Unlike My Enemy ( MxM )

59. Separate Ways

Bruno

In my absence, someone must have finally addressed the problem of the castle becoming a junkyard. Now the halls and the corridors look much cleaner, all the rubbish and the broken glass removed. The main yard is boiling with activity, people coming and going, riders entering the gates, horses pulling in farm wagons with the wounded and the captives. Despite the losses, the spirits are high, and the rising sun contributes even more to the general excitement.

I follow Oliver, surrounded by his guards. People approach him with updates about the killed and the captured nobles, the losses on our side, and the status of the preparations for the celebration. He sends some of them away with terse commands, nods thankfully to others and waves at the spectators shouting greetings at him.

We go up the stairs and then down the corridor leading to the king's chambers. Oliver stops by the door, turns around and looks me over. Then, he nods to his guards.

"Wait outside," he says, pulling off his thick gloves. "He goes with me."

There's an air of hesitation about his men, but they say nothing. He pushes the door and walks into the room, and I follow.

The king's chambers look familiar, although someone has clearly taken a broom and a mop to it. There's a new canopy over the bed, and the chairs are neatly arranged around the massive oak table with wine bottles and fruit trays.

"So?" Oliver tosses his gloves aside and sits down, facing me. "Take a seat?" He gestures at the other chairs.

I remain by the door. "Aren't you going to arrest me or something?"

He raises his eyebrows, then sighs and looks away. "Some people think I should." He looks back at me. "Shouldn't I?"

"I'm sorry I let you down like that," I say. "I just couldn't have killed him, nor allow for him to be killed." I pause. "Is he...dead now?"

Oliver rolls his eyes. "Looks like he's got you good, if you care about him even after he's discarded you for a promise of a crown."

He's right, and yet a cold hand clenches my heart. "He's dead, then."

"As good as dead." He sighs. "Damn it, Bruno... I kind of blame myself for what you did. I should have finished him off instead of giving him to you. But you were always into girls, how could I expect you'd abandon me for a nice piece of ass?"

"It wasn't because of that."

"Are you saying you didn't fuck him?"

I pause. "Not back then."

He grins and wags his finger at me. "He must have been real good to make you sell your best friend."

"I didn't --"

"Drop it, Bruno." Abruptly, he gets up to his feet and walks about the room. "I'm not complaining. As you can see, I didn't waste my time." He turns to me, gesturing around. "Made some rearrangements. Got married—I always hoped you'd be there when I did, but I guess you were too busy enjoying your own honeymoon. I also smashed an army of nobles, as you have seen from up close this morning. Generally, had fun." He rubs his chin thoughtfully. "Our army is as strong as ever now, so I'm really considering using the momentum to expand our borders a little. I'm sure Oflana citizens will gladly join our republic. We can bring their nobles down like we did ours, remove the Oflana sisters from their throne --"

"So that you could sit upon it?"

He stares at me. "Do you have a problem with that?"

"I'm not sure." I take a deep breath, trying to put into words the vague doubts that have been plaguing me since the rebellion. "I'm not sure where it all goes anymore...it started right, but it's like..." I pause. "It's like you've killed the dragon, and now you're turning into one yourself," I finish awkwardly.

He frowns. "What?"

"The goal of the rebellion was to allow the people to rule their own --"

"The goal of the rebellion was to give this country a capable ruler," he says firmly. "We may have thought that a government could do the job, but the fact is, one man could be enough." He grins. "One man and one woman, that is." He puts his hands on my shoulders and looks me in the eye. "This job is more complicated than I expected, I admit it, but she's teaching me, and I'm beginning to get a grip on things. She's less into expanding our borders and exterminating the opposition, but I can take care of those things, while she can concentrate on the local legislation and the schools and the hospitals and all the other feel good crap women tend to be so fond of."

I shake my head. "You're getting carried away. Once you put yourself above the others and think you can do it alone...how is that better than the king that we had before?"

"Because I'm better!" He points at himself, then crosses his hands on his chest, frowning at me. "If that's how you feel, then perhaps you should leave. I always thought I could rely on you, but it seems I can't anymore."

His words hurt. For a few moments, we just stand there, looking at each other, and I can see the boy underneath the features of the man, the kid I met when I lived on the streets, stealing food to survive. The kid who became my friend and brother, who convinced his parents to take me in, who provided me with a new family instead of the one I had lost. My throat constricts at the thought of leaving him for good—and in his eyes, underneath all the bravado, I can see the same kind of pain.

He looks away and clears his throat. "Aurelia thinks you should be tried for treason," he says. "But I won't do that." He looks back at me. "Come, join us at the feast. Let's celebrate together one last time. After that, you will leave and never come back."

"Oliver --" I say, but he is moving away already, picking his gloves from the table, heading to the door.

"It's over," he says without looking at me. "Our childhood is over. Our friendship is over. It's time we go our separate ways."

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