Dumb Brother

The sky had eventually turned dark as Corina sat in her chambers with her brother. Alexander had stormed off after acting in a way that Corina had never seen before, so she didn't think it would be the best time to speak to him about why he had become so upset with Lazaras. She was perplexed as to why the two of them reacted so strongly to such a trivial incident.

Even so, the princess felt a great deal of disappointment that he hadn't sought her out to talk over the events. It was irrational, but she became filled with a slight dread that maybe Lazarus was correct. Maybe Alexander didn't love her.

If that were indeed the case, what would she do? She felt a little lost, but understood her brother became overwhelmed and neended her attention. She wanted to curl up beside the duke and cuddle, but it wasn't the time. Or was it? She felt so conflicted over her emotions. 

The princess moved her blue eyes to gaze at her brother, who kept sighing repeatedly. While annoying, she knew his sighs indicated his distress regarding his actions. She knew he needed to cheer up so he could apologize to everyone else involved.

"Lazarus, stop pouting," Corina said, patting his shoulder. "It'll be okay. I'm sure if you apologize to Nadine, she'll forgive you."

"I've not known her long enough for her to forgive me," Lazaras said, sounding defeated. "She probably thinks I'm disrespectful."

"You were very disrespectful," she scolded. "There had to be a better way to let out your feelings. What got into you?"

"I'm just worried," Lazaras sighed, shaking his head. "A lot's been going on. Mother disappeared, you're getting married, I started becoming interested in Nadine... I guess I was overwhelmed when your man became huffy after I threw the critter on the floor."

"Thank you for trying to help, but you should've just apologized to Alex. Why the heck did you try to punch him?!"

Lazaras laid back on the bed and closed his eyes. He groaned in displeasure. He covered his arm with his forehead. "No idea. I blurted shit out without thinking it through."

"Obviously," she sighed. 

The princess messed with the fabric of her dress as she thought over what the prince said to the duke. Her heart raced uncomfortably as she contemplated the idea of Alexander faking his feelings. It didn't feel fake to her. When her head was against his chest, she could hear his heart pound as quickly as her own. Surely, even the best performer would be unable to fake such a response?

"Lazzy, do you really believe he's using me in some way now? Because I'm a boy?"

Lazaras opened his eyes. "No," he replied. "But, you know, I worry about you. I've always been scared of anyone who dared try to tease you. I'd do the same even if it's the duke you're marrying. I don't care who it is; nobody will mess with you. The scenario spontaneously emerged in my mind at that moment. I blurted it out."

"That's dumb," Corina whined. "Think before you say mean things! The idea of Alex turning out to be a wicked man scares me now. "I'm really worried," she said, her voice cracking. "I feel nervous over what you said about him."

"What about his anger? He obviously didn't get frustrated until I involved you. Doesn't that prove he has feelings?" In an attempt to reassure her, Lazarus asked, "I believe he loves you, do you not?"

"D-Does it?" Corina responded to the question. She tilted her head sideways. "I don't get it."

Lazarus laugh. In tense situations, her reactions always helped him feel better. "Think logically. He remained calm until I accused him of having ulterior motives."

"True..."

"The man was pissed. I accused him. If he didn't care about you, he would have remained calm," he explained.

Corina's face lit up with a wide grin. She nodded enthusiastically. "You're right! He'd say something sinister instead!"

Lazaras grinned, then sat back up on the bed. "See? He could have easily dismissed it as bullshit if he were evil."

Corina grabbed her brother's hands and squeezed them. "Thank you,"s he began. "Do you think I should go speak to him or leave him be for tonight?"

"As a guy, my opinion would be to give him time to cool off," Lazarus suggested. "The duke may need to think about how to approach everything, since I made him angry."

"You're stupid."

"I know. It's not the first time you've called me stupid."

"Super stupid. Super duper stupid."

"Keep rubbing it in. Go on." He shrugged, then stood from the bed to walk to the door. "I'll apologize to Nadine tomorrow. Maybe she'll understand."

"If you tell her what you told me, she might," Corina encouraged. "Don't say anything that is particularly stupid, as it may cause her to believe that you are the most inane person ever."

"Wow," he paused, deciding it would be best to ignore the insulting comments about his intelligence. "Yeah. I'm sorry, sis."

"It's okay, Lazzy," Corina smiled. "It'll all work out fine now."

"You're being rather positive tonight!" Lazarus teased. "You've grown a tiny bit. Maybe."

"I did nothing wrong. I have nothing to worry over. And of course I've grown—I'm a bona fide woman and man now. I'm special."

Lazarus rolled her eyes. The statement was absolutely ridiculous. 

"I'm the one who needs to worry," Lazarus frowned, looking to the floor. "I couldn't even land the damn punch. Who knew a guy like that would be so damn strong? He grabbed my fist like it was nothing." He laughed uncomfortably. "Am I just weak, or something? Our brothers are so beefy, so why do we get the short end of the stick?"

Corina pondered his words for a while. She had a serious look on her face as she spoke. "You didn't drink your milk, and you skipped out on sword practice to play with me. My conditioning as a girl provides me with a valid excuse. I can be cute, and I hate milk. It works out."

Lazarus frowned at his sister and shook his head. "You're so damn honest. You can insult a man, yet be so adorable about it. You're going to get whatever you want from the duke. You seem to have already won his heart. You work fast, sis."

Corina smiled smugly. "It comes naturally from my pretty face."

"Yes, you would be stunning regardless of whether you preferred to remain a girl or a boy," he remarked. "Some people are blessed, I guess."

"No, it would be awkward to dress differently now. Anyway, I can't let anyone know. I don't know a different way to be, and I could get my throat slit if the wrong person discovers it! I'll keep my hair and dress, thank you."

"Whoa," Lazarus held up his hands. "You're getting dark here, sis."

"Just stating the truth!" Corina replied. "People would think I'm a sinner for doing this or trying to deceive the kingdom," Corina responded. "I'm confident that someone like me would never find acceptance."

Lazarus sighed. "You're right, but still, go back to being positive!"

"Okay," Corina giggled, then shooed him out. 

With a grin, Lazarus waved to his sister before he left the room. 

After her brother left, the princess was alone with her thoughts. She knew Alexander had to be struggling since he hadn't seen even a hint of anger from him previously. Did Alexander truly take offense at her brother's words out of love? She didn't want to harass him when he was feeling down, but she wanted to speak to him badly. She sighed and laid back on her bed, folding her arms across her stomach. 

Alexander had mentioned stories about his father to Lazarus. From her experience, his father seemed lovely. What did he mean by his father's deeds? Corina, unlike her brothers, had not received information about the war's acts. Her brothers would get together with Gerald when he returned home to go over the current political climate and the battles the knight's had participated in, but she wasn't allowed to listen to the conversations, and her mother didn't share anything about them. 

Corina had never been interested until the moment Alexander spoke so bluntly to her brother. She wanted to know what exactly he had talked about. Had Alexander's father done something atrocious? She couldn't imagine the man doing so. Surely, he was muscular and could be seen as intimidating, and he initiated a war between the kingdoms, but she thought his eyes were too gentle for something sinister to be at play.

She closed her eyes and tried to decide if she should go talk to him, even though it was late.

The princess stood and stretched. She stood by her door, hesitating to seek out her partner during the late hour. But what if he was upset and needed comfort?

Corina felt determined. She needed to be there for him. She owed it to him to comfort and support him.