Sun and Shadow

Denial

Tommen lays on the large sized bed with whores littered around his chamber, one rests her head on his abs while another plays with his hair. Women loved Tommen, not because he looked like a god but because he simply treated them the way they wanted to be treated; like goddesses. Unlike his brother, Xander.

"Will you still have us when you get married to the lady?"

The whore playing with his brown hair asks

"I believe you know the answer to that, With marriage comes responsibilities, out of which commitment is key"

"Do you want this marriage anyways?"

The second whore asks, rolling her eyes

"That's where the beauty lies, the mystery of what lies on the end of the ocean of dynamic responsibilities is what drives us to cross that bridge. I do hope you ladies get to cross that bridge sometime."

The whores sit up and stare at Tommen in marvel.

"Okay ladies, it's time to go"

The streets of Brighton becomes rougher as the traders sell the last of what they have for the day, the beggars walk around in relentless  hope for crumbles of anything edible.
Morgan, a sixteen year old lady, who is noticeably ridden with hunger, stands opposite a bread shop, observes the seller and her activities before approaching.

"I'll have me three horsebreads."

She points to the horse bread in front of her dauntlessly.

The seller packs up the bread for her and hands it over. Morgan reaches into her pocket in a custom of payment but, the instant her empty hand returns out of her pocket, her legs take off faster than she could imagine. The seller, firstly dumbfounded about the situation primarily pauses. Seconds later, She begins to yell

"Thief! Thief!! Thief!!!"

She grabs the attention of a few people who look around and eventually walk away, as the streets are tight, gloomy and ironically noisy.
On the other hand, Morgan, who is still running at the top of her heels looks behind and figures no one is trailing her. She then maintains a stable speed and doesn't stop racing down the corners of Brighton until she finally reaches home.
(Home, in this universe, is a place no human being should be living,
It is an abandoned building of the lowest filigree. It is technically structures walls as there is no roof, neither is there door nor deck. It was roughly renovated with metal pans and tin foil for roofing, large chunks of wood for doors and dead cushions and cartons for beds. But, in a fit to survive, it is where beggars laid their heads at night that felt like home but realistically, was a nightmare.

Vivian, Morgan's young beautiful mother, roughly propelled herself up when she saw her daughter approaching.
(Vivian was pregnant at the time one which was a result of an assaulted rape by one of the drunks on the streets months ago. Morgan herself was oblivious of who her father was but channelled her entire existence to caring for her mother)

"Mother"

Morgan leans in closer and becomes more ebullient to show her mother what she had gotten.

"Thank the heavens you are back, I was beginning to get worried"

Her eyes roll over to Morgan's left hand and deciphered food within the bag, she hurriedly rushes over and embraces Morgan.

Tears roll down Vivian's cheeks while Morgan hands over two horse breads to her

"One for you and the other for the baby"

Vivian pulls her closer as she hugs her tighter with tears still oozing out of her eyes

"It's okay Mother, don't cry, we'll be alright, we always have"

"I never wanted a life like this for you"

Vivian pulls away from her daughter.

"It's not your fault, mother. Please don't cry"

Morgan wipes the tears off her Mother's face

"Now Baby V. must be crying too"

Vivian laughs

"I don't still understand why you call her Baby V."

"You'll find out soon enough"

They both laugh

" But for now, You need to eat"

Vivian collects the bread and takes a bite.

"I'll find something for us tomorrow"

Vivian says out of guilt

"No, you can't. You're pregnant"

Morgan knew how her mother felt but she wasn't about to argue about that with her.
(But Vivian had her mind made and nothing was to stop her, not even her daughter)

                ***
Nightfall was due and Xander and Tommen were still out looking for Alex. The guards, already exhausted from searching everywhere in the woods, lazed around the hill and the woods, loosely searching for the smallest trace but could find nothing but Tommen refuses to let his men stop. Henry, a top guard finally summons courage and approaches the two brothers.

"Your Grace, we haven't found anything yet. It's almost nightfall and the men have become tired and hungry"

"We should all head back"

Xander concluded

Tommen takes a sadistically disgust-ridden look at his brother, as the words he had just uttered had pissed him off.

"Head back? For fucks sake, he is your bloody twin, what do you mean head back?"

Tommen lashes out furiously

"Maybe he fled the kingdom"

Henry notices the conversation between the brothers and quietly leaves their midst

"That is most highly unlikely, He had no reason to do such"

Tommen says unconvinced

"I'm tired of this and getting hungry"

Tommen fought the shock and unbelief the words Xander bad began to utter,

'Did he hit his head'
Tommen thought

"Your own twin brother is missing and all you can think of right now, this moment, is food?"

Tommen blurts furiously

"You don't want to lose another brother, do you? Hunger kills"

(With that, Tommen had concluded that his brother had either lost it or has become the most cynically heartless person to have ever thread the planet earth)

Xander heads over to his black horse, patting it before he hops on it. Tommen dashes towards his brother to confront him.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"Trying not to get killed"

"Killed?"

Xander rides off leaving Tommen in utter disgust, the guatds murmur as they watch Xander leave with his horse.

"Continue the search"

Tommen finalizes.