Where It Went Wrong, A Red Queen Fanfiction: Completed

Chapter 35

The effect is instantaneous. Maven's visage pales unnaturally as he stumbles back. Cal has a still face on, and Atessa looks surprisingly shocked. Considering their close relationship, I'm surprised that he didn't tell her already. "Cal, this is between you and I. Don't include Atessa or Maven in this problem at the moment. It's up to us to sort this out, and it's just mean to try and hurt them, too."

The boy King, apparently dethroned, mouths things underneath his breath with an aching expression. He presses a shaking hand to his temple, already gleaming with a nervous sweat. "Brother...." he whispers, sending chills up and down my body. Being bound to the betrayer by family is worse than some type of faulty infatuation.

It takes no longer than a moment for my hand to venture up and slap the elder Calore brother on the cheek with all of my strength.

Golly, I am acting of my own accord today. Although considering what has happened in the last ten minutes, that makes sense. Cal reels backwards, a shudder penetrating through his body before the shocked expression wipes off of his face. "I-I...."

A sudden thud breaks him off as Maven crashes against the wall, only to prop himself up and smile weakly. I rush over to his side, taking his shoulder and some of his weight so that it is not as hard for him to stand up. "See, Cal? Stop this selfishness, right now. Just because you're jealous, or whatever this is, it doesn't mean you can joke around!"

"Mare... M-Maven... I can explain," Cal says weakly, gesturing for us to sit down.

Despite my initial wishes, I do as he says, helping Maven with me as I go. When we finally make it to table, I give Cal a glare that I hope makes him question everything that he has done. Not only did he betray me - he betrayed Maven in his own special way. He still kissed Atessa even though his alliance was supposed to be with me.

"The first part, I must tell all of you. It is something that I will tell the rest of the country later, but you three are my priority. But afterwards, I must speak to Mare." Cal's eyes dart down to where Maven is reaching for my hand, and he shakes his head. "Alone." His words do not perturb his brother, as Maven keeps his hand over my own.

Without his uniform and crown, Maven has an unusual air of normalcy - although it is dulled by that fact that he's so ill. The absence of these objects seem to offer him less stress than before. Seeing him in his evening dress makes me feel uneasy. It throws me back to when we were engaged, and that was the first Maven that I knew. When I look at him now, I cannot see a trace of the King Maven who haunted the palace subsequent to my absence.

"What I meant was that Maven is not King anymore because I thought that it was best." Cal stops abruptly, reading the glare that I am sending him. Surely he doesn't mean that it was purely for his own benefit. "When I realized that your health was deteriorating," the prince says, looking at his brother, "I knew that it would only be worse for you to try and continue with what you were doing."

"The decision was proposed. Everyone knows that it's best for Maven's health if he could relinquish his title. We only need Maven's approval and cast a vote. I was only angry when I said that he wasn't the King. As of now, it's not official."

Cal eyes Maven nervously, drumming his fingers rapidly on his thigh. His half brother turns a weary gaze on him, a distant smile on his face. "That should be nice, not being King any longer. Besides - you are the rightful King, Cal. My mother only wanted me to take the position for her own benefit. It is time for you take your rightful throne, if that is what you want."