Phoenixes lived really long lives with the deaths of their relatives very far and between. It was entirely possible for a phoenix to live to the age of one hundred without hearing the cold whisper of death of anyone they knew.
That said, due to this longevity they weren't too keen on their specific ages and decided to keep it simple.
They would group themselves in terms of generations and not actual ages based on their birthdays and forget about the actual years in which they were born.
As a result, the age group would then be used to approximate the age of everyone within it. It was only a matter of who was older when it came to siblings like Arthur and Gray.
That went without saying that they were sometimes treated as equals simply because they were in the same age group.
That said, this girl was definitely in Arthur's age group. She wasn't a princess or a member of any noble family among the phoenixes… and yet she regarded the prince with a look of such… disdain and disgust. As though Arthur was somewhat beneath her.
Arthur blinked, suddenly reminded of the reasons why he'd stopped talking to phoenixes of his age group altogether, "Just have Head Cook Grace whip me up something good."
"The Head Cook has far more important people to attend to. Tell me what you need and I'll bring it to you," the girl replied, pulling out a notepad and pen from beneath the counter.
'Something about this girl ticks me off… More than the others,' the prince thought to himself, struggling to contain his frustration towards her.
"You know I can just send my message to her through HeatWaves. You don't really want to lose your job because you couldn't do as the prince had ordered, now do you?" Arthur leaned back.
The girl stared at the prince, letting him witness the gears turning in her head. She gently placed the notepad and pen back beneath the counter, her hostile facade shattering with a heavy sigh.
"You're so weird," was all she said before vanishing behind a door that led into the castle kitchens.
Arthur stood frozen for a moment, drowning in a sea of thought, 'Wait, that was odd. Normally, they would have some comeback that would either make me back down or make me angrier. Did she really think through her actions? That's a first.'
The prince had been ready for much more arguing than that but the girl had given up before they had really started.
This was new for Arthur.
Where Gray excelled at making bonds, Arthur excelled at shattering non-existent ones… or, as one could call it, creating waves of resentment. It seemed to be a talent that followed him everywhere.
Now that he had the time to himself, he couldn't remember if he'd really spoken to this girl before.
With how long the phoenixes lived, it was next to impossible to say you'd never seen someone when you lived in the same castle for decades. That was simply impossible. You had to run into each other one way or another even though you never talked.
Arthur knew at least the face of everyone in the Phoenix Castle, so he couldn't say he'd never seen her before.
Instead, he noticed that he'd never spoken to her before. 'What was her name again? Hmm… Alex something… Of course, my brain fails me the first time I actually need someone's name.'
"If it isn't the Second Prince of the phoenixes," a voice interrupted Arthur's critical thinking moment.
The prince could ignore almost any voice that spoke to him in such a manner. While 'Second Prince' was a title that described him as Gray's younger brother, it was also accompanied by silent condescending implications of how powerless his position among the royals was.
This voice belonged to someone unique though.
The white-haired prince slowly turned around to face the phoenix that had approached him and gave a weak thin-lipped smile.
The boy standing behind him smirked upon seeing Arthur's face, "You look like crap."
"Then I guess I'm your perfect mirror, Colton," Arthur replied casually.
Colton scrunched his brows, "What's that supposed to…"
Colton's eyes opened wide as realisation dawned on him. The male phoenix standing in front of Arthur was from his age group as well. He stood taller than Arthur with a larger physical build.
His hair was a dull shade of brown, his face lightly freckled and his hazel brown eyes matched his hair. This was one of the few phoenixes in his age group that Arthur still gave the time of day when they crossed paths.
"Witty comebacks as always… even when you look like you crawled out of Alcove's sewer system," the phoenix shook his head.
'That same damned look… It's the same on all of them. I'M A PRINCE, YOU KNOW,' Arthur wanted to scream. But what good would it have done?
"Why don't you just give up already? You know your place… Just be a nice little hatchling and take it," Colton continued, not giving Arthur the chance to make a retort.
How could he? Colton's words had hit the spot. Asking him to succumb to his circumstances and submit to the power of his brother like the rest of them.
This, to Arthur, was worse than living the half-life he'd grown accustomed to before travelling to Alcove to attend the one-year introductory class where he met Darius.
Arthur stared between Colton and the large gathering of phoenixes that had settled at the far end of the Mess Hall watching this exchange. The group of phoenixes was centred around his brother, Gray.
It was the same group that Colton now spent his time with whenever he got the chance.
'Did they tell him to say those exact words or is Colton saying them to get under my skin?' A plethora of theories went through the prince's mind.
Most of them were dark and the longer he let his mind concoct scenarios of what could have brought Colton here, the darker they got.
Something within the prince broke… a dam of emotions that he'd learnt to keep away. He clenched his fists and stared Colton in the eye. 'I've learnt to ignore everyone in this damned castle. Even my own brother… Everyone except you… and you show up in front of me and say something like that…' Arthur's thoughts raged.
"That is what they told me to tell you. Honestly, I think we're better off if you just dropped dead," Colton shrugged, oblivious to the prince's rage.
The red tint that had invaded Arthur's vision suddenly vanished. He was back…
Colton had taken back his words. Without meaning to raise his voice, the prince tipped his head and let out a loud laugh.
Colton raised a brow at the seemingly deranged phoenix before him. He'd just told the guy to drop dead and suddenly he was in a good mood. "You're far too weird. I guess you wear your madness inside and out now."
Arthur forced down his laughter, "If I look like a madman in your eyes, Colton, then I guess I chose the right outfit."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Just that I'm not to blame for your lack of a proper fashion sense is all," the prince shrugged.
"Your food is here," a feminine voice interrupted the prince.
"If you don't mind, I'll be leaving now, Colton. See you later. Hopefully never… but I don't see that wish coming true," the prince said, picking the tray from the counter.
Before he left, he locked eyes with the blonde girl who had brought him his food, "I'd like your name."
"What?"
"I said… I'd like to know your name," Arthur replied.
"A kitchen maid… that's your new interest. Can you get any lower?" Colton hadn't left yet.
Arthur turned, "Oh? I take it that you'd rather date one of the many warriors our age. Most of whom can bury you six feet under with a few blows."
"Is that a challenge?" Colton raised his voice.
'Still, the same as you've always been, Colton. Quick to each and every emotion. I wonder where you went wrong,' the prince thought to himself.
Arthur raised his brow, "You don't want to challenge me, Colton. You haven't beaten me in any of the Elemental Arts since we were hatchlings. In any case, I was merely saying the females of our generation are a lot stronger than normal. I didn't mean anything insulting by it… unless... you do want a challenge."
Arthur smirked.
"I'll beat you one of these days. You just wait. I've been training a lot harder. I can tell all you're doing is relaxing. You haven't even put on an ounce of muscle this whole holiday. Barthlorn might even break you before I get the chance," Colton sneered before leaving, "Good luck at the Sorting. You're going to need it."