The boys are sitting in their room. Roy is playing his single game again and Ludwig is staring at the ceiling, trying to create something from his imagination for entertainment. He would go to the library but Bowser has forbidden it. What am I supposed to do around here for fun? He asks himself, glaring at the grey ceiling. His stomach rumbles. They had been sent to their rooms without supper for fighting. "Are you as hungry as I, Roy?" he asks his brother.

"Yeah, of course I am." He grins. "But I have a solution." Ludwig sits up on his bed. The pink boy shuts off his game system. "We could go down and steal some snacks from the kitchen..."

Ludwig stares at him. "We shouldn't get in more trouble with Bowser." he replies cautiously. Roy laughs. "King Dad's an idiot, he'd never know." He puts his hand on his older brother's shoulder. "You should know that, you're a genius."

The blue child thinks about it for a moment. "Let's do this." he tells Roy, smiling. His brother hushes him. "We can't be heard. Come on."

The two boys gently open their door. They step out cautiously, trying not to make a sound. They descend the stairs, and weave through the rooms until they reached the kitchen. Roy climbs up one of the shelves. "Bingo!" he whispers, holding a container of cookies. He jumps down, then high-fives Ludwig. "Let's hurry back upsta-"

Suddenly, the light is turned on. Bowser is standing in the doorway, glaring at them. "I thought I said nothing to eat!" he roars. "Who's the mastermind behind this?"

Ludwig notices the immense fear in his brother's eyes. He is clearly afraid of being punished. "It was me, Bowser." says Ludwig. "I suggested we go down and steal something from the cabinet. Roy knew it was a bad idea, but I didn't listen to him." He looks at the ground. "I'm sorry."

Bowser's expression softens a bit. "At least you admitted to it instead of lying."

He taps his chin, thinking of a punishment. "Tomorrow, you have to listen to Kamek reading you some boring book in that library."

Ludwig thinks, does he think I hate books? He lets out a fake sigh. "I'll listen to Kamek's stupid book reading." he replies with a fake sad tone.

"Right. Now it's off to bed with you."

The two boys nod and scurry back to their room. "Dude, you covered for me." Roy says, jumping onto his bed. "Thank you so much."

"We're brothers. We need to look out for each other, right?" he replies. "And I saw the fear in your eyes when you thought you were going to be punished."

He shrugs. "King Dad usually has some harsh punishment when I get in trouble. You got off easy."

"Tell me about it. I'm excited that Kamek's going to read to me tomorrow. The way I see it, I'm being rewarded."

"Then you got off really easy. Good for you, Ludwig. Good night." Roy replies, turning out his lamp. Ludwig switches off his lamp and shuts his eyes.

He dreams about the time he spent with his mother. It's comforting to the six year-old, because he misses his mother an incredible lot. The dream ends when his mother turns into Bowser. "Rise and shine, boys!" says their father in the doorway. "Time to get some breakfast! Then Ludwig will go and listen to Kamek read and Roy, you're tutor is coming over today. Be prepared for the first day of learning!" He slams the door shut. Ludwig glances at his brother. "You're starting your lessons today?" he asks.

Roy nods grimly, as if he's being sentenced to death. "I started my lessons when I was two years old." Ludwig says. "And I finished a few months ago."

He grimaces. "I wish I was as smart as you. Dad says I'll be tutored 'til I'm fifteen."

"Maybe not, Roy."

His young brother stares at him, perplexed. "I could tutor you. It can't be that hard to teach you, could it?" he suggests.

Roy smiles. "I'll think about it."

He jumps off his bed. "Let's go get breakfast."

During that half an hour, the boys chatter away about many things, not a thing to bother them. Bowser seems pleased. "I'm glad to see you boys getting along." says Bowser. "I was worried that you would hate each other."

"Oh no, I like my brother." they both say in unison. The king grins. "Great." Kamek enters the room. "Come, Ludwig, it's time for reading."

Ludwig lets out another fake sigh. "Alright." He stands up and says, "I'll see you later, Roy."

Kamek takes him to the dark, forbidden library. "What are you going to read me, Kamek?" he asks.

"I don't know," he replies, stepping onto the rolling ladder. "I've never read to a child before."

Ludwig snorts. "That's no surprise."

The old man silences him and picks out a book. "Bowser did say he wanted me to read you something boring..." he says, climbing down the ladder. He holds up the book. "So I'll read you this book about famous composers."

The boy grins, but it's too dark for Kamek too see. The man and boy place themselves in the velveteen chairs and Kamek begins to read. "The first composer in this book is Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. He was born on January 27, 1756. His parents were Leopold and Anna Maria Mozart..." The old man drones on and on, boring himself, but Ludwig is sitting with sharp attention. "Mozart then wrote The Marriage of Figaro..." The man is falling asleep while he reads it. "It was a... success..." The old man falls fast asleep, dropping the book onto the floor. Ludwig picks it up and reads the book by himself.

Bowser opens the door, and says, "That's enough punishment, Ludwig. It's time for dinner."

Ludwig looks at him. "But I'm almost done! I have one hundred pages left." He turns his back on his father. "I'll get supper later."

The father is confused. "You like reading?" he says, practically shocked. The boy nods. The man sighs. "How am I supposed to punish you, then?"

The boy thinks for a moment. "You know, I really hate writing symphonies. That could be a punishment." he says.

Bowser smiles. "Yeah, that's what I'll do! I'll make you write three symphonies every day for a month!"

"That is a stern but fair punishment. I can handle that."

"Good!" roars Bowser. "I'll go out and buy some music sheets tomorrow."

He slams the door shut. Ludwig begins to laugh. "What a simpleton." he says to himself, returning to his book.

At about half past seven, the boy leaves the library. He's going to get supper, then return to the library. His father has given him permission to read the books in it. He sees Roy, who's sitting at the stone table, eating a bowl of ice cream.

"How was it?" Roy asks between mouthfuls.

"It was wonderful." Ludwig says, sighing happily. "And Bowser has given me permission to use the library as I please!"

His brother smiles. "At least you don't have to watch me play Ninja Baseball Batman now."

"And how was your tutoring?" he asks.

Roy growls. "It was awful. I have to be tutored three days a week and that tutor is a complete idiot!"

He finishes the rest of his ice cream, and then replies, "I think I'll have to take up your offer on tutoring me."

He grins. "Great! I'll start tutoring tomorrow. Do you know how to read yet?"

Roy looks at the table. "No." he answers softly. Ludwig puts his hand on his brother's shoulder. "That's nothing to be ashamed of. It's really easy, Roy, you'll love it!"

The pink boy frowns. "But King Dad said reading was for wusses."

Ludwig laughs softly. "That's because he needs an excuse to be illiterate." He smiles and as he walks out of the room, he says, "I look forward to begin your tutoring. You have a lot of potential."

Roy smiles. "Thanks, Ludwig."

Lucky for them, Roy had no school that day. The boys sit on the floor in front of a fireplace inside the library. "So," says Ludwig, holding a stack of flash cards, "Time to teach you to read. First, do you know the alphabet yet?"

The pink boy nods. "Good. I've written the entire alphabet down for you to study." He hands his brother the card with the alphabet on it. "This is the alphabet written down. Once you're done studying each letter, we'll start writing words. Understand?"

"Yeah." Roy replies quietly, taking the card.

Ludwig can hear his brother muttering the alphabet under his breath, most likely trying to distinguish the letters. "Are you done?" asks the older boy. He nods, and hands the card back. "I don't need it," says Ludwig, "and you should really keep it for future references.

"Now, onto the spelling. We'll start with a few words that start with each letter. Then, we'll start creating sentences for you to read. Afterwards, I'll test you by having you read me a passage from a book."

Roy stares at him. "That's a lot of work." he mutters.

"It is, Roy, but it's worth every moment. Mother said that it teaches people patience and it helps bond parents and children."

The younger child raised an eyebrow. "So you're my father now?"

Ludwig smiles. "Yes. Now go eat your vegetables."

The siblings laugh together. "WHAT'S ALL THAT LAUGHING?" shouts Bowser from the hallway.

The prince grimaces and hides the flash cards under one of the chairs. "I think wants you to be illiterate, so don't say anything about learning to read." he whispers to Roy.

The door swung open. "What are you boys doing in here?" he asks angrily.

Ludwig stands up, and replies, "We were playing a game, Bowser. We didn't mean to make you angry or anything."

He eyes them suspiciously. "Very well," he says. "I trust you. Now, get out of the library. It's for reading only. Get it?"

The two boys nod grimly. "Out you go then." he says, motioning towards the door. The boys walk out of the large library. Bowser follows the two boys as they walk back to their room. "What about my flash cards?" Roy asks quietly.

"We'll get them later. It's a little too risky now."

They arrive at their room. "You boys stay here until dinner. And Ludwig," he says sternly, "have you written a symphony today?"

"No, Bowser." Ludwig lies (he had already written three that day, but he had a tune in his mind he had to write down before he forgot).

He glares at his elder son. "You know you have to write one every day, Ludwig." He turns away, and says, "And stop calling me Bowser. I demand to be called dad."

The blue boy sighs. "Yes... father." He winces at the name. He doesn't consider Bowser his father.

"That's better." says Bowser. "I'll go find a music sheet for you." He trudges out the door. Ludwig sighs again. "This castle is truly Hell on Earth."

He looks at his brother, who is back to playing Ninja Baseball Batman. "But you do make it better, Roy. You make it bearable."

He smiles to himself while flipping through his symphonies. "Thank you so much."