*Brotherhood*
BEFORE
The oldest was in his teens, he had a black eye and a smashed tooth. The others, just a little younger, were all bleeding. One with a broken nose, another with a cut on his forehead. Their father shook is head, on his expression both sadness and disappointment.
"Brothers shouldn't be fightin' " he just said, slowly. His glance stooped on the first born.
"We were just playin' father" he complained, exhausted. "Playin' war. They jumped me together, I had to defend myself!"
"Ye should never play 'war' between brothers" the Kings rose his voice just a little. "Violence must be used only to defend those ye love, not to hurt them."
The oldest rolled his eyes, and the father didn't look too happy. "Ye dinnae understand, so strong yet so reckless with what ye have. Ye must respect the bond of yer family, be gentle and carryin' for yer brothers. Thay're younger and ye must…"
And the voice, to the ears of the Prince, became an endless stream of nonsense. Oh god, he was starting to rant again! The young lad looked at the open doors of the throne room. Outside the sunlight was strong. He smiled, rushing out.
"What… Son! Stop! Stop immediately!"
He didn't listen. He didn't want to listen. Why do it anyway? It would have been the same spill of the last time and the one before and the one prior. For a second he wished he was the only one, no weak little brothers always getting him into trouble even when he had better things to do.
Like exploring the kingdom that was to be his…
AFTER
"Feels like it's been forever, doesn't it?" The Second glared at the massive room they just stepped in. It was just like he remembered, nothing had changed. The solid stones, the great walls, the somewhat cold air that dominated the entire hall.
"Aye" the Third was smiling. "It's been years since we've entered it… I cannea believe it's finally happening..."
Their youngest brother mood was less shiny. "Be careful… dinnae get yer hopes too high" he said, while they kept walking the path traced by the crimson carpets.
"Oh, come on…" said the Third, the compassionate. "Years of war an' battles change people. Thay make them realize what thay missed, what thay might lose… everything is goin' to be alright."
"Ye are really ready to forgive him?" the wise brother shook his head. "How? Why?"
"I can because I want. An' I do it because he's our brother…"
"He hasn't been our brother for a decade now. I saw him in battle, ye dinnae… he's less a man an' more a beast."
"Stop saying tha' " complained the Second, the fair one. "He's blood of our blood… we're family. We have to understand… we have to reconcile our differences! It's the only way to save this kingdom."
"Well spoken."
The three stopped. On the throne that was the one of their father, the first born prince was sitting. Covered with the blue paint of their people, he was still a titanic figure taller and bulkier than most. He was staring at them, holding up his head with a fist, loosely sitting on the icy rock.
"Ye were always the smartest of us… Despite everythin' tha' happen I can still recognize that…"
He got up, slowly. His eyes had a sinister light burning inside, something that made the youngest of the four cringe. He didn't like that scene, he didn't like it at all. Being the last in line, he always felt less attached to his older brother, having knew him later, in an age were he already showed signs of greed and a deep misguided anger.
"I'm happy tha' ye all accepted ma invitation despite these years of war" claimed the first born prince with his strong, vibrating tone. "I have to be honest, for a moment I feared ye wooldnae have come. After all tha' happen…"
"I thought about tha'" confirmed the wise one. "But the others insisted."
"Brother!" the compassioned moved closer. His eyes were bright, like he was about to cry, as he was smiling with joy. "The spirits listened to ma prayers… I dreamed of this moment! We can finally put our grudges aside, we'll be a family again! Like old times!"
"Old times…" repeated the first born. "Aye. I thought about the old times a lot in these years. How we used to play in the green field of the kingdom, pretendin' to be warriors… pretendin' to fight one another to the death… remember what our father used to say?"
"Tha' fighting between brothers, pretending or not, mustn't be done" recalled the Second. "He wis right. He wis always right…"
"Not always…" muttered the oldest. "But I haven't forgot his lessons about brotherhood. Not all of them anyway… tha' is why I've invited ye all here. This war will end. I'm ready to forgive ye all."
The three looked at each other, puzzled by those words.
"Ye are ready to do what?" asked the youngest.
"I said" the voice of the other came out like a thunder. "That despite yer betrayal, I'm ready to forgive ye all. Of course, only if ye kneel before me right now an' abandon every single claim on the throne."
The second widened his eyes "What are ye talkin' about?!
"Brother, please!" begged the compassionate. "Stop this! Why cannae ye see it? This war is…"
"The kingdom belongs to me. I'm the oldest. Is it tha' simple."
"Our father" chimed in the wise. "Gave the kingdom to all four of us. So that we could rule it together… he…"
"He…" again, the oldest stopped him with a voice so strong that could have been confused with the roar of a beast. "He was a liar an' a fool. He spent his entire life boring me to death with the stories of ancient cities an' kingdoms the name I cannae recall anymore… one single thing wis the same in every story: the oldest got the throne. Birthright. I spent my entire life waitin' for tha' old bastard to finally shut up an' die, so tha' I could claim what wis mine… I lead his armies, defended his castle, his cities, knowin' tha' I would get a reward by the end… an' then? Ye three decided to steal everythin' from me!"
"We haven't stole anythin'" the wise snarled. "I knew we cooldnae trust ye. Nothin' has changed, has it?!"
The bigger left out a laugh. "Ohh, somethin' changed. Or is about to change…" saying those words, the first born took out a weird carved horn, that was filled with a shining green liquid. Surprise coloured the expressions of the others. "I'll say it one last time, brothers. Kneel. Or I'll have to kill ye all…"
The three looked at each other. The second nodded, the fourth did too, while the third had his eyes closed, his head low. A tear appeared in his left eye but he cleaned it away as soon as he felt it, raising his glare. At that point, like a single mind, they all draw their weapons, facing the oldest.
He looked at them, with a small smile "So nostalgic… this sight I mean… even has kids ye had to attack me all at once to get the upper hand. But we are not kids anymore, are we?"
He raised his horn and swallowed the entirety of the green liquid in one greedy gulp. Empty, the goblet fell on the ground, as he screamed. His brothers looked shocked as something like green lighting came from his body and surrounded him.
The pain. For him it was unbearable. But with that, he felt it grow, and grow. Inside of him, there was this fury that couldn't be hold, this caged animal that was wrestling restless against the bars of his prison. And then, it got free…The Prince suddenly felt the world around him small and fragile, as his stature doubled, then tripled. He saw his body disappeared under a thick layer of black fur, his fingers exploded, opened up into claws as tough as iron. And when the pain disappeared, he realized it… the strength of ten man… the one of a demon bear.
His brothers were pale, stunned with terror and surprise. Those expression were all he needed. He didn't even think, as he jumped onward. He practically cut the youngest in half with a single strike, then his massive paw crushed the second, turning him into a stain against a wall. And the third he attacked with even more violence, biting his entire bust off and chewing it, crushing bones and meat under his teeth…
Decades of wars ended in a few seconds. The Prince laughed but it came out like a growl, as he spitted blood and bones fragments. He didn't care.
He looked at the open doors of the throne room. Outside the sunlight was strong. He rushed out, and roared again, this time with happiness. He did it! He was the only one left! He had strength, he had a throne, no enemy in sight, no weakling holding him back. And for a second, he felt the entire world was to be his kingdom.
The End