“W – Wait!” Arthur’s previously ignored brother gained everyone’s attention by throwing all the chips off of the poker table. “We haven’t finished gambling! I will win the money needed to pay Mr Macken with my own hands. I don’t need your charity!” he fiercely glared at Alfred.
Arthur’s mood had been foul in the morning but now it had reached the absolute rock bottom. Here he was in this disgusting place, everyone was shouting at each other, his brother was being an obstinate idiot, he had been felt up by the world’s greediest man and, to make things worse, Alfred of all people had been the one to save him.
This was the absolute worst.
“Charity? I thought it was a business transaction,” Arthur’s voice coldly cut through the heated atmosphere in the room.
“Arthur?” Alfred turned to him with a confused frown. Where had he heard that from?
Arthur was almost ready to laugh. This truly had to be the worst. The worst day of his life. Even being sold naked in front of a crowd of rich strangers could not possibly beat this day in terms of absolute crap.
He stared at Alfred with a cold, merciless gaze. “That was the deal, wasn’t it? In return for you covering our debts to Mr Macken, my brothers would sell me to you?”
It was hard to discern the expression on Alfred’s face. If it was shock, it was far too pained. If it was sadness, there was too much confusion in it.
“Oh ho, you’ve been found out Mr Jones!” Macken roared with laughter. “Although I beat you to the punch and claimed the boy as a deposit first.”
“Yes, you made me pay a fair amount just to reclaim what was mine,” Alfred agreed with a bitter, depreciating smile.
“Stop talking about me as if I’m an object!” Arthur snapped, stabbing a finger squarely at Alfred’s chest. “Y – You...you’re the absolute worst! I hate you!”
A brief look of hurt passed across Alfred’s face before being completely smothered. Arthur, too angry to notice it, continued to shout.
“W – Why?” he demanded. “Why did you want my brothers to sell me to you? We never met! I never did anything to you, and even if I did, I surely didn’t deserve this! If you hated me that much you could have just told me! You didn’t have to...you didn’t have to...”
“Get out.” A whisper at first, hardly audible and yet quivering with tangible rage. When no one moved, Alfred glared at them with the force of a thousand dangers. “Get out all of you!” he roared.
“W - well, my business is done here. Good day to you Mr Jones, Mr Kirkland,” Macken quickly withdrew, trying not to look too intimidated.
“Wait a minute, my brother - ”
“Get out!”
Arthur’s brother jumped and bolted, shutting the door firmly as he left.
The silence left in their wake resounded like a roar across the walls. It was a silence too terrible to pronounce; a crushing, devastated silence that laid waste to their minds.
Arthur did not realise that he was trembling until everyone else had gone. He wondered why he was so upset, why it hurt to be betrayed. No, not betrayed. He had never thought Alfred was on his side so how could he be betrayed by him? Yet it felt as if Alfred had taken his feelings and trampled all over them with malice.
He was so stupid. How could he have allowed himself to be tricked by this man? All this time Alfred had been arranging for him to be sold into slavery, he had coerced his brothers, used his wealth for bribes and had Arthur stripped of his rank and sold to him. Even he had thought that no one could be so low!
“I hate you, you disgusting pig!” Arthur expelled a quivering breath.
Why was Alfred being so silent? Did he not even care to deny it?
“You’re the worst person I have ever met! Even if you didn’t like me, this method of getting revenge is just too sick!” Why was Alfred not saying anything? Angry tears threatened to fall from Arthurs eyes as he shouted. “Why did you have to do this? Why didn’t you just tell me that you hated me from the beginning?”
Surely, surely, Arthur thought, he must have done something terrible for Alfred to go out of his way and make him a slave. Even though he had no idea what it could be or even when they had met. He wondered way though, why was it that the thought of Alfred hating him hurt more than his betrayal.
Re: Pride goeth before destruction [18/?]
Arthur’s mood had been foul in the morning but now it had reached the absolute rock bottom. Here he was in this disgusting place, everyone was shouting at each other, his brother was being an obstinate idiot, he had been felt up by the world’s greediest man and, to make things worse, Alfred of all people had been the one to save him.
This was the absolute worst.
“Charity? I thought it was a business transaction,” Arthur’s voice coldly cut through the heated atmosphere in the room.
“Arthur?” Alfred turned to him with a confused frown. Where had he heard that from?
Arthur was almost ready to laugh. This truly had to be the worst. The worst day of his life. Even being sold naked in front of a crowd of rich strangers could not possibly beat this day in terms of absolute crap.
He stared at Alfred with a cold, merciless gaze. “That was the deal, wasn’t it? In return for you covering our debts to Mr Macken, my brothers would sell me to you?”
It was hard to discern the expression on Alfred’s face. If it was shock, it was far too pained. If it was sadness, there was too much confusion in it.
“Oh ho, you’ve been found out Mr Jones!” Macken roared with laughter. “Although I beat you to the punch and claimed the boy as a deposit first.”
“Yes, you made me pay a fair amount just to reclaim what was mine,” Alfred agreed with a bitter, depreciating smile.
“Stop talking about me as if I’m an object!” Arthur snapped, stabbing a finger squarely at Alfred’s chest. “Y – You...you’re the absolute worst! I hate you!”
A brief look of hurt passed across Alfred’s face before being completely smothered. Arthur, too angry to notice it, continued to shout.
“W – Why?” he demanded. “Why did you want my brothers to sell me to you? We never met! I never did anything to you, and even if I did, I surely didn’t deserve this! If you hated me that much you could have just told me! You didn’t have to...you didn’t have to...”
“Get out.” A whisper at first, hardly audible and yet quivering with tangible rage. When no one moved, Alfred glared at them with the force of a thousand dangers. “Get out all of you!” he roared.
“W - well, my business is done here. Good day to you Mr Jones, Mr Kirkland,” Macken quickly withdrew, trying not to look too intimidated.
“Wait a minute, my brother - ”
“Get out!”
Arthur’s brother jumped and bolted, shutting the door firmly as he left.
The silence left in their wake resounded like a roar across the walls. It was a silence too terrible to pronounce; a crushing, devastated silence that laid waste to their minds.
Arthur did not realise that he was trembling until everyone else had gone. He wondered why he was so upset, why it hurt to be betrayed. No, not betrayed. He had never thought Alfred was on his side so how could he be betrayed by him? Yet it felt as if Alfred had taken his feelings and trampled all over them with malice.
He was so stupid. How could he have allowed himself to be tricked by this man? All this time Alfred had been arranging for him to be sold into slavery, he had coerced his brothers, used his wealth for bribes and had Arthur stripped of his rank and sold to him. Even he had thought that no one could be so low!
“I hate you, you disgusting pig!” Arthur expelled a quivering breath.
Why was Alfred being so silent? Did he not even care to deny it?
“You’re the worst person I have ever met! Even if you didn’t like me, this method of getting revenge is just too sick!” Why was Alfred not saying anything? Angry tears threatened to fall from Arthurs eyes as he shouted. “Why did you have to do this? Why didn’t you just tell me that you hated me from the beginning?”
Surely, surely, Arthur thought, he must have done something terrible for Alfred to go out of his way and make him a slave. Even though he had no idea what it could be or even when they had met. He wondered way though, why was it that the thought of Alfred hating him hurt more than his betrayal.