Roman was a hero. It wasn't necessarily his purpose like creativity was, but it was what he felt most passionate about. Saving people, slaying beasts, receiving honor, glory, and recognition, it was what he lived for. If Roman's family didn't see him as a hero, he had to be doing something wrong. If he didn't see himself as a hero, he was lost.
Who was he if not a hero?
Everything used to be so simple and straightforward. He, Patton, and Logan had been the good guys. They'd been the happy and helpful light sides. They were the ones who helped Thomas and kept him safe from the dark sides.
When Virgil had joined them, it had complicated matters, and it had taken Roman a long time to adjust to all the changes that came with it. He had come around eventually though, and now Roman couldn't imagine not having the anxious side around.
Deceit, on the other hand…
Roman didn't understand it. Deceit had never done anything to even hint that he cared for Thomas, and yet he could come slithering in, say a few sweet words, and all of a sudden he was everybody's favorite side.
Deceit and Logan had daily meetings about how to fit self-care into Thomas' strict schedule. Logan had either completely forgotten about how Deceit had impersonated him, or he was ignoring it.
Patton dragged Deceit into helping him make breakfast every morning. If he had just wanted to talk to Deceit about how to avoid pushing Thomas too hard, Roman might understand it. Patton cared about Thomas more than anything. He didn't want him to be hurt at all, and knowing that he had been responsible for some of that hurt had been traumatizing. Patton understandably didn't want a repeat performance, and Roman could understand that, except that anytime he walked in on Patton and Deceit, they were talking about everything except for how Patton could be better.
Patton seemed to be spending time with Deceit just because he wanted to. He was acting like the snake had always been a part of their family, and Roman just didn't understand it. Patton had been the one to separate the dark and light sides in the first place. He had been the one responsible for splitting King Romulus because he had been so convinced that they couldn't risk Thomas being influenced by the smallest bit of darkness. Patton was all about the separation of good and bad, right and wrong, light and dark, and yet he was sitting at the table and laughing with the literal embodiment of Deceit, and Roman didn't get it.
For the first few weeks of Deceit being accepted Roman thought that he'd had an ally in Virgil. The anxious side had been predictably nervous about the presence of the dark side. He would go out of his way to avoid Deceit, and whenever they came across each other Virgil would hiss at him and scurry away.
Roman did everything he could to protect Virgil from the snake. He offered him sanctuary when Deceit was wandering around the common era, and Roman did his best to lend a sympathetic listening ear when Virgil needed somebody to rant to. Things had been going so well, but then Virgil had a really bad anxiety attack in the middle of the night when Roman had been in the Imagination and the others had been asleep. Deceit had been the only available, and he'd been able to sit with Virgil and talk him through his anxiety.
By the time Roman returned from his adventure in the Imagination, Virgil and Deceit were talking like old friends. Roman was suddenly the only one who wasn't all buddy-buddy with Deceit, and he hated it. He didn't trust the snake, and even though none of the others had said anything about it, Roman felt like they were all judging him. He was doing his very best to be Thomas' hero, but he was scared that his friends were starting to see him as a villain. It wasn't a nice feeling.
Roman had never felt more lost and confused, and there wasn't a lot he could do about it. Roman started spending more and more time in the Imagination. He knew that running away and avoiding his problems wasn't very heroic. It was actually quite cowardly, but Roman didn't know what else to do. He couldn't handle constantly being reminded of how much things were changing. Not only did the Imagination allow him to escape, but it also gave him the rare sense of control that he had been craving so much lately.
Roman controlled every aspect of the Imagination, right down to the exact shade of blue the sky was and how soft he wanted the grass. The world was his and his alone...well, mostly. If one wanted to get really technical, Roman only ruled a little less than half of the Imagination. Remus had control over another slightly less than half of the Imagination.
The small portion that refused to obey either of their control or orders was a river that went through the middle of the Imagination. It marked the borders of their lands. A few times every year Roman and Remus would invade the other's territory to try to gain control of a specific area and expand their territory. Whenever this happened the river would adjust itself so that while they would still have the new territory, they would lose another area that was worth just as much as the territory lost.
Roman hated that river with a passion. Not only did it keep him from gaining control of the land that should rightfully be his, but it was frustratingly unpredictable. Shortly after the shift it had been an incredibly calm river. It had been so gentle that Remus and Roman could easily swim across to visit each other to play. As they got older though, the river got more violent and harsh.
On most days the current was so fast that Roman would be swept away if he tried to swim across it. Not that he had tried. Remus was the one who repeatedly tried to swim across the river. Roman didn't know if Remus just really wanted to make it across the border, or if he just liked how it felt to nearly drown.
Some days, the river was so violent that it resembled white water rapids. It always happened on the days leading up to one of Roman and Remus' battles for territory. The river was also angry for a few weeks after the change in their territories, which was the worst part of all. It wasn't bad enough that Roman had to deal with some of his territory being stolen from him, he also had to do repairs of some of his villages because the river was constantly flooding during those times.
Roman couldn't remember the last time the river had been gentle enough that he could swim in it. Sometimes he wondered if he had imagined the river ever being calm. Roman had such vivid memories, but he also had an incredibly vivid imagination. It wouldn't be the first time he had mistaken an imagined scene for a memory.
Roman usually tried to avoid the river whenever it was possible. He despised the river, and seeing the edge of his brother's land wasn't fun. It was always so chaotic and grotesque, and Roman doubted that it got any tamer further into Remus' land.
Sometimes though Roman couldn't resist wandering close to the water. On days when his pride and ego weren't as strong as they usually were he felt the need to fight a monster. Defeating a real, dangerous horrifying creature was just what he needed to feel like himself again.
Roman could create monsters himself, but they were always disappointingly tame. He specialized in monsters that were under a horrible curse that made them the way they were, or they were a tragically misunderstood creature that just wanted to be loved. He had never been able to get the hang of disgusting and chaotic creatures who wrecked havoc just because they could. That was Remus' job.
Roman could usually tell himself that it was fine, but when he felt really down and needed to fight off something really and truly evil, he had to look to the monsters that roamed Remus' land. If Roman was desperate enough and he found Remus in either a good or bad enough mood, he would send a monster after him.
Now, with his whole life and world view being questioned and turned on its head, Roman needed a good fight more than anything. He needed to prove to the others, and to himself, that he was strong and righteous enough to be their hero. He could protect them and keep the villains at bay.
Roman stood at the edge of the water. He felt a powerful pull to step into the river and just let it carry him where it willed. He pushed the urge down. He wasn't his brother. He may be impulsive, but not like that. Roman hadn't come all this way just to tempt fate by putting his life in the unforgiving hands of a temperamental river. He was here to battle a deadly monster of his brother's creation and get rid of the adrenaline and blood lust he was feeling.
"Hey, freak!" Roman called out across the river. "I need a challenge over here." It didn't matter where in the Imagination Remus was, or even if he was out of the Imagination completely, Remus would hear him. Despite how much neither of them liked it and tried to ignore it, they were connected.
Whenever Roman needed a new monster to fight, Remus would hear about it. If Remus wanted to see what would happen if his monstrous creations tried to integrate themselves into civilized society, Roman was the first to know. They didn't like having to rely on each other, but neither Roman nor Remus had rejected a request so far. They both liked the thought of the other owing him a favor.
At this point they'd helped each other out dozens of times, and it was impossible to know who owed who at this point, but it was the concept of the matter that was truly important.
Roman knew that his brother would show up, but there was no telling when. Remus liked to surprise him. Sometimes he arrived immediately, sometimes he waited a few hours. One time Remus hadn't gotten back to him for nearly a week, which had been incredibly frustrating. Roman tried to be on his guard. He had come here to feel in control, and he really didn't want to be surprised right now.
Because of his vigilance Roman immediately noticed the slight ripples in the water. Something was in there, which definitely wasn't expected. Because the river was neutral territory, none of their creations could step foot in there. Roman and Remus themselves were the only ones in the Imagination who could touch the river.
Roman crouched closer to the water to get a better look. "That you, Dukey?"
There were ripples again as a small octopus head poked its head above the water. The only reason Roman could see it at all was because the head had bright green glowing rings on it. Roman grinned. Remus loved changing his appearance. He usually did it for the shock value, but when they were young Remus' shape-shifting had been nearly predictable. There was no form he loved more than that of an octopus.
Roman often saw Remus' dark tentacles, but he hadn't seen him shift his form so completely since they were young and on decent terms with each other. It was odd to see him in this type of form, but Roman didn't mind it so much. At times like this it was nice to know that some things didn't change.
"It's been a long time, Cephy," Roman said, automatically letting the old nickname slip. "Do you want to see how strong that bite of yours has gotten?"
"Always," Remus' voice said in Roman's head. He sounded excited, though also slightly cautious, which wasn't like him. Maybe Roman wasn't the only one who wasn't quite feeling himself lately.
Roman stood up and held his hand over the water. "Of my own volition, without grudge or traps, I allow you on my land." He heard Remus' voice echo the words in his hand. A gothic bridge that looked both elegant and a little frightening appeared over the river, connecting their banks.
Roman and Remus couldn't build the bridge on their own. Both of them could only build up half of it. Neither of them could walk across the river without cooperation from the other. Roman could count on one hand the number of times they had done this, and yet Roman felt completely comfortable and at home as he walked across the bridge. Remus was waiting in the water on his side of the river.
Once Roman was in his brother's territory he knelt on the ground and put his hand in the water next to Remus. This particular octopus form was small enough for Roman to hold in the palm of his hand, but that didn't make him any less dangerous.
Remus latched onto Roman's hand and his rings glowed brightly. Roman barely felt a thing when Remus bit him, but he could immediately feel the effects. His body stiffened and he felt completely paralyzed. His very blood felt like it was freezing over. Roman closed his eyes.
You could fall into the water and be unable to move at all. The thought popped into his head, and that was just the start of it. You wouldn't drown like humans would. You'd just be stuck in the water forever.
Roman forced his eyes open and pushed the thoughts, and the paralysis, away. He looked at the green ringed octopus in his hand. "It happens a lot quicker now," Remus hummed happily, obviously proud. "The intrusive thoughts are new."
"Anxie helped me figure those out," Remus said. Roman didn't know if he meant that Virgil had shown Remus how he could plant the suggestions, or if Remus had practiced on an unwitting Virgil. Roman didn't know if he wanted to know.
"You think you could turn back into the Duke so we could have a normal conversation?" Roman asked.
"But that's so boring." Remus whined and clung tighter to his hand.
"I know." Roman said. "But I can't exactly expect a tiny octopus to create the kind of monster that I need." They both knew that Remus was perfectly capable of creating whatever Roman needed, no matter what form he was in. Roman just didn't want to negotiate with something that looked so cute. He didn't want to see his brother as cute, ever. Remus was disgusting and crude, and Roman preferred that his form reflect that.
Remus sighed and crawled off of Roman's hand. The prince looked away as his brother shifted form, but he couldn't ignore the unnecessary squelching sound that accompanied it. When a familiar and potent stench hit Roman's nose, he knew that the Duke had returned to his normal form.
"So, what's the monster this time?" Remus asked. He was lounging in the water, uncaring that the current was pushing at him still. "A spider alligator? An inside out dragon?"
"I haven't thought that far yet," Roman admitted. "I just need to fight something."
"Don't tell me the perfect prince is feeling some murderous tendencies." Remus raised an eyebrow at him. "You're not trying to steal my thing, are you?"
"You can keep it," Roman huffed. "Heroes fight monsters all the time."
"But if they go looking for a fight, does that really make them a hero?" Remus tilted his head. His tone was mocking, but he was saying the kind of thing that had been going through Roman's head a lot lately, and he didn't want to hear it.
"Will you do it or not?" Roman asked impatiently.
"Ooh, testy," Remus cackled. "I haven't seen you this mad since Patton said that you couldn't suggest to Thomas that he run away."
"Patton overreacted and you know it." Roman said loudly and a little too defensively. That was still a sore topic. He didn't want Thomas to run away anymore, but he wasn't happy about an idea of his being shut down without being considered. He had been even more distressed when it had first happened.
It had been just a few weeks after the Split, and all of them had been incredibly tense as they'd tried to adjust to the sudden changes. Roman especially had struggled as he'd tried to figure out who he was without his brother. Some of his ideas had been a little bit questionable, more up Remus' ally, because back then Roman had been desperate for familiarity.
Running away hadn't been the most extreme of Roman's ideas, but it had been the last straw for Patton. He'd been so furious, and Roman had been frustrated and terrified. Patton had split him once, he hadn't wanted to do anything to make him do it again. Roman had toned down his ideas a bit after that and started to come into his own.
"You know how much I love a good monster fight," Remus said. "But for something like this, I think I have a better idea." Remus stood up and stepped out of the water. His clothes were soaked. It couldn't be comfortable, but Remus did nothing to dry them off. He just made his way towards the dead and dark trees. Roman grimaced but reluctantly followed his brother.
Roman rarely had the opportunity to explore Remus' realm. It wasn't as pretty as Roman's enchanted forests and quaint villages were, but it wasn't too bad. Roman couldn't help but be fascinated with the cursed ruins and twisted, man-eating creatures. His mind was racing at the ways he could use these kinds of elements in his own realm and stories.
Roman followed his brother through the trees. The branches frequently reached out and tried to grab and snag them. Remus got tangled up by dozens of branches, but it just made him excited. He was having a lot of fun. Roman was surprised to see that he was completely left alone. The branches barely brushed past him. Remus was showing some rare restraint.
Remus probably could have spent all day being tossed around by the trees, but after just about ten minutes the trees calmed down and they were able to move on without too much resistance. Roman followed his brother out of the trees and towards a beach with black sand and stormy seas. There were tide pools everywhere, and Roman didn't want to think about what could possibly be in there.
Remus pulled Roman towards what looked like any other tide pool, but Roman couldn't see the bottom of it. The water was pitch black and so thick that it almost resembled slime more than water.
Remus knelt next to the tide pool and plunged his arm elbow deep in. He lifted his hand and the shadowy water became dark mist in his hand. As soon as the mist had disappeared Remus was holding a bloody amphibian looking leg. Roman cringed when he saw there was bone showing through the leg. He felt sick.
"This tidepool is the most useful place in my kingdom," Remus said, his tone uncharacteristically serious and sincere. "Do you ever have times where you have an idea in your head, but your thoughts are too fucked up and scrambled that they won't come out the way that you see them?"
Roman frowned. He was all too familiar with that feeling. Sometimes just talking through a half-formed idea helped him to stabilize it and work out the kinks, but as great as the other sides were, they weren't a very good audience. Patton tried to be helpful in his own way and guess where Roman's ideas were going, but it was more distracting than anything. Logan could provide useful insight, but he had little patience for Roman wasting his time with underdeveloped ideas. Virgil got antsy and anxious listening to Roman's rambling. There wasn't anybody he could talk to, so he'd had to find different strategies to overcome his creative slumps.
"This tide pool reaches right into my brain and yanks out the thoughts that I can't figure out myself." Remus said. "When I can visualize what I want, I can make it myself." Remus snapped his fingers and suddenly a massive frog-like zombie creature appeared. Roman tried to ignore the way that it resembled Patton's frog form.
Remus stepped back and gestured to the tide pool. "Give it a try. It's really fun."
Roman gave his brother a cautious look. "It's not going to hurt, is it?"
"Nope!" Remus grinned. "It tickles."
Roman didn't completely trust his brother, but he couldn't deny that he was curious. He wanted to see what the tide pool would manifest from his mind.
Roman approached his brother and slowly sunk his hand in. He didn't take it in as far as Remus did, but he could feel the power in the water. It somehow felt both slimy and misty at the same time. It was an unfamiliar feeling, but not a completely unpleasant one.
Roman eventually pulled his hand out and watched as the mist slipped from his fingers. What was left in Roman's hand was a bright yellow serpent tail. The tail felt slimy and sticky, and it had dark feathers clinging tightly to it. The tail felt unnatural and wrong. Roman was desperate to get rid of it. He had nothing against the slimy or sticky feelings, or the feathers, but they didn't belong with the snake.
"A yellow snake?" Remus rocked on his heels. "Wonder what that means?"
Roman scowled and clenched his fist around the tail, making it disappear into mist. "Don't patronize me." He held out his hand and summoned a creature that looked like a dragon with two pairs of wings, but Roman knew that wasn't quite it. The creature was a cross between a snake and a frog. Its feathery wings looked like those of an owl, and the legs with the wings made a total of eight limbs, like a spider.
Snake, frog, owl, and spider. Janus, Patton, Logan, and Virgil, all combining into an abomination of a creature. Yes, they could work together, but that didn't mean that they should.
Roman summoned his sword. He wanted to destroy the creature and separate the elements to the way they should be, but he held himself back. The snake was combined so well with the others that for all Roman knew trying to force them apart would just hurt them all. Roman didn't want to hurt anybody, but he wouldn't be heartbroken if he had to harm the snake. He couldn't hurt the others though, not even if he thought it was for their own good.
Roman had to find a way to seperate them without hurting them. He needed to show the frog, owl, and spider that they would be better off without the snake. They needed to decide to separate on their own.
What Roman needed was proof that the snake, Deceit, was up to something. The others would have to listen to him then. But finding proof would be hard, since Roman didn't even know what he needed to look for. Deceit had a tendency to play things close to his chest, and since Roman had been making his reservations clear. Deceit knew that he didn't trust him, so he would be extra careful around him. Roman wouldn't be able to get information directly from him.
Remus, on the other hand…
"Hey, Freak, why were you near the river?" Though Remus had more fun with the river than Roman did, he tended to avoid it as well. If he wanted to lounge in the water as an octopus, he had a whole ocean and dozens of tide pools to play in.
"Oh," Remus' broad grin diminished slightly. "I was waiting for...it doesn't matter." Roman blinked. He wasn't used to his brother hesitating. Roman had thought that Remus was incapable of not speaking his mind, that he had no filter. It was a little unnerving to see him hide anything, and it was clear that Remus wasn't completely comfortable with it either.
"Were you waiting for Deceit?" Roman asked. Remus' eyes widened.
"How did you know?" Remus asked in awe.
"You've never been very good at subtlety." Roman pointed out.
"What's the fun of subtlety?" Remus giggled and flapped his hands slightly. Roman couldn't help but smile at the sight. Remus got incredibly excited about everything. Roman may get frustrated with his brother, but he couldn't help but admire his enthusiasm. Passion and enthusiasm were some of the most important parts of creativity for Roman.
"So what's with the secrets now?" Roman asked. "What is Deceit up to?" Deceit was the master of lies. Roman was convinced that Remus wouldn't lie or hide the truth unless he was acting under Deceit's instructions. If Deceit was involving Remus in his plan, he must be really desperate.
"Up to?" Remus frowned. "Don't you know?"
"Pretend I don't," Roman said. He was starting to get impatient. Remus was supposed to be up front and giving him what he wanted. He wasn't supposed to be playing these games. If he hadn't made the truce with Reus to step into his land, he would summon his sword and try to drag the answer right out of his brother.
"You don't." Remus' eyes lit up. "But it's not even a secret." Roman had a hard time believing that. Everything Deceit did was a secret, and there was no way that Remus would be acting so strange if it wasn't a secret.
It didn't matter. Roman wasn't going to give up so easily. If Remus was going to insist on keeping quiet on Deceit's plan, Roman would just have to wear him down. Roman was more stubborn than Remus was. It would take time, but this was important. Roman needed to know what the snake was planning, and then he could figure out how to stop him.
To figure out what was going on with Deceit, Roman needed to drag it out of Remus. It was just a matter of time, a waiting game, and Roman was determined to win. He couldn't afford not to.
"So, Re-Re," Roman used his most reassuring, gentle, princely tone that he could muster. It seemed to do the job well, because Remus froze and stared at him in quiet shock. There weren't many things that could make Remus pause, and Roman was going to take advantage of it while it lasted.
"I'm not exactly in the mood to be around the others right now," Roman said, and that wasn't completely untrue. "But I don't want to be alone either."
Remus stared at Roman as though he had suddenly been stripped of all his clothes. Knowing his brother, Roman had to glance down at his clothes, just to double check that Remus hadn't done anything to his clothes.
"You...you want to play with me?" Remus asked. He looked incredibly hopeful, and it made Roman feel a little uncomfortable.
"That wouldn't be how I would phrase it, but sure," Roman said. Remus cheered and latched onto Roman's hand. "Don't make me regret this."
"I make no promises." Remus said playfully, and Roman just knew that his brother would now go out of his way to make him regret this.
Roman just had to think of this as a quest. He had to overcome specific challenges to achieve his goal. Roman knew that dealing with Remus for a longer period of time would be difficult and trying, but Roman would prevail. He had to. He couldn't afford to fail.
"I suppose it's time that I was given a proper tour of your realm," Roman said. He returned Remus' hand hold, just to make it more comfortable, and let his brother pull him towards cliffs near the sea.
The last time Roman had seen Remus' castle it had been sitting precariously on the clifftops. Now it was embedded into the cliffside itself. The castle was so low that it was barely ten feet away from the surface of the water. The waves that hit the cliff were constantly soaking the castle and occasionally pulling away loose rubble from the castle. It had to be a safety hazard, but Roman knew that was the last thing on his brother's mind. Remus was probably excited with the possibility that at any moment his castle might sink to the bottom.
Roman just hoped that it wouldn't happen while he was there for a visit. Maybe Remus would be so excited for a visit that he would tone things down a little bit...yeah, that was a bit of a reach. Roman wasn't counting on it, but he could dream, couldn't he?
A/N: None of these characters are going to be portrayed as completely unsympathetic. All of them are just morally neutral sides that are trying their best, and sometimes their best can come off as unsympathetic.