Work Text:
“Brother, look! The guard was right! Water in the middle of town, without any rain!” Prince Pollux said, almost yelling with shock and glee.
Prince Castor would have yelled too if it were a surprise to him. He had a facade to keep up, however.
It was just at the break of dawn, shopkeepers had barely set up their shops, and the rest of the townsfolk wouldn’t stir for another hour or so. The guards out on patrol were enough, so the two princes walked into the middle of Savalon unaccosted.
“Well I’ll be, water?” Prince Castor responded. It was just like the traveling women said, right? She had mentioned the Water Crystal’s mystic powers, how it could restore life through its gift of water, how it could bless their arid lands, and how it could save his kingdom that’s slowly crumbling and turning to sand.
The thought was more than Prince Castor could ever dream of.
With little concern, Prince Pollux crouched down and lowered his hand to touch the water, as if to see if it was real. The water itself seemed to be a thin layer spread out over the ground in the plaza, far grander than a puddle, but nowhere compared to a river.
“It really is…” Pollux said, a smile slowly spreading across his face. However, the smile soon faded away, while he contemplated and stood back up. “We should alert Dromed right away, maybe he’ll know why it’s gathered here. Could it possibly be from the wells?”
Pollux’s tone was now slightly confused and cautious, shocking Castor. “What? Pollux, aren’t you glad? This is a good sign! Water’s been found above the surface, this is a celebration!”
“I’m more than grateful, Castor,” Pollux said back. “But isn’t it just a little bit, well, odd?”
For a second, Prince Castor’s eyes filled with fear. He couldn’t have possibly known that the crystal was kept in Savalon. Bernard himself went to Musa to retrieve the crystal for him. Unfortunately, Bernard had no intent on handing it over either. But still, Castor never left, so how would his brother know?
Maybe he didn’t, but Castor would be ready to turn to other methods otherwise.
“It might be strange, but we can think about that later. For now, we can rest easy, brother.” Prince Castor pleaded.
“Rest easy? We still have numerous issues. Just because water has been spotted doesn’t mean that the crisis is solved. We still have to deal with the fall of our greatest ally, Musa. And for heaven’s sake, please don’t tell me you’ve forgotten about father.”
Musa? That small kingdom had little to claim, Prince Castor thought. They were the ones who hogged the Crystals for themselves, hiding away power that could transform lives. He would rather think of Musa as just a small casualty for Savalon’s sake.
Yet, Prince Castor’s mind glossed over Gloria for a second. Was she alive? A small part of him hoped, but then he pushed it away. Just another casualty, he supposed.
Just like his father. He wasn’t fit to rule when all he did was sit still in the face of calamity. Castor had to take to the opportunity to rid of him and take his place as king. Pollux wasn’t aware of what happened to him either, was he? Deep down, his heart begged for Pollux to never find out, and to keep himself away from the truth.
Yet there was a piece of him more than eager to silence him too. Whatever it takes.
Prince Castor took a breath before he responded. “You’re right, but let us take things one step at a time, like how father would say.”
His brother nodded in return. “Still, I’ll be reporting to Dromed to see if he knows what the situation could be. Will you be joining me back?”
The celebration of water seemed to be short-lived for Pollux.
“I’ll return to the palace in a minute,” Castor responded, staring at his reflection in the water. He glanced to his brother when he began to head back.
As he watched Pollux walk away, he sighed to himself. The memory of this slain father was still fresh in his mind, with blood soiling his axe and a scream piercing the air. Would he have to do the same to his brother?
He supposed so. Whatever it takes.