I couldn't take this any longer. She was hiding something from us, refusing to spend time with us because she said it was for the best. There had to be another reason and I intended to find out what it was.

It was driving me mad not knowing, her excuse at the ball cannot be the entire truth. Alvaryn had said she was telling the truth which only made him angrier, though he wouldn't say it, or do anything about it.

Me? I couldn't keep walking around my rooms in endless loops while driving myself mad thinking about her and being helpless to do anything about it.

Surely there had to be more, a real reason why she just changed so suddenly, why she has pulled away from us. She was quiet and reserved, referring to me as Your Highness, only adding insult to injury, pouring salt into the gaping wound.

After everything she has just changed. Like she stepped out of herself and become someone new and I didn't much care for this new version of her, I wanted the true version of her, the Daella I would tease relentlessly until she erupted into a fiery ball of insults and angered expressions where she would put me in my place without mercy.

This new version was dull and lifeless, dancing each step with precision, a small utterly fake smile plastered on her face, her eyes holding no spark or fire. It had been difficult to stand by and watch the other night without getting her out of there and demanding what was wrong with her, and now, after waiting for as long as possible and avoiding a large scene, here I am, about to do just that.

I wait until she finishes her afternoon class and she starts walking back to her room. Once she is alone I grab her elbow and push her to the side, she lets out a small squeak as I push her into an alcove and pull the heavy curtain behind us.

"Aeris!" She whispers looking up at me with wide frantic eyes. "What are you doing?"

There are dark circles under her eyes and she looks pale, paler than normal, those once bright blue eyes are dull and it takes everything in me to not combust.

"I'm here to get an answer, a real answer, not the one you told me and Alvaryn." I tell her and she presses her lips together.

"It's for the best Aeris, there isn't anything else to say." She looks at the floor and I reach for her chin, lifting her face to look into my eyes.

"You're lying." I tell her quickly. "Was it because of me, because of the afternoon in the kennels, did I scare you? I know you said it wasn't the other night but now I don't know what to think." I ask quickly, the kiss that haunted me and filled me with doubt played over and over again in my head, had it been a mistake? Was it the catalyst that set all of this into motion? Her eyes soften as I stare down at her and she shakes her head.

"I, I don't want to take anything back." She says quietly. "I just think it's safer if we just stop spending time together."

"Safer? What does that mean? Did Varis do something? You said you haven't spoken to him." I ask, feeling my fire flicker inside me at the idea but she quickly shakes her head and I pull back in relief.

"No, no he hasn't done anything. I just think it is smarter if we listen to Demwyn's advice and" Her words rush out, stopping suddenly. I stop and stare down at her.

"What?" I interrupt her and she looks up at me suddenly with wide eyes. "What about Demwyn?" I ask, leaning over her, my voice low.

"He just, he said, well he explained that it would be better for me to stay away, to stop being a distraction." She whispers and I feel every muscle in my body tense.

"That overly entitled piece of shit!" I nearly scream then rip back the curtains.

"Aeris!" Daella whisper shouts after me. "Aeris, don't do anything!"

I don't listen as I stalk down the hallways.

"You arrogant, idiotic fuck face!" I shout as I approach Demwyn in the training grounds.

He turns to me and I swing, my fist hitting his jaw with a satisfying punch. He stumbles back, gripping his jaw.

"What the hell?" He yells looking at me with wide eyes but I don't stop, I charge at him, swinging again but he steps back, shoving me back.

"What is wrong with you?" He shouts at me.

"You had no right to tell Daella to stay away from us!" I scream.

He lets out an angry sigh. "I had every right! Neither of you wanted to listen to me or father so I had to do something. At least she isn't as stupid as the both of you and actually listened to me." He bites out and I don't stop or plan or think about anything other than the need to cause him pain, I charge at him.

He has always been better, stronger, faster but in this moment it doesn't matter. I am relentless as I swing, kicking at his leg to make him stumble before I tackle him to the ground, punching his face over and over until he flips us over, grabbing the collar of my jacket he slams me into the ground forcing the air from my lungs, he lifts me and slams me in again.

"Enough Aeris! It's done, you need to accept it." He growls into my face, blood dripping from his nose.

"I made you bleed but it isn't enough." I say, grinning like a wild man.

"What the hell is going on?" I hear Alvaryn as he approaches us.

"Aeris has lost his mind." Demwyn says, still holding me to the ground.

"I finally found out why Daella won't see us anymore, it's because our brother told her to stay away." I grit out, gripping onto his wrists.

"You did what?" Alvaryn shouts, shoving Demwyn off of me and holding his hand out to help me up.

"I did what I had to do!" Demwyn shouts. I move towards him but Alvaryn holds me back.

"It isn't worth it Aeris." He says quietly.

"You didn't see Daella, I saw her just now and she looks like she hasn't slept, her eyes were dull, she was pale, and it's that fuckers fault." I say jabbing my finger towards my brother.

"I tried talking to both of you, I tried to make you see that it was a bad idea but neither of you wanted to listen. At least now she will stay away and both of you can stop behaving like lovesick idiots and focus on choosing a wife!" He bites out.

I feel my anger flare again and go to charge him but Alvaryn stops me, holding me back as he stands in front of me, hands on my shoulders as he holds me in place.

"Stop Aeris, you made him bleed, trying to hurt him anymore isn't going to change anything." He says quietly.

"No, but it will make me feel better." I bite out, watching as Demwyn prowls back and forth.

"Dae is more important, at least now we know what happened, we can fix this." He says and at the mention of Daella I pull back. Shrugging off Alvaryn I leave the training ground.

I can't be here, I can't be near Demwyn, and I can't find Daella, not like this, it would only make things worse.

How could he do this? He has always been the one to try and set things straight and sort out arguments, but this, this is too much. He thought we were making a mistake, both of us spending time with Daella, but he didn't know what it meant, he didn't know what she meant.

Or did he?

What if we both wanted Daella?

We couldn't both have her.

She is one woman. We are two princes.

We couldn't share her.

Fuck. Was Demwyn right? Were we ignoring the obvious truth right in front of our eyes? My mind has been going over the options for days, I still haven't been able to choose one. Every choice always ends up badly. I suppose it was more of a decision of how bad would it be? Would it be worth it in the end? What if Alvaryn chooses her? Would I be able to just sit back and watch? Congratulate them while I go back to drowning myself in liquor until I can't see straight.

How could we make this right? How could I make this right? What did Daella want in all of this? Should we just let her decide? Did I want her to choose me or someone else? I didn't want to watch her die. But the idea of watching her be with someone else made the fire within become unstable. I didn't let it get unstable. I was in control. Always. Only with her, it didn't seem to want to listen.

Why did she have to come into our lives? Why did she have to make me stop and wake up and start questioning everything? I want to be better for her. I want to make the right choice. But it feels like any choice I make will be the wrong one.

Gods, all these unanswered questions are going to drive me insane. I suppose if I went insane it would solve some of my problems.