost ruining the moment, but there was no time left. Perfect timing. Her parents were standing in the middle, right next to her mother was Marian and then Morgayne. Next to her father were her three older brothers, making Morgayne the youngest of them all. They would never let her forget that. Didn't really matter, if her sister died she would inherit the throne and they could all suck it. But she would have to wait for that, it didn't look like her sister was going to die anytime soon. Such a shame.
'Raphael,' her mother spread her arms, apparently that was supposed to be a welcome signal. It didn't look like it, Morgayne knew that her mother would have no problem with killing the guy in front of her if he became a liability. That was the look she was giving him, making sure he knew it too. There was a reason females were more important than males in their family, a female dragon would go to the ends of the earth for her children. And beyond. It made them more lethal than the males, although males were usually bigger. Bigger and stupid. Not a great combination.
'Welcome, I truly hope you will feel at home here. This is my daughter, Marian.' She gestured for Marian to come forward. The lovely daughter she was so proud of. It was a witch, her mother just didn't realise that.

Although he had never been in the royal palace before, his mother had taught him all the names of the important dragons. She had also shown paintings of the royal family and thus Raphael immediately realised who was greeting him. He bowed appropriately before really looking at the queen herself and when he rose up, he gave her his most gorgeous smile. 'Thank you for your warm welcome, my lady queen,' he replied. Although she seemed welcoming, he saw that her smile never reached her eyes. This lady was fierce, the dragon who ruled these lands. She would murder him if she knew that his mission was to kill her eldest daughter.
Speaking of the eldest daughter, his eyes looked through the small crowd. Next to the queen was, of course, the king. Three young man, although older than Raphael, were standing next to the king. The sons of the royal family. It had taken them four tries before they got a daughter, and then they got two.
He bowed slightly when Marian was introduced. Of course, he already knew her name and she knew his, since they had sent letters to one another before he actually came here. 'My princess,' he greeted her, 'you look absolutely stunning.'
His compliment brought a small blush to her face, but Raphael was distracted by the other young lady standing next to the spot where Marian just stood. He knew who she was. Morgayne, the youngest daughter. Although they were twins, Marian was a few minutes older and thus the royal heir. This is why she had to die.
Morgayne was dressed rather simple, but the clothes she wore fit her body quite well. The look on her face was to be described as unhappy. Raphael got the sense that she really didn't want to be here. He got that. After all, it was her sister that was all-important and it was her sister that got a new manwhore. If only Morgayne knew what he was up to.
'Did you hear me?' Marian asked. Raphael blinked, a little flustered. He had been staring at Morgayne for no reason and of course he didn't hear a single word the princess said.
'I apologize,' he answered, 'the journey was long and I'm afraid I am exhausted. Please forgive me.'
She smiled. 'That is understandable. Why don't we go inside? Our servants will show your servants where to put your belongings and you can accompany us for some tea.'
Why were his eyes constantly drifting off to the younger sister? Raphael noticed he had some trouble concentrating on Marian, but he managed to look at her again. A polite smile showed on his face. 'If that is what my princess wants, then I shall accompany you,' he answered.
Because he was no ordinary male attendant, different rules applied to him. Although he was still less important than any of Marians brothers, the fact that he was a hippogriff made him the most important man in her harem, granting him special privileges. At least, as long as he could hold the favor of the princess. That shouldn't be too much of a problem for him, she seemed charmed already. Of course, that was his job.
Especially tonight would be important. It was like a marriage, where the husband and wife would spent their first night together. This night would break or make his position in this gigantic castle. And he planned on being very successful.
Slowly, everyone went inside again and surely, his eyes shifted to Morgayne for a second. For some reason he wanted to walk up to her, start a conversation with her. But he would be out of his mind to talk to the twin sister of Marian in this crucial moment. He ignored the urge to walk up to her and smiled kindly at the crown princess as they went inside.

It took her quite some time to notice the new toy of her sister, even though he was standing right in front of her. Her mind had been elsewhere, she was thinking about moves to make on the field as a human. It was a lot harder to fight as a human when nobody wanted to help you train. Her family didn't think it necessary, they were dragons and if they were healthy enough to fight as a human, then they could do it as a dragon too. The humans generally didn't want to help her because they were afraid one of the other members of the royal household would get mad. And the few in the army that had dared to help her, got broken bones when she decided to hit back. The result was that people would help from a distance, but never up close.
That was where her mind had been, until the whore came into sight. He looked rather nice for somebody who just got sold for sex. Then again, if he still looked nice tomorrow, that was the real question. There was something about him, he looked right at her and didn't even hear her sister. A smile entered her face. Morgayne loved it when her sister didn't get what she wanted. In this case, it was the attention of the guy in front of them. He belonged to her, was her property and yet, he was starting at Morgayne. She wasn't about to break that stare and her family probably already noticed. Not her problem.
Unfortunately Marian and the guy, she really couldn't remember his name, didn't matter that her mother had just said it, were leaving. She would see them again at tea, it was important that he got to know the royal family a bit before becoming her sisters whore. It was all a formality, but this time it was something she was looking forward to. She loved making her sister uncomfortable. Sometimes mad even. There was no opportunity she wouldn't take to make her sister know that she had a little sister that was completely out of control. Or at least that was how Marian described it when she was complaining to their mother about Morgaynes behavior.
With a few big steps, she was walking backwards in front of her sister and the boy. Raphael. That was his name, now she remembered.
'I just wanted to wish you good luck, you'll need it,' she winked at Raphael and saw that her sister was already getting angry. It was their eldest brother that decided to put an end to it, he grabbed Morgaynes waist and pulled her aside, leaving enough room for Marian and Raphael to keep walking.
'You are impossible,' he whispered the words in her ear, but she knew he would be laughing if mother wasn't paying attention. He liked getting on Marians nerves too.
'See you at tea sister-sweetie!' She shouted the words to her sister, before Elred managed to really get her away from the new couple. He punched her on the shoulder with his free hand while still walking towards another exit, dragging his little sister with him. She let him, there was no need to fight with him now. There would be plenty of time to fight with him after teatime.

It surprised him that Morgayne came to wish him luck. He didn’t respond to her or her winking, but it felt weird. Different. He had talked to women before of course, but even if he wanted to, he had no clue how to respond to the younger sister.
‘I’m sorry about that,’ Marian said. Now that her mother wasn’t listening in anymore, the crown princess seemed a little more relaxed. ‘Also, please call me Marian when my mother is not here. The princess thing is really off-putting.’ She winked at him and he returned it with a smile. ‘Younger sisters can be a pain,’ he agreed with her and she nodded.
‘Morgayne always looks for a way to make my life more difficult,’ she said, ‘as if it is my fault that I am the crown princess and not her.’
‘It’s probably just jealousy. But let’s not talk about her, shall we?’ He felt uncomfortable talking about the sister, but it also felt right to talk about something else. About her, for example.
They chatted a bit and Marian showed him a few things in the giant building, but she promised him to show him the rest after tea.
Tea was important, because it was the opportunity to meet the family for real. As part of the harem he was part of the family, as a husband married into a family.  But then, the royal family.
He said goodbye to his servants, who weren’t gonna stay here and after they left, they walked to a great hall were tea would be served. Mother queen was already sitting at her place, one of the brothers was seated and Marian showed him where to sit. He made some small talk with the brother and waited until the rest arrived, for now, everything seemed to go according to plan. Marian seemed to love the way he behaved. After tonight, it would only get better. He was gonna make sure the girl ate out of his hand.
At exactly the right time, everyone seemed to be in their place. Except for Morgayne, who seemed to make sure to upset her sister at every possible opportunity.
'We'll wait for a moment,' the queen decided and nobody dared to go against her. Not even her own husband, who seemed like he'd rather get on with tea.
The king was not a dragon. He was from a different family, but the dragons blood runs so strong that all the children became dragon children. Raphael didn't even remember from which family the king originally came, but he figured it couldn't be too sloppy.
'So, how were you selected, Raphael?' the king asked. This was a tricky question, because he was of course chosen because he was a master assassin. Well, not a master. But he would get the job done and the looks were in his favor. He coughed. 'I volunteered. It is an honor for me to be able to serve the crown princess in this way and I hope to make her happy.'

Elred dropped her off at her chambers, where one of her mothers maidens was waiting for her. Not good. That meant she was getting a message and that usually meant she actually had to do something. Most of the time she didn't like whatever it was her mother made her do.
'My lady,' the maiden bowed to her, 'her Majesty the Queen asked me to inform you there is a dress waiting in your chambers. She urges you to wear it during tea. Her Majesty was not impressed with your clothes for the occasion, thus she send you something else to wear.' The female bowed again and left, without giving Morgayne the option to resist. Pity. When she put the dress on that she was currently wearing, she already knew her mother would not be happy with it, but it was a lot better than the dresses with the corsets that her mother and Marian were always wearing. Their dresses were deadly.
Morgayne entered her chambers and there was a beautiful green and golden gown on her dresser. It would indeed look lovely with her skintone and hair, but it really wasn't the kind of dress Morgayne would've chosen to wear. Her mother knew that, which was exactly why she had picked it out for her daughter. Sometimes Morgayne wished to be more like the other two woman in her family, it would made her life a whole lot easier. Then she remembered again that Marian had an harem and if it was her turn to become queen, one of them would truly become her husband to have children with. Morgayne would rather kill herself than to have ten sort-of-husbands.

Around ten minutes too late, she entered the room where her family and Raphael were already present. She just heard the last of his reply to her father and chuckled.
'Good luck with that, there is very little that can make her happy.'
'Morgayne!' Marian couldn't handle it anymore. 'If you are not going to behave, you are very welcome to go back to the dirthole you just crawled out of!' Wrong move. Their mother would not be happy with this kind of language, even though this wasn't half as bad as it could get between the two sisters. However, their mother said nothing and gave the both of them a certain look, after which she looked at the males of her family. It was their turn to keep the sisters under control.
'If that was an option, I would, trust me. I don't really feel like being here, meeting your...' She couldn't very well call him a whore to his face. 'New boyfriend.'
'Enough Morgayne, sit down.' Her father joined the conversation, but it would be a miracle if she ever listened to him. She did now, but everybody, except maybe for Raphael, knew that was because of her mother. Their father wasn't powerful enough to keep any of his children under control, certainly not the two feisty girls.
'I am glad to hear that, I am sure you will get accustomed here rather quickly,' her father nodded to the guy. Knowing very well what it was like in a family were everybody was more powerful.
'So your family was alright with your decision? I mean, didn't they want you there or?' Morgayne wasn't about to let this opportunity to interrogate him go. He couldn't ignore her without hurting the beginning stages of the relationship with this family. That was exactly why she was here.

The bond these two sisters had, was very interesting to Raphael. He had never seen twins before and certainly not a pair that was so feisty. They seemed polar opposites, but on the other hand he spotted a few similarities between the two. It was definitely interesting to listen to their insults to one another, although he was pretty sure things could get a lot worse. Actually, he wondered if the two ever had a real fight. They were both dragons after all and it wouldn't be pretty if these two got caught up in a fight when they were transformed. He wasn't sure he wanted to witness that, being that the odds of getting burned would be high.
The way she called him the new boyfriend implied her opinion about him. She thought of him as a whore. It was almost amusing, but he could never tell her the truth. Instead, he masked his smile as politeness. For the smallest amount of time he touched Marian's hand, a gentle and intimate gesture. She seemed to enjoy his attention so much that he worried about her other attendants. Of course, he was a man from a big house, the fabled hippogriff, but he had thought that she would have a lot more attendants who had already won her heart. Instead, she seemed like an ordinary girl who took her boyfriend to dinner, or in this case tea, with her family for the first time. It was kind of cute, if you could forget that she was the crown princess and this was the royal family.
'I'm sure I will,' he agreed with the father, 'Although everything seems to be bigger, better, prettier and more luxurious here, I will feel right at home with such kind people around me.' Part of what he said was, of course, politeness and courtesy. Everyone around the table knew that, but he couldn't get away with not saying such things. His mother always taught him these things, to be polite to your host or hostess. Even though he was no guest in this house, the same rules applied.
Meanwhile, the servants started serving the tea. Not only was there tea, they also put biscuits, small cakes and other sweet things on the table. Raphael waited until the servant filled his cup, nodded to her and then turned his attention to Morgayne. He wasn't sure why she asked, if it was just interest or if she would try to continue making fun of her sister, but he felt no need to provoke her with a rude answer. Instead, he thought for a second before giving an answer.
'My parents, especially my mother, cheered me on for making this decision,' he started to reply. 'It's an honor to be here and to serve the crown princess. I'm the eldest son, but by the trend your reign has set, the eldest daughter inherits the lands. So my sister will follow my mother as lady of the hippogriffs, whereas I would have to make my own future. And I decided this is what I wanted.' Of course, he could have multiple motivations. If he did well in the harem, there was a chance that he would become the next king. Although it was not something he aspired to be, it was certainly something that most of the people in the room must believe to be his true motivation. As long as he served Marian well though, they wouldn't complain. 'But,' he continued, now turning to Morgayne again, 'to answer your question, I didn't have to go. My mother would have been happy if I stayed, but she respected and applauded my choice.'

She didn't believe a single thing he said. All her sisters whores were here for one of multiple reasons, but none of them was here to actually make her sister happy. Most of them came because males weren't worth much now that her mother had changed the royal line from male to male, to female to female. Being part of the harem of the future queen gave you at least some standing in this world. The higher born males usually came in the hopes of becoming the next king, which meant they wouldn't be happy to see Raphael here. And some, she suspected, were here for a different reason. Maybe because they would've been cast out of their family or they were here to cross her family. If it was the latter, they would be wise to stay away from Morgayne. It was true that she loved fighting with her sister, but she was also the only allowed to hurt her. If anybody else tried, she would burn them to the ground and then eat them. Or maybe she would just eat them without the burning, that really depended on her mood that day.
'Interesting,' she figured people expected her to answer to his answer. Rules of engagement were so dull. She didn't care at all about his answer, but she was fascinated by the guy. There was something about him that made her curious, she just didn't realise what it was. Yet.
'So did you learn to fight as a human?' The thought crossed her mind only seconds earlier and she decided it was as good a question as any. Her brother however did not share that way of thinking.
'Morgayne, he isn't here to train with you. Nobody in this palace is supposed to, so let it go.' Elred was already getting on her nerves today and this didn't make it better for her brother.
'My dear brother, I didn't hear any,-'
'Morgayne,' her mother interfered only for a second, while sipping her tea.
'Apologies, I did not hear any of you ask a question to get to know the new pet of my sister. However, I am trying to be a good part of the host family and ask about his life. That is exactly what mother instructed me to do the first time she got a new toy to play with, so please, do not be so rude.' Her brother raised an eyebrow her way, but it was the youngest brother that answered her.
'You just called him a pet and a toy, I am not sure who where is being rude, but I figure it is you.' Ah, well. That sucks for him. They all knew it was true.
'If that offends him, I am sure he is quite capable of telling me himself. Now, Raphael,' she turned her attention to the guy once more, 'did you learn to train as a human, or not?' She knew that her mother was letting her be rude on purpose. They needed to know if he could handle living in a family of dragons, especially one where the children were used to fighting with each other and he could get caught in the crossfire. Literal fire, it wouldn't be the first time somebody changed in the palace.

It was obvious she didn't care about his answers to her question. Everyone knew the obvious reason why he would be here and although it was partly true that he wanted to make the crown princess happy, that was never the main goal of the attendants in the harem. Everyone knew. But as long as the crown princess was content, it didn't matter.
He was prepared to answer her question, which was a more interesting subject than court politics, but he couldn't yet due to some more family squabbling. It was funny to notice. This family might be royal, they were definitely as ordinary as they come in their family fights. He didn't even mind that they called him pet and toy. It was to be expected, although he had thought that the family would be used to boytoys and pets by now.
Morgayne addressed him once more and he was certainly surprised that she remembered his name. This was the first time she used it, as opposed to toy, pet or boyfriend. Whether it was on purpose or not, he did not know. He did realize that the entire family was checking how he would react to this family mess. If they hadn't been dragons, he would've been less impressed. He didn't want one of the family members to turn into a huge dragon and burn him alive, but he could handle this. 'I was trained as a human and as a hippogriff,' he replied. It was no lie. As a human, they trained him to be quick, deadly and stealthy. He trained with army men to gain strenght, become faster and learn movements. He could fight with daggers, swords, knifes and a bow. A perfect assassin, but he wasn't gonna tell that to the family. 'My father, who is from a family that can't shapeshift into ferocious animals in battle, taught me a lot. He thought it was important to know skills both transformed and as a human, because you never know. It also helps you recognize the tactics your enemies will use, which is always a slight advantage if you can turn it against them.' It was probably noticeable that these words sounded way more genuine than the words he spoke before. Of course, this was more interesting than answering questions regarding living in a harem. It was definitely something that interested Raphael more.
'Your family isn't at war with anyone, are you?' The brother who spoke seemed a little concerned. Understandable if there was a war going on without the royal family knowing. Raphael shook his head and picked up his cup of tea. It was still steaming hot, but that was probably how the dragons liked it best. 'No, my prince. But we like to be prepared for anything.'

Apparently he was already used to being called a pet and a toy, he didn't respond to her sort-of insults in any way. Such a shame. She really would've liked it if he did. But he was trained, he knew how to respond to her family and managed to look good with it. He looked good in general, not just his manners were on point, he wasn't ugly at all. If he didn't belong to her sister, she might actually think he was handsome, but such thoughts were bound to be a problem between her and Marian.
'Then you will join me during training, if you can still walk after tonight.' She smirked while Marians face went completely red. 'It wouldn't be the first time, I do believe she killed a guy once during their first night together.'
'That was an accident and I had nothing to do with it,' Marian was obviously not impressed with her sisters attempts to get a reaction out of her. Well, other than her face that looked like a lobster, of course.
'Oh, was it an accident that you sat on him and he suffocated?' Not true, so not true, but Morgayne wasn't allowed to tell anybody what really happend that night. This was more fun anyway.
'Get out.' Finally, something she could work with. It had taken her sister quite a long time before she was done and ordered her to get out. Normally Morgayne didn't feel the need to listen to her sister, but this time the order was something she actually wanted, so she would listen to it. Morgayne rose to her feet, but her father, sitting next to her, pulled her back down. Slightly confused she looked at him. What did he just do? That weak-minded asshead had no business touching her, let alone obstruct her from doing whatever it was she wanted to do.
'Do not ever again touch me,' she snarled the words to her father, a dragon like growl rolling over her lips. Her father was worth nothing to her, she didn't even understand why her mother kept him around. She didn't need more children, she already had two daughters and more was not necessary. She could've easily gotten rid of him.
A lot of tension was notice-able in the room. This were the kind of moments that every non-dragon in the room, left the room. In the back of her mind Morgayne wondered if Raphael would be smart enough to leave, or brave enough to stay.
'Morgayne, behave darling,' it was her mother, but Morgayne was still staring at her father. Her gaze went to her mother, promising this wasn't over, before she swatted away her fathers hand and remained seated.
'Welcome to the family, I would say it isn't usually like this, but it is. If you're ever in trouble regarding my youngest sister, just walk the other way. We all do that. If you need help with the rest of the family... Well, just make sure you don't need any help.' Elred pitched in with a joke. It just wasn't a joke. The entire family knew that Morgayne would never truly hurt anybody, unless provoked. The others were not that nice.

Once again, this would have been amusing if it weren't for the fact that these people were dragons. Raphael could feel the tension in the room rising and he could've sworn that he saw small smoke circles coming out of Morgayne's nose. He was smart enough to keep his mouth shut though, making sure the anger didn't get directed towards him. He wondered if she was serious about the training. He would honestly like to remain fit and it would be nice to train with different people than he did at home. However, it was not his choice to make. If Marian decided she didn't want him to train with Morgayne, which was completely understandable, he would have to listen to her. Of course, he could still train on his own, keeping his body in shape for the crown princess, but he was sure a training with Morgayne would be way more interesting. He had never fought a woman of her posture before and certainly not a woman who could turn into a dragon.
It seemed like the tension settled down a little again and Raphael softly sighed. He might've seemed calm but he was certainly nervous whether or not a fight would break out between the daughter and her father. It was obvious she didn't respect him at all, something he could not completely grasp. Sure, the king was not a dragon and certainly not as strong as his daughters, nor was he very important, but he was still her father. Might be a dragon thing. Just some more evidence that they all felt way too high and mighty for other people. Just another reason to make sure they were put into their place.
Raphael smiled at the joke that was told and he turned his attention to the young man who spoke. 'In our estate, we're usually the ones saying that,' he said, smiling. Hippogriffs weren't exactly known for their kind attitude and they got in a lot of fights as well. This was just the next level, dragons instead of hippogriffs. 'We don't get a lot of guests since an unfortunate accident with a visiting nobleman.' The guy had challenged his sister to a duel, but was too rough. She turned and basically ripped his head of with her beak. Not a very charming to see.
'But seriously,' Raphael continued, 'thank you for the advice. I hope to never get into trouble with any of you, of course.' His eyes shifted to Morgayne for a second and he got the sense that he would definitely clash with this young dragon in the near future. And when that happened, he was quite sure he wouldn't be able to just walk the other way to stay safe.
Tea seemed to be almost over. There were still a few hours left until dinner and Raphael wondered if this was how he was gonna spend the next few weeks, just walking through the castle, bicker with the other attendants and work for the favor of the crown princess. It seemed like an incredibly dull life, he had to admit. He hoped he would be allowed to train with Morgayne. Everything would be better than to just sit around and be pretty for the rest of the time he would spend here.
Servants came to collect teacups and only left some of the light snacks standing on the table, in case the family wasn't done talking yet. How thoughtful.

After the incident with her father, Morgayne didn't see the need to remain in this room. She was quite done with her family for the day.
'If you will excuse me, I am going to do something I actually enjoy.' Punching people in the face, for example. She nodded to her mother and left the room. The rest of her family did not get a second look, although her eyes made a connection with Raphael. There was something about him, she just wasn't quite sure what it was yet. She wanted to figure out what made him special, why she kept focusing her attention on him, but that was never a possibility when her sister was in the same room. His attention should be on Marian then and if it wasn't, her sister would make sure it would be.
Morgayne walked to the courtyard, where she usually spend all of her free time fighting and training. She looked down at the gorgeous dress her mother had picked out and smiled while she tore the fabric apart. The dress was now slightly above her knees and since it was only tight fitting in the top, she could work with this. The bottom part of the dress fell to the ground, some servant would clean that up. And if they didn't, it really wasn't her problem.

Obviously Marian wasn't very happy with the situation, her family was a disaster and Raphael wasn't even officially in her harem yet. It didn't get any better when one of their counselors entered the room and got permission from her mother to speak.
'One of the houses in the north has requested aid, your Majesty. Apparently the farmers there are being murdered by rogue criminals. They are asking for reinforcements so they can handle the criminals.' Marian wanted to say something, but she wisely kept her mouth shut. It wasn't her place to handle delicate matters like criminals. At least not on her own.
'Call a meeting of the elder counsel, Marian, Elred and I will attend in order to see what we can do for them. This is the fifth time there is a report on criminals from the north and I am rather sick of it.' The counselor made a quick bow and left the room. Since her mother had decided there would be a meeting right here, right now, there was no need to let Raphael stay in the room. Her father and youngest brothers weren't allowed to stay, neither was he.
'If you want to take my sister up on her idea of training together, you can probably find her in the courtyard. If you don't feel like it, which would be the wiser choice given her temperament, my servants will bring you to you chamber. It is your choice, but unfortunately you will have to leave me be, for now. I will summon for you when the meeting is over.'

He had a hard time not following Morgayne with his eyes as she left the room. She was fierce, just like her mom, but different from her sister.
Although they tried to salvage the situation and make some idle chatter, this was disturbed by the man who entered the room. Immediately after hearing the message, Raphael understood this was his cue to leave. He got up, kissed Marian’s hand and smiled at her. ‘I wish you good luck with this matter,’ he said politely, ‘and I await your summoning.’
He left the room, hoping this meeting wouldn’t disturb his plans. If this matter would take too long, he wouldn’t be able to spend the night with the crown princess, thus he wouldn’t be.a real attendant. He needed to be an official attendant. The very best.
A servant at the door seemed to be waiting for him. He had to decide whether to go to his chambers, or train with Morgayne. He decided to go for the second option. ‘Please show me where princess Morgayne is,’ he told the servant, who bowed for him before showing him the way to the courtyard. It was definitely gonna take him some time to get to know his way around the castle, with all the hallways, rooms and stairs.
Eventually they stepped outside and Raphael had to admit that the fresh air was a welcome change. This family was crazy, that was one thing that was certain. He thanked the servant and walked a bit further. On the ground he saw a piece of ripped fabric and his guess was that the princess was done with her pretty dress. A faint smile showed on his face.
Morgayne was a little further away from him, but she must’ve seen him come closer. He nodded in her direction.
‘Your sister had an urgent meeting all of a sudden, so I was sent away,’ he explained, ‘she suggested I could go train with you, if your offer was sincere. Although she recommended me not to do it.’ He winked playfully, nothing serious.
More serious was the fact that he had a hard time looking away. Not because she had torn of her dress, but because of something he couldn’t quite place. It was just that her eyes were captivating. Was that a dragon thing? He hadn’t noticed it before with Marian or the queen.

She had been very busy throwing knives at a dummy before Raphael decided to disturb her training. Not that it was a bad thing that he decided to show up and train with her, she was rather impressed he had the guts to come. It said a lot about him that he came, although it didn't sound like Marian had forbidden it. If she had, he wouldn't be here. It was one thing to train with the little sister of your master, it was another to train with the little sister when you weren't allowed to. Dragons were no forgiving creatures.
'You should have listened to her recommendation, but I am glad that you are here.' This would be so much fun.
'Grayson!' She shouted across the field to one of the squires walking around, who came running immediately. If a dragon was shouting at you, you better hurry with doing whatever it was they wanted. Especially the females. They were not know to be kind when they didn't get what they wanted.
'My princess, how can I help you?' He was a young boy, probably around fourteen years old, but Morgayne didn't care about that. She would not put him in harms way, but everybody had their place and they needed to know that. He belonged to her people and she would protect him, as long as he served as one of her people.
'Get us some training sticks, I wouldn't accidentally want to hurt my sisters plaything.' And he didn't want to hurt her, she was certain of that. Her attention shifted to the guy in front of her again.
'Now, do tell me exactly why you are here, sweetheart, because you don't look like the kind of guy that wants to make others happy. You don't even look like all her other whores, so what is it you seek here?' She was not the kind of person to be subtle, it just wasn't in her nature. Nobody had ever learned her that it was better to keep your mouth shut at times, to not speak your mind. No, she was taught that dragons were the very best and could do exactly what they wanted. One of the many reasons most people didn't like them. Morgayne wasn't a bad person, she could actually be quite like-able, but people didn't get to see that side of her. Some of the soldiers in the army knew, at least they knew what dragon they could count on in times of need, but that was all.
Grayson returned with two long sticks in his hands, they are about one and a half meters long, so Morgayne and Raphael had space to hit each other with them.
'Fight and speak, if you please,' she told him, right before she swung the stick right to his head.

He weighed the training stick, as Morgayne called it, in his hand. It was a bit like a spear, but the ends weren't sharp. It was really just for hitting other people during training, maybe a slight poke if you were fast enough. It was rather heavy, but Morgayne seemed to handle it with ease. So did he, even though it was not a weapon he was used to.
He dodged her first attack with ease, although the training stick made him feel a little clumsy. It would take a few moves to get used to the big thing he was using right now.
Of course she asked as to what his real intentions were. Everyone in the room knew he had been telling a lie, but most people at court would be too polite to ask him for the truth. Morgayne, however, seemed to give zero fucks about court rules. He wondered a bit whether or not he would tell another lie, or the truth. He could probably spin the truth in such a way that she wouldn't take it too serious, but it was a risk. If she didn't believe it was a joke, or took it as a threat to her family, he was done for. To distract her, he made a move. She was nimble, as suspected, and dodged the attack easily. He hadn't expected anything else.
'Where did your manners go, my lady princess?' he asked, a smile in his voice that even she couldn't deny. For some reason he felt at ease talking to her, as if it would be weird to call her by her title in a serious manner. An idea popped into his mind. He became more aggressive, made quick moves and learned how she reacted to these offensive attacks. She dodged all of them, but he noticed a slight lack in her defense. Now, he just needed to exploit it.
She wasn't gonna let him do that easily, though. Whenever he didn't attack, she went on the offense again. A few times he got scratched with the training stick, but nothing serious. Like this, when they were just sparring, it was a little easier to forget that she was a royal dragon.
Bam. She hit the side of his head quite harshly, but it was a hit he was prepared to take. He dropped on the ground and surely, Morgayne seemed to think victory was hers. Almost. He rolled an extra time, picked up his stick and put it against her throat before she could finish him. 'Dead,' he said. The hit against his head had made him dizzy, but this victory was too sweet to be spoiled by some headache. He stood up, his stick still against her throat, and came closer. 'I came here to kill a dragon,' he whispered, a sparkle in his eyes. The fight had been intense and a whole new experience for him. He lowered his weapon and smiled. It really was fun to fight with her and he hoped she had the same experience. It seemed like it, for the sparkle he had in his eyes seemed to be reflected in hers. Both were a bit out of breath, bruised a bit, but nothing too serious. 'You fight well, my lady princess. It would be an honor to train with you more often.'

'By now I have called you a pet, toy and a whore right to your face, do you really think I have manners? If so, think again. I am the youngest of this family and that generally means that I have no important obligations and can do whatever I want, because who has the guts to stop me?' She smiled back at him. He could've guessed this answer if he remembered the way she reacted to her father. There was only one person who could truly boss her around and that was her mother. Her siblings tried, but none of them really succeeded. When she wanted to listen or when she wanted to mess with them she would do as they asked, that just didn't happen a lot.
However she didn't have the time to think some more about the subject, as Raphael decided to make his next move. Apparently he didn't plan on holding back either. Good. It was no fun if he treated her like a princess, like most people would. It did help that he was a shifter too, that meant his stamina, speed and strenght would be on the same level as hers. Humans were a lot weaker, their bones broke too easy. There was no fun to be found in hurting somebody that wasn't able to keep up.
Raphael was good, she noticed that right away, but in the end she managed to hit him against the head. That was it. That was apparently not it. A few seconds later there was a stick pressed to her throat. She chuckled.
'But love, if this was an actual sword and I hit it against your head, you would be dead as well. So technically, this still counts as a win for me.' She raised one of her eyebrows at him while pushing away his stick. The next words however were very interesting, he was here to kill a dragon. Well, good luck, he would need it. She didn't believe anybody would be so stupid to go after her family.
'Well then I suggest you start by killing my mother. You see, if you go after any of her children and she is still alive... That's bad. Very, very bad. I do believe she once had a prisoner tortured for over three years until she allowed him to finally die. That is a long time in chains Raphael. Then again, I imagine those chains can't be that much worse than the ones you will be in after belonging to my sister. All a matter of perspective.' Around them people started to disappear, it was almost time for dinner and after that, he would have a different kind of fighting to do.
'But if you're certain about killing a dragon, I won't mind training with you a bit more. You will need it.' That was both an invitation and an answer. From the edge of the courtyard she saw one of her mothers and one of Marians maidens coming. 'Time for dinner, your lover is waiting for you!' She turned, dropped the stick on the ground and started walking towards the castle. Her family would get an heart attack if they saw her like this, with her dress torn and all dirty, but that was certainly worth it. Their faces were always worth it.

He laughed. Obviously, she enjoyed it just as much as he did. 'If these were actual swords, you'd never have hit me on the side of my head,' he promised her. Sure, she wasn't wrong in this particular case, but he still felt like he won by using her taste of victory against her. Next time, he would have to use another tactic to bring her down, especially since she now knew how he fought. He also knew her style of fighting better though, so that was a positive for him.
Another positive thing was that she definitely took his words as a joke. He had of course already played towards it, by telling it to her after beating her in the fight. She seemed content with that answer for now, not asking for another answer. He was glad, because he wasn't sure he'd get away with keeping up lies against this woman.
'Interesting theory,' he responded, 'so I take down your mother first? A bold move, considering she is the reigning queen. I will work out the details of this plan a bit more, but I thank you for your advice. And I certainly appreciate your offer to train me more, my lady princess.' He made a small bow, a bit more playful now that he realized that this lady didn't really care about manners that much. Of course, he would still show her proper respect, but with a twinkle in his eyes that suggested he was making a bit of fun of her title. She just didn't feel like a princess, because of her fighting and the way she acted. He liked it more than the stiff attitude most of the royal family had, although it was still obvious this lady was a spoiled dragon.
He wanted to say something else, but was interrupted when the servants came and Morgayne left like a hurricane. The servant of Marian told him it was almost time for dinner, so now would be a good time to change clothes. He thanked her for telling him and asked her to show him his quarters, to which she happily obliged. Man, this castle was a mess. A maze-like mess.
His room was big, bigger than the one he had at home. Somehow he figured that this had to do with the fact that he came from a good family and he was happy for it. A downgrade was definitely not something he had looked forward to.
Quickly he changed some clothes, a bit more formal wear. Not his most expensive set of clothes though, since it was late already and it was quite possible that he was to accompany Marian directly after dinner. Thus, a possibility of his clothes being ripped to pieces. If he had to believe Morgayne, that wouldn't be the only thing ripped to pieces. Quite unsettling.
One of his new servants showed him the way to the dining hall, which was a lot bigger than the room where they had tea. He was assigned a place next to the crown princess, at the royal table. On his way to his place he got a few jealous looks from men who, he suspected, were his colleagues. That felt weird, but he also immediately noticed that these men were no threat. If they were this insecure about the new guy, they must not be very impressive. A faint smile showed on his face as he sat down next to the crown princess, after greeting her appropriately. She seemed a bit distracted, maybe because Morgayne wasn't here yet to set her straight. 'You look bedazzling once again, my princess,' he said to her, which pulled her back to the present. She had changed dresses as well and smiled. 'So do you,' she replied, 'and you're perfectly on time, contrary to my little sister.'

'I am a two inches taller than you are, so younger sister would be the appropriate term, not little,' she entered the dining room and took her place on the other side of the table.
'And it would not have taken this long, if mother allowed me to in the room when I first got here.' There had been a slight miscommunication between Morgayne and her mother, apparently she wasn't allowed in the dining room until after she washed the dirt of her face and put on another one of her mothers dresses. This dress was just as gorgeous as the green one, but this time it was blue and gold. However it was still a dress and that just didn't suit Morgayne. The former dress had been bad, but this was downright terrible. The dress was tight everywhere. It was some kind of mermaid dress and she could only move her feet. Maybe it looked gorgeous, but she hated it. As soon as she could, this dress was getting torn to pieces. Just like she did with the other one.
'If you would have listened to my maiden in the first place, then you would have known that there was a bath and another dress waiting for you in your rooms. You decided to come here first, not listening to the message I send you. Then it is your problem to walk up and down the castle, not mine.' Perhaps it was true that the maiden had tried to tell her something, but at the time it didn't really seem important. Not to her, at least. She did notice that the maiden really wanted to tell her something, she just didn't care.
'I will try to listen next time, mother.' Everybody knew that was a lie, but nobody decided to point that out. Morgayne never listened, especially not to her mothers maidens. They were a pain in the ass.
'So how did your meeting go? Anything fun going on lately or is it just murder and despair?' The servants picked exactly that moment to enter the room and start putting plates in front of everybody. This was the first time Raphael would eat with them, so they prepared a few courses, instead of just putting everything on the table.
'Nothing fun, no, but murder and despair is a bit exaggerated. Some of the northern houses needed our help and we have made plans to deal with the situation, that is all.' Was that all the information she was going to get? Morgayne raised an eyebrow to her sister, but quickly realised that it wasn't because of her. Raphael was in the room. Could he not leave for a few seconds? It wasn't like she had anything to say about the subject, but she did want to know what happend.
'Dinner is ready, your majesty,' one of the cooks appeared out of nowhere and spoke to her mother. Who in turn nodded and allowed him to serve the meals.
'We have prepared eight courses in honor of princess Marian. We will start with a light soup as entree, to clean the palette for the courses.' He bowed again and left the room. This was going to be a long dinner.

It took a few days for things to settle down around the royal family. Raphael could finally take a breath, have some time to himself. Ever since he’d entered the palace, Marian had asked for all of his attention all the time. Obviously, he had performed well his first night with her. It had been intense, the crown princess definitely put his skills to the test, but he passed with flying colours and it seemed like he would remain in her favour for now. That meant that she would summon him whenever it pleased her, unless she was attending official state business or addressing problems, like the first day he was here. It was okay. He knew that the other attendants she had were not happy with his place in the harem, but it was the crown princess who decided that. And hurting the most favoured consort would definitely not help their position.
But everything was so intense. He was used to decided what he wanted to do by himself, sometimes by his mother. Now, a young lady, not even his age, decided whenever and wherever he moved. It was intense.
Luckily, today was a busy day for her. She had some state affairs he wasn’t supposed to know about, but he really wasn’t interested in them at all. He was just strolling around the castle, trying to remember the way. Sometimes he asked a servant for directions and eventually he ended up in the courtyard. He hadn’t been here since his sparring with Morgayne, but maybe today they could train again. Since she was the second princess, she didn’t really have to be involved in state business. He didn’t think she was even interested in that stuff, anyway.
His eyes scanned the courtyard. It wasn’t very crowded, but soldiers were training here. The clashing of the practice weapons was loud. He slowly walked towards the group of trainees, hoping he’d spot the princess there. He was actually excited about fighting her again, or even to just talk to her.

Morgayne had not seen Raphael for a couple of days, she knew that her sister would claim him until she was otherwise engaged, but now he was walking around the courtyard. A faint smile formed around her lips. This could be interesting. She knew there would be a few important meetings for her family today, so she already figured that Raphael would be somewhere around the castle. Of course, he didn't have to be. It was possible that Marian decided she wasn't ready to share him with the rest of the household yet. She could keep him in her room, his room, the shared living room of her other whores. All options, but apparently he had done his job well enough to be allowed outside. How cute.
When he came in view, she decided to leave her place on the roof of one of the armory buildings. She jumped down, a few meters in front of him.
'So tell me, have you been such a good boy that you're allowed outside already?' She didn't care if she insulted him, she actually wanted him to insult her back. She wanted to know whether or not he had the guts to do so. It would make everything so much more fun. When they were fighting a couple days earlier, he had actually seemed rather nice to be around, not so uptight as all of the other toys from her sister. And she was still interested in him. It didn't happen often that she liked to be around somebody, this was actually a first, so she wanted to know why that was. Maybe it was just his personality, maybe his looks. Although he was a lot less handsome now that she knew her sisters hands had been all over. That degraded everything.
'I am wondering though, now that you have only trained in the bedroom the last couple of days, do you think you are still capable of beating me?' Perhaps this time the fight would be a lot more interesting if they used weapons that were meant to kill, rather than just hurt each other. It would definitely make things more dangerous and as she liked living on the edge, she wanted that. The question remained if Raphael would want to use a sword against her. He would get blamed if something happend. Not that something would happen, last time he only won because she was using a blunt weapon. This time would be different.
Around them the soldiers had stopped training, waiting for the princess in their midst to allow them to continue or to send them away. She hadn't decided what to do yet.

He didn't see her immediately, so he stopped to look at the training troops. Just as he did that, something dropped from the roof, right in front of him. No, not something. Someone. A smile showed on his face when he recognized Morgayne and he looked up to see the roof she must've been on before jumping down. Of course he wouldn't have seen her when she was up there. He bowed to her, as was required of him, but the smile on his face told a different story.
'My lady princess, it is so good to see you out here. I had certainly not expected you here. 'Tis after all not very princess-like for you to be out here, dressed like that...' He took a moment of silence to look at her attire, which was more simple and befitting for a training than the last time he saw her, then back in her eyes with a bright sparkle. 'But you are most certainly correct. Your sister, the crown princess, was very pleased with my performance.' He chuckled, although inside his heart was racing. He wasn't sure why he even dared to speak like that to the second dragon princess, surrounded by soldiers that were definitely loyal to her. Not only was she a dragon, these men listened to her because she was also one of them. She trained with them. Raphael should've thought his remarks through before speaking, but it was too late now. All he could do was pray that Morgayne would not take his insult to heart, but instead take it as a joke. As he did with her constant insults about him being a manwhore. Man, if only she knew what he was really doing here.
Thankfully, she went on. He was relieved that she brought up the subject of training, even though it was paired with an insult towards him once again. He left it there, way too relieved that apparently, she still wanted to fight him. There was something about her that was different. Something that would've made him very sad if she had decided not to train or fight with him ever again. Instead, she lowkey proposed they have another go at it.
'There's only one way to find the answer to that question, princess,' he answered, 'although, if I may, I'd like to suggest fighting with a more... challenging weapon this time. Last time, because we fought with training weapons, you might have felt like my win was unfair. I would not want that to happen again, of course. This time I will beat you without any doubt.' His last words were definitely a challenge to her and he expected her to pick up on it immediately. He wondered if she would come up with some crazy idea to make the fight even more interesting.

He had guts. She had to give him that. Most people wouldn't dare speak to her this way, but he did and it didn't seem to bother him at all. She truly wondered why he was so bold with her. Did he think he could say or do anything just because he belonged to her sister now? Perhaps he thought she didn't want to get in a fight with Marian, so she would forgive him everything. He had to think twice in that case, she loved getting into fights, especially with her sister.
One of the men around them stepped forward, his hand already on his sword. Alistair was one of the generals in the army and a friend of her, so naturally he was ready to defend her honor. It just wasn't necessary. She raised her hand to put a stop to him. Her gaze was fixed on Raphael. Deciding what to do with him.
'Call me Morgayne,' perhaps not what the soldiers around her thought she would say. Somebody could get killed for less, but he got a privilege instead. They probably didn't understand it, but they didn't have to. It was not their place to know what the princess was thinking.
'But try not to do that when my mother or sister are around. To them, it doesn't matter what I allow you to call me, they will get mad. Especially my darling sister.' She shrugged, but then turned back towards Alistair.
'Can I?' He looked at her, smiling. Knowing full well what she wanted from him.
'Are you sure Morgayne?' Raphael wasn't the only one with certain privileges. She would never ask her generals to call her princess, they could call her Morgayne or general, the same title as they had. Nothing else. 'I mean, apparently he did beat you again, do you want to find out what happens when you train with pointy sticks?' Fury shot through the eyes of the princess. She had thought he would offend Raphael, instead he turned on her.
'Give me the damn weapon Alistair before I turn into my own.' He didn't look that impressed, but he did turn and walk into one of the armories. When he came back, there were two enormous spears in his hand. They are about as long as the sticks Morgayne and Raphael had used during their first training, but there was a major difference. Only a small part in the middle was wood, the rest was a razor sharp blade, on both sides. Alistair gave one of them to her and the other to Raphael.
'This time, you might want to protect your head,' she smiled. This time his head would be in trouble if she hit him there and she wasn't one to hold back. No matter what happend.

Thank god. She did take it the way he intended it to, as a very bold joke. He was allowed to fight another day in this castle and he even gained a special privilege with the princess herself. Was he bold enough to push her even further?
For some reason, he was. When the general walked away to fetch some weapons, he turned his gaze to Morgayne. 'Thank you for your generosity, Morgayne. In return, you may call me Raphael.' Instead of boytoy, manwhore or pet. He wondered if he had taken it too far now, but there wasn't a lot of time to deliberate his words. Seriously, this woman brought out the worst in him. It wouldn't surprise him if she turned in a split second and decided to roast him alive. Oh well, in that case he tried at least.
The spear he got, was a special kind of weapon. It was heavier than the training sticks they used before, but that was only natural. These babies were made out of real steel, the stuff that could kill people. And he liked that.
Raphael held the spear in his hand, twirled it a few times, switched hands, turned it and then let the weapon rest on the ground. It was deadly, but also a graceful weapon. With two sides that were deadly, it would be an added challenge to a fight that was gonna be difficult to begin with.
Soldiers were gathering to see the two fight. Everyone around here knew the princess, of course, and they were wondering who she was fighting. Almost nobody had seen their earlier sparring, so curiousity was taking over. They would have to make it a deadly show and Raphael was ready to deliver.
The two stood across from each other, weapons in hand. Apparently they silently agreed to waiting on the mark of the general, who seemed to be a friend to Morgayne as well as a capable soldier.
'On my mark,' the general stated and Raphael felt his muscles tighten. He got into position and saw Morgayne do the same. 'Let the fight begin!'
That was really all Raphael needed. He saw from Morgayne's positioning that she was going on the offense, so he immediately moved a bit towards the back to dodge her deadly weapon. In that same movement, he twirled his weapon to create some distance between them. She would have a hard time walking through the spear, so it gave him a little time.
Last time he could take a hit before beating her. This time, taking a hit would mean a loss. He would need another way to make her lower her defense, or catch her by surprise. He made a very predictable attack forward, which she dodged easily. In a quick movement though, he twirled the spear again. She was definitely surprised by it, but managed to dodge the deadly weapon and hide her surprise. This was gonna be a heavy fight, a lot heavier than the one they had before. Raphael already loved it.