Princes and Truths

Truth or dare, a typical teenage game that we are all familiar with. However, it's been around so long, that it's considered monotonous and boring now.

One way to make it interesting is alcohol. Another way is playing with a bunch of high-ranking fairies.

"Diana, truth or dare?"

Now you might be thinking... won't everyone choose truth? The safe option, where you can even lie, cover up the things you don't want revealed. Well, fairy truth or dare has a catch: it's physically impossible for them to lie.

"Truth." Diana grinned, revealing her sharper-than-average canines.

The small circle of people lounging on various chairs and couches laughed at her daring.

"All right," Fin sat up, "Is it true you were ungowned by Pierre, the Duke?"

Diana swallowed a glassful of golden elixir before answering, "Perhaps."

As hoots broke out across the room, one could see how truth would be the worse option. One, fairies could only withhold information by omission, which was not an option in this game and two, being children of royalty and governors, certain questions could prove to be downright dangerous.

"Erilea, truth or dare?"

Some more dangerous than the others.

"Dare," she said from between gritted teeth, "And it's Leah."

"Aw, Erilea," Alex grinned lazily, "You're no fun. Come on, let's have a little truth; or are there things you'd rather hide?"

He knew she hated being called by her full name but he still did it. That infuriating, pompous little-

"I don't see you spilling your royal goods, Alexandra."

His shit-eating grin slid off his face, replaced with a focused gaze, as if measuring his prey.

"It's Alexander to you, Loch Ness."

As the two stared each other down across the circle, from feminine brown eyes to hard, gold ones, Kasia cleared her throat. "So, who's next?"

"Oh, she wanted a dare," Alex said, eyes still burning on Leah, "I'll give her one. Leah," she flinched, but didn't take her eyes off him either, "I dare you to tell us your worst, most shameful desire."

The room was filled with palpable tension, as the others watched the battle of wits between the two: the Prince of Land and the Heiress of Ocean.

"That's cheating," she said angrily, eyes almost slits now, "You're not supposed to ask truth questions when I chose dare." He shrugged, the picture of relaxation, except for his laser-beam eyes.

"You want to know my deepest, darkest desire?" Leah suddenly breathed, eyes mischievous and sly now. Fin's eyes widened as he quickly turned to gouge the prince's reaction: he was unfazed, only raising an eyebrow in mild curiosity.

"I deeply wish I could pin you against a wall and knee you in the stomach, again and again, until you beg for my forgiveness, and your hair are awry and your crown askew."

Alex was shocked. He had not expected that, whatsoever, and he did not expect to like it as much as he did, imagining her slender arms holding him down, like she could ever restrain him with her flimsy strength-

Diana burst out into a tinkling, drunken laugh. "Hear that, lover boy? She fantasises about making you puke blood and you fantasise about stroking her hair."

"I'd only stroke her hair if I were short on kelp, but since her wonderful domain constantly litters mine with heaps of it, I don't think I'll need to."

Leah almost burst out into loud snorts at that; kelp? Is that the best he could do?

"Well, well," she drawled, crossing her legs and leaning back onto her armchair like it was a throne, and the prince, sprawled carelessly on a low couch, was about to have justice served to him. "I believe it's your turn now, Lover Boy."

He swallowed but kept his face stoic. "Truth," he drawled, knowing that choosing dare would have absolutely no difference on the question he knew she had been holding back. "So tell me, princeling," she uncrossed her legs, noticing his eyes glance downward at the moment, "Who's your father planning to marry you off to?"

There was a gasp around the room; that was much too far. Marriages are usually done for political reasons, especially among princes and princesses, and are very secret affairs. Plus, the people assembled in the room, sons and daughters of nobility and royalty alike, could easily use this information to report back to their own domains and strategise a movement against the crown.

"You don't have to answer if you can't, Alex," Kasia chewed her lip nervously, albeit curious. Diana sat up a little straighter; as a hopeful for the position of Queen of Land, and the prince's casual paramour, this could be usual information.

Alex's mind was whirling. On one hand, he couldn't risk looking like a coward after he had teased her so, but how much is his pride really worth in face of his kingdom and, more importantly, the wrath of his father? And the way she phrased the question angered him: marry him off? Was he some lowly miller's daughter, or a trophy husband?

As the usually calm prince fumed, hair as golden as his eyes falling into his face, Leah laughed loftily, "Oh, have I given you a question too difficult to answer, Alexander? Perhaps you wish to save your dignity and lose face in the process? No matter, I'll grant you mercy; you can choose to not answer, if you'd like."

Now that she'd said that, there was no stopping his egoistical and proud mouth from moving.

"No, I'm not embarrassed," he smirked, making her lose her footing a bit, "But I don't think you'd like the answer."

She looked deep into his molten eyes, somehow moved closer to him than before-- had she moved or had he?-- and smirked as well, "Why, because I'd be so heartbroken? I have better things to do than pine after a would-be boy king."

He smiled again in that knowing way, that made her a little afraid of whatever information he knew that she did not. "Funny of you to say that, Heir of Sea," he said softly, so close he could feel her breath, "Because my father's been thinking of an alliance between Ocean and Land."