Five years of bloody war had the power to change a man and Rynek had not earned a scrap of mercy. He was no longer just a warrior that guarded the honour of his brother. He was a general, a leader, a man that should never be crossed. The Princess did just that though and for that, he lusted for the bitch, primarily because he wanted to see just how she would twist her words when he took her for the first time. If war had taught him anything, though, it was that if you followed your desires and lusts, you would only get yourself killed. Lusting after some Gem beauty wasn't included in his instincts - that was only reserved for killing. 

Wilhelm chose a poor time to issue a silence, however, as it was mainly just directed at Lugft as Rynek had already falling silent. He was busy inspected the Gems that were lined before him and just as one caught his attention, she was dragged away by Wilhelm. Now he was just being greedy. For the most part, he ignored the introduction that Lugft so graciously provided but dragged his hood away to allow the nobles to see that he was precisely who he was said to be. The white hair of the Darion's was an easily-identifiable feature of theirs. When the Princess bowed, he returned the gesture with a firm fist to his chest and a bow of his head - she knew how to play the game so he respected her for that much.

He allowed Lugft to speak and he even allowed the Gem Princess to retort. Ryken drew his blade, dragging it along the fine marble of the floor to create an ear-piercing yowl. Once all were silenced, he sheathed his blade. These men were bred to kill so they probably didn't even see her plot - she was creating discord between the Drakken nobility. The reasoning was lost to him but he had no intention of allowing her to continue. [i]But how does one beat an enemy that hides behind her eloquence like it's a wall,  thick and high?[/i]

His mind navigated back to one of the first offensives in the war he was only returning from. The enemy had walled themselves within a castle with enough provisions to last them two years. His army would be broken on those walls if he tried to siege it and waiting two years was not an option. So he split his army into four and scattered them through the country with a single instruction - scar the land so deep that when they come crawling from their hole, they would find only ruin. And so they did: every farm was torched along with whole villages. Their women were raped and slaughtered, their children were left to burn and their men were crucified so as to ward off any others. They burnt whole forests and poisoned lakes. And when his enemy finally left their castle, they found their kingdom in ashes with nothing to rule over. This was how he made war.

How would he beat her in this little game of theirs? He would render her irrelevant and he would remind her of her helplessness. Her assumptions had carried her further than he would have guessed but she made her final mistake in crossing the Bloody Prince.

[color=Sandybrown]"Aye, I'll fight you Wilhelm. Not for your bride though, you can take her home and fuck her to your heart's content; the Gods know that no other man deserves such a prize as a tight little princess. No, dear friend, I want the Earth Gem."[/color] His hand clasped the hilt of his sheathed blade as he looked over to the girl in question and lit up a soft smirk. His eyes told swathes of his plans for her and none of them were overly gentle. He didn't lust for this girl - he had targeted her because he knew the Princess' type. Selfless, a lady of the people. If the Earth Gem became his, the Princess would have been viewed as getting off relatively easy. Plus, now that the Princess was out of the picture, her relevance would fade away. No longer were the people angry at Wilhelm - that was forgotten. They wanted to see just how much the Prince would be trounced.

The fight itself didn't look balanced in his favour whatsoever - his armour consisted of some measly riding leathers and compared to Wilhelm, the Prince looked to be tired after such a long time away from home. If they hadn't thought him insane previously, they were sure now.

[@Feisty-Pants]
[@Saltwater Thief]
[@my Lalia]