For Loyalty to the Game

Background: When Prince Maxon chose Lady Kriss during his Selection, the country of Illea prospered in a Golden Age. While the Caste system was not lifted, the lower Castes were given more freedoms, opportunities, and resources. Since Illea had a strong new trade with New Asia, the wages were raised for the lower castes. The laws were loosened in regards to inter-caste marriages, sexual relations, and punishments in general. For 100 years, Illea was stronger than it had ever been. That was, until the country of Illea fell into the hands of King Darius Cyrus Schreave.

Like all other princes before him, the King had held a Selection to find his true love in a group of 35 young ladies - and he did. The beautiful Queen Jolie Arabelle Schreave didn't steal his heart, but it was given to her with tender and loving care. She was only a Six when she entered, but that didn't matter to Darius. All he saw was her beautiful face and her heart of gold. Darius was so in love with Jolie that it affected him and everything that he did. He was a happier man when she was around and a good king.

But then, disaster struck.

In the typical human and historical fashion, the decline of Illea began only a decade or two after it's peak. Resource consumption, waste production, species introduction, and overpopulation took over Illea and caused a national pandemic of Ebola. The Virus spread through the livestock kept in horrible conditions and was therefore spread through Illea. Millions were infected and very few survived. Among the millions killed, was Queen Jolie.

The King cried and drank for weeks over her dead body. With him and holding his mother's hand was their 3 year old son, Prince Kole Alexander Schreave. Not a tear was shed by the little boy as he held the hand that he, at the time, did not know was dead. He just sat there and watched as his father sobbed on the body of the once beloved Queen Jolie. The people wept as well, for they too had loved the Queen, but the King did not see that.

Darius blamed the people for the fatal virus that killed his wife and he blamed them for the time it took to find the cure. Darius took his grief out on the people. He enforced the laws that were once abolished by Maxon and Kriss and made them harsher. He took away the freedoms given to the lower castes and made them stricter. He punished the people for the disease that took his love and his heart from him and he refused to let them live happily if he was not.

Two years later though, he did remarry. Heartless and emotionless, King Darius wed Queen Jezebel Adrienne Schreave, a Two with wealth beyond compare who was hand picked by the advisors to the king to pull Illea out of it's downward spiral. It was a power play, and an effective one. Jezebel's money fixed most of Illea's problems and the Royal's standing in the eyes of the public. The King didn't care though. He never cared for anything. Even his son, Prince Kole, couldn't console him long enough before he resorted back to drinking. The King still loved his dear Jolie and never cared for Jezebel in the slightest bit. The only time he ever showed any compassion towards the Queen, was the night that their child, Prince Kalum Adrian Schreave, was conceived.


Flashback 17 years

A small, 3 year old boy runs through the extensive greenery, stumbling a little every step of the way. His dark, chestnut hair is hidden under the makeshift helmet that keeps falling in front of his eyes, but the little curls still peek out from underneath. His rosy cheeks, kissed by the autumn air, give him a childlike glow that compliments his baby blues. Tripping and stumbling over crisp leaves, the chestnut haired boy just keeps running, only stopping every now and then to look around and remember where he is. The enthused smile on his face almost hides the determined look in his eyes, and almost makes you believe this is just a game.

It's amazing how important a game is to a child. It's amazing how real it seems and how "end-of-the-world" it is when you don't win. For adults, the game is innocent and imaginative and holds no importance but to entertain. For a child, the game is a reproduction of they have experienced. Not only that, but it's a creative re-working of the impressions they have acquired do to those experiences.

"Kal!"

He stops. A mischievous grin spreads across his face as he turns towards the sound.

"Kal! Where are you?"

He crouches low behind a tall, looming statue, trying his best not to make too much noise on the fallen leaves. Crunching noises coming from the side cause him to hold his breath and grip his plastic sword tighter. The drama of the scene rivals that of a real action movie. Releasing his breath as soon as he feels it safe, he takes a small move to see if the coast is clear. For a moment, the courtyard looks deserted with only a slight movement as the breeze dances with the fallen leaves. Suddenly feeling a bit more confident, the little boy takes a small step up to move out from behind the stat-

"Gotcha!"

And the enemy jumps from behind the maze walls! Crown glinting in the afternoon sun atop his dark brown waves, the Play-King stands tall and proud over his significantly younger brother. His identical plastic sword seems to shine brighter and his rosy cheeks don't make him look as childish as his younger brother's do. The smile that he sports is playful and sly and brightens his entire face. In his deep brown eyes you can see what he's not speaking: "I've won."

The taller brother lunges with his sword, making it evident what he's about to do so that the younger has time to react. Plastic clashes plastic as the brothers' muscle memory kicks in and they habitually shift their swords left and right… left and right… each making sure not to seriously harm the other.

In one final move, the elder makes a decision to end the dramatic game, and become the winner. Dodging his brother's next move (considering it was the same one each time) he lunges at the younger and knocks him to the ground! The little chestnut-haired boy, taken aback by the sudden change, is thrown back easily. His plastic sword is wrestled from him as he rolls around on the colorful leaves, causing his helmet to fall off. The elder kneels above him, pointing both swords towards his neck, because in his mind, that's just what you do after winning such a dramatic battle. In a final signal of defeat, the little boy sighs and raises his hands above his head, earning a pleased smile from the elder one.

"Ok, ok, stop it! Let me up, will ya," the younger one, Kal, shouts irritably, "C'mon Kole, you already won!"

The elder one, Kole, laughs and helps up his little brother. He's bright and cheerful, ruffling Kal's hair in a playful manner. Pouting, Kal shoves him away, still sore over his devastating loss.

"Aww c'mon Kal! It was fun, and you know it," Kole pokes his little brother in the side, trying to coax a smile out of him, "at least I got you out of lessons right?"

"Yeah, but you always win! I want to win sometimes."

The little 3 year old throws his helmet and cardboard armor to the ground and crosses his arms. His lower lip juts out in a little pout that just makes Kole laugh even more. The game becomes more and more competitive each time.

"And you always get to play the King too! Why is that?"

Kole sighs. As the elder of the two princes, he was used to questions such as these. It was always the same routine.

"Why do you get to go first?"

"Why do you get the largest?"

"Why do you get to do more than I do?"

"Why can't I be like you?"

All legitimate questions, he supposed. All had the same answer though.

"Because I'm the oldest. That's just the way it is! Besides," he says, giving a little smirk, and jumping up with his crown and sword, "I'm going to be king someday! And you're going to be my faithful knight! I need to prepare you for that don't I?"

Kalum's face breaks into a broad smile as he bounces over to his brother to grab the sword offered to him. His eyes shine with adoration for the King that offered it to him.

"You're going to be such a great King," he says confidently.

"The best!"

"And you're going to do great things!"

"Of course I am!"

"You'll be a good King," Kalum excitedly jumps up and down, swinging his sword around, as if for emphasis, "you'll fight off dragons and invaders and rule the people nicely! You'll be the most amazing King there ever was!"

"I can't do it alone though," Kole says softer, "I'll need my right hand knight to help me as well!"

Running around the courtyard, dancing on statues, and playing in the leaves, the two little princes laugh about how wonderful everything will be. They dream about the world that they will supposedly inherit. They ignore everything that, even at that young age, haunts their worlds. Diving into the giant pile of leaves by the edge of the courtyard, the two boys enjoy a game of innocence that truly has no external influence whatsoever.

As his laughter starts to wane, Kalum looks over at his older brother. His playful and mischievous eyes glow with elation. He has brown eyes, in contrast to Kal's sky blue ones. Kalum looks at his wavy, dark brown hair that looks more like chocolate. It doesn't resemble the light chestnut curl that his own hair has. It does, however, resemble their father.

"Kole," Kalum speaks softly, almost timidly, "you won't be a king like father... will you?"

Kole's eyes harden. He looks at Kal sharply and sits up in the leaves. Suddenly grasping each side of Kal's shoulders so he's forced to look him in the eyes, Kole's face holds such broken pain that gives him almost a dead look in his eyes. He has lost all of his playfulness and instead looks at Kal with complete and utter seriousness.

"Kal. I want you to listen to me. I will never, EVER, be like our father," His eyes hold such earnest pain that Kalum can barely stand to look. "If I ever do fall into such a horrible place, I want you to be the next, great, good, amazing King, because I will never have someone on the throne like our father."

His eyes seem to stare straight through Kalum as he envisions something else in his place. Kalum doesn't know what he's thinking about, but no sooner does he escape his thoughts, when Kalum suddenly asks yet another question that should have the same answer as all the other ones, but holds completely different meaning.

"Why does father love you more?"

Kalum's question is so honest and innocent and full of unshed tears. Kole just couldn't bring himself to lie to his little brother.

"Trust me, it's not me that he loves…"

"Kalum Adrian Schreave! Where have you been young man?"

A beautiful woman strides through the leaves, her long gown dragging behind her elegantly with each step. The pure white dress almost gives her the appearance of an angel with her bright blue eyes and curled blonde hair, all twisted elegantly with a jeweled tiara gracing the top of her head. Her face, though beautiful, holds stern disappointment as she takes one look at who her 3 year old son is with

"Hello Kole," Queen Jezebel says, giving him her upturned nose, "Kalum, you're supposed to be at your lessons with Madame Juno!"

"Um, yes, mother," Kalum says, immediately standing up to dust himself off a little in a hurried fashion, "but I just wanted to-"

"No! No 'buts'! Just get inside right now. You'll get a cold with how chilly it is out here!"

Kalum gives another one of his little pouts but follows obediently, taking just a moment to turn around and wave goodbye to his big brother. Kole waves back with a sad smile, not yet moving from his spot in the leaves. The courtyard seems to get a bit darker as his kid brother left with his stepmother. Jezebel glares at Kole as he waves to her son, but he doesn't see it. Kole only pays her any attention when she finally speaks up towards him, as he's just getting ready to lay back in his leaves.

"And Kole," she speaks curtly, "your father would like to speak with you."

And Kole looks over to her immediately, a terrified look in his eyes. The Queen smiles only slightly at this, as she turns to follow her only son inside.

"Be in his office in 10 minutes."

Kole nods, his body suddenly shaking from what he tells himself is the wind.

Trust me, Kal… you don't want to be me…

17 years later

Kalum's POV

"- contaminated water-"

"-the people are scared-"

"- Queen Jezebel looks out for her people in a time of-"

"-good Queen-"

"-Prince Kalum, her son, proves himself to be just as good-"

The room is quiet to me. I'm kind of mesmerized by the screen right now, not even paying attention to the words being said, just the images being shown. Even the crackling of the fire is lost on me and the faint ticking of the clock on the wall. My only focus is on the television screen. Pictures of my mother flash across the silver screen and illuminate the dark room around me. My eyes are glued to the light as I watch her meet with people and shake hands and kiss babies - everything that is expected of course. I see her overlooking the water damage and other natural disasters that have occurred in the past couple of years. I see the sympathetic smile on her face as she looks out for the people that my father has denied.

My legs are crossed as I lounge on the leather couch in the dark room, arms sprawled around the back. My suit jacket is open and my tie has been loosened. In this dark room, with no one around me, with no one paying attention, and with absolutely no way to show my worth, I don't feel like a prince. The boy that I see on the screen is just a boy. The woman next to him though… that woman is a Queen.

This only happened about 4 hours ago. Mother and I went to show support, to help people and make speeches and such. It's a typical routine, as of lately. The people are always so grateful towards us afterwards, which makes me feel better I suppose. It's the only thing that does anymore. The only thing to make me feel like I'm needed, loved. It's the only thing that makes me feel like a prince.

Suddenly, another noise is introduced that pulls me out of my thoughts. Faint laughter down the hallway sounds extremely familiar the closer it gets. I can hear tripping and stumbling down the hallway, which makes it evident who it is. Sighing, I sit up on the couch and await his entrance. This is gonna be painful to watch.

The door opens, and light floods into the room, with a silhouette of Kole leaning on the doorframe, holding his signature glass of bourbon. I can smell it from here. My brother's presence always seems to fill an entire room. Everyone notices when he's there and everyone cares. He always seems so important and regal - that is until he trips over his own feet while standing still and spills his drink down his shirt.

And now I can see what he looks like.

His dark hair is a mess, his shirt is wrinkled and untucked, his tie just hangs around his neck like a scarf, and I can see the hickeys on his neck. They pair nicely with the red lipstick smeared on his cheek. It's so obvious that he's drunk, because he seems to fall forward with every step and his smile is only that of someone who's either drunk or an eight year old.

"Kal," he slurs as he leans down on the couch cushion, "good to, uhh, to see you buddy! Buddy o'l boy, kal! My little brother!"

He ruffles my hair, like he used to do when we were kids and almost falls over onto the side table. Jesus…

"Ok, Kole, just sit down, "I say, taking his drink from him and guiding him to the couch, "where the hell have you been? You were supposed to go with me and mother to the contamination site!"

"I got busy," he slurred again, grabbing for his cup, but I keep it away from him, "busy with business. Busy business… business that's waiting for me just down the hall."

Wow.

His smirk tells me all I need to know. That, and his hickeys, ruffled hair, and lipstick stains. It isn't new though. In fact, it's become quite common. I groan and throw my head back, trying to pretend I didn't hear that. God! What's wrong with him?

"Well, I'm not letting you go and take care of business. Business can wait."

"But I don't want business to wait!"

"Well too fucking bad," I say calmly, moving to put his drink on the top shelf of the cabinets. He won't be able to reach it in his state.

"You were supposed to be there to support the people and you weren't. You needed to be, but you weren't. What are the people gonna think, huh? That their crown prince abandoned them?"

"I'm not their crown prince."

He speaks softly and seriously as he looks up to me like a child being reprimanded by a parent. He's draped over the couch in a twisted position, but his head looks straight up at me. His eyes sober just the slightest bit and I can see something behind them that throws me for a minute. Only a minute though. After a minute, he looks away from me and leaps.

Yes. He leaps.

Taking a lunge forward, he awkwardly jumps for his glass on the top of the cabinet! I step back in surprise as he attempts to reach the caramel liquid and fails miserably, collapsing onto the floor in a tangled heap.

"Kole!"

I race forward to see if he's ok. Kneeling beside my brother, I try to help him up, but he won't let me. Instead, he simply gazes up with shimmering eyes. I've seen this look before. He looks right at me, except straight through me. A million years seem to flood from his eyes, and yet he makes no sobbing sounds.

"shhhhh," I try to calm him, "shhh it's alright. It's ok."

I'm trying to wipe away his tears, but they just keep overflowing as he stares at me with such broken sorrow. For a minute I stop, taking a second to look into his eyes and feel what he's feeling. Why does he do this to himself? Why go through this much pain? His eyes drift from my face as tears continue to fall. He's now looking at the television that I didn't realize was still on. I turn to look with him as my picture comes onto the screen next my mother. My smiling, clean-cut photo looks insignificant next to the beauty that is my mother. Photos of us meeting with people and making speeches flash onto the screen for awhile as Kole seems just as mesmerized by the light as I was before. There's just something about it, I guess.

"It's funny, I think," Kole finally speaks up softly, "how the tables have turned in this game we're playing."

What?

"It's funny… It's funny how I used to be the King in our game. It's funny how I used to think of myself as the great leader to my little brother. It's funny how I used to win in the games we played… because I think, in the games we played, I was the good king…"

The tears are drying as his eyelids start to sag and he continues to stare at the screen. I, however, can't keep my eyes from his face as I cradle him in my arms like a child - innocent again.

"I was the good king… wasn't I Kal?"

I can only nod in response as tears start to fall from my own eyes.

"I'm not anymore. You are. You finally get to play the King in our game. Trust me, though, Kal… you don't want to be me… I want to be you…"

His eyes are starting to close more and more as I wipe the drying tears off his face.

"You're the Crown Prince… you're the one people love… I'm the bad King. That's why I lost the game. I'm the bad King… like our father…"

I'm sobbing at this point as he starts to fall asleep. His words pierce me and kill me every time he speaks.

"So you should be the new King Kal… you should be the good, great, amazing King… I can't… I've lost…"

With that, he falls into a no-doubt dreamless sleep in my arms as my own tears fall onto his face. I feel his heartbeat against my chest, slow and steady, and let it calm me. I let the heart beat mesmerize me… slow and steady…

When I've calmed myself, I look at the peaceful face of my brother - my brother fallen from grace. He's broken. He has nothing. His words speak to me as I watch the screen intently again, still cradling him in my arms.

"You should be the good, great, amazing King…"

Staring at the screen, I consider my brother's words. Looking at the boy in the screen, I still don't see a Prince, or a King. I look regal. I look like royalty. That's not the same as looking like a King, is it though? Kole knows that. He's always known that. In all the games that we have played, in all the time that we spent together as kids, he always knew what a King was while I was still learning. He knew when he was little how to be a good King, and somehow, he forgot. Every time he comes home drunk or brings home another girl or gets his face printed in the tabloids, he's doing what he always said he wouldn't. He's becoming like father.

Kole is an angel fallen from grace. He's a King without a Kingdom. He's lost who he is to who he thought he was.

When I see myself smiling on the screen, playing at King, I'm doing what he always saw himself doing. I did this to him. I broke him. I made him not believe in himself.

And I have to save him, because that's what brothers do for brothers, and what a Knight does for their King.


YAAAAYYYY! I FINISHED IT! I NEVER THOUGHT THIS DAY WOULD COME!

First and Foremost, before I get into all the exciting stuff, let me just say THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU to wolfofstark for all of her AMAZING help on this story and all of the ideas that she gave me! Thank you for helping me and collaborating with me and being so amazing with this story! You are seriously the co creator of this story! LOVE YOU WOLFY!
Ok! Onto the other stuff!

If you read my other story, the Making of History, I'm guessing you will have already noticed that this is not that. There's a completely different storyline with the same two princes and that's about it. The other one was a bit too messy and disorganized and i didn't know what I was doing, but now I have a plan so it will be good!

I'm so sorry this chapter was a little messy and confusing and weird, but I wanted to get it up as fast as possible and the first chapter is always the hardest so don't judge! I know the selection wasn't mentioned in this chapter, but I just wanted it to be a little intro for the world that my Kal and Kole (MY BABIES) are living in and their relationship.

This story is a SYOC so if you want to submit a girl, just check out the rules and form on my profile! I also included some character descriptions so that you can answer the Thoughts/Treatment section easier.

Once again, THANK YOU WOLF and everyone else who supported me with this new story! I hope you liked the first chapter!

PLEEEAAASSEEEEE REVIEW!