Butterfly Reign

16. But you're still looking down from your golden throne

(Wilbur's interlude (Part 2)

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Theseus met Tubbo, and they quickly became friends, despite the prince having close to no interactions with his peers before. Theseus was loud, rude, too brash and persistent by the court's standards, but the captain's son seemed content with following the more confident kid's lead. That was part of the reason Wilbur was able to bridle his jealousy and allow this friendship to develop in the first place; looking at how constrained Tubbo was around him, avoiding eye contact and nodding along at his every word, he thought, we can work with that.

"I'm glad that my little brother is making new friends," he said to Tubbo with a smile that had a little too many teeth. "I'm looking forward to the three of us spending time together."

Wilbur pretended to be oblivious to the looks shared behind his back, less and less wary each time he sent Theseus off with Tubbo or Techno; he didn't show that he heard the sighs of relief on the Emperor and the Empress' side. Maybe Phil's plan to force Wilbur into isolation would've worked out one day if the older prince wasn't awake on that fateful night. Instead of accepting and letting the strings attaching him to Theseus to go loose, he learned to hide them better.

Following Wilbur was Theseus' second nature; his trust in his older brother was absolute. If Wilbur told that the Emperor didn't want to see him, Theseus would droop one second and bounce with excitement as soon as Wilbur suggested a new game for him and Tubbo to play. As an extension of their closeness, Tubbo saw that every Theseus' choice was made for him by Wilbur, from the people he talked to, to where he would be in the palace at any given moment of the day. Wilbur limited Theseus and Tubbo's time together whenever his jealousy felt like they were getting too close. Tubbo was too young to understand the full extent of the older prince's control, but unease and doubt would be written in the furrow of his brows each time Wilbur sent him away.

"I'm his brother," Wilbur used to say, his voice viscous honey, loud enough for the sweet tone to reach the listening ears. "I know what's the best for him."

"Of course, Your Highness," Tubbo mumbled, keeping his eyes locked on the tips of his toes.

Wilbur hummed, satisfied. He settled a hand on the top of Tubbo's hair, ruffling it just a bit too roughly - not a sign of fondness but a warning. "What is said and seen between us, should stay that way," he said, leaning a bit closer to Tubbo's ear. "This is a secret I trust with you, Tubbo. You wouldn't betray the trust of your prince, would you?"

Tubbo didn't. He kept his mouth shut and followed Wilbur's lead, and cautiousness that gripped him at first slowly started letting go. In a way, Tubbo was a testing ground for Wilbur's capabilities, and now that he had seen how easy it was to manipulate one person, his next goal was the entire palace.

Theseus was an impressionable child; everything that he saw left a lasting impact on his young mind. Swearing was the most innocent of the habits that Theseus developed under Wilbur's care. The youngest prince was easily irritated; his mood swung around a lot and the smallest of inconveniences shoved him into tantrums and violent outbursts that often ended with him lunging at other people with raised fists and bared teeth. Wilbur knew that his family blamed it on him and he didn't care, but he saw it in the way that parents would look at Theseus, that sooner or later, the issue would be brought up into the light.

After that conversation overheard in the fever of sickness, Wilbur was drowning in a constant state of dread and paranoia. What if he wasn't doing enough? What if Theseus would be taken away from him if he couldn't prove himself a good influence? Or even worse - somebody else will point out Wilbur's flaws to Theseus, and the boy will grow to despise him. Both of those scenarios terrified Wilbur: the latter more than the former. He did his best to keep his anger in check; no longer he argued with Techno and Phil in front of Theseus, but it wasn't enough to remold the shape the boy was growing into.