The One You Feed × Brandrew AU

XXII

-Brandon's POV-

I was sleeping in my old room, instead of Andrew's. It brought back old memories of my friends and I. Though the mattresses were nothing with fabric and straw, and the sheets were virtually paper, I managed to sleep well. Every second a small bit of misery was lifted from me, but that wasn't enough, and the discontent loomed inside me.

I had crawled into Hayden's old bed, and was shocked at how flat it was. I must have always been the king's favorite. Only now did I realize it. I had always gotten fresher food in larger portions, fluffed pillows and thicker sheets, and was spared from the suffering my friends went through. But why?

I put my nose to Hayden's pillow, and I could almost smell him. Those beds were the only things I had left of my friends. I buried my head farther into the pillow and shut my eyes. Surely some more sleep would do me well.

Before I dozed off, the door was forced open, and something crashed to the ground. I jumped from the bed to see what had happened. The door shut suddenly. When my eyes scanned the floor, I saw not an object, but a person, a boy that couldn't have been much older than me. I raised my brows, and began to approach the boy resting on the floor. His face was planted on top of the wood floorboards, with his wrists bounds behind his back.

Was this the servant Andrew told me about?

"Hello?" I called to him, gently pushing my foot into his side. The boy groaned, and slowly flipped over onto his back. He had blonde hair, bright green eyes, and naturally pink lips. He muttered a short curse, then tried to sit up. "Can I get your name?" I asked softly. I didn't want to scare him. "B-Brian," he said without hesitation. I watched as he began pulling on the ropes.

"Hello, Brian," I said, walking around him. I wound my fingers close to his wrists, and pulled the ropes off. Brian pulled his hands forward, and saw the burns left on them. He whimpered quietly. "I'm Brandon," I told him, grabbing his wrists to relieve him of any pain. Brain frowned at me. I would see he was in pain, both physically and emotionally. "Why am I here?" He asked, pulling away from me.

I stood up, but Brian remained on the ground. "The king brought you here," I told him. He rolled his eyes in response. "Yes, I know that," he grunted. "I mean, why did he take me? He said he thought he found his new servant. Is that it?"

I nodded slowly, not wanting to upset him. Brian winced, as if he were in pain. "God," he said to himself, grabbing at his wrists. "You're not for him," I said quickly. "You're for me." Brian looked up at me, fear in his eyes. "I'm not gonna hurt you," I told him quickly, grabbing at his hand once again. Brian pulled back. "He killed Aster," he told me, sniffling. He must have been holding back tears.

Aster? Could it be a relative, or perhaps a lover?

"I'm very sorry about Aster," I told him. I hoped my tone sounded genuine. "Don't act like you knew her!" Brian spat at me, actually pushing me this time.

The action that followed was a complete break of my character. It was something I promised myself I'd never let happen. It was something I promised no one else would have to suffer, as long as I had a say in it. Of all my years of torment, I never though I could have done it.

I hauled my fist back, and struck Brian in his cheekbone. He gasped softly, and clutched at his face. "Do not ever touch me!" I snarled at him.

It was only then I realized what I'd done. Immediately, I changed my tone. "Oh, god," I said to myself, though I was sure Brian could hear me. He was looking at me, holding the area where I had stuck him, and his eyes were close to spilling out tears. "I didn't mean to, I'm sorry," I told him. I grabbed at him. This time, the boy didn't dare to pull back.

"You said you wouldn't hurt me," Brian choked out. Hot tears began rolling down his cheeks. It felt as if my heart had been snapped in two. "I know, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to," I spit out quickly, my fingers twitching. "H-here," I said, "I'll get you some food."

Without giving Brian time to protest, I stormed from the room. I wondered what he wanted to eat. Maybe I should have asked. I hoped he liked bread and water.

I ran into the halls, and turned into the throne room. No sooner did I do that, than Andrew and I collided. I cried out in panic and fell backwards. Andrew remained balanced. His eyes scanned over me, then met my eyes. His calloused, scarred arm extended, offering to help me up. I grabbed his hand, and was lifted.

"Sorry," he muttered. I just smiled back at him. "That's not a problem," I told him. Andrew noticed my obvious joy. "Did you like the new servant?" He questioned. I nodded quickly in response. Before either of us continued in conversation, I dashed off towards the kitchen. The king didn't have time to question me.

When I pulled open the kitchen doors, I got a whiff of a few unfamiliar, yet pleasant scents. The chefs were busy making dinner for all the castle residents. I snapped my fingers, and everyone stopped what they were doing. Andrew had told everyone that I was now a noble, meaning I had power over all the workers. I knew I couldn't let it get to my head.

"If anyone could give me a simple, yet healthy meal, I would quite enjoy that," I announced. Without hesitation, a younger cook with greasy black hair rushed forward. It looked as if she hadn't bathed in a week, which was likely true. She handed me a wooden slab, with a small bread loaf and slices of strawberry. "H-here," she stuttered, thrusting me the meal. "It was going to be for me."

I hesitated to take the food. "I'll have the king give you some more," I told the girl. "Thank you." Gently, I took the platter from her and made my way out the the kitchen.

When I moved to the throne room, I saw Andrew smiling joyously. I raised my brows, wondering what was so great. "Andrew?" I said. He turned to me, the look in his eyes moving from hard and determined, to loving. "Brandon, great news!" He piped up, a cheesy grin crossing his face. I was clueless as to how his teeth were perfectly white. I tried smiling back.

"Yes?" I asked him. Andrew's grin seemed to keep growing. "They found members of some rebellion out in the mountain," he told me, giggling. It was almost as if the news brought him joy. "The guards caught them all and put them in jail. I'm killing them all tomorrow morning."

My lips parted, and my jaw dropped slightly. "Oh," I whispered. Our eyes locked, and Andrew reached out to touch me. As his hand ran across my forearm, only one word came to mind. Tyrant. I pulled away.

I loved this man with all my heart, but I had no desire to partake in any of his violent pleasures. I was determined to let nothing tear us apart. Not our most paramount differences, nor any bickering.

Not even death itself could stop me from loving this man.

(So, there's only one more chapter after this! As promised, I was going to do five random facts about me at the end of this chapter, so here we go I guess.
1. I'm from the United States
2. I've seen CTE once, but it was when I was, like, 12?
3. I secretly enjoy flower crowns.
4. I'm a total theatre nerd.
5. As you could probably tell by this story, I'm fascinated by medieval times.)