It's been a while since he has spoken as much as he has today, and his throat burns from the sensation of his rumbling voice ripping free from it. He continues to watch her, the corner of his muzzle curling into a small smirk of amusement as she seems completely oblivious to his sarcasm. She strikes him as a pure, innocent soul; a white dove, untainted by the likes of him, black crows with intentions as far away from honourable as it is possible to be. Is it wrong of him to want to ruffle those pristine feathers of hers? For him to want to make her question everything she has, until now, taken as gospel? He wants to wake her up to the reality that there's no such thing as a happy ending, no such thing as white knights saving virgin princesses, and that there's no such thing as a golden king and queen stood in the sun, content to rule through benevolence and faith alone.

Dreams like those are for the minds of fillies who still believe that all men want nothing more than to be their handsome prince, good and pure and loving. They are dreams for souls who haven't yet turned bitter, who haven't yet realised that life isn't rainbows and unicorns, that it's blood and sex and sweat and steel and death. Part of him admires Kahlua's innocence, her views, but the rest of him wants nothing more than to shatter her perfect world and wake her up to the fact that they are all cursed and they might as well enjoy the ride, because tomorrow they could be prone on a battlefield with swords through their backs.

Her question draws a simple, blackened smile from his torn lips, slate eyes as cold as chips of ice as he looks at her. "I was a king for the better part of six years, Kahlua, since before you were so much as an urge in your father's loins. When I was a green boy a part of me thought the way you do now - but then I realised life isn't that damned simple, and if the gods meant us to sit around preaching peace then why did they give us teeth and hooves and dragonflame?" He's completely focused on her, massive frame drawn up to its full and impressive height. On his shoulders, Cynder chirrups her approval, because she, just like he, knows no other life than one made up of blood and misery and blind hatred. She was forged in fire the same as he was born of steel and fury, and both of them are hardpressed to remember a time when they weren't thinking of their next strategy, their next victim.

The mare admits she has fought for her herd, and his ravenous gaze shifts to the scar she indicates. "Unicorn horn?" he questions, because the sight of it in all its puckered glory reminds him of the one that carves across his face, wide like a crimson smile. "Then we aren't so different after all, my dear," he croons, smug satisfaction evident in his booming words. In his own twisted mind he's won, because she has fought for her loved ones and he naturally assumes that a part of her must have liked it. Perhaps that was why she was so keen to preach peace - because she was scared of what she would do in war.

Her question falls on ready ears, and the beast allows himself a small chuckle. "You think Helovians would sit back and allow me to rule every land without retribution? There would be rebellions, Kahlua, wars and assassinations and torture all done in the name of the greater good. Because that's how the likes of you function, isn't it? You won't start a war, but if there's one there, you'll participate - because you can smother your guilt by saying it was in self-defence, or it was to protect your friends. If it was me sat upon my ill-gotten throne, you wouldn't be so keen for peace then, would you? No, you wouldn't rest until I was in the ground, peace be damned." And that, to him, is the difference between himself and the vast majority of others. He will go to war and freely admit he does so because he likes it, or because he wants to exterminate anybody different. He owns his actions - but others are keen to hide behind the facade of doing the wrong things for the right reasons. They're afraid to take any blame upon themselves, so they shift it onto somebody else - oh, I killed him because he attacked me first! I started a war on him because he's a tyrant!

I killed his children because god was on my side!