Love's Not Fair - Chapter Two

==== > Be John, almost seven years in the future



"John, are you really going to wait out here all day?" You look up at Jade, who appears amused with your eagerness.

"I can't help it, Jade," you answer, turning back to squint at the horizon. The two of you are standing on the balcony of Jade's bedroom. Well, you're actually sitting on the edge of the wall, and she's been worrying that your fidgety behavior will send you falling over the edge to your death. You think she's just being overly protective, and besides, you've never really had issues with heights, for some reason, so you weren't too bothered by it. Also, Jade's room was the only one whose balcony overlooked the castle gate. "We have so much planned for this summer, I'm just really excited!" Jade just rolls her eyes and wanders back in to her room, when you shout back, "Hey, he's YOUR fiancé, you should be excited, too!"

"Please," she called back. "Who'd be excited to marry a person like HIM? Or should I say--"

"He's here, Karkat's here!" You leap up, flailing for a moment in an attempt to regain your balance after seeing the horses ride through the gate. Once you'd regained your footing, though, you leaped from the balcony's wall towards the door to your sister's room, flying past her and down the tower staircase, taking the steps two, sometimes three, at a time.

You were so glad to see him again…



==== > Be Karkat



You spotted John on the balcony as you entered, and the idiot nearly gave him a heart attack when he almost fell off the fucking place. Seriously, you felt your heart jump right in to your throat, practically choking on the fucking thing, before John jumped inside the tower and bolted away.

"Fucking moron," you growled under your breath, and your friend, Sollux, chuckled beside you.

"Ith it jutht me, or doeth he get more exthited every year?" he asked. You were used to the lisp he had, caused by his oddly arranged teeth. Not that you were perfect yourself, the jagged teeth protruding past your bottom lip. It only added to your typically angered expression.

"I think it's purractically through the roof, this year," chimed your sister, Nepeta, whose horse began trotting ahead of Karkat so she could join their guard, Equius. "It's as if HE'S the one meant to be your matesprit, brother."

You roll your eyes as your sister mentions this particular form of troll courtship, and deemed the idea impossible. You, Jade, and John had all been told when you had all turned thirteen that Karkat would be taking the child who would not ascend to the throne as your matesprit. Your father and the Breath king had been oddly specific about it, but it was obvious to everyone that you were supposed to be with Jade. That was why you had to spend nearly every summer for the past seven years in the palace, so you could grow accustomed to your matesprit-to-be. Not that you were particularly interested in her, and Jade obviously reciprocated the feeling, but it was both of your duty to uphold the deal between your fathers. It was to promote lasting peace between the kingdoms, which was also the reason why your sister had been betrothed to the young prince of the aquatic trolls, Eridan.

Speaking of which, Prince Eridan and the heirs of several other kingdoms, troll and human alike, would be joining you and your sister in the evening, as a way to celebrate the union between all of the various lands, and would spend their time in the Breath kingdom for the next couple of weeks. Not that you honestly cared, as it was just annoying details your father was making you see to as the next in line for the Blood kingdom's throne.

"Karkat!!" The human seemed to appear out of nowhere, startling your horse and making you yelp with surprise. The beast began trotting nervously before Equius came to calm it. The troll had an odd talent with handling the creatures. "Oops, sorry, Karkat."

You glared at Prince John, who grinned as stupidly at you as he had seven years ago. He'd hardly changed since then, barely appearing to grow and his high pitched voice only deepening slightly with puberty. You are a different story, of course, having long ago surpassed the human's height, growing in to your skin through rigorous training typical of trolls.

"Fuckass, do you WANT to kill me?" you snarl at him, only eliciting a bout of laughter from the idiot. You'd never admit to him that, in the past couple of years, that laugh tugged at your emotions. Instead, you expressed it in anger. "Can't you at least fucking wait until we're inside?"

"I was excited," John whined, walking alongside you and your horse as the group headed towards the stables. "You said you'd teach me the sickle thing this year, remember?"

"You'll probably cut your hand off," you grumble, glaring at him from the corner of your eye. This has no effect at all on him whatsoever.

"No I won't! I've been practicing my swordplay with Dave, when he's here," John states. You grimace at the name of the young just-turned-knight, Sir Strider. Since he'd started his page training at the castle when you were ten, he'd been the biggest thorn in your side, always making jabs and snide remarks at your expense. Not that you didn't retaliate, but still.

"Yes, and I'm sure that makes you fan-fucking-tastic by now, right?" John only laughed again, making you roll your eyes. What a damned idiot…



==== > Be Jade



You were procrastinating, naturally. There was no reason for you to be so excited over Prince Karkat's arrival, there never was. Granted, you didn't find him quite so appalling as you did in your youth, but there was something seriously lacking in the chemistry between you two. But a deal was a deal, and that seemed to be the summary of life as a princess. You sighed deeply at the thought. Why was John suddenly assumed to be the heir of Breath? You would be just as good as a leader, if not better.

You inwardly scold yourself. John will make a wonderful king, you tell yourself, and in the meantime you'd do your part as princess by uniting the lands. Even if that meant marrying a troll you had absolutely no interest in at all. Honestly, why couldn't John have been born a girl? Then he could marry Karkat in your place. He was far more interested in the troll than you were, that much was obvious. Every year Karkat visited, and every year they ended up spending the entire summer with each other. Granted, almost every moment it sounded as though Karkat were insulting him, but somehow you could just tell that they were much closer than what was let on. Hell, they practically finished each other's sentences.

You were practicing with your crossbow in the training grounds, happy to be alone for a little while. You didn't want to have to face Karkat just yet, knowing you'd have to be a proper hostess and spend your entire day with the troll, and you weren't ready to deal with his crude language all day. You'd rather improve your aim.

"Why don't you use a bow?" You jump, startled, when you hear the voice. Only when you turn do you recognize Sir Strider, leaning against the wooden fence, just watching you.

"Dave!" You run over to give him a tight hug around the waist, and he pats you on the head. "I've missed you! How was it in the north?"

"Boring," he tells you. You take this moment to look him over. Dave had been gone for several months, joining the ambassador who was dealing with the king in the Rage kingdom, but it was amazing what a few months could do for a young man. The blonde had already been tall to begin with, but it seemed as if he'd gained a few more inches since you last saw him. He'd also bulked up a little, if you guessed right. "So, again, why do you use this thing? Bows are much better, in my opinion. Not that I've really used them, much."

"I have a hard time stringing a bow," you tell him, blushing a little. "And I like how the crossbow feels. It's…exhilarating!" He stares at you with those vibrant red eyes of his, those eyes that always made your heart stop in the past. Only in recent years had he gained enough confidence in himself to let people see them, and you couldn't be happier. They were so very beautiful to look at, not that you'd have the heart to tell him.

"Well, go with what feels right to you, Jade," Dave said, shrugging in his usual, nonchalant manner. This made you smile brightly. "Hey, let me see how your aim's improved…"



==== > Be John



You yelped and jumped back, attempting to block the oncoming attack. You just barely manage it, your heart bounding as steel meets steel. Karkat is pretty serious when it comes to fighting, but you suppose that's just in the nature of a troll to be dominating, even it was just training.

"Hold your ground," Karkat's voice rumbled before he jumped back, lashing out at you again. You manage to dodge this one, but not before the sickle sweeps up to nick you in the arm.

"Owch!" You wince at the pain, and at the sight of your blood, the troll ceases his advancement. "Damn, these things are sharp," you state, staring at the borrowed sickle in your hand.

"They're supposed to be, fuckass," Karkat tells you, grabbing your arm to inspect the damage. "Not too bad, considering. I was really fucking expecting you'd lose a limb." He starts working his arm in small circles, working out the kinks from a decent work out, while you stand there grinning like a fool.

"So you think I'm good?" you ask, trying to interpret what your friend is getting at, exactly. You've known he sometimes compliments you, but it's always strewn somewhere in the middle of his insults. When you first met him, you originally thought it was just a personal quirk of his, but after meeting Nepeta, Sollux, and Equius several years ago, you had begun to realize it was something of a cultural thing.

Karkat was blushing a little, though, when you caught him in the act, and he turned away so you couldn't really see it. "Maybe after a million fucking sweeps," he grumbled. "Hey, where the fuck is that sister of your's? What kind of fucking hostess is she?"

You bite your bottom lip at this notion. Jade obviously wasn't looking forward to this visit. "She's probably doing something in the garden again, Karkat. You know how she gets." The troll sighs, and you feel an odd twinge. In the past couple of years, you found yourself envying your own sister, for some reason. By duty alone, she got to spend a lot more time with Karkat than you did. "H-hey, we should be getting ready for the party tonight," you suggest, tugging on his sleeve.

"Ugh," he grunts, grimacing at the idea. He was never one for gatherings of any kind. "Do I fucking have to?"

"Yes, yes you do." You snickered at his progressively more miserable expression. "Come on, if we get ready now, we won't be late when the guests show up."

"Because I'm so fucking willing to please." But he follows behind you anyway, allowing you to lead him towards your room. Karkat's room was still being cleaned when he showed up-Bec was channeling his mistress' disapproval and the demonic dog had taken it out on the prince's bedroom-so Karkat was going to be staying with you until the place could be fixed up.

Two sets of clothes had been laid out on your bed, one a brilliant shade of blue, the other a dark gray with red designs decorating it. You recognize the blue apparel as what you will be wearing at the party that night, as the colors represent your family and the kingdom. Even the family crest was sewn in to the front, a design meant to look similar to swirling air. You assume the same is for Karkat's outfit, but he's already changing before you can ask him about what the swirling designs mean.

Boy, he's sure changed since you were children. Karkat was shorter than you when the two of you had first met, but it hadn't taken long for that to change. He topped you by at least a foot, and when he removed his tunic, you could easily see that his training at home had paid off. Muscle could be seen lining his body, his movements containing the power and elegance of a panther. It sent chills up your spine seeing it, and a strange feeling coursed through you for reasons unknown.

You quickly glance away, though, when Karkat's eyes flick to you. Suddenly you're embarrassed, but nonetheless you begin removing your own clothes. You're somewhat jealous of your friend-no matter what you seem to do, it's like you're forever stuck with this scrawny, useless body.

Still, you can't help but feel as though you're being watched, as well, but when you turn to look, Karkat already has his dress tunic on and he's begun to slip on his leggings.

You work to ignore the odd feelings stirring inside of you, because you need to be composed for the evening. You're the young heir, so it's your job. It's just hard to get the image of Karkat's muscled frame out of your mind, for some reason, and that really confuses you. As far as you're concerned, you're definitely NOT a homosexual. Last summer you kissed Dave's sister, Rose-it wasn't the most impressive kiss in the world, but it had happened-and had rather liked it, even though the two of you agreed it would be best to stay friends. So that meant you were interested in girls, not guys, especially when those guys just happened to be your best friend in the whole world.

"Hey, quit spacing out." A hand slapped the back of your head, and you winced at the sting. Rubbing the spot gingerly, you offered a kind of pout in the direction of the troll. "Don't give me that fucking look, you were the one who said we needed to be fucking ready on time," he snarled, and you nodded enthusiastically.

"Yea, lets get going! Maybe the guests have started arriving already?"

"Who cares…?" You weren't going to let Karkat's pissy mood damper your excitement. There were going to be new trolls at this party, and you were certainly excited to see them! Maybe you'd be able to make some new friends?