The Union

"Who"s the good puppy?" William scratched Wasp"s fur. The dog lay down on the mattress of his bed, enjoying William"s treatment.

William held both of Wasp"s front paws. He snuggled his hair on the dog. Occasional playful bites pulled strands of his hair.

A knock patted on the door.

"Prince William! Prince William! Your brothers are fighting in the garden again!" his personal servant informed.

William pulled his head back. Eyebrows met, he clicked his tongue.

"And the royal guards are again enjoying themselves I suppose?"

"Well er, yes. A wage has been laid"

William scratched his head. Those two were always causing a commotion in the palace. Ivan, the fool, seemed to have a talent in finding beefs towards Timothy. Timothy on the other hand, with his piercing hot words, would always find a way to return an insult to Ivan. The fool would lose his temper first and challenge Timothy into a fight. The royal guards, who were strangely always cheering for Timothy, would always watch the fight and enjoy themselves with wagers.

William immediately went down to the garden. The loud cheering of the royal guards could be heard. He decided to let them be for a while. Ivan needed some lessons anyway.

"Timothy! Timothy!" The guards cheered like drunken men. They formed a circle around the princes. Only Timothy could make them act like this.

Ivan"s face was red with anger. The royal guards siding with Timothy must have agitated him. This had always been the case.

Ivan lunged forward- his fist flying fast. Timothy spun and bent to evade the strike. It looked like he was dancing. Ivan plunged head-first into the gra.s.s. Shame must have put strength into his legs to spring back up. He again lunged but Timothy again danced around him.

"Prince Ivan here accuses me of stealing the heart of the girl he likes! Ha! I tell you lads, I"ve never even met her" Timothy said with hands tugged behind.

Ivan leapt and he again missed.

"Now I tell you. I am innocent. The girl he likes must have liked me. That might be true. But..." He raised his finger and smiled "It is not a sin to be too handsome, is it?"

The royal guards cheered once more. It was loud. They were rowdy.

"Shut your mouth!" Ivan finally landed a hit on Timothy"s shoulder. The third prince retaliated by pushing Ivan to the ground.

"Oh he finally landed a hit. Quick! Pray to the Omniscient. The world must be ending soon!"

A laughter boomed from the guards. William must admit, the fight was d.a.m.n entertaining. And seeing Ivan thrashed and humiliated was satisfying. But he decided that he needed to put a stop to it. Their father would punish the three of them if he remained idle.

"That"s enough the two of you!" With steps pounding he advanced to them. The royal guards let him through. He winked towards Timothy "Shame! For brothers to fight against each other. Such barbarity. Such evil"

"He started it! I don"t know what trickery he did. But the girl I was going to court was always talking about how Timothy met eyes with her that one time. She thinks they are destined together!" Ivan pointed towards Timothy

"I swear I didn"t do anything. Ivan must have been too ugly. Not my fault" Timothy shrugged.

The royal guards again started to laugh.

"Silence!" William gazed towards the guards. They shut their mouths. He turned towards Timothy and Ivan. "You will stop this fight at once. You will act like the princes that you both are"

He coiled one arm around Timothy and led his brother away from Ivan. They walked inside the palace. When they were out of sight Timothy burst into laughter. William joined him.

"Such barbarity? Such evil? Your vocabulary has grown William"

"Nah, I used the same words about two months ago. Remember when he accused you of stealing his sword?"

"Ah that dismal affair. Our brother could use another set of eyes! Three days later a servant found the sword in his room"

"I hope he learns someday Tim" William said "And thank you for not hitting him for real this time"

Timothy grinned "I"m not a monster. He"s ugly as he is. I will not make him disfigured"

**********

Five years ago

"You are leaving?"

William was packing his things when Timothy burst into his room. His act was so sudden that Wasp almost mistaken him for an intruder.

"I am. I can"t stay here. We promised that man mercy if he point us to his peers. He did and we averted another crisis. But father still executed him in the end. How dishonest. I cannot serve a King like that"

Timothy paced towards his back and sat on his bed. "Father has his flaws. You know how he is. But that"s not a valid reason to exile yourself"

"Like what I said, I cannot serve a King that lies and deals with schemes and conspiracies as easily as breathing. I cannot, Tim. I am done being a prince of Castonia. My guts wouldn"t accept it"

"What about your wife?"

"Tilly" William heaved a sigh "She is a good woman. Kind and caring. But I do not love her. Our marriage was purely political, nothing more. I will set her free with a divorce. She deserves a better man than myself"

A drab and pained expression formed on Timothy. "And what about me?"

Looking at his brother, William couldn"t prevent the flow of his emotions. He pulled Timothy into him.

"I"m sorry. I"m really sorry brother. I wish I could stay with you a little longer. But I can"t. Destiny awaits. I have long dreamed of this. And father"s actions has prompted me to finally get out of my cage"

Timothy didn"t talk for a while and just maintained his tight grip on the back of William"s tunic.

"You better return someday"

"I will"

"And you better make that mercenary company of yours the best in the world. I will be waiting for news from the east"

William looked at Timothy"s face. He will miss his brother.

"Someday Tim. Someday we will meet again. We will reunite and laugh ourselves all night with tales about Ivan"s foolish deeds. But until then we must part ways. Goodbye brother"

Timothy gave a single nod "Goodbye William"

**********

The night had clouded the sky. Multiple candles were already lit. William was on his chair with both feet slung on the table. Wasp was beside him chewing a lamb leg.

William reminisced the memories he had with Timothy. He felt ashamed that he ran away. Although he had fulfilled his dream, the years he spent away from his brother cannot be returned. They had grown apart. Timothy became the king of Castonia while he became a mercenary captain contracted to fight against the king of Castonia.

He drank the ale from his cup. He rarely drinks as he saw that it was his duty as a captain to be in control of his senses all the time. But William was gulping the ale like water. Tomorrow a hard task awaits and a hard task he will accomplish. He at least deserves this.

He swirled the ale inside his mouth. He swallowed and grunted. He preferred wine but ale was the only one they got. It was too sweet for his liking.

A low growl suddenly sounded from Wasp. The dog rose on four legs and was showing his canines. Wasp faced the entrance of the tent. William leapt from his seat. He grabbed a dagger he had hidden under the table and delivered a fighting stance. He was in danger.

Wasp"s nose was acute. The dog"s sense of smell had saved him many times before. a.s.sa.s.sination attempts and night attacks were thwarted because of Wasp. William was no a fool to not trust Wasp.

He stepped towards the entrance of his tent. Slow and m.u.f.fled, his steps advanced.

"Identify yourself!" he said "I know you"re outside. Identify yourself now or I will order my beast to rip you into pieces!"

Two people then entered his tent. One was wearing a ridiculous hat while the other was masked.

But as William looked at Wasp, the dog"s stance became tamed. Wasp approached the masked person with lowered head. The masked person then knelt and started to pet Wasp. William was surprised to see that Wasp was subservient to this person.

"Who are you? My dog may be tamed towards you but I can carve the life out of you with my dagger!"

"Your Majesty I think it"s time to remove the mask lest your brother stabs the two of us to death. n.o.body else could see us anymore" said the one with the ridiculous hat.

The person then nodded and removed his mask. He smiled towards him. William"s hand went limp. The dagger almost fell. A flooding feeling of joy drowned his heart. Timothy had changed. His face had matured. His clothes were more refined. His posture now had weight. Every part of his being was tailored to be regal. But the way Timothy looked at him remained.

"Pleasant evening brother" Timothy said