I closed the bedroom door behind me and instantly rested my back against it, drawing in a deep breath. The funeral was over and the ceremony had drained me of the little energy I had left in my body from this morning. I pulled off my dark coat and hung it over one of the luxurious chairs as my thoughts wandered towards my parents. My mother had been crying but my father had stood emotionless as usual. His firstborn son was dead, and yet he never even shed a tear. But that was typical of my father, he never showed any love for us. Neither did my mother, but I guess Harry's death was a shock to her.

I pulled my fingers through my thick dark hair, it had grown beneath my ears now, ending in small curls, and I was sure my mother would want me to cut it shorter to look more presentable. She had never cared before, but now I was the heir of the throne. This would only be one of several changes I would be forced to accept I realized and kicked off my high boots.

My brother had been four years older than me, the one who'd been in training to become the new king. That was my destiny now. Wasn't it funny how one man's fate could change the lives of so many. My brother's death was a huge inconvenience for me and I almost hated him more for it. It gave me a good laugh though because he didn't die in a grand battle, a fancy duel for a lady's hand, nor did he die from a horrible disease like our people in the city. Harry died from suffocation while eating breakfast. My lip turned into a smile, it was funny really, the way he'd died. Who knew grapes could be so lethal?

What wasn't funny was the fact that my father had punished the servants who worked that morning, claiming they had murdered him. And the second reason why this wasn't funny was that he actually punished them with death.

I shook my head and pulled the shirt over my head, throwing it on top of my coat before falling onto my bed to gaze up into the ceiling. My life was going to change a lot after this. They would force me to train for battles, speeches and handling the court. I didn't want that life. I was always content to be the younger one, the little brother who was allowed to play instead of study. I was the loner, the one who no one cared about because I was just the little prince. But now I was the successor. My father had ruled these lands since he was seventeen, he wasn't too old yet, but he was sickly. Which meant that I had to prepare because he could die within a few years. I was surprised he didn't cry at my brother's funeral, surely it was a sad day for him, knowing his favorite son was dead and now he had only me left.

I pulled my arms up to rest the back of my head on my hands, still staring up at the natural patterns of the wood above me. When I was little I had always spotted little figures hiding in the lines and swirls of the wood. It had been relaxing to come up with stories and fantasies that only I knew about and my ceiling carried the memories of my childhood on it.

A knock on the door interrupted me but I didn't bother to move and only nodded towards my servant who entered with a tray of food.

"You left before dinner was served," she said with a knowing smile on her lips. Seeing her I immediately felt hate towards my father. These people were innocent, they worked for us because they needed money to live. They always did their best knowing they were replaceable.

"Thank you Anna," I said and gave her a faint smile as I noticed what dishes she had picked out for me. "You know me too well."

"We've grown up under the same roof, Lord," she said shyly, implying she would be foolish not to know that I preferred white meats over red.

I rose from the bed and was greeted with rosy cheeks and her blue eyes watching my bare skin and I quickly grabbed a white linen shirt and pulled it over my head before I took the plate. Anna and I were about the same age, and we had indeed grown up together. She was the daughter of an old man that had been working for us long before I was born and when we were very little all the children had been playing together like small children do. Not caring about status or titles. She'd always taken an interest in me, but I had never encouraged her. She was pretty and all, very sweet, kind and a hard worker, but I never fancied girls in that way. That was my deep, dark secret - I was one of those homosexuals that the church hated. It hadn't been a problem really, not until now. As a future king I would have to marry a woman and produce children. I took a bite out of the bread roll and sighed. That would never happen. I would never be able to perform any type of sexual act with a woman. Similar to them, I enjoyed being on the receiving end.

Mistaking my mood for sadness, Anna took a step forward and placed her hand on my arm. "He will be missed," she said and patted it gently before turning to the door to leave me.

"Are you sure?" I snickered and she gave me a thoughtful glance but left the room quickly. We both knew my brother had been a jerk to everyone around him. A spoiled brat who believed everything belonged to him and that he deserved it because he was the firstborn of a king.

I had actually wanted to kill him several times during my life, not that I had actually planned it out. It was the fantasies of a neglected child who competed with him for our mothers attention. I quickly grew out of those thoughts and found happiness elsewhere.

With my stomach full I fell down on my bed yet again, bracing myself for the days to come. But sleep never came and when the sun started to shine through my windows I rose from my bed, I stood up not bothering to change my clothes and started to walk down the endless corridors of our grand castle to meet my parents for breakfast and hear their plans for my future.

A/N - Editing old stories always makes me want to write new ones ;) Enjoy!