_nebula_ and Korruption

Korruption

Korruption

Korrupted Forever
In this world, there are two sides - the side of Hell and the side of Heaven. Each had their own flaws and strengths, but all were home to dragon-human shifters. One day, the kings of the two sides decided to meet in attempt to solve their feud, bringing along their heirs. They failed. Suddenly, out of the blue, they threw their heirs into a room to try to get them to solve their kingdom problems.

Yippee.​
 
Karliah, the daughter of the king of Heaven, took a deep breath. She was admittedly nervous, but diplomatic missions were to be apart of her job one day as the queen. The blonde raised her head, and walked further into the room. The confident, strong persona that she maintains throughout the kingdom is often praised. The blonde stood tall, and crossed her arms, looking at the prince of Hell silently. "Well, are we here to talk?" Her voice was soft, but strengthened with a rougher tone.
 
Ryder // 17 // Male

Ryder slammed his fist down on the table, pale gold eyes ablaze. He glared at his father, seething. "I'm. Not. Talking. To. Her," the prince hissed, dragging his nails down the small desk as he spoke. His father scowled, and suddenly, in a flash, had him trapped in a headlock. Ryder snarled, digging his fingertips into his father's arm.

"Grow up, son," the king snarled in the prince's ear, his grip around Ryder's throat tightening. The two were in the Heaven Kingdom for the meeting. The guards probably weren't used to the behavior, since all of them had alarmed looks on their faces. One looked like he was going to speak up, but the one who looked like the captain shushed him quickly. Ryder yanked his father's arms off his throat, wriggling out of his grasp.

"Have you heard that damned princess?" Ryder spat, whirling around to glare at his father. "Such a goody-two-shoes! How does anybody like her? Her personality is infuriating!" King Cavalon cut off the prince's ranting by slamming him palm on the table.

"I agree," the king snarled. "She is infuriating. But you're going to talk to her, and you are going to work this out." Ryder snarled, about to attack his father. Oh, the family wasn't kind to each other. At all.

"Aw, poor Ryder," the two whipped their heads around at the sarcastic voice to see Reyna, Ryder's younger sister. Her blue-black hair fell to her waist, most of it covered by her black cloak. The cloak was fastened by a silver chain around her neck, similar to that of a handcuff. Reyna strode forward confidently, almost arrogant. Ryder scoffed. Knowing Reyna, she got here with her shadow transportation. The prince hated how his little sister was so much more powerful with dark magic than he was.

"Cavalon, cut him some slack," Reyna continued, the king stiffening a bit as the nonchalant princess addressed him by first name. Reyna continued nonetheless. "I saw that blondie. Made bile rise in my throat." Ryder's father narrowed his eyes as he let out a yell of frustration as his kicked the wall, making a slight dent.

"Shut. UP!" he roared, grabbing Ryder by the throat. He reached for Reyna, but she was already across the room, sitting with a blase expression on her face. Shadow transportation. Ryder couldn't do it, and he hated how Reyna could.

Suddenly, the doors of the small room swung open, with the King of Heaven in the doorway. He looked almost sympathetic for Ryder and Reyna, the latter physically fighting with her father while the former glared at the Heaven King, his gaze smoldering. "FINE!" he yelled, stomping out the door into the meeting room. He glared at the blonde princess, his smoldering gaze so intense it might have even scared Reyna. And Reyna was the last person to get freaked out by Ryder in any way.

"Get it over with, Blondie," the prince said in a dangerously low voice, his demeanor quite intimidating despite the obvious red mark on his throat. "We both know that neither of us want to be here."
 
The blonde princess noted the mark on his neck immediately, but remained relatively silent. She sighed, having heard some slight commotion, likely from the other room. Though the prince had some intimidation to him, she didn't allow it to alter her persona. "Well, our fathers wish to make peace. The two couldn't handle it, and so, they've put it up to us," she essentially summarized the event to this point. "So, what in the world would the Heaven kingdom have to do to please your kingdom? To ensure peace."

She could hear footsteps from outside, likely her family. They were near afraid of getting anywhere near the royals of Hell, and she understood it. The youngest sister, Maylene, was looking through a small crack in the doorway, intrigued by the event. The small blonde flinched at the sight of the Hell prince, and ran off to her elder brother, Xavier. The two were her only siblings. Karliah had no need to look in their direction to be aware of what happened.

"Resources of any kind?" Karliah had studied diplomatic reasoning all night, to eventually hope it would pay off.
 
Ryder // 17 // Male

Ryder saw a smaller blonde peering through the thin crack of the doorway, running away in fear at the sight of him. He chuckled, his laugh almost cruel. "You should meet Reyna." While Ryder didn't face the smaller blonde, it was clear that his cool and slightly intimidating voice was directed towards her. Ryder's gaze returned to the blonde princess in front of him, his glare toned down but not losing the intimidation. Everyone said that his gaze always seemed to bore into one's soul.

"Please," the prince scoffed at the blonde's incompetence. She was a cookie-cutter soon-to-be Queen of the Heavens. The people of Heaven were called the "good ones" and the wise rulers, but they never looked beyond the surface. Hell had a reputation for being harsh and cruel, but at least they were smart and actually had sense. Ryder narrowed his eyes. "Did you study for this?" he mused, almost sneering at the blonde. He scoffed. "Typical. If offering resources brought peace, then there would have been peace long ago."
 
Karliah had heard of the hellish princess, primarily from simple rumors. At least those rumors were confirmed now. The blonde had to admit, she didn't like her soul being glared into, it bothered her. Her attention continued to focus on the Hell's crown prince. While she didn't have intimidation, she remained calm and collected. She had heard that often, silence was the best synonym for intimidation.

She noted how the prince acted, definetly a bit more aloft compared to her upbringing. While more loving, it was still strict. Sit up straight, don't slouch, don't sit with your legs wide open, all of that typical jazz. However, the prince before her was definetly a soon-ro-be King of Hell, he acted just like it. A small fire burnt inside her, as the ancient hatred towards Hell always has, but it was simply a smaller flame. Her lean muscles grew tense as he asked if she'd study for this, but she avoided the question. "Well, what do you propose then?" She raised an eyebrow, leaning onto her right hip; as standing up for so long would bother her. She scanned the area for a chair, but none seemed to be in position.

Had her father prepared in case of a fight? The blonde appreciated the emptiness, but it sent a chill down her spine. She had no prepared to fight in any case. Just keep it as diplomatic as possible... Prove to father that there's no need for fighting to make peace.
 
Ryder raised an eyebrow when the blonde started leaning on her right hip. That meant standing for this long was either bothering her, tiring her, or both. Weak, Ryder's mind though instinctively. Ryder narrowed his eyes. "Did your daddy hold your hand while preparing you for this talk?" Ryder spat sarcastically, assuming that she had studied since she didn't answer his previous question. "Well, tell him that the typical diplomatic talk won't help. How about let's -" Ryder cut himself off, before gritting his teeth and letting out an exasperated sigh. She was here. "Get. Out. Reyna," he seethed. Suddenly, his sister was next to him, a smug smirk on her face. Damn her stupid shadow transportation.

"Just saying, Heaven and Hell weren't meant to be a peace," the 13-year-old said nonchalantly. "It's less trouble to continue battling each other rather than trying to work this out." The girl shrugged, turning to Ryder. "Either way, you're neck-deep in trouble. Just a hint, Cavalon can shadow-travel too." Reyna cocked her head. "Another hint: he wants less trouble ruling his kingdom." When Ryder clearly didn't understand what she was trying to say, Reyna faded into the shadows of the room, reappearing at Ryder's other side. "To be frank, you'd better work this out, or you might be disabled for life." Reyna muttered that quietly, but didn't make it a point to make sure that Blondie didn't overhear. Reyna faded back into the shadows. "Toodles!" Ryder heard her voice from outside the door. There was a couple moments of silence before Ryder's jaw stiffened. He got it now. Damn, now he had a reason to actually try.

"Isn't there anything your little 'sunny days and rainbows' kingdom wants?" Ryder's voice was strained as he said this. Although he asked that question, he would most likely not offer anything. Why should he? Reyna was right - Heaven and Hell were destined to be at war forever. But she was also right about being neck-deep in trouble either way. Damn.
 
She shifted legs, simply just trying to get a little comfortable in her own home. She cocked an eyebrow at his statement, the little fire inside able to help her with this. "It didn't sound like you even wanted to talk, so I'm sure I had less handholding," she remarked, and once again looked at the remaining mark on his neck. She glanced to the prince's side to see the princess as well. The sudden appearance of Reyna was surprising, honestly. She wasn't sure if she should call for her brother, as he was more prepared than Maylene. She found his first reaction to his sister amusing, which was typical of any teenage sibling.

She listened to the younger sibling of the opposite royal family and the scene that played before herself. She remained silent for the majority of the conversation, watching his sister... teleport? around the room until she eventually left. She heard his sister's last response, an eyebrow still raised. That harsh? What sort of family is that harsh? Wait, never mind, I just answered my own question... She cleared her throat. "You all rely on fighting that much?" She questioned. The blonde had no reason to study to understand that; constant war would eventually become a problem for a kingdom itself. Behind the door once again, Maylene had appeared, watching everything. The little girl scrambled away to her father, and climbed up onto his lap, as he sat patiently on his throne.

"Papa, are they going to fight?" She asked her father, settling herself down. The girl was only about 5 years old, and was the last child the queen had before her demise. Her father, Leonidas, looked gently as his small child.

"Possibly. I have full trust in Karliah and her diplomatic studies, but this is Hell who we're dealing with. They're our ancient enemies. Even back when we couldn't shift," he explained.

"When we were dragons?" The little girl questioned.

"Yes, when we were dragons. Now, if you hear roars or anything, I want you to go to your room. I have no idea on what the outcome will be, and I know you like sneaking around, I don't want you to see something that will scare you," Leonidas commanded. The darker blonde-haired girl nodded, staying on her father's lap.

Back to Karliah, she looked at the dark-haired prince, and despite knowing this was less and less working, she still responded. "The end to the constant slaughtering of our people would be nice. I don't mean our soldiers, by the way. I mean, people. Like, I don't know, people who aren't soldiers. That concept may be new to you, though."
 
Ryder glared at the blonde. "We're not as spoiled as you," he snapped. "So what?" Ryder listened to Blondie, his gaze still smoldering. "Don't judge a book by its cover," Ryder remarked dryly at the blonde's statement about soldiers. "You also shouldn't put yourself on a pedestal." He continued to glare at her - well, until Reyna appeared a his side again. How did it not bother Blondie's family that Reyna could get inside the room without going through the doorway? Reyna glared sharply at him.

"Try. Harder," she said through grit teeth, her voice quiet. "I'm affected by this too, you know!" Reyna glanced around the room in almost a wary manner before leaning closer to whisper something in Ryder's ear. "Cavalon's willing to lock you two in here until you deal with this problem," she hissed. "You know, maybe using one of the ancient spells that are completely forbidden?" Ryder scoffed, his glare still on the blonde.

"If he attempts that while you're in here, you'll be stuck here until he removes the spell," the prince muttered snidely. "That would be nice - seeing you unable to actually transport your way out. You'd be stuck here, just like me and Blondie." Reyna seethed at his smug expression, whipping out her 8" curved dagger in attempt to stab Ryder in the right hip. Ryder had his hand on the handle of his parrying dagger, and blocked Reyna's blow without batting an eye. Ryder chuckled cruelly.

"Oh, Cavalon would be disappointed," he sneered. "That was pitiful." Reyna scoffed.

"He'd be disappointed either way," she remarked, her tone spiteful. She snatched Ryder's dagger out of his hand. "Don't forget why you're here." Ryder sighed.

"Right," he grumbled. Reyna hissed at him.

"You're not taking this seriously enough," she stated. "You want to die, throw a tantrum. You want to leave unscathed? Work. This. Out." Ryder raised an eyebrow.

"Wow, you actually care about what happens to me?" he asked, his voice bitter. Reyna scoffed.

"Of course not," she jeered. "Regulation #4 on the Hellion Code: caring is weakness. You're losing your touch, idiot." She slipped into the shadows, leaving the room. Ryder seethed as his sister left the room, before turning to Blondie.

"What do you propose?" he asked, his voice almost completely lacking his usual scowl. That felt weird, Ryder thought to himself.
 
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The blonde was starting to get annoyed by his sister's constant appearance. She didn't want to say anything, but if a fight were to happen, it'd be an unfair advantage. Besides, this was supposed to be a conversation between herself and the other. Karliah cleared her throat. "I thought this was a conversation between the two crown heirs of each kingdom. Unless I wasn't told that siblings were included, I'm inclined to grab mine," she remarked.

Xavier, her brother, watched from a mirror with embedded magic. He crossed his arms, annoyed at the princess's popping in and out. The blond prince exited the room with the mirror, and approached his father. "Dad," he spoke casually. "The princess of Hell keeps popping into the room. Karliah's all by herself. It's not fair." Leonidas looked at his son, and sighed.

"As long as she stays out for this time, Karliah will remain on her own. If the princess pops in again, you may enter if you so choose to. For now, we just need to try reach peace, that is what my advisers have recommended."

She finally looked back at the dark haired prince, and responded. "At the East Border, lower the amount of troops stationed. In return, we will allow passage through the west to wherever you need to be in the west," the blonde offered. "Unless you have a better need or want to propose, naturally."
 
Ryder scowl deepened as Reyna started talking from outside the door. "The princess of Hell keeps popping into the room. It's not fair," the 13-year-old mocked Blondie's younger brother before sneering back. "I can't believe you babies. Face the bitter truth - life isn't fair. If you weren't weak like the pathetic people you were, you would've already gone into the room." At this point, Ryder had enough. He slammed his hand against the wall.

"Cavalon, you know why there won't be peace?" Ryder yelled at the Hellion king. "You brought Reyna!" There was a moment of silence, before Reyna started slow-clapping.

"Sorry," she called out from outside the room, not sounding apologetic at all. "I'm supposed to make life hard for you. That was literally the role Cavalon assigned to me." Ryder growled, before turning to the blonde.

"Here comes the grand question, Blondie," he stated. "Why? Why should we lower our troops at the Eastern Border? We could merely have strong military power. In fact, there's this thing called protecting your kingdom."
 
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(( Quick correction, Xavier is the younger brother to Karliah. It goes from oldest to youngest: Karliah, Xavier, Maylene. Just thought I'd mention that. ))

Karliah was beginning to looked annoyed. The princess was clearly irritating, even to the prince. The interactions between the two started as amusing, but the blonde just wanted to get to the peace and be over with it. Her siblings could be equally as annoying at times, so she understood the pain, but this was ridiculous. On top of that, she had mocked her little brother. However, this wasn't enough to fire the crown princess up, it was too petty. She kept the idea that water and fire could co-exist at the same time. Fire being a natural destructive force, and water being the sanctuary of life. However, fire can cauterize wounds and water can destroy mountains if used right.

She responded to the prince. "On our Eastern border, we mostly have farmers and the amount of soldiers needed to protect them and the border. We've received reports that the number of soldiers on your side of the border are very high in comparison, and many innocent farmers have been critically injured simply trying to retrieve their cattle or animals who ran astray. If you're unwilling to lower the numbers, then maybe the least you could do is have some sympathy towards the farmers. It's pretty easy to tell a farmer and a soldier apart after all."
 
(( Fixed ))

Ryder sighed. "You know, us Hellions are military people," he stated. "Combat is our strong suit, and we are pretty damn good at it." He narrowed his eyes. "This is our way of life," he hissed. "Even though everyone knows you're a bunch of softies compared to us, we don't trust you. It's pretty easy to dress as a farmer and send an animal across the border. A lot of these incidents happened in the past, when the major cities of Hell were in high competition. Of course, that was centuries ago, but that was the point in time when we fought two wars - one against you, one against ourselves. Of course, you didn't know about the second war - we keep our current business to ourselves. But I'll make peace, as long as it doesn't disturb the way we live."

As he said that, though, Ryder's mind was on different things. He could tell that Blondie was getting real pissed off at Reyna, but the princess of Heaven should tread lightly. Reyna might be annoying, but she was beyond deadly and had a quick temper. Of course, everyone in Hell had a quick temper, but Reyna was skilled at weaponry and not afraid to mess up the path to peace. If she did attack Blondie, she would still get severe punishment, but since Ryder was supposed to negotiate, he would get the worse punishment. Besides, both Reyna and Ryder were as tough as nails when it came to physical labor, whipping, or any punishment they would get. It would affect them, of course, but the two learned to keep up their facades of strong people who didn't back down from a fight.
 
Karliah wouldn't admit to the Hellion's military tactics. She had studied a few of the past ones, and for their time, they were successful. But that's where the Heaveans had their defensive maneuvers. "I don't want to disturb the culture of your kingdom. Even if some were truly like that, we would deal with them if you didn't. Just because we're the stereotypical epitomes of goodness, we still deal with our criminals the only logical way. This applies to our soldiers as well. They're all equal under that same law, even us royals. We understand the suspicion though. I would just recommend warnings towards the people who do happen to cross. Only one. After that, your soldiers will do as they must. In the meantime, we'd make sure that the Eastern Border farms have better protection for their animals to avoid the problems further," she recommended.

As the replacement mother for her two siblings, the blonde princess was aware of her siblings' fears. She could tell that her brother was concerned, and was worried about his elder sister. Maylene, as well, was worried. She'd have to ensure they were comfortable later on. These thoughts distracted the princess from her irritation of the Hellion princess. At least the negotiating was going easier without the interruptions of his sibling.
 
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