"Mother."
It held no form of emotion that a child would feel towards their mother. Alfred knows that much. It sounded more like when a servant was greeting their master, out of fear rather than respect. And he knows. This woman didn't ask to be feared. She demanded it.
"Living room."
It was an order. They couldn't refuse. She stepped out of his room, the sound of her heels echoing in the hallways that were silenced by her presence. Arthur and Dylan both exchanged looks, and tentatively took their steps outside. Alfred followed suit. They stopped near the entrance of the manor, where two portraits were hung. One of them was a full family portrait. Arthur was in it and so was his late father, who sat in the middle of the picture. Beside him sat his stepmother, hair still as black and long, face still as pale and features still as sharp. She looked the same, as if she hadn't aged a day. Beside her stood Alistair, Patrick and Dylan, and Arthur was standing on the opposite side, beside his father. He remembered when they took that picture. It had been his father's idea. He suggested they took a family picture together, to commemorate his recent marriage. Everyone had smiled for the camera. At least they tried. It ended up looking forced, just like how his stepmother had forced his father to take down the picture of his family. His real family, when everything had been perfect and genuine.
Beside the portrait, hung another picture. This time with Arthur's stepmother sitting in the middle and her three sons standing behind her. She had a smile on her face, the kind that a queen wore as she ruled her kingdom, no one daring to oppose her. Arthur wasn't in the picture. He knew why she had chosen this specific place. It was a reminder. A reminder of who was in charge, a reminder of Arthur's place in this household. She wanted him to remember. Remember that his previous life was gone, replaced with a new one, just like how the portrait had replaced the other. He was reminded that he was not part of this family anymore. With his father gone, he had no say in this household. The one in power was her. The woman that stood intimidatingly tall in front of the portraits, the very same replica of the woman in the pictures. She stared down at the three of them, as if waiting for a response. When there was none, she shifted her gaze to Alfred, who fidgeted uncomfortably.
"Who is this?" It sounded more like a statement rather than a question.
Dylan glanced towards Arthur, who bit his bottom lip and clenched his fists around the fabric of his shirt.
"He's my friend, Alfred." Arthur replied, voice wavering just slightly.
"Friend?" There was a tinge of disbelief, mixed with repulse as she uttered the word.
"I don't remember giving you permission to invite a friend over."
Arthur lowered his head, letting his fringe cover his eyes. There a short pause before Dylan decided to speak up.
"Mom, Arthur was just practicing a school play with him. I'm sure this isn't a big deal."
"I never asked for your opinion Dylan." She said without even missing a beat.
Dylan flinched and he looked apologetically towards Arthur, his eyes saying 'I tried.'
The atmosphere was tensed and Alfred wasn't sure what he should do. From a corner of his eye, he noticed two other figures slowly approaching them. When they came into a clearer view, all eyes turned to look at them.
"Mom, is something going on?" The taller of the two spoke.
"You needn't concern yourself with this Alistair. You and Patrick, both." Their mother replied.
Alfred's mind was reeling. The whole family was gathered here. 'What a way to meet the family.' He thought.
"Dylan, what's going on?" Patrick asked, eyebrows furrowed as his eyes looked to his two younger brothers.
"Arthur seem to have forgotten his place in this family." The woman said, before Dylan could even make something out.
"Perhaps it's been too long since I last disciplined him. He's starting to do whatever he wants."
"He merely brought a friend over, what he did was beyond harmless!" Dylan raised his voice before he could stop himself.
No doubt it would only result in a worse situation. Alistair and Patrick seem to have caught on as they looked between Arthur and Alfred.
"I agree with Dylan mom. There's no need to make a scene by gathering them here." Alistair folded his arms, not to display authority like his mother, but because he didn't know what else to do with his hands.
"He's right. It's unreasonable for you to punish Arthur and Dylan over this. You let all three of us invite whoever we want without permission anyway." Patrick chimed in.
Arthur looked around his brothers in slight disbelief. He didn't expect them to defend him like this so readily. A few years ago, they'd never dared to speak up against their mother, only giving Arthur sympathetic looks whenever he was punished.
"Oh? Are the bunch of you teaming up against me now?" There wasn't any hurt or anger in her voice, just amusement.
"Have you all forgotten Arthur's place as well? Perhaps I should remind all of you who he is."
By now, quite a few servants had hid themselves nearby, peeking out slightly to watch the scene unfold in front of them, but not curious enough to get themselves tangled up in this family issue. Alistair tutted his tongue.
"I think the only person who'd forgotten who Arthur is, is you. He's a part of our family, no matter what you say. He had accepted us so readily when you married into the Kirkland household, and ever since father is gone, you started treating him like an outcast! It's even worse that no matter how poorly you had treated him, Arthur still considers us as a family. He still sees Patrick, Dylan and I as his brothers, and he still calls you mother. He belongs to this family, it's only right that-"
"Enough!"
Everyone in the room flinched at the loud voice that resounded in the manor. There was enough anger in her voice to make Alistair regret what he had just said. She walked closer to Arthur, standing a few feet in front of him. He swallowed the saliva that had gathered in his mouth. Swiftly, his stepmother raised a hand and Arthur knew what was going to happen. He shut his eyes closed as he waited for the impact. Only that it never came. Slowly, Arthur opened his eyes and saw a sight that made his heart stop. He could hear gasps and murmuring in the background. He could see his brothers' disbelieving eyes. But he ignored all of that as he drank in the scene in front of him. Alfred had grabbed his stepmother's arm, stopping it before she could land a hit. His eyes were dark and menacing, his very being emitting an aura that could be on par with Arthur's stepmother. The aura of a king. The arm in his hands pulled away violently and with a scandalous look on her face, she yelled,
"How dare you?!"
Alfred remained unfazed as he continued to glare holes into her. Her anger receded as she composed herself once again.
"Who do you think you are, interfering with my family problems? You dare step into my house uninvited and show me disrespect. I shouldn't be surprised that this is the kind of people that Arthur associates with."
"As Arthur's friend, it's only right that I stand up for him. You don't get any kind of respect from me seeing as to how you're treating him. This isn't Arthur's fault. It's mine. I came here on my own accord, Arthur didn't know I was coming. He tried to ask me to leave but I refused. So if you need anyone to blame, blame it on me." Alfred said.
Arthur was taken aback at how matured he sounded. It wasn't like Alfred at all. His stepmother let out a chuckle.
"How adorable. You must think you're some sort of hero. For an intruder, you seem very full of yourself." She said, eyes looking straight at Alfred.
Her heels had given her a boost on her height. Alfred was considerably tall, and she was able to look directly head to head with him.
"Do I have to remind you that I could sue you for trespass? And when I do, you can be sure that you will never see Arthur ever again."
"And at the same time, I can report you for domestic abuse. Not only I, but the servants in this manor are witnesses. I'm sure maybe even your own sons would be willing to testify against you if needed." Alfred retorted, long forgotten his boundaries as a stranger.
It had turned into a contest of who can glare at the other for the longest of time and everyone in the room could almost die from the tension.
"You think you can get away with threatening me in my own house?"
Before Alfred could reply, the entrance door creaked opened. All eyes turned to look at the poor soul that interrupted the thick atmosphere. He removed his top hat to reveal grey hair and his coat to show a butler's uniform. Owen paused in his movements to administer the eyes on him and the obvious tension in the air.
"Oh my, what is going on here?" he asked.
There was another silence before Arthur's stepmother flashed a smile. It was more of a smirk, one that hid dark intentions.
"You came in just at the right time dear Owen."
Eyebrows were raised and looks of confusion were present on the faces of some.
"From now on, I forbid you to act as Arthur's butler. This means you are not allowed to personally serve him any longer."
Owen's eyes widened at that and Arthur's face paled.
"You can't do that! Owen is all I have here!" He yelled.
"This is a punishment. You have no say in this matter and Owen, you cannot disobey orders."
"But my lady! I have been assigned to be Arthur's butler by the master himself! I cannot simply disregard his wishes and heed your orders."
"You can and you will. Have you forgotten who's in charge of this place now? Master Kirkland is gone and he has put me in charge in his will. I am the only one who has the copy of the will. I am the only one he has entrusted his assets to. None of you have any say in any matter regarding this household and none of you should ever disobey me!" Her loud voice bounced off the walls and if there were anyone else not present at the scene in the manor, they would've surely heard that outburst.
"Clearly it's because you have been spoiling Arthur too much that he's forgotten his place. Taking you away from him is only right. Either you obey me or I will fire you." She continued, her voice softer but still just as firm.
"No!" Arthur blurted out.
He ran towards Owen and to the surprise of many, hugged the older man. Or more like, he clung to him, nails digging into the fabric of his tailcoat as if his life depended on it. Owen was taken aback and let out a light gasp. Everyone around them stood awkwardly in their place, not knowing what to do at the turn of events. Everyone except his stepmother, who shifted her weight on to her other foot impatiently.
"Please. Just listen to her. You can't leave me here. You promised you'll never leave me. You promised you'll never abandon me… just like how Dad did…" it came out as a weak whisper, just loud enough for Owen to hear.
"My Lord…" It was all that he could bring himself to utter.
The butler could feel a warm moisture pooling on the front of his uniform as Arthur buried himself further into his chest. He realized soon enough that the wetness he felt was Arthur's tears.
"You don't have to serve me. Just stay here, that's all I ask of you. If you leave the manor, I'll never be able to see you again. At least with you here, your presence would still bring me a sense of comfort." Arthur felt his voice crack as he forced out the words, ignoring the lump in his throat.
He felt arms wrapping around him, returning the embrace. It was much more gentle than the hold he had on Owen and he felt it pat his back in a soothing manner. Before he knew it, Arthur was gently pushed away and Owen gave him a reassuring smile. His gentle gaze hardened as he shifted his eyes to look at a pair of black condescending ones.
"Very well. I will not serve Arthur as his butler anymore. If only to stay in this manor would provide him a sense of assurance, I will gladly remain here."
"How noble." She said with a smirk.
"Then it's settled. Owen, get ready. I still have many tasks for you to do." Arthur's stepmother turned and she started walking away, but not before she stopped, her back facing everyone else.
"Just so you know, Arthur's punishment isn't over. I will assign a servant to keep watch on him every single day. I'll make sure he doesn't get any funny ideas of sneaking out of the house. Or bringing anyone else in." Her stone cold words reverberated in Arthur's mind.
As she swiftly walked away, the surrounding servants in hiding went back to their work one by one, murmurings still on their lips. Arthur's brothers all gave him pitiful looks and tried saying words of comfort that had little to no effect to lift his spirit. Slowly, everyone else started to part, leaving Arthur, Alfred and Owen to stand in the middle of the room, unmoving. Alfred was the first to speak.
"Arthur, I'm so sorry. I am so so so sorry this happened. I never meant, I didn't… God, I hate myself so much. It's okay if you're mad at me. I understand. This is all my fault, I'm so stupid! I just-"
"Alfred." Arthur managed to say.
The American paused and looked hesitantly into the other's eyes.
"I think you should leave."
Alfred's eyes widened and Arthur shifted his gaze elsewhere. He expected the other to yell, to panic, to be upset. But he did none of that.
"Okay, I understand." It came out oddly calm.
He gave Arthur a tight hug, before pulling away, reluctance showing in his arms and face. Arthur watched in silence as Alfred took his steps away from him and towards the front door. He looked back at Arthur before he opened it.
"Just… tell me if you're okay. If you need someone by your side, I'll be there. I'll come running to you. I promise." And with that, he left the manor.
There was a short silence. Arthur was sure he was numb. That he felt nothing. But then his vision was blurring and he realized his eyes were welling up with tears. He cracked out a sob and covered his face with his hands. Arthur felt a pair of warm hands on his shoulders and he opened his eyes to see a concerned Owen in front of him.
"Arthur, it's alright. Everything will be okay." He said.
"Will it really?" Arthur replied with a shivering voice.
"I feel so alone."
"No, you're not. You're never alone. Arthur, you're strong. I believe in you, your brothers believe in you, and I can tell that your friend believes in you too. Your father, he would be so proud to see you grow to be so strong. Keep your faith. You're not going through this alone. You are important and I need you to always have courage. This isn't the end of your story. This is just the beginning."
He felt Owen fully wrap his arms around him in an embrace.
"And I will see it through with you till the end. After all, I promised you, didn't I? That I will never leave you by yourself."
Arthur could feel his eyes watering up with more tears, although it was replaced with a different kind of sadness.
"Thank you. For everything." He said in a soft voice as he returned the embrace.
It was so heartwarming to see people still interested in this story. Every single review was read, loved and appreciated! Thank you all for your encouraging words, it really makes a writer's day!
I apologize if chapter 7 was a little short. I originally intended to have it longer but once I finished writing the scene of Arthur's punishment, I felt it was appropriate to end it there. Thus, it ended up being shorter than the previous chapter. I'm sorry that it took quite long to publish such a short and simple chapter. I had to prepare for my tests and now that test week is over, I have a short break of about 2 weeks. I will try to use this short window to write the next chapter before school starts for me again. Hopefully I'll finish it soon in the midst of finishing my school projects too. ;;
Thanks for reading!
