XXIII

156 9 19
                                    

-Brandon's POV-

I awoke with some discomfort near my back. I turned on my side, only to back into Andrew. He groaned softly and threw an arm around me. I sighed in annoyance at him.

"Brandon," Andrew whispered, pushing his chest against my back. I pushed myself against him, until we couldn't become any closer. He craned his neck, and kissed my own. I could feel his light stubble brush against my skin, and sighed in satisfaction.

"Good morning," I grunted. I tugged the bedsheets towards me, as Andrew had been taking them all. He didn't resist. "I want to go out today," he told me casually, propping himself up in the bed. I rolled my eyes. A king going anywhere alone with a servant would raise some suspicion.

"Where do you suggest to?" I asked. Hopefully, not anything too public. I heard Andrew click his tongue. He appeared to be doing it in a pattern while thinking. "The meadow?" He asked. I had never seen the meadow before, and I heard it was especially beautiful in the spring. "Sure," I said, pushing the king back into bed. His arms snaked around my waist, and I held back a laugh. I loved this man. This cruel, tyrannic man.

I squirmed from Andrew's grasp, and stood up. The floor was excruciatingly cold on my bare feet. The contact caused me to whimper, and Andrew found that amusing, chuckling. I fell back onto the bed, searching desperately for where I deposited my shoes.

"Let's have lunch at the meadow, eh?" Andrew said, a smirk on his face. He threw the sheets off of himself, revealing his bare figure. I couldn't help but eye him for a moment, before picking up his clothing from the floor and throwing it at him. He scoffed, and began dressing himself.

I got over the discomfort of the cold floor, and trudged to the corner to retrieve my clothes. My outfit consisted of newly made clothing that Andrew had ordered be made for me. I had a white button up, a light blue vest, and black dress pants. My boots were steel-toed and glossed over.

"Brandon, catch," Andrew said to me. I turned my body, and caught a container in my hand. I eyed it suspiciously, shook it, and a blade fell out. I jumped back so that the knife couldn't cut my leg. "A knife?" I said, glaring at Andrew. He chuckled at my reaction. "You never know when bandits could sneak up on us," he said, this time in a serious tone.

I rolled my eyes jokingly at him, and picked up the knife from the floor. I slid it back into it's sheath and attached it to my belt. "Thanks," I finally said. The gift seemed odd. I wasn't a naturally violent person, so it seemed as though I'd never use it.

I had never been more wrong.

•••

After a long and peaceful walk, Andrew and I arrived at the meadow. It was the middle of the day, meaning the sun was at the center of the sky, lighting everything below it. The king dragged me down a stone pathway to where I assumed a nice area was. Our hands were wound tightly together, as if nothing could separate us. I almost believed that nothing could.

At last, Andrew swayed away from the pavement and led us to the top of a hill. My eyes observed the colorful scene, taking it all in. I found it pleasing. Our eyes locked, and I nodded at him. He seemed to get the cue.

Andrew and I settled on the top of the hill, letting our legs sink into the soft grass. The clouded, yet bright sky lit up the field, turning the grass a near lime-like color. Flowers were blooming randomly all around, and the scene only added to my serenity.

The light that managed to seep through the clouds hit Andrew's crown, leaving gold paths of light around us. "Look at that," I told him. He looked down, not having noticed it yet. He smiled at the sight. Whenever he moved, so did the gorgeously colored reflections.

I moved in closer to Andrew, and he did the same. The smiles on our faces perfectly expressed our moods. Andrew then took his eyes off of me, and looked into the field. All I could see was perfectly colored grass, trees, and all kinds of vibrant flowers. "Isn't it pretty?" He asked me. I nodded slowly. "Prettiest thing I've seen in a few years," I responded, moving my hair from my face.

I moved my head so that it rested perfectly on my lover's shoulder, and closed my eyes. A few birds began chirping in the distance. I felt at ease. Andrew tangled his fingers through my hair, causing my eyes to flutter open. I removed my head from Andrew's shoulder, and looked to him. Our faces held the same expression of deep passion and lust.

"I love you, Brandon," Andrew said to me, pulling up a nearby flower and tucking it behind my ear. I laughed softly at the affection. My fingers moved to adjust the flower, and the very though of the beauty caused a grin to spread across my face.

Sometimes, the will of a person to do good can outweigh the abilities of the heart.

The morals of a man at the start of a journey, will always be held higher than something learned along the way.

"I love you, too," I responded flatly.

Without a second thought, I took the knife from my belt and drove it through Andrew's heart. He stared at me, shocked, before blood seeped through his lips and he tumbled backwards. I snatched the crown from his head, and placed it on my own. It fit almost perfectly.

"But not as much as I'm going to love being king."

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