Cassius's Links
Cassius is a stoic, terrifyingly clever fellow... And he harbors off feelings towards the King. While he respects him deeply— he simply does not like the man. Cassius faithfully serves the purpose he was hired for but despises how the King has bound him in the palace making the Brute feel as though he is only a marionette to be used in show. The two men often come head to head behind closed doors when tensions are pulled too taunt. While he does love Ambrose, the Mercenary feels that deep down their relationship is a way for him to act in rebellion against the king.
King Alabaster is a shrewd man, and trains his own men. The knights and guards of the palace undergo hell much worse than the literal hell of their Homeland when first allowed into the fold of imperial knighthood. The act of hiring a mercenary— a notoriously well known butcher of a man at that— came as a shocking surprise for many in the bastion. Truth be told, Alabaster keeps Cassius close in a way to exert his influence and might as a King. Not only does he have the man dubbed a Mercenary King pinned under his claw as a hired worker he can watch Cassius in case the scarred Brute tries to spark the fires of rebellion. Despite his constant surveillance Cassius has sparked a rather intense relationship with the youngest prince with motives unknown. Alabaster would likely have Cassius quartered and strung if he found out.
Cassius had hated the coddled Prince the moment he was assigned to him. Everything about the little male evoked disgust in the battle hardened Brute's mind. He was soft, small, arrogant, and Cassius could've swore the fucker had been wearing perfume. When he was assigned as his guard it took much of the Brute's self control not to protest and instead hold his tongue in front of the Prince's father. However, out of the King's eyesight Cassius would truly make his feelings known; ranging from verbally tearing the "arrogant little prick" a new one at every mistake he made or coldly ignoring him until he absolutely had to act to protect Ambrose. This way of living went on for a long while, bickering making up the majority of their interactions— until one day Cassius had a realization. All it took was a visit to one of the Prince's elder siblings to sow the seeds of change in the Mercenary's mind. It was then that he began to realize there was more to the youngest Prince than what met the eye. Sure he appeared rather spinless and soft— but in front of his siblings and immediate danger Ambrose offered composure and a well hidden calculative nature not seen before. Cassius became fascinated and perhaps a different feeling became to grow the more he observed his ward. The confession was borne out of a dangerous situation which later became a silver lining in both their minds.
The Mercenary had protested Ambrose's proposal to act as though nothing had happened between them in public, but would eventually yield under his lover's reasoning. In order to keep themselves safe and throw off the King and his spies, he begrudgingly continues to act with contempt towards Ambrose.
Ambrose first met Cassius on the day the Mercenary was hired and brought into the castle. They got off to an extremely rocky start— with neither being able to stand eachother's presence. The news of Cassius becoming the Prince's bodyguard came as an extremely unpleasant surprise for both parties. In the Prince's mind Cassius was nothing more than a rarely-spoken, no-brained, blood-hungry oaf. Yet, as the two managed to coexist the initial resentment faded. It was Cassius whose heart had softened first which would have easily surprised every person who knew him and how he had lived around his ward. Ambrose fondly remembers when the Knight's feelings were made known even if the circumstances had been rather terrible. While they still keep up the appearance of a clashing guard and ward in public the confines of private are where they truly become candid.