Chapter Text
Evander narrowed his eyes at the floor, opting to look there rather than meet the harsh, cold eyes of his father. His face ached with unformed bruises; his clothing a disheveled, sodden mess. Snow melted into the soft fur of his cloak, the chill pricking into his back. A blush was steadily creeping onto his face, from both shame and anger. He just didn’t want to be standing here under his father’s gaze.
“Can either of you tell me what happened out there?” His father’s voice was as sharp as a blade, cutting through the silence. He was waiting for someone to speak up, but his patience was evidently running thin.
“It was irrational and unbecoming of a Prince.” Everly answered in the stuck up, arrogant way that he always does. Irritation bubbled and turned in Evander’s gut, his hands clenched into fists as he tried to keep it from his expression. Everly didn’t deserve to be called his brother, much less a Prince. But their father took in Everly like he was some special lost child of his. ‘The lost Prince.’ His father would say. A forgotten jewel that was just rediscovered.
“We were resolving it ourselves.” Evander met his father’s eyes, trying to imitate the stoic expression his father wore.
“Not very well if it ended with you two on the floor.” His father looked away from Evander, his gaze softening when it fell on Everly. It always softened when his father looked to Everly. “But at least you weren’t out when the snow hit.”
Evander tore his eyes from the scene, suppressing the disgust that formed. If his father was trying to mold Everly into the prefect heir—which is obvious that he is—why is he being treated with such kindness? Even now, Evander is never treated with that gentle look and fatherly concern. He had to keep his head held high and his actions in check. Everything he did was being judged, there was nothing that could escape it. So, when he acted out, he was punished. Simple and logical.
But when Everly did something unbecoming of a Prince, he was giving concern rather than punishment. As if his actions didn’t matter when becoming the next King. As if he didn’t need to be the definition of perfect every living day and sit on a pedestal to be criticized.
Evander’s father walked down to Everly, giving him a pat on the shoulder and brushing off some of the snow. Only if that was just for show. Bitter jealousy surged within Evander, but he clamped down on it, keeping his posture straight and head forward. Maybe if he acting like his father wanted him to, his father would forget about Everly. Forget about the clearly desperate plan he was making to sit Everly on the throne. Remember that he was the Prince that was trained to be heir.
A hand was on his shoulder, tight and clenched. Evander couldn’t suppress the flinch as he looked up to his father. There was no concern, no love within his eyes. “You best apologize to Everly.”
Evander bit down a protest, electing to nod instead. His father released him, walking back to where he stood. He looked to Evander, expectation evident within his expression. So he was expected to apologize. Not Everly. His father couldn’t make his perfect Prince apologize to his disobedient brother, now could he?
The door to the room slammed open, cutting through the strained atmosphere. His mother walked in. An expression of distress and anxiety was written on her face. “Mother,” Evander called out as Everly called: “Queen Rylee.”
Everly, being closer, got to his mother first, but Evander was only a step behind. “What’s wrong?”
His mother’s voice was broken with labored pants. “August, is he here?”
Evander shook his head, trying to find the last point he saw him. It was out in the snow. Evander was supposed to be watching him, taking him out as he adamantly wanted. But Evander failed at that didn’t he? He forgot the do the one thing he was asked because of his argument with Everly.
Everly’s gaze was hard with determination. “He’s not here. Did he come in before the snow?”
“No, he didn’t.” Evander’s mother looked to him, her expression condemning.
Something bubbled up within Evander, a resolve strengthened by guilt. “I’ll go. I know the streets better than anyone here.”
Everly opened his mouth to protest that Evander wasn’t suited to rescue his own brother. But closed it. Evander looked over to his father, and unreadable expression on his face. But he nodded, ever so slightly. Despite the situation, a small spark of happiness bloomed in Evander. He fastened his cloak and took off to the snow outside.
The wind tore through him, his clothes not quite dry. He shivered, the cold seeping into the exposed skin on his face. The cold was never his forte, he would rather stay inside with the fire than play in the snow. But August loved the snow. Evander was dragged out more than once by his brother to play or even just sit and admire it. August would tell him all these facts that Evander never learned in school. They were something that only August would pick up on.
But, then came Everly. At first, nothing changed. August paid no mind to him, much as one would do with a stranger. But the change was inevitable. They got closer and closer, their personalities clicking in a way that that never happened with Evander. They were the soft, beautiful snow while he was the cold, jagged ice. They just didn’t fit.
Knowing that didn’t stop the stabbing envy that rose within him. Everly had slowly wormed his way in, fitting perfectly into the places that Evander couldn’t. Everly was the prefect heir, prefect son, perfect brother. Evander tried so hard, but he just couldn’t measure up to him. Everly has done so much more in the few months he’s been here than sixteen years Evander had.
A sigh escaped his lips, curling and frosting in the chilled air. There something deep within him, dark and volatile, that he just wanted to hide. While his true reason for helping was to find his brother, there was a small, petty reason for doing this. He was trying to spite Everly. He was trying to return to a place by his brother’s side that no longer belonged to him.
A figure approached him from a distance. Despite the snow falling around him, Evander could tell it was August. “Ever!” August’s voice rang out against the silence of the snow, tearing through Evander. He knew that it was hard to see and that August must’ve been mistaken, but a constricting weight settled in his chest. August’s first thought as to who would go after him was Everly, not Evander.
As August grew closer, something changed in his expression. Almost as if it cracked and bits had fallen away. It was no longer had the same brightness or energy. His steps slowed and his voice mellowed out. “Evander!”
Evander forced the best smile he could onto his face. It felt fake and plastic. “Hey August, ready to go home?”
August smiled, but there was an unnatural aspect to it. Almost as if he was forcing it as well. “Yeah! I have so much to tell everyone.” August’s voice tapered off, almost so that Evander wouldn’t hear. “I wonder what Everly will think.”
Evander ignored the all-encompassing void that opened within in his heart. He slung his arm around August’s shoulder, just Everly would, also ignoring how August stiffened. And maybe, if he ignored just a bit more, he could pretend that they were just in the snow after a busy day and that he was still the one August wanted.