Chapter 18: Prince Asher
Chapter Eighteen - Prince Asher
(Snow Top Mountain)
A small lady pushed a cart filled some colorful liquid in transparent tubes. Her legs shook as she walked despite her young age. She stopped at a door and knocked.
A bubbly voice answered. "Come in."
The door creaked open and the lady pushed the cart in, her head bowed to the figure on a chair. "Master, the substances are here. It stayed in ice for three days."
There's no reply. Then the chair, in front of her, moved.
A slicing sound, then a head fell to the ground. The young lady's head. The chair turned but no one sat on it. A person stood by the lady with bloody fingernails.
"Substances? What does she meant by that? How dare she call my wonderful drugs, substances?" the person pursed lips, then sighed.
The beheaded young woman's body fell to the ground, twitching before it stopped moving.
The metallic smell of blood filled the room. The red stain of blood etched to the ceramic floor and some on the wall.
"Well, my little experiment is done so now, time for testing." The person spun around, then chuckled.
The person was a young man, having long black hair with a green tint on the end. His skin was pale and his green eyes sparkled as he stared at the chemical in his hands, affectionately.
"I wonder how many wolves it'd affect per spoon. Ahh, I really wanna know. I want to know now!" He moaned bitterly before stomping out of the room.
He banged a door as he passed and it gave way, breaking from the hinges and flying off. Inside, a middle aged man jumped from his seat and bowed.
"Master, I didn't know you were coming or I'd have opened the door for…" he trailed off and then erupted with a piercing scream.
His two ears fell to the ground.
The young man, who entered the room, flexed his fingers just as soon as the middle aged man fell into anguish.
"I don't remember asking you to open the door so why try to? You don't need ears that you don't use." The young man scolded.
He took a lunchbox from the middle aged man's table and packaged his drug then walked off, ignoring the old man's screams.
"Take care of the lab, Dali." he referred to the middle aged man still in pain, holding his cut ears. "And clean my office, some lady is there. I'm going down!"
With playful hops, he headed to the next door and sped down a flight of stairs before getting to a huge door.
The innocent smile on his face fell as he kicked the door open then waltzed in. A lady, inside, turned to him with a frown. "I've been waiting for you, Asher."
Immediately, she raised her hands to her face, in defense, as a roundhouse kick came flying towards her face.
"It's Prince Asher to you! I won't like to repeat myself." The young man seethed before taking his leg down.
The lady looked unbothered. She even sighed.
Asher suddenly smiled broadly. "Oh Nene! The drug is done! I'm sure Dad will be happy to see it!"
"I hope he is." She replied monotonously. "Let's be on our way then. It's almost time for the meeting."
"What meeting?" Asher asked, his eyes on his drug.
Nene glanced at him then took her eyes away. "You have forgotten the Lycan Packs Preparatory Meeting today I assumed you'd look forward to it."
"Ah. That. It sounded important." Asher replied. "Well then, I've decided. I'm not going."
Nene halted her steps and slowly turned her head to him with wide eyes. "You are going."
The corner of Asher's lips curved. He wouldn't go even if she had to chase him around the mountain. Did she know how boring meetings were?
"You'd have to drag me there then. I won't go. Or you can stand in for me." he suggested.
"Stand in for the future King of High Moon Kingdom at an important yearly meeting? I don't think so! Rather, you'd break your schedule and attend!" Nene raised her voice.
It was rare for her to lose her temper and Asher enjoyed every bit if it. "Oh my, just wear dark clothes and a mask. You look like a man anyway so everyone will think it's me."
Was he mocking her? He was aware that, as Prince, he'd seat by his father. Did he really expect her to act like him while seating by the Lycan King?!
She exhaled, regaining her composure. "You will be there. You will follow me there."
His eyes shifted to her and then at the door. So it was a chase she wanted. He'd give it to her. "Nene, you know you're a little too old for this."
Her fists clenched. "Don't make me drag you there."
In a blink of a eye, he disappeared, his figure going past the door. The next second, Nene did the same. The two figures zapped past the next door and ran around the mountains.
Asher was about curving down the mountain when a figure jumped down, stepping down at him. Before he could react, his hands were held and bound in a blink of an eye.
He smirked. For a second, he forgot he was walking with former assassins and not just one.
"You didn't have to butt in, Nero." He scoffed.
Nero, who had jumped down, rubbed his hair. "You didn't have to be stubborn either."
Nene tightly tied his hand behind him and tied the other end to her waist. "Good, let's go to the meeting now. I'd meet you at home, Nero."
Nero saluted with his hat, then nudged Asher. "Stop stressing my sister. You are big for this. Nineteen is a big deal, you know."
Nene exhaled. "Tell me about it. When I was told I would be guiding the teenage prince, I didn't think it was actually babysitting, even till adulthood."
Asher stayed quiet as the siblings complained about him. Nene, actually Nether, a former assassin, had been his guardian since he turned fifteen.
No reasons given, just because. She's exempted from adding his title to his name, much to Asher's disappointed.
Her twin brother, Nero, also a former assassin, worked for his father, but sometimes helped his sister with her 'burden' - Prince Asher.
"Ah, but don't worry, Asher will be calmer when he finds his mate." Nero teased. He'd try to act like a more matured Prince for her sake."
Asher stopped moving. The twins turned to him, Nene wearing a frown.
"I don't care about having a mate. I mean, there's no way I can be a Prince and have a mate at the same time, is there?" he asked, head down.
Nero chuckled. "What are you rambling now?"
There was no streak of humor on Asher's face so they got concerned.
"A Prince, King alike, is expected to serve his people, protect his people, sacrifice… for his people. I can't have a mate with such a responsibility."
Nene frowned, realizing what he meant. "You… knew?"
"Knew what?" Her brother asked immediately.
Asher tore off the ropes on his hand, stunning the twins. "If you mean, did I know my father sacrificed his mate, my mother, for his people, to survive, then yes. I knew. That's why a King has no business having a mate, his people will always be first."
He began moving, his usual innocent smile slowly coming to his lips. "But, if I will have a mate and still be King, I have to remove the threat of both my mate and people." He paused. "Werewolves. And I've got just the right drug for them this time."
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone