I suppose I should give a disclaimer. I wanted to write this week and especially today, but my muse has been shot, but I forced this out anyway. So, if it's horrid, please accept my apologies. I hope you enjoy this and that it isn't too horrible!

Against Nature Chapter 12

King Randor stood between the two rooms with indecision. He had tried to sleep on it, tried to find some kind of resolution to everything he had found out, but it hadn't changed anything: he was still unbelievably angry at his brother, even though there was a smidge of sympathy at the news that he and his wife were separated, and he was extremely disappointed in Adam.

The question he now faced was who he was going to address first and what was he going to say when he did. He had stewed about it all night long—sleep had not been forthcoming. He had tossed and turned with indecision. When it came to Stefen, part of him wanted to stick to his original plans and ban his brother from ever entering his kingdom again. He knew the decision was a little drastic, but he had also known that when he had banished Lady Edwina for her wrongdoings. She had been selfish and uncaring of others. He had done it to teach her a lesson. There was the hope that she would one day look back at her actions and understand why she had been banished. He still hoped that she would one day come to apologize for her conduct. He would open his arms and welcome her back in that very instant. He wouldn't hesitate.

But he found things a little harder with his brother on multiple levels. He loved Stefen. Out of all of his siblings, Stefen had been the one that had impacted his life the most. Yes, some of his impact had been bad, but a lot bad been good, as well. Stefen had always been the one to include him in whatever his siblings had going on. In those days, his other younger siblings had always been slightly fearful of him because he was the future King of Eternia. He had never once snitched on them or betrayed them; nevertheless, they had held the fear that one day he would…but Stefen hadn't. He had included him in almost everything, and even though Stefen was younger, Randor was grateful to his brother for his camaraderie and presence. He supposed that's why he had held more resentment towards Stefen after their father's disappearance. He understood and tolerated his other siblings' silence over the years. That had been nothing new, but when Stefen had done the same, it had hurt. It had been a betrayal, just like taking Adam to Madelia had been a betrayal. Stefen knew he wouldn't like both acts, and yet, he had done it anyway with no real explanation. His brother's actions made it easy for him to be angry…

And, yet, he was extremely sad that his brother was now going through a hard time. He couldn't imagine for one moment being separated from Marlena. He had known when Stefen had shown up without Liana or Dal that something was off, but he would never have imagined the true reason as to why. He knew it was possible that Stefen had been seeking refuge in Madelia—maybe he had been trying to forget what was happening to his marriage, but that didn't excuse his decision to bring Adam along with him.

He had snuck Adam out of the palace, so he had no doubt in his mind that his brother had been aware that he was doing something he shouldn't. There was no denying that…but maybe Stefen hadn't thought things through at the time. He knew if Marlena had left him, he wouldn't have been able to function, much less think. It was possible that his brother had simply wanted to forget in a bottle and Adam sufficed as a companion, a young man who would get into a little trouble with him and get his mind off of things.

The more he thought about it, the more it made sense to Randor. Of course, all of this was mere speculation. He would have to talk to his brother and get his explanations to know for sure.

The king stared at his brother's bedroom door and then turned his head to look at Adam's. Suddenly, he felt a soft hand touch his shoulder. He turned his head a little farther to stare into the beautiful hazel eyes of his wife.

"Go talk to your brother," she whispered as she wove her fingers through his and squeezed his hand gently.

"I have to talk to Adam, too," he said, knowing that his obligations as a father outweighed his obligations as an older brother.

Marlena smiled, stood on her toes, and kissed Randor's lips chastely. "I'll talk to Adam," she replied. "You need to talk to your brother and handle things. Then, we'll get together and decide if you need to have another talk with Adam, but I think it will prove unnecessary."

Randor hugged his wife and squeezed her a little. "I hope so," he whispered.

=)=)=)

After King Randor had knocked on his brother's door and gone inside, the queen made her way to Adam's bedchambers. She nodded at the guard who was stationed at the door and said, "You're relieved of your duties, Dion. Go rest up, and if we need something, we'll contact you."

Dion bowed and replied, "Thank you, Your Majesty."

As the sentinel walked away, Marlena knocked on the door and entered without waiting for a response. She had expected to see Adam still lying in bed, but what she saw surprised her:

Adam was completely dressed, sitting on his bed with his legs crossed before him. He looked like he had been there for a while whereas Cringer was still sound asleep.

"Good morning, son," she said as she came closer and walked around Cringer. "I hadn't expected you to be up so early. Aren't you usually still asleep at this time?"

Adam shrugged and replied, "Sometimes. It depends on what I have to do that day."

Marlena nodded and sat on the bed near him. "So, what is on the agenda today that has gotten you up so early?" she asked.

"Nothing is on the agenda. The truth is I couldn't sleep—I've been thinking about what happened last night."

Marlena threw a leg on the bed and folded it in front of her as she turned to face Adam a little more. "Your father and I did the same."

Adam turned his head to the door and saw that his mother had shut it. No one else was coming. "Where is Father?" he wondered aloud.

"He's talking to your uncle. Luckily, your father seems a lot calmer today than he had been last night."

Adam frowned and looked down at his lap. "Mom, do you think Father is really going to banish Uncle Stefen? I'll admit we both messed up, but he doesn't deserve all the blame in this. I willingly went along and I was the one who got myself sick. Uncle Stefen is only responsible for taking me there, and that's all."

Marlena grabbed his hand and said, "That might be enough for your father, but to tell the truth, I don't know. It could go either way. I know he loves his brother, Adam, but he loves you, and I know he doesn't want you to have a negative influence in your life."

Adam scooted to the edge of the bed beside his mother, unfolded his legs, and swung them to the floor. "I'm old enough to know what is right and wrong," he stated coolly. "I make my own decisions, so Uncle Stefen's actions never 'influenced' me. I made the choice freely, knowing it was wrong."

Marlena's eyes shot to Adam's. "Then, why did you do it?"

Adam jumped off the bed and turned away from her. "At the time, I didn't know," he admitted calmly, "but now that I've been able to think about it, I realize I do know. When I was a child, I tried to live up to what Father wanted me to be, so I never got in trouble. I studied constantly, I went to court and listened while other kids played outside, and I never did anything to make Father or you ashamed of me. I know in recent years my…drive in those regards have lessened, but the truth is I want to experience what I'm missing out on. You said so yourself the day Uncle Stefen showed up. You said I didn't do what men at my age typically do. I heard you, Father, and Uncle Stefen discussing their behavior when they were younger. Why was it so okay for Father to break the rules when he was younger, but it's so awful when I do it? It's not like I'm running around and producing illegitimate heirs! I'm certainly not getting into fights like Father did during his outings."

Marlena widened her eyes, startled. Evidently, Stefen had told Adam about some of their outings. Randor wasn't going to like that, and he definitely wasn't going to like Adam's position on the issue.

"I went to a bar and made friends with a few Eternos citizens!" continued Adam, not seeing his mother's reaction. "Is it really that big of a deal?"

Marlena sighed heavily, closed her eyes for a moment, and then replied, "Yes, Adam, it is. It would be one thing if that was your only indiscretion, but you also made yourself sick. And, you even went to an illegal establishment! Not only that, you snuck out of the palace to do it. You purposely tried to hide something from your father and me, and King Stefen helped you do it. Your father has every right to be angry."

Adam faced his mother and questioned, "So, if I had come to you and said, 'Hey, I want to go to a bar with Uncle Stefen. Can I go?' you would have been okay with that?"

Marlena pursed her lips for a moment and then answered, "I would have been okay with the question, but I wouldn't have let you go."

Adam then lifted his hands and widened his eyes in a gesture which clearly indicated that her answer was why he hadn't told them in the first place.

The queen stood and walked to her son. She stood face-to-face with him and said firmly, "You are still underage, Adam. You have no place in such an establishment whether it is legal or not. And, you have no business drinking, either. Whether you believe it or not, your father and I have your best interest at heart. We just want you to be happy and safe."

Adam nodded at his mother, already knowing her words to be true, and went back to sit down on the bed. "And, what about Ashlyn and the rest of the guys? Am I really forbidden to see them?"

"At this time, you are," answered Marlena honestly, "but I'll talk to your father. I will give no promises, because I'm not entirely sure what I think of them…but we'll see."

=)=)=)

King Randor walked into his brother's bedchambers and frowned. King Stefen was seated on the edge of his bed with his hands clasped together and his dead drooping towards the floor. His bags were packed and sitting on the floor all around him. "I see that you're packed," he said softly as a greeting.

Stefen looked up, somewhat worried and somewhat relieved to get this confrontation over with, and nodded. "Yeah, I figured I might as well get it done, so I can leave quickly after our talk."

Randor walked across the room and sat beside his brother. Their awkwardness around one another now was palpable, but he strove to overcome it anyway. "Are you so sure that I'm going to kick you out of the palace?" he questioned.

Stefen laughed, but Randor could tell there was no mirth in it. "Well, you did proclaim my banishment last night. I am taking that at face value."

Randor sighed and asked, "Do you want to leave Eternos?"

Stefen stared at his brother for a few moments. It sounded like Randor was having second thoughts about last night's decision. He shook his head and said, "Not really, but I do want to go if you want me gone, brother. I do not wish to be any place where I am not welcomed."

Randor stood and walked away from the bed. With his back still to King Stefen, he replied, "I was angry last night, and I'll admit I'm still angry…but I know you didn't set out to harm Adam in any way." He turned around and looked at his brother. "Why did you take my son to Madelia?"

"Do you really want the truth?"

"You know I do."

Stefen stood and walked to Randor. Standing eye-to-eye, he admitted, "I wanted a companion. I had every intention of going to Madelia when I came to Eternos. I had decided that before I had even arrived, but you must know I didn't plan on Adam being that individual. It's just that when I met him, I knew I had to take him along."

Randor furrowed his brows. "You had to? Why?"

"Randor, your son is missing out on so much that life has to offer!" he exclaimed. "For example, did you know that Adam didn't realize the streets of Eternos were busy at night? He thought everything shut down! He had no idea!"

Randor narrowed his eyes even more and said, "Maybe I wanted it that way. The things that go on at night…"

Stefen shook his head and stated spiritedly, "He's the future King of Eternia! He has to be aware of what his people are doing! You have sheltered him far too much, Brother!"

Randor glared at Stefen and stated firmly, "That's really not your place to say."

"It's not?" whispered Stefen in question. He looked around the room for a second before meeting his brother's eyes again. "Adam will one day be the planet's High King. He will be making decisions that will affect me and every person on this planet. He doesn't need the disadvantage of not knowing all there is to know about Eternia!"

Randor shook his head and placed his hands behind his back as he straightened his posture. "So, you thought it was your right to go behind my back and educate my son?" he spat angrily.

Hearing the hostility in his brother's voice made him drop his eyes. He knew if he wanted to stay in Eternos, he needed to calm his brother back down. Continuing to keep his voice low even though Randor had fairly shouted, he denied the high king's words. "I didn't think it was my right and I even daresay it wasn't my place, but I look at him and I see a lot of you in him…and he doesn't have a brother to hang out with and get into trouble with like you did. Now, I know you may think that's a good thing, but is it really? Do you know what Adam told me the first night I took him out?"

Randor didn't say anything. He merely stood there waiting for his brother to continue. He didn't have to wait long:

"He told me that he didn't have many acquaintances his age around the palace. I guarantee that's why he agreed to go, Randor! He got the opportunity to get out of his own head and get away from all the expectations. He was able to make friends with people his own age and he got to be just Adam! I know you understand that, because you made that observation when we were young—you could never be yourself around the courtiers or even Father. Everyone had an expectation of who you were supposed to be. You said when you went out with me, it was a relief. Why wouldn't you want that for your son?"

Randor shook his head and said, "Adam never snuck out or had a problem with his friends within the palace until you showed up."

"If that were true, Randor, then why did he come with me? I didn't twist his arm. He went out willingly, twice!"

Randor paused and knew there was a little truth in his brother's words, if not all. He knew he would have to contemplate this later. "Look," he said decisively, "it's obvious that you care for my son. I appreciate that more than you know, but Adam is my son. Marlena and I are the ones who decide the rules of this palace and what Adam will be exposed to. You had no right to go behind our backs. Now, if you want to stay, you must agree to never do this again. I will not tolerate it a second time. So, what is your pleasure, brother? Do you stay or do you go?"

Stefen squeezed his brother's shoulder and said, "I want to stay."

"And, do you agree with my terms?" asked Randor unwaveringly.

"Yes."

Randor nodded and turned to go to a nearby chair. He sat down and replied, "Then, you can stay."

When Stefen went to hug his brother, Randor held up a hand to stop him. "I have something else I want to discuss. What happened between you and Liana?"

=)=)=)

Adam walked through the halls behind his mother and grimaced as they met up with Man-at-Arms and Teela on the way to the dining room. He knew both father and daughter were upset with him. He didn't know how angry Teela was, but he knew Duncan was seething. His mentor didn't greet him or even look in his direction.

He walked beside him and whispered, "So, you're still not talking to me?"

Duncan paused and said aloud, "My queen, would you mind if I spoke with Adam for a few moments alone?"

Marlena looked at Adam before nodding at Duncan. "Just see that he makes it to the dining room with no detours," she said with a smile.

"We'll be along shortly," he replied.

Once Teela and the queen were out of sight, Man-at-Arms turned to the prince and sighed. The boy looked like he was waiting for the world to explode around him: his eyelids were half-way across his eyes, his lips were in a definite frown, and he could barely meet his eyes. "I'm not ignoring you, Adam," said Duncan; "I just don't know what I want to say. You already know I'm disappointed and your parents are punishing you on top of the punishment I already gave you for your first trip to Madelia. What else is there left for me to address?"

"I don't know…anything. I can't stand this silence," Adam complained. He looked at him hopefully but briefly. He wouldn't believe they were okay until they truly talked to one another.

Duncan shook his head and replied, "Well, why don't we address Teela, then?"

Adam had no trouble meeting Man-at-Arm's eyes then. "What about Teela?"

"She's rather upset with you."

Adam looked up at the ceiling for a moment and replied, "I already knew that. That's typical. Did she say anything to you this time?"

Man-at-Arms nodded. "Yes, she says she's getting tired of you trying to get yourself killed and not taking her along when you want to go out…not that she would have let you go to Madelia if you had told her what you were planning."

Adam started walking towards the dining room, so Duncan followed. When he caught up, the prince questioned, "So, she only cares about being my bodyguard and that she wasn't there to protect me?"

Duncan gave him an odd look. "Well, she considers this another example of you not taking your responsibilities seriously."

Adam sighed and shook his head. "Yes, this would fit in with that reputation, wouldn't it?"

At that point, they walked into the dining room and Teela immediately looked up at them from her seat at the table. She knitted her brows as her eyes met Adam's before looking away.

Today was going to be a long day. Teela was assigned to be with him all day, and he knew he probably wouldn't enjoy it at all.

=)=)=)

Yes, the next chapter will be more exciting with Miss Teela getting her say in all of this. I'm just tired, so I decided to post as is. Again, hopefully, it wasn't too horrible.