"Go." Matthew said to his brother. "Run Alfred. Make haste and run. You've so much ahead of you brother. You can make a difference in the world, but you need to run."
"No! Matt, I'm not leaving you!" Alfred shouted at his brother through tear-filled cerulean eyes. He looked on in horror at his now mirrored twin, the small physical differences were now gone between them. Matthew cut off his luscious, wavy golden hair to the length and style to match his brother's, his eyes a darker shade and his skin a lighter tone but the guards would pay attention to such miniscule details when they came for Matthew's head.
Alfred, in truth, was the one they were after. The elder brother and prince of the land was framed and found guilty of murdering the Old King. The guards were sent to find him after he fled, whether he was brought back dead or alive did not matter.
And Matthew, the younger twin, was a quiet and shy boy, all but forgotten by his family as since birth, all the attention had always been on Alfred. But Matthew had never held it against his brother. He'd never resented him or loathed him, because Alfred was the one who actually paid attention to him. Alfred the strong and powerful would always find a way to spend time with his favourite and only younger brother.
With Alfred ascending the thrown, Matthew had no real value as a being. He was protected as noble however he had no job and he held no authority over court. He did not have many talents aside from ice sports and cooking. He'd never truly figured out his purpose in life, but now he had one.
The banging on the door grew louder and harsher, the wood beginning to crack due to the pressure. "Open up this door and face your comeuppance you coward!"
Arthur, the cynical but loyal mage grabbed Alfred by his wrist and led him to the secret exit. "Alfred, we must hurry!" "Wait, Artie, I have to save Mattie! I can't let him die!"
Alfred took one last look at his beloved brother. Matthew returned the look with a sad gaze of his own, a small, sincere smile in place. "Au revoir mon frère." With that Arthur used his magic to shield the secret exit shut and ran down the dark, dank corridor with Alfred sniffling behind him. "Don't cry Alfred. This is what Matthew wanted. You should honour his sacrifice and cherish him for the person that he was: humble, kind, and loyal. Do not pity him, and live with pride with the life that he's given you."
Alfred nodded in agreement and dried his tears. "You're right…I will." He turned back for a moment to look behind him into the darkness. "Goodbye Mattie…and thank you."