164 Brother, Mother, Father (1/2)

Timothy was the one on his seat. Timothy, after all, had a higher authority compared to him. His brother was a King while he was just a mercenary captain.

William showed Timothy the bottle of ale he was drinking.

”The Queen would scold me for drinking ale. She said that royalty should be mindful of what they ingest. Only expensive and refined stuff” Timothy grabbed the bottle and poured into his cup ”But this is not some cheap ale. This is a valuable offering from my beloved brother”

”The same beloved brother who will fight against me tomorrow” Timothy added with a shrug.

”I have no choice Tim”

”We always have a choice William. You signed the contract. That is a choice. I wonder why?”

William looked down. He sighed and looked around the room and then at Timothy ”Because of you”

”Me?”

”Yes. It is a hard task managing a mercenary company. Silverback prides itself in being tamed and just but the truth is, we experience the same problems as other mercenaries. You know the biggest problem we face”

”Authority”

”Yes. Authority. I always had to defend my authority- and I did for many years. But when you declared yourself as King of Castonia I experienced big problems regarding my authority. I handle Castonians Tim. They know who we are. They know that I'm older than you and yet you passed me in line. They wanted me to go back to Castonia and also press my claim. I didn't. That was hard enough for me. But the straw that broke the camel's back is when the rumor spread. That thing about the circumstances of your birth. I tried to stop the rumors from spreading but I failed. I faced mutinies left and right. My Silverback was almost destroyed from within. They don't respect me anymore. And then a contract arrived. It is from the Vanadian nobles and merchants. My men gave me a choice. They wanted to see if I have guts to face against my brother for their sake. They thought that I was weak. They made me choose Tim. It's either you or them. It's either my brother or my dream”

”And you chose Silverback over me”

”It was a hard decision Tim. I built Silverback with my own two hands. Seeing it destroyed breaks my heart. You can just escape anyway. I know you can. You're smart. This whole thing will set you back a little but you can always return with your army. While I... I'll have nothing if I refused them”

”You'll have me”

”I...” William's words were stuck in his throat.

”But thank you brother. I am relieved to know that you don't really want to fight against me” Timothy said ”By the way, about the rumors. Do you believe in them? Do you think that I am mother's bastard?”

William smiled ”I know that you are. I have always known”

”Since when?”

”Since we were little”

Timothy lowered his head ”And yet you were still kind to me despite knowing”

”What are you talking about?” William put his hand on Timothy's shoulder ”You are my brother. The circumstances of your birth doesn't matter. You will always be my brother no matter what. And despite not having noble blood, you are the best King that I know of. You are the King I have always wanted to serve”

Timothy nodded. He rose and walked towards the exit. ”Silverback is your dream. I get it. You are also too honorable to break a contract. But I'm still your brother. I will not escape tonight William. I only have one shot at this. A mere setback you say. But a single setback would mean defeat to me and the Queen. Tomorrow I will accept your combined attack and I will annihilate everyone that is our enemy. You know that I will. You know that I can. I don't want to annihilate my brother so think it over. Choose William”

Timothy stepped outside. William was left with Wasp. He sighed. He doesn't understand, he thought. Timothy doesn't understand.

He turned around and looked at the coat of arms of Silverback. A soldier with a silver shield hung on his back. He didn't tell Timothy but the coat of arms was based on him. Back when Timothy and Ivan were still fighting in the garden, the royal guards nicknamed Timothy as Silverback. It was because everyone wagered their one silver for him. Timothy would always win and they would get the same amount they wagered in the first place. William had always admired his brother.

He stared at the table. Timothy's words again echoed in his ears.

”Choose William”

**********

Lucia laid the flowers on the foot of Aunt Anna's bust. She knelt and said a silent prayer. After she was done, Lucia also sat cross-legged in front of the bust.

”You still remember her favorite flowers huh? White roses. They are also my favorite. These flowers are too pure”

”Just like her” Arthur said.

”Yes. Just like her”

Arthur looked at the flowers. They really are beautiful.

”We already know Arthur” Lucia said.

Arthur was jolted with shock.

”What do you mean?”

”You know what I mean. The assault tomorrow”

His face fell into a frown ”Why are you telling me this? I could tell them that you already know and they could changed their plans”