บท 12: Copper
This chapter has been edited on December 16, 2018
The next morning was an aggravating one. It was around 5:30 when they finally woke up and headed out to the Northern Kingdom. They were packing their things and getting ready to load the carriage. Well, the servants were packing everything and loading it into the carriage.
Lucas was doing his morning yoga and Brent was brushing his teeth. Diana and Gina had run off somewhere to find clothes since they decided they were going to come to the Northern Kingdom with them last minute.
Brent was in the bathroom, now on the flossing stage when a familiar scent invaded his nose and the lights in the room suddenly went out. He blinked in the dark before his eyes adjusted.
"I didn't know you could see in the dark too," a squeaky voice said through the darkness. Brent fought the urge to roll his eyes because it was possible she could see in the dark as well.
"Jenine, what are you doing?" he said, voice reverberating off the tiled walls.
He heard the snap of her fingers and suddenly the candles on the counter and bathtub leaped to life, bright orange fire dancing on them.
"Nice magic trick," Brents said and then ripped off another piece of floss. The princess giggled and sat on the counter next to him.
"You're so funny, Brent. I thought you would want to spend some time with me today." She batted her eyelashes at his
"What on Earth would give you that idea?" Brent said, throwing the string away and now fixing his hair with his hands. "Besides, we're about to leave anyway."
"That's true," Jenine crossed her arms with a pout, "I just think you're a really funny guy." Jenine sighed.
Brent leaned his back against the countertop, standing next to her. He stared off into space, desperately hoping to end this conversation soon.
"Lucas tells me that all the time," He replied, "It's a curse, I guess. Handsome, talented, and funny. It should be illegal."
Jenine broke into the most unnecessary laugh Brent had ever heard in his life.
"You really are a character," she said. He nearly jumped ten feet into the air when he felt her long fingernails snake their way through his hair. Since she was a princess, after all, he resisted the urge to smack her fingers away. Her hand groped his locks and ended up on the other side of his face, caressing him creepily. "But I really don't want to talk about him right now."
"Him, as in your fiance?" He raised an eyebrow, turning to her in an attempt to make her position uncomfortable and that she would take her hands off of him. It didn't work. He gripped the sides of his face gently with her cold, spindly fingers.
"Yes, I mean, we're both still young," She spoke in barely a whisper, "This might seem so foreign to you, but marriage for royalty hardly means a thing. It's all about getting married quickly and having babies. It more of a diplomatic thing."
"But didn't you say you loved Lucas?" Brent grabbed her wrists, ready to yank them away if she got too close
"I say a lot of things. I'm more concerned about what you might say right now," Jenine said
"What do you mean by that?" Brent asked, "What would I say?"
"I'd really like to get closer to you, Brent," she leaned down so that they were eye level, and Brent's eyes widened in shock, "Closer than my fiance would allow. And I don't want you to say anything about it."
With a grip on her wrists, he pulled himself back, "Are you suggesting that I help my friend's fiance cheat on him? You're suggesting I have a relationship with my friend's fiance?"
"Oh, he's cute but he's oblivious. He'll never even suspect a thing" She leaned back on her hands, rolling her eyes with a small grin, "All you have to do is keep your mouth shut about it."
"Absolutely not." Brent shook his head, "Not only have you completely disregarded the fact that I wouldn't have a relationship with you if my life depended on it, because 1: you're ew and 2: I'm gay.
Also, I would never lie to my friend, especially if that friend is my boss and the future king of the southern kingdom." Brent looked at her like she were an idiot, "You must think very highly of yourself."
"It's not that I think highly of myself... oh, well maybe I do." She jumped off the counter and pulled him down by his collar, "I also happen to know the truth about your mother. Something neither you nor Lucas seemed to know."
At that information, Brent froze. What was she talking about? What did that have to do with anything? Anything involving his mother could not be good.
"What are you talking about?" He said slowly
Jenine laughed, "Oh Brent, don't tell me you're actually that clueless," At Brent's worried look she laughed again, throwing her head back even. She set her hands on her hips, "You have to know that your mother is the one that murdered the Queen of the Southern Kingdom."
Brent immediately paled, "No. There's no way that-"
"Your mother was Vandra Furray, yes?" She smirked, "She was part of the evil trinity that killed Lucas's mother. Rumor has it they were best friends, and Vandra betrayed her."
Brent's head was spinning. Never in his life did he want to hear this information. But he couldn't let this woman see him look weak.
"Okay and so what?" He said, voice sounding anything close to brave, "That doesn't say anything about me."
"It doesn't? Oh really? Well, what if I told you that Vandra actually worked for the queen. She was an outsider from a clan in the continents, you know?" She said, tracing hearts around Brent's chest with her finger, "She got closer to the queen as a maid. They were 'friends', or so the queen thought. But it was all a plot to kill her. That sound familiar?"
"You can't possibly think I'm actually plotting to kill Lucas!" Brent shook his head, "He really is my friend!"
"Oh, I would never think you were capable of doing such a thing," Jenine said with a giggle, "But I don't think I would have a hard time convincing the queen and king of the Northern Kingdom that you are."
Brent paled. He opened his mouth to say something and then realized he had nothing. How could he change her mind? How could he win?
"You're evil," Brent said, "Why are you doing this?"
"Because I think you're beautiful, Brent," She eyed him, tracing a finger over his jawline, "And I want you for myself. Don't think I don't notice the way the two of you look at each other."
Brent didn't understand what "the two of you" meant. She obviously wasn't talking about him and Lucas because there was no way that Lucas would look at him in a way that wasn't a friend.
"You won't get away with this, Jenine," Brent said, "You're causing problems we don't need"
"No, I'm not," she smiled, "There's no problem unless you make it into a problem. We could both be happy with this agreement if you just-"
"You're crazy," he pushed her back
She didn't seem to take offense, just rolled her eyes. "I'll meet you in the Northern Kingdom. You can tell me your answer when we get there, dear." She blew him a kiss, "Now I have my own carriage to catch, farewell!" she said with a giggle and skipped out.
Brent leaned back onto the counter, head spinning. What the heck was he supposed to do? There was no way he could do... whatever she wanted to do with him. What exactly did she mean? Did she want them to date? Did she want them to do intimate things? He would never do that. Just thinking about it made him scream.
His first relationship was with a girl that he didn't like. They had gone out, kissed, done all the things of a relationship without actually getting married. And he hated it. He couldn't do that with a woman, let alone a witch like Jenine.
Not to mention how guilty he would feel if he were to do that Lucas. He couldn't have a relationship with his fiancee. That was just messed up one so many levels, they were supposed to be friends.
On the other hand, if what she said was true (and he had a feeling it was), then Lucas would never want to talk to him again. That's the real fear Brent had. To be honest, it did sound very suspicious. If he were anyone else, it would sound very sketchy, he had to admit. Lucas would never believe him, even if it was Jenine telling him these lies.
He started hyperventilating. He turned himself around to turn the lights and stumbled back to the mirror. His cheeks were flushed and his eyes were wide.
What was he going to do? He suddenly felt small. He felt powerless. Not thinking straight (pun intended), he wandered out of the bathroom and ran right into the face of Gina Fitzgerald.
Her eyes widened and she gripped him by the shoulders.
"I heard everything!"
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