Alfred had thought that by this point, he no longer needed to teach his brother how to behave. It was a failing on his part, of course, to assume that Matthew's conditioning and love for him would hold up against the words of strangers. But that was okay – nations like them tend to live very long lives, and he would have almost forever to make sure his little bro understood that not only was Alfred the most important person in his life, but he was the only relevant person in it as well.

Sharp pain lanced through his head, leaving him reeling and cradling it in one hand. He stared at his little brother; whose wide, innocent eyes stared back at him in confusion. Did Matthew not understand? Didn't he know how much he hurt Alfred by doubting him? Didn't he-

Fix this, a voice hissed internally, and the pressure in his head increased ever so slightly until he acquiesced. He would. He had to. It was only a shame that Mattie couldn't have just been good for him.

"Do you know why I'm doing this?" he asked the restrained child. The boy, unsure of whether the question was rhetorical or not shook his head minutely, instinctively leaning into the hand that was placed on his cheek. "No? Mattie, you're very intelligent. I'm sure you're smart enough to figure it out," Alfred continued, hand moving from Matthew's cheek until it was firmly grasping his chin. He stared into violet eyes, watching as they clouded slightly with his next order.

"Recite the first rule."

Matthew's response was automatic after having had the rules drilled into his head repeatedly. "Your word is law," he said without faltering.

A bemused smile graced Alfred's face. "And the next one?"

"As your word is law, it is the truth," he continued dutifully. It was clear that Matthew knew, but clearly, it was shallow memorization rather than a deep comprehension.

And here was the crux of the matter. "So, little brother, why would you ask me if I kill people? Haven't we discussed this in the past? Am I not a good ruler? Good rulers don't kill, do they?"

Alfred could see some of the clarity return to Matthew's eyes as his face started reddening. "Um... w-well...I-" At this point, Alfred had already dropped his brother's face and took a few steps back to observe him as a whole.

"Don't stutter."

"Sorry. Well, it's just that Jill told me that she had a secret, so I wanted to know what it was! But then she said that you were… that you were a killer," his voice hitching, "and I didn't really believe her! I promise I didn't since you've told me before that you don't," his voice starting to rise in panic, "but… but she seemed so scared and made me promise not to tell and I – and I betrayed her trust, but there's no way I could ever, ever lie to you!"

Matthew started tearing up at the thought that his big brother didn't believe him. "So, I asked… I knew the answer, but I asked just in case-"

"Mattie, what is the first rule and second rule?" And Alfred saw the tears falling from Matthew's face onto the ground as he spoke.

"Your word is… your word is law and as it is the law, it is the truth."

Alfred feigned deep thought as he tapped his chin inquisitively, staring off into the distance. "And I know I've said before that you can disregard anything a stranger asserts to be true unless I've told you to listen to them… similar to how we've already covered that this isn't the first time I've told you that I don't kill people." Alfred finally let his eyes lock onto Matthew's once more. "I thought you were doing so well, but it seems I've been a bit too lenient with you. I've given you too much freedom and leeway as you clearly were not ready to play with the other kids."

"I-I'm sorry! I won't do it again, I swear!"

"Too late, Matthew," Alfred's gaze hardened. "I trusted you and you took advantage of that."

The tone hurt. Matthew - not Mattie nor little brother, and the shock of that left him reeling as the world was suddenly dizzyingly slow. Time had frozen, leaving him unable to draw air as he felt his heart skip. After a few drawn-out seconds, a harsh, heaving wheeze jerked him out of his stupor as reality eventually washed over him, thoughts solidifying into clarity after what seemed like an eternity of confusion. Alfred was disappointed in him... Alfred was mad at him.

His bottom lip started trembling as he started begging, pleas and apologies falling from the same breaths as he was ignored completely.

"It's unfortunate, but it seems you'll have to be disciplined," Alfred pressed on as if Matthew's reality hadn't been shaken apart completely. He waited until the sobs quieted down, continuing as if they never happened. "Trust me, Mattie, I really do hate when I have to do this, but it's for your own good. You'll be cleansed of all the things you don't need. Do you understand what that means, Mattie?"

His voice kept hitching, but Matthew tried to stabilize himself enough to give a coherent response. "Y-yes... it… it means to get rid of unpleasant things." He couldn't help it when his hands started shaking as he subtly tested the strength of his bonds. He was scared. He was scared and terrified and didn't know why when he was sure Alfred had never hurt him. But his body was reacting on its own as if it already knew what was going to happen. The wicked smile on Alfred's face didn't reassure him either. Alfred was… he was... intimidating to look at and- and- and what was he going to do to him.

"Very good, Mattie. We're going to rid you of all those unpleasant and unwanted thoughts and behaviours. And then, I'm going to teach you all the rules again from scratch."