I'm writing this at the kink meme for an awesome OP! This is actually my first kink meme so I'm nervous as heck, and easily frustrated by the word limit there, but it's sooo fun! I might do more of them whenever I finish this one!

Get ready for a wild and bumpy ride!

Summary: Brave Alfred dreams of slaying monsters and protecting the kingdom of Russ. Shy Matthew wants to never leave the safety of home. Fate plays out another story when the Gray Death claims Alfred and leaves him fatally ill. To save Alfred, Matthew must set out on a quest for a cure that no one has found before. The clock is ticking!

Based on the book "The Two Princesses of Bamarre" by Gail Carson Levine!

Out of a land laid waste

To a land untamed,

Monster ridden,

The lad Ivan led

A ruined, ragtag band.

In his arms, tenderly,

He carried Germania,

The child king,

First ruler of Russ.

So begins Ivan, the epic poem of Russ's greatest hero. Ivan slayed many of Russ's horrible monsters- the goblins, trolls, and dragons that still haunt us- and he helped build our great kingdom. But he is long-since died, leaving Russ crying out for a hero against the latest plague….the Gray Death.

I would never be a hero. I loved the safe warm place of home- in the castle. I trembled at every shadow and flinched at every noise. One time, when I was only six, I heard a terrifying screeching out in the hallway and cried out. My brother, Alfred, raced over to him and gripped me in a hug. It turned out to be just one of the servants putting up new torch lights.

"It's nothing to be afraid of Mattie," he chuckled. "Don't worry, you will always have your big brother, the hero, to protect you!"

Then Alfred's eyes lit up and I smiled up at him for what was to come next.

"Step follows step.

Hope follows courage.

Set your face toward danger.

Set your heart on victory."

It was a stanza from Ivan. My wonderful older brother loved Ivan- he worshiped him. He would always quote him during his game of 'hero' and used it to calm me down.

Alfred was my hero, no one else's. When our mother, Queen Jeanne, passed away from the Gray Death, Alfred was there to wipe my tears. Our father shattered into a million pieces after her death, and now rarely visits us. Arthur, our nursery maid, watched over us with worried eyes. Although he does love us, he mostly rammed vocabulary lessons into our brains- more so Alfred's- and taught us our lessons in a stern and boring way.

Alfred understood me, though we were as different as night and day. He was tan, while I was pale. He was muscle-toned (A six-pack, he would swear), and bursting with limitless energy. I was shorter than Alfred by just two inches but he liked to use that to his advantage all the time. I could never keep up with him in races, and would end up plopping down on the grass until he came trotting back. Alfred was brave and never backed down from a challenge, and I was fearful of every one of Russ's monsters that lay across the kingdom.

As children, Alfred would act out scenes from Ivan. It would always start out with the two of us together, travelling through the mountains of Elbrus and the fearful blizzard-clad lands of Siartic where the great dragon of General Winter slept. While I stood back behind a rock, Alfred would bravely fight the great General, and when he captured me, I would shriek in terror and pretend to faint. I always cracked one eye open though, to witness my brothers valiant battle with the monster.

But Alfred's favorite game was the Gray Death adventure. Although it shook many people across Russ and even caused my brave Alfred to shudder, I was never bothered by the fear that is the Gray Death. It was not a monster, but something that could be fought off if one tried hard enough.

In the game I was always the victim, of course. The first stage of the disease, the weakness, had me walk around the nursery with shaky feet….growing weaker and weaker until I had to drag myself over to the couch and climb atop it. I would then fall asleep before I would wake up and jolt to my feet, consumed by burning fever. I would rush quickly to the fireplace and rub the warm ashes into my already pale cheeks, for that is how the real victims looked.

Meanwhile, Alfred would be outside the kingdom battling monsters, talking with sorcerers, and trekking the frozen land of Siartic. While I chattered away with the fever, I would not start dying until he was ready to rescue me. When Alfred finally flashed his well-known smile after finding the cure, I would fall to the floor in a heap.

Alfred would then rush to me, and in my last few seconds of life, would deliver the cure and I would return his worried gaze by flashing a grin.

Everyone in Russ knew that the Gray Death would be cured one day. A specter had foretold it. The cure would be found when cowards found courage and rain fell over all Russ. That was the only clue we were led by.

One day, when I was nine and Alfred was ten, I asked him if he would one day go on a quest to find the cure himself.

"That's a no-brainer Mattie! I would wait, of course, until I'm older." My eyes had gone wide in fear. He wouldn't make it! I stared at my brave brother who had then gotten to his feet and took his wooden sword in one hand, making slashes through the air.

"I will be the one to save all of Russ, Mattie! Just you wait!"

"What about me, brother!?" I had gotten up and hugged Alfred tightly.

Alfred lowered his sword and unhooked my arms from around his waist, then cupped my face between his warm hands, and gave me a smile.

"You will find a wonderful prince or princess to marry, of course! Then you can show them all your wonderful paintings."

"What if…what if no one likes me?" I mumbled.

"That's just silly, Mattie."

"But what if!"

"Then I would take you with me."

"I wouldn't come. I would hold you back. Too afraid."

Alfred groaned and let go of my face. "Geez Mattie! Fine, what if I promise to never leave your side until you are wed? Is that okay?"

"You- You Promise?"

Alfred then took his wooden sword and placed it on the floor while one hand covered his heart. "I swear to never have fun-"

I rolled my eyes and gave him a light punch.

"To never leave Prince Matthew Bonnefoy's side until he has wed. May Ivan himself come down from the heavens and strike me dead if I break this pledge."

"Thank you Al!" I swept my brother into a bear-choking hug and giggled happily.

I hoped to never come across the Gray Death again, but fate would play out a different tune.