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Remus, in the middle of throwing an insult his brother's way that would've surely been so sharp it might've cut him, stopped mid breath, frozen in place as he saw a figure standing near the edge of the forest.
"Is that-"
"I swear on Hercules Remus, stop trying to mess with me I know there's nothing the-" His brother now stopped aswell. Having spotted the figure, the familiar figure, approaching the two of them.
Argument forgotten, as soon as Remus saw the soft brown, almost bronze colour of the cape that the figure was wearing he practically threw himself in front of his brother, mace in hand, shaking like a leaf.
"Remus. Remus this isn't funny why is he here. He can't be here we're here!" Romans's voice was slightly higher than usual. Panicked, confused. How was this possible? How was he here he couldn't be here!
"I-I don't know. Did you summon him? We could've made him on accident. The imagination can do that right? Make sides appear?"
It couldn't. Both of them knew it couldn't and Remus didn't know why he had asked except for the fact that he was panicking.
"Remus comes on now there's no need to be all defensive. I think I'm the most peaceful out of the three of us, aren't I?"
He was so close now. Almost touchable. A strange wave of soothing energy flowing off of him as if his simple existence meant that they would be safe.
He was tall. Stupidly tall for a side that was supposed to be just like all of the others. The twins had to look up quite high to meet his eyes with how close he was standing.
Roman seemed less afraid now, standing up from where Remus has pushed him down in an effort to protect him and walking closer still to the figure in front of them. The King just looking at him, a gentle smile softening his features.
"Hello there Roman. How are you doing today?"
Now Roman hadn't been doing 'good' for a few months. He could admit that much to himself. But to actually say it to others was a whole different thing. Somehow though he found it was impossible to lie to the King as he looked at him, eyes the same shade of Amber as they all had. Though hints of red and green shining through in each eye respectively.
"I'm- It could be better." the Prince said quietly, chancing a quick glance at his brother and immediately regretting it as he saw a deep sadness settle onto his face. The worried he'd had for his brother simply confirmed.
"And you, Remus? Has Deceit become nicer since I was last with him?"
Remus smiled, sadness still peering through the cracks as he came closer too. This was strange. But he wouldn't say it was the bad kind of strange. It was simply... Abnormal.
"He has. We're very close now. I'd say family even. He... Understands me. Helps me out when I go a little too of the racks."
The King laughed at that, the laughter like a melody dancing with the soft breeze that blew through their hair and the treetops.
"I'm glad to hear that you found somebody to trust," he said after he was done laughing, the twins blinking as if it had enchanted them for a moment. Looking at each other, then quickly looking away. Roman trying to ignore his heart shattering that tiny bit more as he thought about how bad it must have gotten if Remus needed somebody to bring him back from insanity from time to time.
"And you? How've you been, Romulus ?"
The King shook his head lightly and sank to his knees, taking a seat on the grassy hill they were on. A few mice hopping from where they had been hiding in his pocket and play-wrestling each other in the evening light. He patted the ground next to him, the two others sinking down too, mace and sword abandoned behind them.
"Well, I haven't been at all I suppose. Not since the two of you last fused."
Remus shuffled at that, seemingly wanting to get a bit further away from Roman without actually moving from his spot. Roman his ears rang. A faint ringing sound that seemed to get louder and louder as he looked at the King for a longer period of time.
His eyes had more specs of green and red in them than just a few minutes ago.
"I wanted to talk about that to the both of you. Wanted to ask why you haven't fused? Was it unnecessary? Did you forget?"
"We didn't... Forget. We simply... We-" "Why are you even here?"
Remus cut his brother. The evening light suddenly seeming a lot less calming and the waves of comfort being disturbed for a brief second.
"I don't know why I'm here or frankly how. I know that I am though. And that I can finally talk to the both of you as well. Patton told me all about you last time I visited. Deceit seemed to awfully fond of the way you both played off of each other though he was hesitant to show it."
"That doesn't answer the question. Why are you here Romulus? If you've come to ask when we'll fuse again I'll give you the answer right now. We won't. I've become the bad guy and Roman's the good guy. Those two don't mix. They never should have and they never will again."
Remus seemed angry. Was angry. And the waves of calm had stopped and been replaced by a deep sadness of which Roman wasn't sure if it was coming from the King or he himself.
But he mostly felt confused.
"You think I'm the hero? Remus, they won't even look at me these days and you got a whole conversation going. They all love you. Talk to you at least."
The King's left eye was now almost fully red. The green in the right one quickly taking over aswell.
"We should try to at least be there for each other Remus. Nobody else will be there for me so-"
"Yeah well, I don't need you!" Remus shouted back. The lie so strong Deceit shot up in bed all the way back in his room, wondering what was going on.
"You tried to cut me out all our lives. Since the first split it was always 'Roman is good and Remus is evil' I don't give a shit if you're hurting right now because that just means you finally know what I went through!"
Roman reeled back, the King's right eye a bright green, the red in the other lighting up as well as he doubled over as if in pain.
Remus didn't stop though. Tears now brimming his eyes as he looked at his brother.
"I don't care if you feel unwanted! Feel useless! Now you finally know what it's like to be ME!"
Roman was crying too now. Eyes wide in horror. In the realisation that he was about to lose his lifeline. The one he could always fall back onto, for good.
But Remus had hurt. Still was to this day. And Roman was hurting and it was getting worse with the day. And they had switched roles so flawlessly it wasn't even noticed until it was too late.
And they were both hurting so much.
But Remus was angry. And Roman was angry too. And the King doubled over, clutching his head as if trying to keep it together. Trying to keep it from splitting.
"YEAH WELL, I DONT WANT YOUR PITY!" Roman screamed back now. Only noticed that the pleasant evening had been overshadowed by deep grey clouds that covered the sun. Darkening the place so much it looked like it was nearly midnight.
"I JUST WANT TO BE OKAY AGAIN! AND-AND IF YOU CAN'T HELP WITH THAT... THEN I DONT WANT TO SEE YOU EVER AGAIN!"
The final word was overpowered by an agonising scream. The twins look g over in shock as the King screamed and screamed. It sounding like he was being murdered in a way that was agonisingly slow and agonisingly painful.
Remus ran to his brother for comfort when he saw how the body of what once had been the King lit up, the only thing visible an outline and his eyes. One a bright, poison green and the other bloodred.
"wait," Roman said, eyes big, tears now freely streaming down his face as he realised what was happening.
"don't go. Please." Remus whispered, as the screams got louder and the body shaped outline began to slip in half.
"Please don't leave us broken again." Roman sobbed. Pressing Remus his head into his shoulder so his brother wouldn't have to see. He didn't want him staying awake because of another nightmare. Not another one.
"Please..." They sat on the grass, Remus clinging to Roman as if he were a lifeline (the prince realises at that moment that his lifeline might not have been cut after all) and sobbing into his shoulder while Roman could do nothing but watch. Eyes glued to the horrific scene that was barely visible through the bright white light. The screaming having become layered. As if it were now not one but to people screaming. The mice having flown to hide behind the two brothers as the light got brighter. An all blinding flash of it before it slowly faded away. Leaving nothing but the faint dent in the grass and the three mice behind to show that the King was ever there.
Roman held his brother close for a whole of four minutes after the King had disappeared. Remus sobbing into his shoulder, still clinging to him like a little child would his mother when having had a nightmare. Romans simply staring at the spot that Romulus had sat on just a moment ago. Tears silently streaking his face, the twins both shaking like a leaf.
"We made him- we split again. I shouldn't have"
"It's alright Re. It's over now. It's done okay? It's not your fault." Remus scoffed at that and finally, finally let go of Roman in favour of wiping his eyes.
"We'll figure out how that happened in the morning okay? For now, I'm going to get us back to your room and we can maybe have a sleepover? I'd rather not... I'd rather you don't sleep alone after that. We need to talk about some things soon. But for now, let's just make sure we're okay. Okay? "
Remus simply nodded and let himself sag against his brother. Trying hard to repress the memories of countless sleepovers and late-night talks. Of sleeping bags and ghost hunting.
"Yeah," he said, giving an unsure smile. The clouds slowly chasing each other across the heavens, showing the tiniest bits of the sky already peering through the storm clouds.
"Yeah. That would be nice."