Alpheo staggered back, hand pressed against his cheek where the blow had landed. The sting was sharp, but it wasn't pain that stunned him,it was the shock.
Nearly a decade had passed since anyone had dared raise a hand against him. He was a prince, after all. Those who struck him did not live long enough to strike again or see their hands attacked to their wrist, for that matter.
It took him a long heartbeat to even register what had happened.The sting on his cheek finally being acknowledged by his muddled mind.
His mind tried to catch up with the insult, the betrayal, the sheer audacity of it. Across from him, Egil looked just as shaken, his hand still half-raised as though he too could not believe what he had done.
As if arm had a mind of his own.
His anger had lashed out faster than thought, and now shame began to creep into his features.
But the spell broke as swiftly as it had come.
One eye for one eye and the world might go blind, but no one wanted to be the one-eyed.
