A/n: Thanks everyone that keeps reading my story and those of u that take the time to review! I didn't originally intend this to be the next chapter, but here we are and hopefully you will enjoy it. As a warning I will say this is probably the darkest chapter in the story, and may upset you as it does deal with abuse of children. I personally feel that abuse of any kind is never ok for any reason and if you or someone you know is in that kind of situation then they need to know that there's people out there that do care and will help any way that hey can. As for this chapter, I feel it's necessary to explain the character's motives and to give a little in site into his backstory. If you have any thoughts, or even just need someone to talk to, feel free to let me know! Hope everyone is having a great start to 2023!
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He dipped the tip of his quill into the blackness of the ink reservoir while absentmindedly staring at the parchment resting on the desk in front of him. Normally the lights in the royal chamber could be seen blazing brightly from his window high atop the castle. Many often thought it strange, but the fact was that he rarely slept. When he did, it was never for very long as there was far too much to do, and time shouldn't be wasted lying uselessly in bed. Even as a child, the man he had called his father had made sure that he knew not to ever waste valuable time. That lesson had been beaten into him thoroughly. So, sleeping late, relaxing, or sitting around gossiping like many nobles did was simply out of the question.
He looked up at the ceiling while tapping his fingers on the polished desk and couldn't help but to reminisce about his childhood. He remembered most of it, all the way back till around when he was eight years old. Most of the kids his age probably spent their days playing outside in the streets or following their parents around as they did their trades. If they were lucky, some spent their time indoors being tutored in mathematics and other courses fitting the nobles they would become. For the most part, their only worries were trying to find new and inventive ways to cure the boredom that comes with youth. He, however, had not been so lucky. Every time he thought about his own childhood, his mood grew sour, but the thoughts were never that easy to get rid of and more often than not he couldn't stop dwelling on them.
Trying to distract himself from his current train of thought because he knew exactly where it would lead, as it always did, he shuffled the stack of parchment around almost violently before lining it up back up neatly in line with the edge of the desk. For a moment, he decided to focus on more recent events and found himself focusing on Garnet again. She was beautiful, no one could deny that. Her beauty was something fitting of a goddess never meant to be soiled by mere mortals. Skin of delicate porcelain and hair like fine velvet. Any one thing by itself would have made her beautiful, but what made her even more alluring was her innocence; it was almost inconceivable that she stayed blissfully ignorant of the way most men stared at her appreciatively. He wagered that there were many rich men that would part with most of their fortune to spend just a solitary night with her. He couldn't blame them, but they were all fools. Her true beauty lay in her mind and her abilities. She was brilliant; arguably his equal in every way. So, wasn't it logical for him to adore her?
"Hmm…" He pondered, picking up the parchment and holding it far too tight tightly. "Then why is it that I want more than anything to see her burned alive like the wench she is?!" He yelled suddenly, ripping the parchment in half and wadding the pieces up tightly.
"Damn you Garnet!" He fumed. "It was all going exactly as intended until you just had to muck it all up with your common blood filth! You could have been a flower salesman somewhere, or maybe even been bright enough to own your own brothel! But no! You thought you could play at being queen and rob me of what was rightfully mine!" He paced back and forth across the spacious room in the light of the single meagre lantern trying to calm himself but found that his rage couldn't be so easily contained. "Even when I finally should have been rid of you, you had to show up again with a Godsdamn Eidolon!" He roared, slinging the contents of the desk across the room. "Now thanks to you, people have begun to question my rule! You think I don't hear the whispers that you're still alive and that I have stolen YOUR castle?! I hope you can hear me, Garnet! There will be retribution for this, and their death will be on your hands!" Braxton began to laugh. It was a small chuckle at first, almost just a sneer but slowly it grew into a frenzy-like fit of laughter that continued for quite a while.
"What if the people find out your secret as well?" A small pale black-haired boy dressed in a blue suit asked from the corner of the room.
"What?" Braxton asked suddenly, his laughter immediately coming to an end. He turned around sharply and stared at the boy, who showed no fear or any other discernable emotions. "What did you just say to me?"
The boy said nothing, only stood gazing at him silently without moving.
"They will never find out!" He hissed quietly. "If you so much as even try to utter one syllable of it then I'll…"
"Kill me?" The boy offered in the same emotionless voice.
"Yes.." Braxton confirmed softly, becoming lost in the memories that washed over him. "Just like back then… I still remember that day."
"Benjamin! Get your sorry backside out of bed!" The man yelled, kicking him in the side.
"Oww!" Benjamin cried, struggling to sit up while clutching the spot that would surely be bruised and even sorer in a couple of hours.
"What was that for, father?" He asked hurtfully, trying his best to hold back the tears in his eyes. When his Father, or at least the man he considered one, drew his hand back, he feared that he would hit him again for asking and quickly covered his head with his arms. Quickly, he stole a glance at the other three children cowering in the far corner hoping one of them would help him, but they were just as scared as he was.
Milda was the youngest at only six, but he, Gilroy and Renley were all eight years old. As similar as they all looked with their unwashed faces covered in dirt, none of them of them were related, though they guessed it could have been possible since they also shared not knowing who their real parents were. Before coming here, all they remembered was running the streets at night terrified that the wolves and other creatures that howled in the distance would catch them and devour them. After a few moments passed, and no further hit came, Benjamin nervously returned his gaze upward. The man was looking at him in disgust and was pointing out of the door.
"Took you long enough." The man started. "It's morning and I didn't start this orphanage so that you could sit on you ass and suckle away all of my grain and milk! It's time to earn your keep boys and girls. I don't care how you do it, but unless you want to go back out on the streets for good, then each of you better bring me ten gil before nightfall."
"But..We still don't know how to make gil…" Gilroy whined.
"We- We can't stay out there all night again! You said the monsters will get us and we almost died last time!" Milda exclaimed in fear.
The man squatted down to their level with a dark grin. "Well I guess that's your problem to deal with isn't it?" He then grabbed Gilroy by the collar and shoved him toward the door. "Now get goin! I ain't gonna tell you again!"
"Y- yes sir!" Gilroy answered timidly, not wanting to get hurt. As Benjamin watched, his anger swelled, and he tightly held onto the knife concealed in his pocket that he had stolen the last time they had been forced out to try to earn their father money.
The man turned to Renley who was still cowering in the corner coughing weakly. "Are you gonna do what your told or do I need to beat some sense into you again?" He growled.
"Stay away from my big brother!" Milda yelled, jumping in front of him defiantly.
"Now you listen here you little wench…" The man started, balling his right fist in a rage and grabbing her by the shirt with his left. "You know you don't tell me what to do. Now you gotta suffer the consequences."
"No!" Benjamin screamed, jumping on him from behind and stabbing him in the neck with his small knife.
"Wha-?" The man gurgled incredulously, dropping Milda and clutching his throat desperately trying to stop the blood. "I won't let you hurt her or anyone else!" Benjamin roared as the man fell to the ground dead.
"What did you do?.." Milda asked quietly, frozen in shock and terror. "I killed him!" Benjamin yelled, then jumped on top of the dead man continuing to stab him repeatedly until he ran out of breath.. "I killed him."
Braxton's heart raced as he relived the memory as fresh and vivid as the day it happened. He no longer remembered why he killed the man, only that he had been his first and that it had felt glorious. All the ones after that one had never felt so incredibly exhilarating.
"What happened after that?" The boy in the corner asked, just as before.
"Wouldn't you like to know?" Braxton laughed, not wanting to look at him anymore. The boy did not respond, and the silence dragged on until Braxton couldn't take any more. "I killed them! All of them! Are you happy?" He spat in mock disgust. "Would you believe I did it to save them?" He laughed.
"Save them?"
"Yes." Braxton replied with irritation, his anger building again upon hearing the boy's condescending tone that only he could hear. "The streets were dangerous; Father knew that better than anyone. I couldn't let the others suffer like that. The monsters would have torn them apart! Just because no one else could see them doesn't mean they weren't there! The others thought we were finally free of that wretched place and that the outside wasn't as horrible as father had told us. All they saw were the people that were pretending to be nice to them by giving them their poisoned bread and foul water! They took it all thinking it was delicious, but I knew the truth I say the cage that was slowly enveloping them again. The world may have looked bright and cheerful but in the shadows the monsters we're waiting in earnest! So, I had no choice! I had to save them from the world that was out to destroy them!"
"Like you saved me?" The boy asked, louder this time.
"Yes! Do you think I regret killing you? You're free now because of me! You should be thanking me!"
"You didn't kill me to save me, you killed me because of what I was and what I looked like." The boy countered showing a hint of anger for the first time.
"Is that what you think?" Braxton spat. "I killed you because I had to! If I had of let you live do you think I could have made It to where I am now? If they knew that I was.." Braxton trailed off, beathing heavily.
"Not only a commoner, but a murderer?" The boy finished for him.
"Shut your mouth!" Braxton bellowed. "I am not!"
The boy slowly began to move towards him. "You killed me because I was a noble and I looked just like you."
Braxton took a step back as the boy drew near. "No, that isn't true."
"My name was Anton Braxton before you killed me." The boy continued.
"No, that name is mine!"
"When you found out my father was in poor health and that he would never notice if you took my place, you decided that you deserved my life more than I did. Poor Benjamin, you couldn't handle the life you were given."
"I am not Benjamin! My name is Anton!" He defended, grabbing onto the iron fireplace spike from behind his back.
"Why did you kill me Benjamin, when all you wanted was to see you friends again? You could have been a hero Benjamin, so why did you steal my life? What did I do to deserve to die? And what do you deserve now?"
"Stay away from me!" Braxton yelled, swinging the iron bar at the boy's head and watching in amazement as it passed clean through as if only striking air. The boy smiled morosely. "You can't get rid of me like that." He commented softly. "You are me now, so I'm with you always. We are one and the same. And not just me either, we're all here."
"All of you?" Braxton trembled breathlessly, turning around in fear. Standing near the door were faces he'd never forget.
Thank you for saving us. Thanks to you, we'll always be here with you." Milda, Renley, Gilroy and many others chimed in unison. You said Garnet would be joining us soon, so don't you have work to do? Father will be returning soon, and he won't be happy about what you did to him. He doesn't want you to waste any more time..."
"No!" Braxton screamed as he jerked awake from his desk, knocking over the half empty ink bottle in the process and falling backward to the floor with a thud. He struggled to regain his feet and quickly looked around the room. After a few moments of forcing his heart rate to slow down, he ran his hand through his hair. "It was just a dream.. only a dream.
A knock on the door suddenly broke his thoughts and caused him to jump. "Is everything alright my lord?" a maid asked softly from the other side of the heavy wood.
"Y-yes." He affirmed, barely keeping his composure. "I just spilled my ink bottle, away with you."
"Yes sir." She responded and he could hear her light footsteps walking away. After another few moments of quiet listening, he sat back down at his desk and pulled another ink bottle from the drawer. "There's work to be done."