BRENVERSE: OUAT (ONCE UPON A TIME)
(This is old and unfinished)
Brendan was once the lord of a small fishing village in the Kingdom of Lyon. After war claimed his family and destroyed his lands, he set to wandering for a time, occasionally using his natural gift for magic to earn coin. It was this gift of his that eventually lead him to be taken in by a group of travelling performers. As part of their act Brendan worked as both a dancer and illusionist, charming crowds across the kingdom with his skilled moves, magic, and handsome face. [MORE TO BE ADDED]
THE GENERAL IDEA (what was being rewritten above)
Both Brendan and Matthieu lived in the Kingdom of Lyon within the Enchanted Forest before the Curse, with Matthieu being knight captain and advisor to the king of their land, and Brendan a lord to a small fishing village. Brendan has the rare gift for magic, either being born with or cursed with it (undecided). This “gift” eventually leads to him and Matthieu meeting. After war claims his village and his family, Brendan sets to wandering the kingdom and eventually gets taken in by a troupe of travelling performers who want his magic for their act. He soon learns that the majority of the gold the troupe makes doesn't come from their performances specifically, but by stealing from and even killing some of the people who come out to see them. This greatly pleases Brendan’s sadistic and bloodthirsty nature, so he happily goes along with.
During one of the larger turnouts just outside the royal city, Matthieu and a handful of his guards slip into the crowd, hoping to catch the murderous troupe in the act. When he sees Brendan, however, Matthieu becomes obsessed with possessing him and has him arrested on false charges of stealing from him, with the entire troupe also being imprisoned as leverage to get Brendan to submit. Which ends up being entirely unnecessary, because all the persuasion Brendan needs comes from Matthieu recognising him as one of the provincial lords that lost their lands in the war and then promising that he can not only return his status to him, but also raise Brendan to something far greater than the person he used to be. All Matthieu wants in return is Brendan’s companionship (initially sexual, eventually romantic) and for Brendan to mentor him in the use of magic.
Brendan agrees, but things turned sour when it’s revealed that Matthieu is also heir to the throne of their childless king and already betrothed to a princess of a rival kingdom. (Because no way in Hell would Brendan ever be content to simply play consort to the love of his life).
