When the Universe Began [A Blackmadhi Fantasy AU]

Chapter Forty-Three

Simon allowed Nahyuta his space, he knew how hard it was to mourn the death of a parent and he didn't want to watch anybody else go crazy like his sister had. Still... he couldn't help but worry about him. He still refused to let him in, so he figured if he needed me, he would ask for him. But he didn't. He stayed locked up in his room, nary a word uttered between them. If something happened to him, it was all on Simon. He wouldn't be able to get out of it this time. You know what, forget the Royal Command. He turned and pounded on the door, desperate for Nahyuta to answer and tell him he was okay.

"You can come in Simon, it's not locked." Thank the Holy Mother, not that it was that big of a deal, but he seemed alright. His voice sounded tired and slightly strained, and his appearance wasn't all that much better. He looked as tired as he sounded and his hair was pretty much all the way out of its long braid. He didn't seem to have changed clothes at all since the last time he had left his room.

"Nahyuta are you alright? You look awful." Simon resisted the urge to run over to him and grab him into his arms. He'd made himself fairly clear about where they stood right now. For now, they were nothing. Just a prince and his stalwart bodyguard. Nahyuta nodded, running a hand through his unkempt bangs.

"That's not good enough of an answer Nahyuta."

"Fine... what do you want me to say Simon?"

"I just want to hear from your own mouth that you're going to be okay."

"My father is dead... I doubt I'm going to be okay for some time."

"It doesn't have to be now, but I just need you to say you're going to be fine in the future."

"I'll be fine as soon as I can figure out this last chink in my plan."

"What plan?" Simon could only hope he wasn't going to do something that he would end up regretting, something that could get him killed if he took one wrong step.

"... my plan to kill my aunt and uncle and take the throne so I can see Dhurke's damnable revolution to its finish." And there it was. He was going to do something stupid, Simon had heard similar things from my sister after our parents died. Luckily my sister was sixteen and smart enough to know that it would be suicide. Nahyuta was twenty-four and he couldn't even realize that this was the dumbest possible thing he could think of doing. Sometimes Simon wondered if he had his head on straight. Why would he even say something like that? Even for the crown prince, it was still high treason. He could get executed just for thinking about it!

"You can't do that, it's far too dangerous! I don't want you to get hurt!" He had to keep resisting his urge to grab him. Who knows what he would do to him if he was thinking of killing his family!

"You don't control me Simon!"

"I'm not trying to control you, I'm trying to protect you! Can't you see that this is stupid idea?!" Nahyuta flinched, looking like he was about to smack Simon.

"I don't need you to protect me! I can protect myself better than you can!" That hurt. He had gotten myself stabbed for this asshole. Pretty sure that was the farthest you could go to protect someone without actually dying for them.

"Fine then, go on your stupid suicide mission then Your Royal Douchbag! See if I care!" As Simon stormed out of the room, he thought he heard Nahyuta breathe out a small sob. Oh well, what did it matter anymore? His Royal Douchebag could do whatever he wanted now, he was free of Simon. And he wasn't sure if he wanted to go back, it was entirely possible that he wouldn't.

~~~

"Simon, are you alright buddy?" Klavier asked, trying to rest a hand on Simon's shoulder to comfort him. Simon instantly smacked him away and he jolted back, startled by how harshly he had reacted.

"Klavier, please shut up."

"Ja, Simon... I'll... leave you alone," he paused for a moment, unsure of what he was supposed to say next in a rare moment of silence, "for a second there... you reminded me of.... Kristoph. I'm... sorry... I shouldn't have said that. Stupid Klavier, he's gone now... Kristoph... isn't here... it's just Simon." He choked on his brother's name, uttering those last words to himself quietly before wandering away. He avoided me for the rest of the night, undoubtedly not wanting any more reminders of the terrible things his own brother had done to him and Simon didn't blame him. He was lucky he only had Aura for a sister, he'd take overprotective psycho maniac over Kristoph any day.

~~~

Simon got a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach after he'd been at the tavern for an hour or so, like somehow leaving Nahyuta alone with his stupid death plan hadn't been the best thing in the world. Though he still couldn't care less about what he did, he rushed back to the palace. If he did something stupid, it would be his fault for leaving him alone in his current state.

~~~

Dammit, he wasn't in his room. He was always in his room! For once in his life, he had to stop being a hermit and when Simon really needed him to be one too. He ran to his uncle's room when he remembered his stupid plan. Of course he'd go for his uncle first. If Dhurke had truly been murdered, it was most likely Justice Minister Inga who did it. Simon paused for a moment at the door, trying to catch his breath. It had only been a few hallways and yet he was exhausted. Whose stupid idea was it to invent running? It was always lovely to see Nahyuta, but not when he was holding a knife in his hand. Geez, everyone knew if you were planning a coup, you had to use swords. How stupid could this man get? You didn't just march up to the king and stab him in the back with a regular old knife, you used a sword like a sane person. Simon would be happy to lend him his if he decided to switch weapons, he never used the damn thing so it was nice and clean and ready for killing. Wait, wait. He was supposed to be stopping him from killing his uncle, not trying to help him. Though if he wanted my help... no, bad Simon. This is not the way he was going to get himself landed in prison again. But if Nahyuta's little coup d'etat succeeded... there would be no one left who wanted to put him in prison. Clearly someone had snapped here, and it wasn't Nahyuta. Honestly, it probably was him, but there was something wrong with Simon as well. Just because he was his boyfriend didn't mean he was going to help murder his family... but if he asked... maybe he could... yup, he had definitely gone insane. Finally.

Simon snuck up behind Nahyuta, placing his hand under the blade of the knife so he stabbed him instead of his uncle. Holy Mother, that hurt! Why in the world had he gotten himself stabbed for Nahyuta's sake for the second time in a month? Nahyuta couldn't have really meant to do that, right? He didn't have it in him to be a killer... if only he knew how wrong he was.

A/N: Twelve chapters left. How do we feel?