"The most tragic thing in the world is a man of genius who is not a man of honor."
- George Bernard Shaw
As Matthew entered the dark castle, he squinted. His spectacles had broken when he had fallen off his horse, but nonetheless they offered the only clarity in the dark room. The large double doors shut and he pulled his cloak tighter around him protectively, shuddering. It was not cold in the dark castle like he had expected; a familiar warmth wafted throughout the room, suggesting that candles had been lit earlier, but the effect only served to make him more uneasy. Someone lived here, and that someone didn't want to be disturbed, judging by the horrible journey it took to get here and the fact that no one had come to the gate or the door for him.
His steps echoing against the pristine and shiny floor of the palace, he made his way to a staircase covered in velvety carpet. Whoever lived here had quite a fortune despite being secluded from the rest of the world like Matthew assumed they were.
"H-Hello?" Called his voice, hesitant and impossibly soft as it always was. Of course, it was impossible to hear him in the vast castle with a voice that small.
Gulping, he mustered up all of his courage and began the ascent up the staircase, wringing his hands as he reached the top of the staircase. It wound up into a hallway that was, surprisingly, lit by candles on the walls, each about two feet apart. Thank goodness! At least now he wouldn't be wandering around in the dark.
"Hello?" He asked again, his voice just as quiet. He received no response, as he expected.
Gulping, he continued forward, peering into the first doorway he saw. There were no candles lit inside, so it was hard to see, but it seemed void of any people. He closed the door, turning around and taking a step forward, only to collide with a very fine-clothed, very large, chest.
Squeaking incoherently, Matthew backpedaled into the door, eyes widening in horror as he looked up and his eyes met a pair of piercing green ones. The creature for whom the eyes belonged to looked down at him with anger and slight curiosity, taking in the features of the man before it by the light of the candle clasped in their clawed, furry paw. Matthew could just barely make out some of the creature's features, taking in the ornate, regal attire it wore, the horns protruding form the top of it's head, and the snarl it's mouth had become. Instead of teeth, it possessed fangs that Matthew was sure could rip him apart if need be.
"Who are you?" It asked, it's voice low and gravelly, sounding just too deep to be human.
Matthew opened his mouth, trying to force sound out with no success. His hand ran over the door, trying to find the knob, but in his panic it was evading him.
"Well?" It tried again, glaring.
"I-I... I..." Matthew gulped, still unable to take in the creature before him. It was impossible, wasn't it? This was all a dream... Or a nightmare.
"Really now, it's a simple question. Who are you? Besides an intruder in my home?"
"I-I'm Matthew..." Stuttered the blond, terrified. "I lost my way while traveling and I found your castle... I didn't mean anything by it..." He looked down, not wanting to look in the face of the creature any longer.
"Were you invited to reside here?"
"Well, no, but—" His hand found the doorknob. He had just begun to twist it when a hand clamped on his shoulder, two claws digging roughly into his skin.
"But you thought I would allow a stranger into my home to gorge themselves on the luxuries it contains? Ha! You, my friend, are certainly not an intellectual." The creature rolled his eyes and easily plucked Matthew off the ground, walking back down the stairs while the blond flailed about wildly.
"L-Lemme go! Please, I'll leave, I'll leave right now!"
"No, no, you wanted to stay here, did you not? I have a special room for you." Replied the creature easily as he descended another staircase and pushed open a wooden door with his shoulder. Mathew noticed that the creature had an English accent.
The creature tossed the man he held to the floor, chuckling. Matthew's eyes widened as he met the concrete floor of the room harshly. He sat up to see the monster pushing a hay bail into the corner. A puddle of water sat in the opposite corner, and beside it several flies had gathered. Rusted chains were attached to the wall and Matthew scooted away from them, hoping he wouldn't be confined by them as he imagined past intruders had been.
The monster eyed him for a moment, muttered a sarcastic "enjoy your stay", and slammed the door. There was a jingle of keys that Matthew assumed was the creature locking the door, and yet he still ran forward and checked it to affirm his assumption.
There was only one thing on his mind, one creeping concern that would gnaw at him for as long as he was trapped in there: Alfred.
As the blond slipped into the foreboding castle, he could not think of anything else but his brother.
"Mattie?" His voice rang out loudly as he called for his missing sibling.
"A-Alfred?" Came the hesitant call of his older brother after a moment of tense silence.
"Mattie?!" Alfred cried, turning towards a staircase in the direction of his brother's voice. "Are you downstairs?" He asked loudly, walking towards them.
"You need to get out of here! There's a monster here and it'll trap us both! Don't worry about me, just go!"
"What? I'm not leaving you!" The younger of the two descended the staircase, taking two steps at a time, and was met with a wooden door. There was a small window with bars over the front, and through them he saw his brother pressed up against them, eyes widened with concern and fear.
"Alfred, please!" Matthew pleaded.
Alfred rarely had any regard for his personal safety, but Matthew, on the other hand, was constantly plagued with thoughts of his brother's well being. He could not rest well when Alfred took trips, could not think straight when Alfred was doing a dangerous task for extra money, could not spend one moment happy when his brother wasn't. He cared so absolutely for his brother, it was always at the forefront of his mind. He would risk everything, even his own life, to keep his younger brother safe.
"I already told you, I'm not going anywhere without you! Whatever monster trapped you here wasn't the smartest, because it left the keys hanging up." Alfred told his brother as he snatched them off a hook.
Matthew was silent as his brother tried the keys, tapping his foot against the concrete nervously and wringing his pale, strong hands. Finally, the door swung open and Alfred threw his arms around Matthew, squeezing him tightly. The keys clattered to the floor by Alfred's foot, already disregarded.
"So what was the monster like?" Alfred questioned as he pulled back, looking over his brother quickly to make sure no harm had come to him. "Was it an actual monster? Or just a scary person?"
"I'd say an actual monster." A deep, dark voice sounded from behind the blond.
Quickly twisting around, Alfred's eyes widened in fear and shock. Matthew tried to pull him back, but he stood his ground, staring up at the beast.
"You speak much too loudly for your own good, you know. If you really wanted to formulate an escape, you shouldn't have proclaimed how stupid I was so loudly." The monster said with a roll of his eyes.
Alfred didn't reply, simply gritting his teeth and making a fist. He didn't care how tall this monster was. When it came to his brother, he would fight anything.
"Now, Alfred, is it? Your brother was trespassing, and apparently it runs in the family, which is worthy of punishment. But I need one to tell the tale and make sure no one gets any ideas about coming back here, so I'll let you leave." The monster held the door open with a beastly claw.
"I'm not going anywhere. Let my brother go." Responded the blond, his voice a low growl and his blue eyes dark.
The beast raised a brow, or at least raised a darker part of fur above his eyes. It had been a very long time since anyone had blatantly disobeyed him. It had also been a long time since he had seen that kind of fire in someone's eyes, a fire burning so bright you knew it was never-ending. He hadn't seen that kind of passion since he met her.
But God, was it beautiful to see.
"Hm." The monster said as he looked Alfred over, trying to remain aloof and distant despite the way his heart was pounding.
There was something so exhilarating about someone challenging him, something Arthur loved so much about a fiery passion in someone's heart, something so attractive about defiance. Perhaps it was because he knew the man must be intelligent. Arthur had turned so many away for seeming less intelligent than him, including her, but he couldn't seem to stop feeling superior to those who weren't as intellectual as he was. And finally, there was someone who seemed just as smart as he was, someone who didn't care about any of the rules because he knew he was better than them.
"Fine. He can go."
Alfred sighed in relief, hurriedly taking Matthew's arm. "C'mon, Mattie, let's go." He urged, and his brother began to walk.
"No, no. I said he could leave." The beast's arm was raised, preventing the brothers from going any further.
"What?" Asked Matthew.
"Your brother must stay in your place, obviously." Arthur clucked his tongue.
Matthew turned back to Alfred, grabbing his shoulders. "You have to go." He shook.
"No! I came here to rescue you and I'm going to! It's what heroes do!"
"Damn it, Alfred, this isn't about being a hero! This is more than that! This is me telling you that I can't let you stay here! You have so much more potential than I'll ever have!"
"That's not true! You're engaged to Gilbert, and his family really cares about you! They'd all be devastated if you were gone! No one but you would care if I was gone!"
"Alfred, please! You know that's not true. What about Kiku? And Antonio?!"
"Kiku will be fine without me! You and Kiku have a family! I have nobody but you and him! And Antonio only wants me because he sees me as some kind of game and he wants to win it! You know that! So just let me do this for you already!"
"I'm not going to let you—"
Both siblings were cut off by their own yelps as they were lifted off the ground by their collars, the monster's claws digging into their shirts. They swung a bit as the beast carried them wordlessly upstairs,despite Alfred's insistence that the beast give some kind of answer as to why it was doing this.
"Get a carriage, now." The monster calmly ordered a tall, blond-haired man, who nodded and walked off.
"Hey! Let us down!" Alfred demanded, swinging his arms and landing a fist in the monster's gut.
Aggravated, but deciding the blond should at least get a bit of respect for being an intellectual, the monster set Alfred to the floor.
"Well?! What about him!?" Alfred demanded, running over to his brother and beginning to tug on the beats's arm.
"Don't push your luck." The beast replied simply as the blond man returned and nodded again.
"Escort him to an empty room." The accented monster commanded, gesturing toward Alfred.
The man approached Alfred, placing his large hand on the small of his back and nudging him forward gently, his mouth a grim line.
"ALFRED!" Matthew cried, trying to twist out of the beast's grip. "ALFRED, PLEASE!"
"I love you!" Alfred called back, now being pushed by the taller blond man down a dark hallway. He twisted his neck in time to see Matthew being thrown out the doors. He caught sight of a woman with the same blond colored hair as the man pushing him away pulling Matthew to his feet and beginning to drag him away before the doors shut. The monster departed, going down a different hallway.
As what he had just done truly sunk in, Alfred felt his knees go weak and he slid to the floor.