Disobedient

 vanilla #2 - the sniffles with a topping of hot fudge - a story centered around the villain

            Joseph Vern was sick. It was not so much that he was annoyed that he got sick but more that he had to stay in bed. Joseph was all of five years old and did not want to stay in bed. Yet all his mother could do was whine and complain that he had to stay in bed until he got better. He did not want to do this, he wanted to go out and play with Kuriko and boss the children of the servants around.

            The worst part was that his mother was very pregnant and the last thing Joseph wanted was another brother or sister lying around and taking up space. The truth was he liked being an only child and the only one gunning for the place as Lord. At the moment he wanted nothing more than to follow in his fathers footsteps. He wanted to be the one to make his father proud and show him that he was not some useless thing that took up space. That was was he wanted even at the age of five years old.

            "I don't want to stay in bed." Joseph said and his mother Taira gave him a small smile.

            "Now, now, there is no point in you being Lord if you're not healthy, right?" She said and he slumped in his bed slightly.

            "It's dumb. You're not Lord of Zona why should I listen to anything that you say?" Joseph said and she sighed.

            "Because I'm your mother and that's why." Just then she took hold of his stomach and winced heavily, "Your brother or sister are going to arrive any day now."

            "I don't want a brother or a sister," he said and she patted his head slightly. He hated the motion but did not swat her hand away. As much as he hated the motion he knew that his mother only did it when something was bothering her.

            "Why don't you want a brother or sister?" She asked after a moment of silence.

            "They're going to want to be Lord too and I want to be Lord," he replied.

            "No one is going to take your place. Not to me and not to your father. Don't you ever forget that," she said and Joseph sat back in his bed before coughing loudly. His mother felt the back of his head before standing, "You're going to be just fine. Just give it one day of rest and you'll be running around with Kuriko all day tomorrow. It's just a case of what the humans called "the sniffles" and it only lasts a day or so."

            "Why do you care what humans do? They're human, they locked us away but you don't hate them. I don't get it, why?"

            "Because someday we're going to be friends with the humans. One day, you'll see," she said and Joseph looked up to see his dad standing near the doorway before walking away. Joseph was about to say something but he did not get a chance. Taira looked over her shoulder before standing very carefully. "With the way this little one keeps kicking I'm starting to think there is more than one in there."

            "Great, two brothers or sisters." Joseph mumbled before turning his back on his mother, sneezing once and falling asleep.