The Lonely King

Brothers Unbound By Blood

A month flew by quicker than expected. Warren had finally been crowned king, and allowed Mash to attend the coronation, ignoring Kovas's warnings. Much to the guard's dismay, Theo had convinced the orc to live in the castle with them, as extra protection. The young boy had no clue what orcs were capable of, but one thing he did know was that many people were scared of them. Mash made a promise to the prince that he would do anything to protect the brothers, and he intended to keep that promise. After he had become king, Warren seemed to be drifting away from Theo, becoming more focused on his work. He never had time to tuck the child in at night, so Kovas took it upon himself to do so. Ever since his duties got in the way, Warren's old guitar his mother had gifted him began to collect dust. Theo had grown used to the silence, but he still missed hearing his brother strum his guitar and sing the boy to sleep.

"Warren, would you like to come join Theo and I in the garden? We were going to have a picnic." The orc spoke quietly, trying not to annoy the king.

"Could I take a rain check? Unfortunately I have too much to do." Mash sighed.

"Your highness, this is the third time this week. Your brother only wants to hang out with you again. He misses you." The king impatiently tapped the desk with his pen. Mash started to walk away until he heard a quiet sigh. He turned to the desk only to see Warren standing in front of it, taking his jacket off.

"Alright, I'll join in. I could use a break anyways." It was hard to tell, but the end of the orc's lip quirked up in relief. He nodded and led the tired king out to the garden where the prince was waiting. The young boy turned to the teens and grinned from ear to ear.

"War!" He shouted, ecstatic to see his brother for the first time in what felt like ages. Warren smiled wearily, drained out from working for so long. He continuously told himself it was for the sake of his kingdom, but he couldn't ignore the toll it was taking on his mental health. He had become more sluggish, having trouble staying awake during meetings and zoning out when others try to get his attention. This picnic could be the recharge that he so longed for. The brunet sat down, crossing his legs, as his brother began to rant about adventures he had. Mash, knowing most of them were lies, chimed in, telling him to tell the truth and stop exaggerating. The two continued like this, with small, content smiles from Mash and boisterous, loud laughter from Theo. Warren grinned to himself as he listened, for in this moment he knew. He would never be alone.

Two years passed, and Warren was an adult, allowed to go sit at the kingdom's pub, though he never did. The only time he would go was when Mash dragged him along, saying that it would be good to get out of the castle. Meanwhile for Theo, he started to grow a little more. The now 8 year-old was the same height as his guard, Romden, and he could not be more proud of himself. The brothers got used to life with Mash and soon began to think of him as an older brother. He told the younger prince that he should learn to fight, as it might come in handy for the future. Warren argued that he was too young, that was until Kovas jumped in and agreed that Theo should learn. Warren hesitantly agreed and since then, Theo had trained as hard as he could so that he could become stronger. Soon enough, Warren decided to give it a go as well, choosing to practice with a rapier.

"Good choice. Think you can handle it, your majesty?" Mash smirks, confident that Warren has no clue what he's doing. The two face each other and get into position.

"Of course. Hope you can keep up, pinky." He mocks. The orc growls and lunges toward him, ax in hand. The king jumps to the side, barely dodging him, then swings his rapier out at Mash. A clash was heard as the two struck their weapons together. It continued back and forth for a few more minutes until Warren's weapon was knocked out of his hand.