The lesser Evil

It was just another day where Axel was Albert's errand boy, following his orders like a dog. Axel was carrying a bunch of bags to a meeting room that Albert told him to; he was going ahead while Albert and his men were coming after having something to eat for lunch. It was at that unfortunate moment that Axel heard the unpleasant, terrible, and familiar voice that made him shiver. "Axel!" Marcus called him out with his happy-go-lucky voice; Axel had developed a trauma toward Marcus after being beaten twice to put him unconscious and countless other abuses. And his playful voice was a trigger for everyone to avoid him.

Now that he didn't have Albert's men around him, Axel was scared beyond reason. He felt like every other noise he heard till then had gone eerily quiet; he could literally feel his blood rushing in his veins, and the only thing he could see was Marcus looking at him like the predator looked at its prey. Marcus came up to him and slammed him against the wall. Axel put the bags down, unable to hold them, and one of the bags, which seemed to have something heavy in it, fell right on Marcus' feet. Marcus was furious and gave Axel his signature slap, making the world spin around him and making him lose balance, and of course, it hurt like hell.

"Just because you had a commander take you in, you let it get to your head, huh?" Another slap on the other side of his face felt like the world was crumbling; all he heard was ringing in his ears and Marcus' voice. "I don't give a damn about the womanizer, but if—" Marcus stopped his sentence midway. Axel looked in the direction Marcus was looking with a terrified face and saw Albert and his men there. Axel internally sighed with relief.

"Oh! Don't mind me; please continue with what you were saying, and by the way, is this kid on your team?" Marcus was terrified of Albert, when just moments before he was going on about how he didn't give a damn about him. "Yes sir—" Albert cut Marcus short; Marcus' voice, which had sounded like thunder moments earlier, was reduced to submissive and barely audible whimpers. "Great, then I will be taking this kid into my brigade then." He didn't leave any room for negotiation; it was an absolute order, and Marcus had no choice but to accept it. The rage on Marcus' face was visibly apparent to Axel from the way he frowned and gritted his teeth, but Albert was least bothered by that. Then Albert looked at Axel. "I take it that you are not opposed to it?" Once again, it was only worded like a question.

Axel remembered Robby's words and his warning not to join Albert's brigade, but compared to the devil Marcus was, Albert was a gentleman, however Axel saw it. "I would love to join your brigade, sir." Axel sounded ragged and weak after being hit by Marcus' signature slaps, but was still determined. Axel joined the brigade despite Robby's warning, but what choice did he have? He couldn't stand Marcus anymore.

"Great, we have a deal then. Get your things packed up, and you will accompany me back the next time I come to the manor. I will add a little gift to your little friend too." Albert looked dignified and composed, which gave him the impression of a king instead of a commander.

Albert told Robby what happened to him that night, and Robby didn't take it well. By now, Axel no longer doubted Robby to be one of Marcus' pawns; since Robby was a bit too bad at discreet stuff, he trusted him and considered him a friend—the only friend he had made. Robby was mad at Axel for joining Albert's Brigade after he specifically warned him about it, but he also felt that it was better to be under Albert than to fall prey to Marcus once again, just to be beaten black and blue.

Both were talking till later in the night; they had become so attached that they considered each other family, and though they would get to see each other again, it still hurt to be separated. They just talked about each other's dreams, and Axel was surprised to hear that all of Robby's family was all working for the Reapers, and except for his father and older brother, the rest were servants in different camps. Axel felt like a jerk for never bothering to ask about his family or history when Robby listened to his story on the very first day they met. But it was better late than never.

Two days later Albert visited the manor again, and as usual, Axel was his errand boy. "Have you packed your stuff?" Albert asked Axel before he was about to go in for a meeting. "Yes sir!" Axel answered cheerfully. "Then get it ready; we will be moving back to my villa as soon as this meeting ends." Albert was a bit excited to have Axel and was curious to see to what extent he could push him. Axel excused himself and started preparing his stuff.

Axel went to look for Robby to say his goodbyes, and he found him at the fountain where they first met. They hugged each other, and unexpectedly Robby started crying and told him a never-ending list of things he should be careful of; listening to him, Axel felt like he was listening to his mother when he left. Axel felt like crying too, but he held it in and consoled Robby and bid his farewells.

Axel was waiting for them at the entrance with his backpack. They left the manor and walked for about an hour and a half before they reached a mansion. It looked like a mansion made of flowers; Axel saw flowers practically everywhere. Looking at his confused look, one of Albert's men told him that both of Albert's wives wanted it that way. Axel was shocked, first by the fact that Albert had two wives, and second by the fact that he was so smitten with his wives that he practically clothed the mansion with flowers.

The commanders were allowed separate residences within a radius of five miles, and the pillars were allowed to have theirs close to the main manor. And another fact that amazed Axel was that each residence of all the commanders had its own set of servants who didn't get involved in the matters of the Reaper's manor.

Axel was led to his room by the head maid, Helen, an old woman with a warm smile that reminded Axel of Nicole. She led him to his assigned room, a room he didn't have to share and had all to himself, with a bed, a desk, a chair, a window, a wardrobe, and even a bathroom attached to it. Tears ran down Axel's eyes before he realized he was unable to believe his own eyes; he finally had a room to himself after leaving his home and his mother.

"What's the matter, child?" Helen asked him with a warm voice. Axel felt like he had found a new home. Barely a few months had passed, but for Axel, they felt like disgustingly long and horrifying years. He had forgotten how his room smelled, how the painting looked that hung on the wall his father had made, and the view of the sky from his bed. Axel realized a large part of him was missing and felt the agonizing pain of what he had lost. And now that he was finally free and safe, all the emotions he had ignored, numbed, and denied himself for so long were about to burst out. But he was determined to hold it in—for just a bit more.

"Nothing; I will be fine, Mam." Axel made an effort to smile. Helen didn't want to probe into it and gave him a brief rundown of the rules, which were simple enough: to wake up early in the morning, do your job properly in whatever post you are changed into, never go into a few of the restricted places, and a few more. Axel asked Helen if he could cook, and Helen told him that she would decide that after observing him for a while. She also gave him the good news that tomorrow would be a day off for him since he had to settle in. Helen bid him goodbye and left.

After Helen left the room, Axel locked the door and started to cry his eyes out. Axel missed his home. And now that he didn't have to hold things in, he was happy; he was finally free. It was a mix of emotions, and he didn't know what to cry for. But after a long time, he slept in comfort, looking forward to his future once again with a smile on his face.