Royal Screw-Ups: a Keefex Story [Pre-Unlocked]

Chapter 6

A/N: Sorry this took longer than usual, school just started for me so I've been more busy than usual and I was in a bit of a writing slump. Hopefully the next chapter will come out sooner but no guarantees 

Warnings: descriptions of death, swearing, angsty boi 

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King?! Sixteen was too young to be king! He had always known his fate but he thought his father would be too power-hungry to give up the role. It wasn't like he could just do whatever he wanted either, Cassius would still have all of his own councilors in power, it would be nearly impossible to get them out of it.

Keefe paced endlessly around his room.

Air, air, he needed air. It was too hot in here.

He couldn't take the main door, that takes too long.

The window.

He shoved the window open and crept out to the ledge. He was on the second floor, but there were enough bricks sticking out of the side of the castle to use as a ladder.

He ran across the sprawling lawn, not caring if a guard saw him. He...he had to talk to someone. He had to find Dex.

~*~

Keefe banged at the door, not caring if he woke everyone up.

A man, who he could only assume was Dex's father, opened it.

"Sir, can I talk to Dex please?"

He hesitated, looking back at his family. "Um...I mean...sure...I mean yes, your highness...er-"

"Thank you, sir."

Dex walked out from behind the man and closed the door behind him as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes. His hair was ruffled and he looked both confused and tired.

"I need to talk to you."

"Yes, I heard that much."

"C'mon, follow me."

Keefe grabbed his hand and ran as he led him to the garden. He couldn't tell if the anxiety he felt was coming from himself or Dex.

Despite not being particularly careful, no one stopped them so Keefe could only assume they had remained unseen.

Keefe wordlessly heaved himself onto the wall and put out a hand to Dex when he was situated. The red head immediately grasped it, not hesitating at all. To be perfectly honest, it seemed like Dex would be completely capable of bringing himself up the wall, Keefe just...enjoyed helping him. And he brought up no complaints.

They hopped into the gardens, nailing the landing this time.

"I have something to show you." Keefe said, walking down a path he rarely tread upon.

"Alright." Dex seemed concerned but he followed without question.

At the end of the path sat a stone.

"Here lies former Queen Gisela Sencen

She died as she lived, fighting for what she believed in

Whether it be right or wrong."

They both stared at it for a good while before Keefe spoke up.

"They made me write the headstone you know. My father was supposed to do it but he was too busy. He was too busy to write his own wife's damn headstone."

Dex didn't say anything, an invite to continue.

Keefe sat down on the ground beside the grave, Dex joined him.

Keefe's eyes began to water in anger.

"What kind of selfish bastard can't even write his own wife's headstone? She was an awful person! She betrayed everyone! But he didn't even have the decency to not make his eight year old son write her headstone."

The tears poured now and he buried his face in his hands.

Dex laid a supportive hand on his shoulder.

"She- she was awful. I don't know why I miss her. She betrayed the whole country and she was killed for it."

The entire kingdom watched his mother get hanged for her treasonous schemes with the Neverseen. It was likely that even Dex watched, he would've been old enough by most people's standards.

Dex seemed to think for a long moment.

"What was she like?"

Keefe hesitated.

"...she was always loud. Louder than my dad wanted her to be, but she was the one with the right to the throne so he had no choice but to put up with her.

"She was nicer to me than my dad was. Once my dad yelled at me because I said I never wanted to get married. She brought me a cake from the kitchen and told me that she never wanted to either. She hated the system, she just did the wrong things to get back at it. The really, really wrong things.

"She was...disgusting. She was a murderer. She was my mom. I miss her and I hate that I do. I hate that we're so similar. I hate that one day I'm going to end up as angry as she was and I hate that I might get the same ending she did. I hate that I'm already on the same path that she was on. I'm getting stuck in a marriage at 16 with no say in the matter and a whole kingdom to rule and I just can't handle it."

He completely broke down.

Dex was silent for a moment before speaking.

"I can't relate to what you're going through...like at all. And I've never been very good with the whole emotional support thing. But it's not too hard to go up from a murderer. I mean so far you've killed zero people that I know of so you're already ahead."

Keefe cracked a small smile.

"I know that you aren't going to end up like her."

"How can you tell?"

"You feel guilty about actions you haven't even committed. She didn't even feel remorse about what she did do."

"Thank you, but...I'll still be stuck as king in 4 months, and as a husband in 3. I almost can't tell which one is worse."

Dex chuckled.

"I think you'll be a great king. You care about your people, I think you'll be able to fix what's wrong."

"Even if I am some kind of great king, I'll still be stuck with a wife I know next to nothing about."

"...who would you rather be stuck with?"

Fuck it, it's now or never.

"Well, there is this one person."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah they're...amazing. They're kind, and smart, and beautiful. Talking to them always makes my day better. I haven't known them for long but they make me happier than any random wife could."

"They sound pretty great."

"Yeah, he is."

They both went silent.

Keefe was expecting some sort of backlash, a 'you're disgusting!' or 'he?'. Instead, Dex carried on.

"Do you have a shot of being with him?"

"I hope so, but he's probably way too good for me." Keefe didn't know how how Dex didn't seem to be noticing the pointed glances he was giving him.

"I doubt that."

"How so?"

"Well, you're pretty great. Plus, I mean, you are the prince so that's probably an unfair advantage."

Keefe laughed.

"Yes but I hope that that has no weight in his decision, I would never use my power to force someone to do something they didn't want to."

"And right there is another reason you won't end up like your mother."

Keefe smiled.

He believed him this time.