Chapter Six #3
Tivar pressed his lips together as he handed it to Edur.
The second his hands touched it, the sheen returned, although it wasn’t like before.
A slight thrum went through it to Edur’s hands, and he knew it wasn’t enough to keep Iceland alive.
It was only to show he was a blood heir, and he would have to be coronated by a High Mage.
If he wore it, it would give him warmth and keep its faint sheen.
Nothing more. It wasn’t capable of doing anything else, so technically, one could say it was still dead.
If he were coronated, it would work as intended until he died, and his heir would have to repeat the process. With no heir, the Crown would remain dead forever, and Iceland would follow.
Edur turned as his eyes filled with tears. “Elswere wasn’t lying.”
“I’m still your brother, and I deserve the throne. I was raised to believe I’d be the King, so that’s fair, right?”
“Yes.” Edur didn’t want to take it. He’d always thought it was his older brother’s birthright, and he’d never hungered for the throne before. “I’m only supposed to be a backup. But what-”
“Give it to me.”
Edur handed it over and watched the sheen vanish. “The lands need a person of Cleel blood, so what are you going to do?”
“That’s where you come in.” Tivar stuck the Crown on his head and smiled even though it was dull and lifeless.
“As the King, I make decisions, and you must obey. Since you're an abundant male and can have a child, you’ll have mine. I’ll secretly coronate the baby later so the Crown will live.
He’ll be too young, and I’ll rule in his stead. ”
Edur froze on the floor. “I-what?”
“You’ll give me a son. What luck you’re an abundant male, eh? You’ll have my baby, and that will solve the issue.”
Perhaps brothers did touch and work each other off in secret with their hands even though he’d been having doubts. Even if it was true, he knew damn well siblings didn’t marry and have children.
“I-I can’t marry you,” said Edur. “Brothers don’t do-”
“We’re not getting married, and you don’t need to be married to have a child. It won't be an issue if the child is born out of wedlock. I can say I had a lover who died in childbirth.” Tivar shook his head. “See? This is why you need me to teach you these things.”
“We can't do that. I'm not-I can't have a baby with you.”
“It’s necessary now to save Iceland and ensure I have what should be mine. If I’m not a Cleel by blood, I was born before you. I was still raised for this, and I deserve it. Besides, sex feels much better than masturbating. You’ll like it, and you’ll see there isn’t anything wrong with it.”
“But…” Tivar had never mentioned them having actual sex, and he knew how that worked between males. The thought of doing it with his brother, blood or not, made him feel dirtier than when he’d worked off Tivar. There was something wrong because no one else did it.
Maybe big brothers weren’t supposed to touch their little ones either. Perhaps that’s why Edur didn’t like it anymore.
Tivar’s expression darkened. “You said you’d trust me.”
“But it's wrong!” Edur practically shrieked.
“It’ll save the lands.”
“Coronate me, and you can do the actual ruling.”
Tivar slowly shook his head. “I thought I could trust you, brother. I had a feeling Elswere would use you to take me down. What did he write to you? Hmm? What did Mother say? You were planning to shove me aside, weren’t you?
You and Mother were going to get rid of the adopted son and put you on the throne.
She must have had lords go to help Elswere escape. ”
“No! We weren’t! Elswere never wrote to me. She never said anything like that.”
Tivar flattened his ears. “What did you plan? He’ll rule for a bit and hand it over to you when you’re a little older? You’ll forgive him for treason and let him live at court again with his wife and their brat? I can’t believe you’d be such a snake after everything I’ve done for you.”
Edur’s throat tightened. “I swear, I wasn’t planning anything!”
“You disappoint me, brother.”
“I didn’t do anything! I wouldn’t betray you, and I don’t even want to be King. I want Iceland to live, but I don’t care about being on the throne. I thought it was yours, and y-”
“You certainly won’t be on the throne, and I’ll have Elswere, his wife, and his son dealt with as soon as possible. Push your heat. The sooner we have a baby, the better.”
Tivar stood as Edur went cold and wrapped his tail around himself. He was serious. He expected his little brother to have his child.
“I want to go to bed,” whispered Edur. “I’m tired, and it’s almost morning. We-we should bring Mother here and stick together. She’ll tell you there was no plot, and you-”
“I’m sure she’d do anything for her little boy.
Of course, she’d want her real son on the throne.
I was just a replacement for her dead baby.
” Tivar flung the Crown across the room, and Edur flinched when it hit the wall and clattered on the floor.
“Do you want to live or should I get rid of you too?”
More tears poured down Edur’s cheeks as he huddled against the side of the bed. “Tivar, y-you’re scaring me. You s-said you’d keep me safe.”
“Do. You. Want. To. Live?” Tivar leaned forward.
Edur wanted Mother more than anything. She’d know what to do, and she’d fix everything that had been flipped upside down. “Y-yes.”
“Then get on your back, lift your damn legs, and give me a baby.”
“B-but-”
“Even if you don’t push the heat, there’s still a chance you can get pregnant.
I’ll fuck you every day until you give me what I want.
You said you trusted me, and your refusal shows you lied.
This will ensure the Kingdom and my proper place.
I deserve this, and even though you’re a snake, I still made sure you were safe.
” He leaned down to grab Edur’s arm. “Get on the bed. NOW!”
Tivar was bigger, and Edur never stood a chance. Mother didn’t hear his screams, and she didn’t come to save him. Nobody did.
The skylight slowly brightened overhead with the new day.
He wanted Mother or someone, anyone, to make it stop. He stared at the winter sky through the glass when the pain grew to be too much, and he tried to be elsewhere. Anywhere but there.
The blood on the bed afterward was real, and he thought he’d surely die when he lay paralyzed by the pain.
He wasn't able to fight when the lirek collar and shackle came.
Tivar used his healing magic to fix everything once Edur had been secured, and the torment started again hours later while the light watched from above.
Tivar told him the next morning that it would be a lot easier if he used his heat.
It would make him nice and slick back there because the purpose of an abundant male’s heat was to increase the chances of a baby.
Instead of being torn and bloodied, which Tivar had to heal, the muscles would relax, and Edur would be desperate for sex.
“It’ll feel good while I breed you.” Tivar pressed his cheek against Edur’s and locked eyes with him in the looking glass at the vanity. “I want you to feel good, but you fought me both times so what was I supposed to do? I need the baby. Just use your heat.”
Edur barely even recognized himself in the looking glass.
He almost wondered if he’d somehow dreamed everything, but the shackle around his wrist was solid.
The other end was secured to the leg of the vanity, and it wouldn’t let him go more than two feet away.
It was heavy, and the cuff had irritated his wrist all day when he’d been shackled to the headboard.
The pain when his brother had pinned him a second time had been the realest of all. Edur had been too frightened to use his fire magic and attack the first time. Now, he couldn’t thanks to the lirek collar locked around his neck.
“Well?” asked Tivar. “The fact that you fight me shows you have no trust or love, and you’re a traitor to me. You only wanted the Crown.”
“I want Mother,” Edur dared to whisper. She’d save him and fix everything.
“Mother’s not here,” said Tivar. “Even though you don’t love me, I’ll take care of you, little brother.”
December, 1646
When Edur was bad, he was whipped and locked in the closet with his wrists chained together.
It didn’t matter how much he fought because Tivar was bigger and stronger, and if his little brother struggled, he made sure it hurt worse.
He always healed Edur later, but to avoid as much pain as possible, he learned to use his heat, lay there, and take it so he could stay out of the closet.
One wrist was always cuffed to the headboard with enough slack to use the chamberpot by the bed. If he was good enough, he was allowed books. Tivar cleaned the room and allowed no servants in for any reason at all.
For food, he usually kept things like bread, oats, and dried fruit in a locked box in the closet room since it would seem odd if Tivar ate two meals at breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The servants couldn’t suspect anything.
Edur’s meals were bland, but the food kept him alive. He had water and knew better than to complain. Somehow, he had to survive. If he held out and was good, someone would soon come and save him from Tivar.
It wouldn’t be Mother. Tivar said her horse had thrown her the day they parted after it had been spooked.
What a terrible accident. She’d broken her neck and had been dead before they arrived at Lilling.
Everyone thought Edur was dead after the house they’d hidden in was found half-burned and a scorched body that fit the Prince’s description had been discovered inside.
Edur knew it was the body of the boy Tivar had mentioned.
Mother and Father were dead, and everyone thought Edur was dead too.
It took a while before he truly realized no one was coming to save him.