After barely scraping by the Earth Ogrr they fought, the princes were exhausted. Gascon had some pretty bad bruises from getting pummeled, and Marcassin's staff almost broke from him trying to use it for blocking the Earth Ogrr's relentless punches. They were both breathing heavily from the exhausting training.

The two princes were heading back towards Hamelin to their father. Marcassin was anxious about going home sometimes. Seeing the thone and emperor status his father had reminded him that he, too, would be emperor one day. Even though his brother, Gascon, was older, Marcassin was to be emperor because he was gifted with magic. He was a prodigy and destined to be a Great Sage, or so his father said. Only a Great Sage could be an emperor of Hamelin, so being the heir came naturally for Marcassin. Marcassin always worried about if he would be a good emperor or not, believing Gascon was the better choice. He thought he didn't really deserve emperor status, or to be the one with magical talent. The thought of it all, it was too much for young Marcassin. So, he made a plan. A plan to run away

. As the two were getting closer to Hamelin, Marcassin saw this as a chance to engage his plan. He turned to Gascon and inhaled deeply. "G-Gascon, I... I'm leaving." Gascon looked at him weirdly, as if he had grown another head. "Leaving? Of course we're leaving, you dunce! Do you think we're just gonna camp out here or something?" "No. I mean I'm leaving... leaving Hamelin. F-forever," Marcassin said. He was unsure of himself. Did he really want to do this? He fumbled with his staff nervously.

"Did I hear you correctly? Leaving Hamelin? What, did that Ogrr beat your brains out or something?" Gascon questioned. "C'mon Marcassin, or else father might give us an earful," Gascon said as he winced slightly, remembering the last time that happened. Marcassin stood his ground. "I'm serious, Gascon." Gascon stared at him in disbelief. "Wha- Are you out of your bloody mind?!"

"I mean it, Gascon! It's... it's too much. I-i don't want to go back! The pressure of becoming a future emperor... having to live up to the name 'Great Sage'... e-everything! You deserve the title, not me..." Marcassin raised his voice slightly, something he didn't do often, as he was very softspoken. Gascon was taken aback, but was at the same time enraged at his younger brother.

"Well, I'm sorry I was born without magic! Seriously, you should be happy you are. Because unlike me, father actually gives half a damn about you!" Gascon lashed out. "You don't even know how much I'd give to be live like you, to be important, to not be hidden in the shadow of my superiors! You get life handed to you on a silver platter, while I get the leftovers!" By then, Marcassin was looking down at the ground, shoulders slumped, tears silently pouring down his face.

"You don't understand, Gascon! You don't e-even know what I feel all the time! You don't know the amount of w-worrying, stress, and everything I have to go through all because I feel like I don't live up to my future titles! You... c-can't even begin to understand... What I..." Marcassin attempted to choke out through his now violent sobbing, and buryed his face in his hands. Gascon noticed and looked at his brother in horror.

"Marcassin... oh god Marcassin, I didn't really mean-" Gascon was cut off by Marcassin pushing him away. It wasn't that effective, but any way of getting Gascon away worked for Marcassin. "Get away from me!" Gascon inhaled sharply in shock. "If-if you really h-hated me that much, you could've told me.." Marcassin felt betrayed, stabbed in the back. Did his own brother really hate him that much?

"No no, Marcassin, I don't hate you, I just-" Once again, Gascon was cut off. "W-well, it doesn't matter. I'm leaving. I... I hope you're happy." Marcassin glanced at his brother one last time, and ran off into the world.

Gascon put his hand on his face. "Stupid, stupid, STUPID! Why Gascon, why do you screw everything up?!" Gascon said to himself. Gascon let out a long, frustrated sigh. "How are you going to explain this to father..."

Inside of the Hamelin throneroom...

The Emperor's steely eyes gazed down on his son. "Gascon. I see you've returned. Where's Marcassin?" Gascon gulped. "Marcassin... he.. ran away. Said he was too under pressure. I tried to convince him to stay, but.." Gascon couldn't bring himself to finish. He felt too guilty, as he felt he was why Marcassin left. Gascon's father looked at him in disbelief.

"So you say? I guess it is not a complete loss, as Marcassin is learning the Hamelin way at a young age. However, if Marcassin is gone..." The Emperor looked away, then back at Gascon. "Gascon, it is about time I taught you magic."

Now it was Gascon's turn to be in pure disbelief. "But how can I learn magic?! You said it yourself, I don't have a magical bone in my body. This won't ever work," Gascon said. "It is true that there is no guarantee for success," The Emperor said, "but it is our best chance. Finding Marcassin will be nearly impossible, and I do not have the time to get more children. Plus, the Hamelin way is to solve problems you bring upon yourself, is it not? This will be a sufficient way for you to learn in both the Hamelin way and magic."Gascon sighed.

"Fine. As crazy as it sounds, I'll do it." Gascon's father cracked a slight smile and patted his sons' shoulder. "Good. Now, let's get started."

Years later. (still counts as a prologue if there's sme future stuff, right? oh, and Marcassin is an adult rn)

Marcassin had heard rumors of it, but hadn't believed it to be true. They said that his father was killed, and Gascon ascended the throne. He couldn't believe it. There's no way that his father was killed, at least not by an ordinary person. Marcassin had also heard of this evil called Shadar, so could they been the one who did it? Well, assuming that even happened, anyways.

Marcassin was wandering aimlessly around the land, a common occurrence for him after he ran away. He didn't bring any money on his journey, so he was dirt poor. Occasionally, he'd find just enough guilders on the ground to rent a room in the Cat's Cradle. Despite his not so ideal departure, he still loved his brother and father.

While on his trek, he finds an old newspaper. Interested, he looks at it. What he saw on the front page was his worst nightmare.

It was true. The rumors were true. And Marcassin was right. His father was killed by Shadar. Marcassin's eyes widened as he tried to process everything. His father was dead, and he died knowing his own son abandoned him. Guilt. Marcassin threw the newspaper on the ground. He sat down and started sobbing. He couldn't believe it, he didn't want to believe it

. "Father, n-no! Why Shadar, why.. Why did you... NO!" Marcassin screamed in anguish, remembering his father. If only he was there, maybe, maybe he could've saved his father. Maybe he could've prevented it from happening. Even if he couldn't, he felt he should've at least been there to see his father in his final moments. But no. He chose to flee, put his tail between his legs when it was too difficult.

'Some son I am...' Marcassin thought.