Jasper:

I looked up at the man, "Who are you?"

            "I... I am Julian Harcourt." His bright blue eyes shifted away from mine, "I'm eighteen and-" He was cut off by a large growling from his stomach. Stiffening up, he opened his mouth to continue, but I cut him off.

            "Thomas," I turned to the skittish man, "Get him some food." Something inside me screamed that I couldn't watch this stranger starve. By the sight of his bones beneath his skin, it was obvious that he was severely starved, maybe even to the point of near death. I watched the way his eyes shifted back and forth and then settled onto mine, filled with hatred.

            "I don't want your pity, Your Highness." Julian's eyes were hard, staring into mine. As much as his boldness disgusted me, the bond was working. And I didn't want him to leave. "Just punish me and release me back to my family. Do whatever pleases you, but I need to go back home."

            Words would not come to me as I stared up at him. He was young, but not much younger than me. He was bold, bold enough to talk so harshly to the man who ruled everything he cared about. "Leave." I choked the words out, "Gaurds... Take him out."

At the beckon, two large men strode over, full armor, and grasped his bony arms, dragging him out behind them. He made no action to stand, instead allowing himself to be lazily dragged behind them. I watched, slightly stung by the lack of a reaction from my supposed soul mate, when his head fell backwards, revealing his slack face. "Stop!" I commanded, striding over to where he was and taking him out of the guard's arms. Despite being so much larger than me, I managed to hold him in my arms. I watched his features carefully, checking for a sign of life. His lips... they were moving, showing that he was still breathing. After a split moment of watching his still features, I ordered one of the maids who was watching the exchange to hurry up on that food. Without a second thought, I strode out of the room towards my bedroom.

It seemed as if everyone in the entire castle came to watch the young king carry the peasant boy in his arms, but that was the least of my worries. The door to my chambers slammed shut, blocking out all of the foolish servants with prying eyes. As I laid Julian down on my dark stained sheets, I paused. This was wrong.

Julian:

My eyes slowly opened, the world around me blurry and confusing. It took me no more than a second to remember my recent trip to the castle. Besides the fact that the sheets were silk instead of non-existent, the king in the corner of the chamber was enough proof for me. He sat on a large oak chair, his crown slightly askew on his brown mop of hair. His eyes were trained down on his hands which were holding his large staff. As I examined the man I was under the rule of and soul mates with, I was quiet as humanly possible as to not let him know I was awake. It was going great until I let out a sneeze and he looked up so quickly I was wondering if he broke his neck. The king stood up, walking over to the bed and sitting down.

"Julian." He spoke softly.

"Your Highness." I replied curtly.

"Jasper." He corrected, looking away. It may have been a tender moment had he not been the fear of the land.

"Of course, Your Highness."

His head shot back to face mine, his dark eyes now cold. He gestured over to the tray of food as he stood up, running his hands over his cloak. "Eat." With no other words, he was gone.

I shoved a handful of bread into my mouth, letting a little sigh of pleasure leave me at the taste of fresh bread. Bread, or food of any kind, hadn't been easily accessible to me. I licked my lips, wishing for just a bit more food before I left this place. As much as getting more food sounded like the most satisfying thing to me, I didn't want to run into the king once more, even though seeing him did weird things to me. Weird things I didn't need to deal with at the moment. A hesitant knock sounded at the door, starling me from my thoughts. I turned to face the door as the small man from earlier entered. He didn't make any eye contact, only looking at the floor or at the bed in wonderment. After a minute of watching him gape, I cleared my throat and he jolted and turned to me.

"King Jasper wanted me to inform you about his invitation to join the royal knights." The royal knights were elite, the kind of thing every parent wanted their kids to join, but most never got to. "You will get paid a decent salary and get free food and housing." He pressed me further.

As much as I wanted to agree, to take the chance of a lifetime, I couldn't. "Please tell Your Highness that I respectfully decline." As Thomas stood in the doorway in shock, I strode past him out of the elegant chamber.

When I was to the point where he couldn't see me, I let the façade drop and my shoulders slumped. The hallways were large and my footfalls were nearly silent against the ruby carpet. Despite the usual hustle and bustle of the castle, not a single person was to be seen, the only sound was my labored breathing. The more I walked, the more I began to doubt that there really was any kind of actual escape. Every room led to yet another room, with not a single door to the outside. The more the day passed, the more the windows looked like an awfully good escape route. The windows were tall and clean, seemingly unable to open. Deciding to ignore that, I grabbed a small table and smashed it through the glass, quickly slipping out and falling the small height. Once I reached the grass beneath the broken window, I examined my hand for cuts, only to find a large slice across my palm. It oozed blood and seemed to cut down to my very bones.

"Uh..." I spun around, looking for something to tie my hand with, only to come up with nothing. In defeat, I peered down at my thin shirt, stripping off a small slice and wrapping my hand.

Jasper:

How dare he refuse me after I had aided him? Behind me, my servants trembled in fear, on their hands and knees, trying to sweep up a broke plate in my wake. I yanked my stiff crown off my head and gripped it tightly as I marched down the long hallway to my chambers. This is why I don't associate with those nasty peasants, they always.... A loud crunch sounded through the empty hallway and I stopped abruptly, looking down at my feet. All around me, glass shards were scattered, leading up to a large window overlooking my expansive land.  Why that little.... I peered out the broken glass at the yard and took a single deep breath before letting out an annoyed growl and ripping off my cape, leaving it on the ground as I stormed away from the mess. He was absolutely disgusting, coming into my home after committing a crime and then violating my very property. One day, he will regret the day he gained the King of his homeland on his bad side.... And I can't wait. I dropped onto my bed, letting my head drop back as I cackled. Those who weren't born out of royalty, never seemed to fear us as much as they really should. As I relished in my new revenge, a small voice spoke up.

"Your Highness..." Thomas spoke meekly from the corner.

Your Highness... it's what that little rat called me.... I snorted at the servant, "Thomas?"

"Yes, my lord?"

"Shut up before I hang you."

"Yes, my King." Without so much as a second moment of hesitation, he was gone.

Julian:

My legs shook beneath me and I let out a dry sob. I doubt I will survive this. The way to my family home was not a short one, it could even take me days, depending on how much my meager strength would hold out. People bustling about the sidewalk barely stopped to notice the bleeding boy crawling along the dirt path. I briefly wondered if perhaps I would be gaining any visitors ready to execute me at the wishes of the king. Perhaps they would be kind and make it a more private affair, instead of the usual town showing. The more the sun weighed down on my shoulders, the more I wanted nothing more than to drop down on the ground. Eventually, my legs gave out and I got just that. As bugs flew around me and rested on my dehydrated limbs, I allowed myself to think about King Jasper for just a moment. He was sick. The kind of person who fed on chaos and despair. Public hangings or torture were not rare, in fact, it had become a normality. Despite how much he bathed in the sadness of others, I couldn't very well deny the connect that we had, for it was undeniable that we were soul mates. For those who were less than bathing in riches, it was very uncommon to find your soul mate, if fact, it was the chance of a lifetime.

My parents, despite loving each other, were not soul mates and neither seemed tobe bothered. My mother was content with the poor farmer and my father was content with the terrible baker, though they weren't soul mates. With thoughts of my parents fresh in my mind, I forced myself to stand up once more, wincingas my bones ached. I briefly wondered how they would react if I was to tell them about my experience with the king.