Page 97 of The Wild Prince’s Favorite (The Dragon Empire Saga #3)

This wasn’t just about changing his own future, but that of countless lives as well.

His brother was going to be against it. His family might not understand, and he could already hear Kiera saying something about madness.

Again, he might prove his infamous title as the Wild Prince right.

.. except that this time, he had a reason for it.

That reason was Alezya, and that was everything he needed.

He emerged from the forest, exactly the same as he had been when he’d walked in, but feeling different.

Surprisingly, it didn’t take him long to find his sister; Kiera hadn’t moved, and was pacing at the same clearing they should have been training at that morning.

Lorey was gone, but Tievin was still there, seated on a tiny rock and shivering with his arms crossed and swallowed by the layers of fur.

He stood so fast upon seeing Kassein that he almost fell forward before managing to find his equilibrium and running a sleeve to wipe the snot off of his red face.

“C-C-Commander,” his teeth kept clicking.

“I told him to wait inside, but he wouldn’t,” Kiera shrugged at Kassein’s frown. “Where the hell have you been? And you come back empty-handed too?”

“I’ve made my decision.”

“Oh,” Kiera grimaced. “Spill it. How bad is it? Who’s going to die today?”

Tievin’s face immediately paled, but Kassein ignored them, turning his eyes toward the mountains.

“...I’ll take the north.”

His words lingered in the air for a few seconds, during which his sister frowned in confusion, her nose scrunched, while Tievin’s mouth opened and closed several times, no sound coming out.

Without waiting for an answer, Kassein suddenly turned around and began walking through the camp. He ordered the first soldiers he saw to summon the generals for an urgent meeting and to relay the information that any tribespeople should be captured from then on, not killed.

The soldiers had just taken off when Kiera and Tievin caught up to him.

“What was that?” Kiera spat. “Take the north? Kassein, wait!”

He finally stopped in his tracks, turning to his sister with an unreadable expression. Kiera shook her head in confusion.

“What the hell? What do you mean you’ll take the north? What does that mean?”

“The mountains, the Onyx Castle, the North Army, and all the villages. I’ll take it.”

“Take it? What the hell do you mean, take it?!” Kiera exploded. “You’re saying that like Grandma at the local market picking the fucking jam for her next brunch!”

“M-my lord,” Tievin squeaked, a bit out of breath, “Commander, have you considered that... maybe your brother, I mean, His Highness the Emperor, might not be quite keen on the idea…?”

“I’ll visit him,” Kassein spat, before turning around and resuming walking.

This time, Kiera was the one who almost tripped over herself in the snow.

“What did you just–? Y-you? Visit Kassian? We’re talking about Kassian, right? ...By the dragon’s balls, did you hit your head in the forest or something? Eat something you shouldn’t have? Mom did always say to stop eating random mushrooms...”

“I want a map of the Empire and all the reports you have on the tribes in the meeting tent,” Kassein told Tievin.

“When, Comman–”

“Now.”

Tievin nodded and ran off, doing his best to walk as fast as he could despite the snow reaching his ankles and his fur coats impairing him.

Meanwhile, Kassein was still walking toward the tent he used to confer with his men since Alezya’s arrival, Kiera going ballistic on his heels.

“You’ve gone mad,” she hissed. “You’ve finally gone mad.

Kassian will tell you to fuck right off, Kassein!

What do you think you’ll accomplish? What even is your big plan here?

I know we mentioned the tribes might be willing to listen, but it was a fraction of them!

And it could take years to get to them! Those people don’t want to negotiate with us; they hate us!

And with all due offense, little brother, you’re not peace talk material! ”

“I’ll take as long as is needed to convince them,” Kassein retorted.

“I plan to stay here. Kassian wanted me to pacify the north, and that’s exactly what I intend to do.

But you and Tievin were right, I can’t be convincing if I have nothing to offer to the tribes.

I need to be the real leader of the north, not some castaway pawn of my brother’s.

Father once ruled the north and made it prosper. I can do it again.”

“Alright,” Kiera scoffed. “Firstly, I’m going to need the ‘you were right’ part in writing, and I’m pretty sure Tievin would love to frame a copy of that too.

And secondly, what in the dragon is going on with you?

You couldn’t even be bothered to actually rule this army three hours ago, Kassein!

Your last act of authority was when your woman almost got–”

He stopped and turned with a murderous glare toward his sister. Kiera shut her mouth, but only for a brief moment before she returned his glare.

“You know I’m right,” she hissed. “Your thick skull might not like to hear it, but it’s a sister’s job to be honest regardless of your dragon-sized ego, so I’m serving you the honesty fucking buffet, Kassein.

You can’t go and claim the entire north on a fucking whim.

Kassian will laugh in your face and tell you to fuck right back off up here.

And I’m not going to watch you drop that dragon dung on his carpet! ”

“Good,” Kassein retorted, “because I need you to stay here.”

“Wha—? Certainly not! I did not agree to become your second or your replacement or whatever!” she shrieked.

“Someone needs to stay in charge and watch the camp while I talk to Kassian.”

“You’ve got generals for that!”

“They can’t contain Kein. And I don’t trust anyone else with Alezya.”

His sister’s eyebrows shot up to her hairline before she blinked, twice, visibly stunned.

“You expect me to stay here to babysit your woman? Kassein! And why would I need to contain Kein? How are you going to get to the Capital, it would take weeks without a–oh, fuck no, you are not borrowing my dragon!”

Kassein didn’t bother to respond.

His sister kept ranting behind him, but he ignored her, convinced he would get Kiera to agree to this later.

For now, he had just reached the larger tent they had been using to gather.

The truth was, his generals used to come to his tent for such things, but he had forbidden any males but Tievin to set foot in his personal quarters since the first day he’d brought Alezya in there, so they’d had to relocate to another tent.

This one wasn’t that much bigger than any other tent in the camp, but no one lived in it, so it had only been used for storage, and it had been little trouble to add a few chairs and a round wooden table, pushing the stocked weapons and resources to the sides.

He stepped inside, pleased to see the generals already standing there, albeit looking confused, almost nervous. It was most likely he had interrupted another meeting they’d held without him, but Kassein didn’t care.

“Commander,” General Kauser greeted him, a drop of sweat going down his bald head. “What is going on? We were just told you meant to summon us all of a sudden...”

“Trouble with the tribes?” Sazaran hazarded, petting his beard.

“Princess,” Herken, the oldest of the three, greeted Kiera as she stepped in after her brother, still glaring fiercely his way.

“You may want to sit for this one, old man,” Kiera grinned.

The other two greeted her too, but her words made them considerably more nervous, all eyes going to their Commander in Chief.

Kassein decided not to wait for Tievin to arrive with his map to explain his plan, or more exactly, his decision, to take the north for himself.

In a few words, he repeated Tievin’s finds, Lorey’s suggestions, and how he had decided to finally grant Kassian his wish, although he was going about it in a more selfish way.

None of the generals interrupted him, probably taken aback by how talkative he was all of a sudden, and even more so by the entire ordeal.

They only stole glances toward Kiera, who rolled her eyes more than once but didn’t interject.

He didn’t mention Alezya, but surely the generals had heard about the tribeswoman who had been residing in his tent and could guess for themselves how she had influenced his decision.

Kassein had just finished talking when Tievin stumbled in, carrying a rolled map almost as tall as him and a few more of his notes.

“G-Generals,” he rasped. “I see the Commander has explained his... marvelous idea already.”

He almost laid himself entirely on the table to unroll the large map. General Herken slowly fell into a chair, while the other two’s eyes went between the map and Kassein, looking gradually more confused.

“...Are you serious about this, Commander?” Kauser asked. “This is... unlike anything you’ve done before.”

“I’m still thinking he hit his head,” Kiera groaned.

“Actually,” Tievin cleared his throat, “this idea might be the Commander’s best attempt at fulfilling the Emperor’s order.”

“...Are you rooting for this because if he succeeds, your father might recall you to the Capital?” Kiera squinted her eyes.

“My personal aspirations hold no influence over His Highness’ decisions,” Tievin whisper-hissed back.

Kiera scoffed and shook her head, crossing her arms before falling into one of the chairs and putting her feet on the table.

“Your Highness,” Herken cleared his throat. “I do... appreciate your newfound interest in leading this army, but—”

“Watch your tongue,” Kassein hissed, narrowing his eyes in warning.