Chapter 1: Life

A few years had passed since the encounter down the alley. Clyde had awoken from his slumber; he sat up slowly, in his own room now. Fairly sized it was covered in shades of blue including lush silk coverings for his four poster bed.

Clyde had sprouted up in recent years, the lovely age of sixteen he was starting to become a man. His looks had not changed much aside from he was starting to grow some hair on his chin, smartly dressed as ever as he moved over to the dressing table, combing his hair and tying it back in the same blue ribbon he had those years ago.

As he peered out the window, the weather appeared a little sunny for once, rare for the Gilnean lands. He put on his leggings and boots before stepping out of the door, moving to the dining room where his parents would be sat either ends of the table, making Clyde take a middle seat as the servants would bring food in,

“Clyde, you will be late for the introductions, get a move on” Would come from the sharp snake like tone of his mother, a almost haggard woman dressed in emerald clothing, she looked out of place, trying to dress as if she was still a youngster. His father on the other hand would be dressed smart like always, with a scowl on his face constantly, a miserable dragged look with his featured jowls either side of his face,

“Get a move on, boy, we haven’t got all day” He snorted at Clyde.

 

The three of them pulled up by stagecoach to a small mansion in the middle of nowhere, this was quite a norm on the Gilnean spots, a few high nobles owning them with small parts of land. The father moved his cane, whipping the back of Clyde’s legs to move him forward,

“Get in the hall, find a bride and make us proud” His parents would both chime together in saying the last part. Clyde looked back at them for a brief moment, he was nervous; he didn’t want to do this, he just wanted to go back and hang out with Kasper, he was sixteen, too young to choose!

Clyde took a deep breath. Turning back and making his way into the mansion, it was huge. Clyde had never seen anything like it before. The walls lined with purple and gold, more servants than Clyde could count on his fingers. There was a lot of noise, and music coming from his right, an old man, dressed in the finest servant garments he’d ever seen. The man took a bow, his arm extending to his left as he stayed low,

“This way, Master Bowan”, Clyde looked to the right; it was a big room, filled with lots of teenagers like himself all dressed to impress. Clyde then turned to drag his feet along the floor entering the room.

Inside there were dancing, socializing and other various social activities in sight for Clyde, he moved towards the back quietly, trying to avoid the attention.

I hate this

Were the thoughts that came to mind for him as he gazed around, he family had not been official nobles, they had climbed the ranks through marriages and collecting money from their businesses over time, now the pressure was on Clyde to take up the helm and this was the big chance. Nobles everywhere, Clyde’s mind buzzed, starting to get a little dizzy with the nerves until a couple of young Lady’s approached him,

“Hey, my name is Mary”,

“My names Catherine” they both chirped. Clyde looked closer then blinked, twins, almost identical if not for them both having a small spot on their opposite cheeks. Clyde smiled politely bowing to them both,

“Clyde Bowan, I  ... Have never done this before” He blurted, the girls looked at each other and giggled to themselves,

“Do not worry, most are first timers here, it’s sorted by ages” they winked. Both dressed in a dark brown, golden mixture of colours and Clyde sighed a little to himself again.

I want to go home

 

A few hours passed, the girls had not left Clyde alone, Clyde had never even gave them much thought, he just wanted it to be over. Once the ball had finished, Clyde hurried out, meeting back up with his parents.

Smack! Clyde’s father had knocked the cane over his head as Clyde winced and stumbled,

“What was that for?!” He shouted, his parents pushing him into their coach as they shut the door,

“We kept tabs on you boy, you didn’t even kiss those Lady’s hands or compliment them! How are you going to get a bride if you still behave like a boy?”

Clyde rolled his eyes and frowned, staring out at the window. He had lost the little sun they had that day, now the day was almost over the sun had set leaving a dark orange and red sky, a hint of navy blue in the distance as the night would start to creep in.

 

The night had come in full force, it was raining miserably. The pitter patter of the raindrops created a soothing sound as Clyde sat up in his room with a lamp.

Tap … Tap … Tap

Clyde’s expression warmed up instantly, the sound he was quite accustomed to by now as he stood up, moving over to his window he opened it,

“Kasper, you came!” he said in a rather loud whisper, trying not to attract anyone else with the noise.

“‘Course I did, you didn’t think I would miss out on hanging with you did you?” Kasper suddenly chuckled, giving a cheeky wink, he was also now grown up, despite still being in rags, he looked quite tidy, and his adult teeth had all grown in saying goodbye to the toothless grin from his childhood.

Clyde couldn’t help but laugh along, he rushed under his bed, taking some covers he’d tied together in knots, throwing it out the window and holding tight,

“Climb up, I got you”

And with that, Kasper scaled up, almost like a rapunzel moment until he reached the top, sneaking through the window as the pair of them moved to pull the covers back into the room.

Kasper instantly hopped into the bed, sprawling out into a star shape and sighing in relief. Clyde smiled as he moved over to his dressing table sitting backwards on the chair resting his back against the table to look towards Kasper.

“You ‘ave a great home Clyde, I wish I was you sometimes. How did the ball go?” Kasper would ask, propping himself up on a pile of pillows as he smiled towards Clyde,

“Meet any nice ladies eh?” Clyde’s face would drop a little,

“I didn’t like any of them...I got whacked again, you do not want to be in my shoes trust me, the baths and the food are great but the rest is a pain” He mumbles quietly.

Kasper shakes his head, jumping out of the bed and moving over to give Clyde a pat on the back,

“Listen, you noble folk clearly aren’t all bad. You ‘ave been friends with me since we was kids, and you are the greatest guy I know, you feed me and try to clothe me and look out for me, I’d be one of those drunken toothless hobo’s with messy hair if it wasn’t for yah!”.

Clyde chuckles quietly, looking up at Kasper,

“You saved my life, it is the least I can do, and you keep me sane from all this noble stuff”.

Kasper chuckled once more, he like Clyde was also aging towards adulthood, though had still left some hints of a child in him, the over happy and cheery attitude making Clyde feel less miserable.

The pair of them sat and talked the whole night through, laughing and joking and Clyde gave him the bed and slept on the floor, as always giving Kasper time to relax and recover from being the homeless kid he was.

 

Screaming, shouting, and fighting.

Clyde blinked open his eyes, though still blurred from just waking up, his ears ringing as he stood up from the floor, he turned to face the door. Kasper was stood in the grasp of two servants, struggling to get away from them. Clyde widened his eyes in horror; his father was whacking the cane against Kasper’s Leg’s and back, beating him black and blue.

A sinking feeling in Clyde’s chest he ran over knocking the servant’s away from Kasper, taking some of the cane beatings before his father stopped, spitting towards Clyde as he screamed out,

“What is this rat doing in your bed, why was you on the floor, what is going on Boy!”

Clyde raised his hands in defense, tearing up a little,

“Kasper is a friend, I was letting him stay over for a-“

“Get out you rat!” The father screamed as Kasper gave Clyde a short nod before running out of the house.

A silence fell, Clyde once again getting a swift whack on the back of his Knee’s,

“You will not go anywhere near those peasants, do you understand me? They just want your money, he has probably robbed you in your sleep and you haven’t noticed!”

Clyde frowned in frustration, shaking his head quickly,

“It’s not like that father, I’ve known him since we were-“

“Do not answer me back, I forbid you to see him, we will kill him if he comes here again!”

 

 

A few months later, the pair had never separated once; they would now in turn meet up at the cellar in which Clyde first met Kasper, even sneak in the pub for a few drinks because they looked old enough. As the pair returned from the pub, they sat down on the pile of pillows, some even Clyde had donated to over the years, chuckling about a joke one of the men at the place had told.

Kasper would move over to Clyde, holding a small box, it looked valuable and Clyde blinked for a moment,

“How did you get that? What is it?” Clyde asked.

Kasper smiled and opened the box; a silver locket was inside it, engraved in some pattern. As he held it out to Clyde, his face struck serious for a moment,

“Clyde, you say I rescued you. But I think you rescued me. You taught me how to read, and write, you gave me warmth and comfort and have cared for me in so many ways” he paused for a short moment, taking Clyde’s right hand gently placing the box into it,

“I saved up for months, I have wanted to give this to you for awhile, we have been through so much Clyde and I just wanted to say …Do not hate me for this but, I miss you when you are not here, I feel like a fire lights inside me when you are around and I feel happy, really happy. It’s not too weird but, I do like you, a lot Clyde” Kasper took a deep breath and smiled nervously.

Clyde looked towards Kasper; his expression changed back that shy person he always is, he blushed a little as he looks at the locket,

“You mean …Like, really like?” he pauses for a moment, staring at Kasper who only nods eagerly,

“I do Clyde; I really hoped you’d like me too”.

Clyde takes the locket from the box, holding it up he smiled slightly, a little twinge inside him as he stared towards Kasper,

“You know …I think I always knew I liked you, for some time, I didn’t even like any of those girls at the ball, I just wanted to spend time with you” Clyde placed the locket around his neck, tucking it away as he smiled.

The pair of them gave each other the first real, loving hug they’ve both ever had with each other. After a few minutes the laid on the cushions, Clyde resting his head against Kasper’s shoulder as the pair fell asleep with a smile.

 

 

Two more years had passed now. Kasper and Clyde was now very much in love with each other, still meeting in secret after Clyde’s father’s warning. They had both grown into handsome young men in their own rights, both sporting some form of beard or other.

The emerged from the cellar, walking over to the pub for a nightly drink, the sat towards the back of the pub under the stairs, so they was hidden in the dark in case anyone just so happened to know them both. Clyde moved his hand over to grasp Kasper’s gently, his thumb rubbing over the top of his hand,

“I was thinking about moving out, very soon. I have been saving my own money in a private bank so my parents can’t control it. We can move in together by the summer, a proper home for both of us” Clyde smiled.

Kasper beamed, leaning over the table and squeezing Clyde tightly,

“Are you sure? This is great! I can’t wait, we can fill a room with all the cushions and stuff and make it our little den and have a room to eat in, and a separate one to sleep in and, wow, all those rooms!” he would start to stutter his words before kissing Clyde on the cheek, sitting back down he locks his fingers with Clyde’s.

Clyde smiled and gave a quick returning kiss on the cheek before Kasper sat down, locking both hands with him now as he smiled. Finishing his drink he would stand up, holding his hand out for Kasper to follow as the pair of them went out, hand in hand.

They both made their separate ways, Clyde having to return to his home, they shared a kiss for a brief moment, giving each other a cuddle before leaving it at that.

 

Two weeks had gone by. Clyde had not seen Kasper since they parted from the pub that one night. It was now evening and Clyde was pacing back and forth around his room, his parents had recently put him under house arrest a few nights ago after Clyde had told them of his future plans, of course they had not been happy with him as he was their source for money.

 

Bang, bang, bang.

 

The door had almost been knocked down before suddenly Clyde’s father appeared at the door; traditionally he came with his cane in hand as he smacked the back of Clyde’s legs,

“Downstairs, now!” he huffed.

Clyde flinched, this was unexpected, and he slowly made his way down the stairs, walking towards the longue area, where he stopped dead in his tracks, his body tensed up as his eyes turned back into the puppy dog look at the sight in front of him.

 

Clyde trembled with fear. Looking over by his mother, two hulking men stood side by side, grasping a struggling Kasper, once again at the mercy of his parents, he was bruised, badly this time and looked to have been crying as they was surrounded by red circles and became puffy.

“You are lucky, Son” Clyde’s father chirped in as he made his way past Clyde towards Kasper,

“We have saved you so much pain and trouble from a thieving rat like this pesky man. We told you if he came near again we would kill him”

Clyde shook his head, he started to run towards them with arms out-stretched before two more hulking men came out from the other room to hold Clyde still, he kicked, screamed, begged and pleaded now. The men forced him down onto his knees, as he watched ahead for Kasper,

“He is only here because you brought him here!” Clyde screamed in desperation, his parents unfortunately smirked at these words.

“You can come in now, Will”

A man was escorted into the room, the parents giving him a bag of coins, possibly a couple of gold. Clyde and Kasper stared in horror as their stomachs sank. It was one of the barmen from the pub, he’d told Clyde’s parents!

“Will has been keeping an eye on you both for us; we are deeply disappointed in you, Son. You had the chance at wealth and making us happy, but you went down a selfish path and chose to satisfy yourself with a street rodent”

Clyde’s burst of anger got the better of him, leaping up for a short moment before the men grabbed hold of him tighter,

“No! You are wrong; you are both selfish, keeping me from Kasper. I will not leave him, I love him!”

The parents looked at each other and chuckled viciously between them both,

“My dear child, he will leave you, one way or another” The mother grinned, she turned towards Kasper, holding another bag of gold towards him,

“This is your only chance, rat, take the gold and walk away, or there will be consequences”

A moment of silence hit Kasper, he was no longer crying, and sniffling, he stared at Clyde long and hard, the first time in the whole time Clyde knew this man it was the first time he’d looked absolutely miserable with his life. He shook his head firmly towards the parents then back at Clyde,

“I love you, Clyde” he then hung his head low, his shoulders shaking as he tried to cry quietly.

 

The next few moments would haunt Clyde forever. The two men grasping Kasper lifted him up high, spreading his arms and legs out like a star. Kasper started squirming and trying to break free with no luck, his parents, flashed a dagger each, moving either side of Kasper as they faced Clyde,

“Make him watch, let him see what he has made us do” the parents huffed.

Clyde shook his head, starting to cry realizing what was coming, he struggled with all his might to break free, the furthest he was getting was reaching his fingers out desperately trying to grasp towards Kasper with no look, lost for words.

His parents both in turn stabbed into Kasper’s stomach. Kasper let out a choking noise as he coughed, a large chunk of blood splattered out of his mouth as he coughed, he started crying more. Both Clyde and Kasper trying to reach for each other, shouting for each other as the parents made another move, his father stabbing into the heart and his mother slicing Kasper’s throat, finishing Kasper in a matter of seconds.

Silence…

Kasper was released to drop down, the men moving away as the other’s released Clyde letting him stumble to his knees. His parents snorted before cleaning their daggers, walking out slowly,

“Think about what you have done, Clyde” they said in a harsh tone as they left.

Clyde crawled towards Kasper slowly, he reached up towards the wounds, pressing his hands onto them as if to help it stop the bleeding, a small moment of hysteria as he started to scream out in agony, his crying filling the rooms of the house in an eerie way. He picked up Kasper into his lap, cradling his body towards his chest, kissing his forehead,

“I’m so sorry Kasper, I’m so sorry” he’d whisper over and over, getting quieter and quieter as the room becomes quiet once again.

 

An hour passed, Clyde still in a state he had taken Kasper’s body to a small village nearby his house, burying Kasper in the small graveyard then sitting by the mound, curling up on top and cuddling the mud. His eyes started to water up again, though left in silence he just laid there. All he wanted to do at that moment was join Kasper and rest with him.

His heart sank as he grew more to realize this was real, a frown on his face as he felt himself become cold, a twist inside him making him feel hate for everything, and everyone.  After a few more hours he stood up, covered in mud, blood and now the rain started to pour washing him down, he took slow steps back towards his home, a changed man.