The gift of an enemy

Ryker set camp at the top of the mountain. The area around was filled with crystals that provided warmth to them and kept the ice and the cold weather away.

Landon sat by the fire as Ryker and Zaugustus set up the tents. Sly silently watched the fire without saying a single word. Landon felt awkward with Sly around, he cleared his throat to get the male's attention but the merman didn't react to him.

"Can we talk?" he asked him.

"Say what is on your mind," he replied to him.

"I don't intend to take the prince away from you. The royal adviser was mistaken when he said that, the prince doesn't love me," he said to reassure him. He was out to survive as long as possible and that meant having fewer enemies or beasts after his life.

"I will decide that for myself so no need to explain yourself but if you must I have a question to ask you," he said not looking up from the fire.

"Ask away," he said moving close to Sly. "There is no reason we can't get along," he said hoping that Sly was not as the others described and was a good person.

"Do you love him?" he asked and met Landon's eyes. Landon hesitated before saying anything. That was a tricky question that could make Sly hate him more than he had already done.

"Listen I am not interested in being in a relationship with the prince. I do love him but it is just a one-sided love," he explained trying not to offend the merman.

"The heart can not like something it doesn't want in its life. And the fact that you like him already makes you my enemy. But I don't have time to feel that right now so let me tell you one thing. The prince is mine and I don't share things, you will regret loving him," he said in a threatening voice. "

"But all that will have to wait right now I feel like a bath, will you give me a bath? " he asked.

Landon was without words to the question he was asked. He remained silent as he didn't want to say anything offensive to the merman. He wanted to survive but not at the cost of the little remaining dignity that he had.

"Most definitely," he had a reply from behind him. He turned around to see the prince standing there, his beauty glowed underneath the night moon and made him look even more handsome. He stared at the prince not wanting to look away.

The prince walked towards them and squatted down in front of Sly. "You look moody my darling merphix," he said to him in a sweet soft voice.

"It's what happens when you travel with a human," Sly told in a bored tone of voice.

"Yeah, and you also broke the human's bones. One would think that you would be satisfied after that," Landon let out feeling angry at Sly's statement.

"You broke him. What gave you the right to harm him?" the prince asked in his beastly voice.

"I do as I please and I am pleased with what I do. I need no permission to do anything I want, not even you," he said and got up from the log that he sat on and walked into the already made tent.

"If that is the case," he said and stood up. "I will get married right here and right now," he announced.

Ryker, Zaugustus, and Sly halted when they heard the prince's announcement. The news shocked them so much so that they were unable to continue with what they were doing.

Ryker and Zaugustus left the tent and went by the campfire, they stared at him with disbelief written all over their faces. First, he disappeared and he then reappears out of thin air. The first thing he says upon return is that he wants to get married.

"Have you lost it?" Ryker asked not understanding what was going on in the prince's head.

"Make arrangements for my wedding right now," the prince said ignoring the question.

Landon got up and shook his head at him. He didn't want to add oil to the fire that was burning inside Sly by getting married to the prince right there. The male had already had enough bad news for one day. He took a few steps and stood close to the prince. "Don't do this. We can get married some other time, Sly won't feel good.." he began to say but stopped when the prince kept his finger on his lips.

His heart skipped a beat and everything stopped moving for him. The only thing that he could see was the beauty before him. The prince pulled him into a hug. "That is exactly what I want. What better way to pay you back for the gift of bringing me to this place than to grant you a slow and painful death than to get the king of death as your enemy," he whispered in Landon's ear as he embraced him.

"Your life will become a living nightmare from now on. The very same way that you have made me relieve my nightmare, the only difference is that my nightmare will end but as long as I am good to you. My merphix won't spare you," he added in a soft evil voice that made Landon shiver.

He broke the hug and smiled at him. His smile was sweet and pure, if he had not heard the things that he had said to her then he would have thought that there were good intentions behind the smile. He stared at the prince with tears in his eyes. As it was the night his eyes twinkled with the tears, the others thought that he was glowing from all the love that the prince was showing him. Sly came out of his tent, the prince pulled Landon towards herself and leaned his head next to him.

"What are you doing?" Landon asked him.

"From where the others stand it would look like I am kissing you, how do you think Sly would feel about that?" he inquired with a wicked smirk on his face.

Sly folded his hand into a fist and gritted his teeth angrily. The weather started changing around them and a storm hit the mountain. Due to the stones around the camp, the rain didn't hit any of them as they were under a dome.

"You will regret this forever lady Lara, I look forward to it especially after I ask him to stay with us at the palace," the prince added and let him go.