Malicious

Be our guest

As I walked into the dinning hall I stopped in my tracks and started at the hall in amazement.
Everything was brightly lit and sparkled in the candle lights. There were tall pillars made of gold that flew up towards the ceiling where the pictures of angels played tag across the roof. And in the center of it all was a big crystal chandelier that lit up most of the room.
A long oak table lay in the middle of the room with a feast on it.
My stomach growled in protest and I frowned. It all seemed a little good to be true. We never got cooking this good in After Ever After. We were always given the nearly expired produce that normal tasted stale and dry. And let's just say I used a lot of ketchup and gravy in my meals back home.
King Stephan noticed us in the door way and waved us in. Arina had to literally pull me towards the table for me to stop gawking at the room itself.
Stephan smiled, "Never seen a room like this?"
I shook my head, "Nor a feast as big as this."
He laughed in surprise, "You'll get use to it in time."
"A question if I may."
Stephan looked up at me curiously.
"Why make so much food if we three are the only ones eating it?"
He smiled, "We'll it isn't just us three Aurora and Philip will be joining us tonight. And normally whatever isn't eaten or hasn't been touched we give to the servants and they get their own feast."
I froze at the sound of Aurora and Philip coming, but before I could say anything the doors opened once more and the Prince and Princess came waltzing through.
Philip saw me and immediately put a hand around Aurora protectively.
I growled low in my throat, "If I had wanted to hurt your wife I would've done so already Prince Philip."
He nodded but his hand refused to fall, "You can never be to careful now can we?"
My eyes widened at the remark and I made my way around the table faster than he could comprehend. Before he could do anything I was in his face glaring up at him.
"You judge me by my mothers acts and my previous acts. I don't blame you for that, but don't you ever get tired of being a snotty little rich boy? Cause I'm tired of seeing people like you who think they're all that just because they're rich. I grew up on expired meat and hate! I couldn't run from my problems so I had to learn to face them. Everywhere I went in After Ever After there's always someone or something that wants to hurt me. Just because I'm the next in line for the crown in After Ever After doesn't mean I got everything I wanted. My kingdom is starving, they're thirsty, they're TIRED. We may be a bunch of villains but we've had quiet enough of pain at the moment."
I was furious as I turned back around and fell back into the seat next to Arina.
Arina looked at me sadly and placed a hand on my shoulder.
Philip growled, "Get off him Arina."
This time it was Arina's turn to glare at him.
"I'm old enough to do what I please Philip, you may be my sisters husband but you are not my father."
Her grip tightened on my shoulder and I took hold of her hand.
"It's okay Air, I've dealt with many people like him. It's only natural. Ever After people have never taken kindly to After Ever After folk, hence the tension."
Arina pouted, "Well I don't like it!"
I looked at her in surprise.
"Just because you were born in a different place and have different parents doesn't mean you should be punished for it."
I swallowed hard, "Air, I understand where your coming from but I'm not sure he is going to understand because he's never been where I'm from. He's been feed everything from a golden spoon he doesn't know what starvation is, what it means to be truly tired, what it means to lose everything."
My eyes were trying to dig a hole straight through his head, but of course no such luck.
Philip looked startled as he held my gaze then he did something I did not expect.
"I'm sorry I did not mean to insult."
I snickered, "You people never do. That's why you separated us in the first place you were tired of things happening to your own 'kind' that you didn't want to have anything to do with us anymore. But whatever let's not dwell on the past."
I waved my hand and slouched in my seat a frown still on my face. I muttered something quietly and ran a hand through my hair.
"Sit up Malik."
Rolling my eyes at King Stephan I sat up without another word.
"Roll your eyes one more time and they'll be rolling out of your head."
Covering my mouth quickly I muffled a laugh and leaned against the table.
Arina smiled, "What's so funny Crow?"
I chuckled with a gleam in my eyes, "He's the first one to boss me around besides Beast."
"What about your mom?"
She smirked at me and I snickered, "That too!"
Arina suddenly smiled boldly, "Tomorrow you should come to the library with me! There's so many books in there even Belle hasn't read them all!"
"Library? I've never been to a library let alone hold a book."
"You've never held a book?"
I shook my head, "Nope, never learned to read..."
I rubbed the back of my reck nervously, "... Mom never thought it was important. Also the reason why learning math was a lot harder than it probably should've been today."
Arina gasped in surprise, "Then I shall teach you!"
I smiled, "You'll teach me?"
She clapped happily, "Oh you'll love reading!!! It's like a whole new world living within the pages!"
I smiled, "Now you sound just like Belle from what I've heard."
She smiled, "Well I will admit I am a bit of a bookworm."
Stephan laughed suddenly, "A bit?! My dear your whole room is filled with books!"
She stuck her tongue out, "Okay I'm a big book worm!"
"Man, I thought that head of yours was only filled with air Air."
She glared at me with a smile, "Shut up Crow!!!"
"You nicknamed him?"
Philip looked at Arina like she was absolutely insane. Arina looked down at her plate sadly even though she had done nothing wrong.
Growling low in my throat I glared at him, "Quit looking at her like that."
"Like what?"
"Like she's insane."
Philip glared at me and leaned across the table towards me, "What are you gonna do about it?"
I glanced at Stephan then at Arina quickly,
Arina smirked and nodded her head.
I chuckled, "Well I have permission now."
I lunged at him from across the table and threw him from his seat.
Philip yelled and kicked me off of him, I slid to a stop on my hands and knees in pain. I stopped as I felt a familiar sensation run through my body.
Growling once more I grabbed my head in pain, trying to stop myself from changing. Philip took the opportunity to swing at me, with one hand I caught his ankle and swung his legs out from under him.
"That was low Philip, real low."
When I looked up at him his eyes widened, my eyes glowed green and claws extended from my fingers once more.
Stephan stood and gave us both an angry look, "Stop it both of you! Your acting like children!"
I didn't look away from Philip, "You tell him to stop, he's the one that started the argument in the first place."
Arina stepped out in front of me and placed both of her hands firmly on my chest.
"Crow stop, you got what you wanted."
I frowned, "Not enough of it."
She shook me until I looked down at her, my eyes still boiling in rage.
"Calm down now."
Her eyes went from stern to calm in less than a second and in that moment all my anger fell away. My claws disappeared and my eyes changed back to normal.
I looked down at Philip who was still on the floor and extended my hand out. He took it hesitantly and I yanked him to his feet.
"Fair warning Philip you ever hurt Arina you'll have the bad side of me coming after you. Even if you hurt Aurora I'll hurt you just as bad as you hurt her. I don't care if I hardly know her, she's still technically my sister."
Nicking my plate from off the table I made my way out of the dinning hall and back towards my room.