Foxtails and Fairytales: Facades and Fables of the Phantom Prince

[Arc 1] Ch. 8 Relationship Drama

Jules

Meela forced me to my knees over the course of their spar. Drenched in sweat, I finally surrendered, and my summoned creatures disappeared in wisps of magic. Meela's tails flicked happily at her victory and then when I collapsed Meela laid down next to me.

"All things said, you are doing a lot better then when you started here." Meela sighed as the cool ground stretched out her back pleasantly.

"What do you mean nyah?" I asked between gasps of air.

"You made quite the entrance, but you were always looking over your shoulder or around corners." Meela said. "Looking for Sebas, even though you were the top of your grade and got along with Nerinin there were always rumors about you being an ice queen. As the years have gone one you've become a friendly face and approachable, especially after you hosted that study group on magic circles and helped your entire class pass on the second-year final."

"I guess I was kind of single minded back thenyah, Flint thought I was stalking him." I laughed.

"You were."

I flinched at Meela's jab. "Alright, but how is everything in the world of Meelanyah? You are the first princess of the Foxes what is your love life like?"

Meela flinched, "It's not like I've never been asked out but..."

"Buuuut...?"

"I'm not... really... Well, my standards are supposed to be really high and normally that would be the issue. But that's not... my issue." Meela laughed nervously.

"You've lost me... I'm nyot a princess. So you'll have to be more specific." I looked over.

"I guess, the person I like is about the furthest thing from a prince as you can get." Meela confessed.

"So nyou do have someone you like? You have to spill." I rolled over.

"Okay, but you have to swear that this stays between us. I can't begin to state how wrong it is." Meela looked at the sly grin on my face.

"I swear nyan my father's grave." I put a hand over her heart.

Meela bit her lip. "Okay. So you know how because of Flint a bunch of Pirate youth enrolled and have been making a mark on the school in different ways?"

"It's nyot Flint is it?" I asked.

"Nooo... it is someone else with a different reputation... And it's just as unsavory..."

"Nyou're killing me here." I frowned.

Meela scooted in closer and whispered. "Satiri."

My eyes shot open as her jaw lost all tension. "Nya tanned pirate girl who sleeps with every guy that talks to her."

Meela's face screwed up like she was under some kind of pain. "Do you see how bad it is?" her face burned up as she covered her face with her hands.

"How did this happennyah?" I asked.

"You don't think I'm gross?" Meela said peeking over her hands.

I looked to the side with a grimace. "My sister hooks up with her sister-wife nyas much as their husband... maybe more. Girls hooking up with each other nyisn't exactly outside my experience."

"So what is with that look?" Meela's ears twitched.

"Hildanyah was some other kind of desperate, I'm happy for her but she wasn't tactful about her successful marriage and my master was nya perverted meddler that didn't help the situation. I just had some flashbacks." I shook my head. "She'd have nya field day with this kind of gossip and I wondering what bush she is hiding behind. Nyaahah." I sighed.

"You promised." Meela narrowed her eyes.

"I'm nyot going to tell anyone!" I rolled my eyes. Then I got comfortable. "But nyou are right, nothing about nyour situation is easy. Satiri really is the furthest thing away from being a prince. When did nyou start having feelings for her?"

"I don't know..." Meela still hid half her face behind her hands. "...Back before I knew about Sebas, it was proposed for me to marry the Sudaven princess. Since then, I'd always been curious about relationships like that between girls. But there is so much pressure on me to marry a good man and then Sebas showed up and raised the bar so high..."

"Nyou gave up on men?"

Meela sighed, "I wouldn't say I gave up on them. Honestly, I admire Sebas and my father and if I could find someone like them, I wouldn't mind getting married and all that. However, when Sebas stood up to our father it made me realize something important."

"Sebasnyah does that, what did you learn?" I asked.

"Sometimes our parents are right... and sometimes they aren't." Meela curled her knees into her chest. "I learned that I can be whatever I want, and I stopped letting my mother's expectations dictate everything about my life. Especially, when they started supporting Tiera clothing line. It was freeing, like the restrictions on my life choices were lessened. But dating a human pirate girl is pushing the line a lot more than just starting a clothing line."

"How so?" I asked.

"First, she is a girl, and although intimate sister-wife relationships aren't uncommon, it's allowed because they still contribute children to their husband's house. Throw on top of the pile that I'm the firstborn princess and already have made a name for myself, there is no small line of suitors and people pressuring my parents for my hand. And the cherry on top is that people around here are even less accepting of that. What would Satiri even say if I approached her?" Meela squeezed her legs.

"Okay I see where nyou are coming from, but why Satiri?" I asked.

Meela didn't look at me. "We met in the other practice field. You know how it is... there was a bunch of us practicing form and another bunch that were screwing around. Somehow, we were both roped into a duel. I tried to get out of it until they pushed her forward. It sounds stupid, but it was love at first sight... she looked at me with that nervous smile and I was smitten. We worked up a good sweat and I was surprised by how good she was and then she outwitted me with a quick bit of foot works since I was too busy being flustered."

"She won, nyou got it bad then..." I laughed.

"It's not funny, I looked so lame! After she found out I was a princess all her friends jeered but she went pale and apologized and scurried off before I could say anything else to her. She's been avoiding me ever since." Meela confessed.

"It sounds like everyone is having relationship issues. Did nyou hear about Magus Vlad and Magus Dova?" I asked.

"Who hasn't? Word has it that she cast blood magic around a bunch of students and that Vlad is doing his best to prove her innocence by proving it wasn't blood magic or something." Meela said pleading for details with her eyes.

"It wasn't blood magic, there was nya book and some kind of magic circle I've nyever seen before. I promised Vlad that I wouldn't tell anyone the specifics until after the trial. But he was nya one that called the Magic Knights on her so there is no telling what is going to happen between them." I explained.

Meela looked over her shoulder and then back to me. "I hear she's been trying to talk to Magus Turner, but he's been cooped up in his office or rushing between errands. I guess I kind of feel her pain."

"Nyand here I'm just hoping Sebas finally shows up this year." I sighed.