Author's Note: I've been re-watching a bunch of playthroughs I followed when I was younger for nostalgia. Ended up coming across Ni No Kuni again and after browsing the fanfics decided to write my own! Basically a role-swap between Swaine and Marcassin! This is partly inspired by "A Brother's Role Reversed" By AsuraTheGreatSage since they also did a role-swap between those characters! Hope you guys end up liking it!

Disclaimer: I do not own Ni no Kuni! That honour solely belongs to Level-5 Studios! If I did, I wouldn't change anything except add a more dramatic conversation between grown Marcassin and Swaine!

—

The One Where Marcassin Runs Instead

Prologue

"Gascon!" Marcassin attempted to call while scampering after his older brother. The young prince fumbled with the wand in his hands, its height standing a full head over him. Gascon fumed while marching towards their Father's chambers, ignoring the worried looks of the passing palace staff.

Gascon muttered incoherently under his breath. The brothers had just learned from one of the many guards that Gascon was to no longer practise magic with Marcassin. It was a rule decided by their Father, the Emperor of Hamelin. And it was a decision that the elder brother immediately protested upon entering the ornate chamber, apathetic to the meeting he was visibly interrupting.

"Hey! I heard about your New Rule!" Gascon glared, posture standoffish. In turn, the Emperor grew an annoyed look on his face as if dealing with a mere pest. Though, it was not the first time the two porcine royals had engaged in a heated argument over the younger's future. Marcassin sombrely doubted that it would be the last.

"Really, Gascon-we both know you haven't a single magical bone in your body!" Gascon clenched his fist at the reminder. "Marcassin is to become a sage. He will learn nothing from the likes of you!" Their father roughly scolded, pointing at both of them.

"I learn a lot of things from Gascon, Father. Gascon teaches me how to stand up for myself and how to be brave, like how the future Emperor should act." Marcassin mentally argued. Though, the only outward sign of his turmoil was a small wince.

"That's not true! I'll teach Marcassin magic! I'll help him become a sage, you'll see!" Gascon spat out, face burning with anger.

"He does not need your help! Your time would be better spent thinking of another role for yourself within the Empire." His Father chastised with a tone of stubborn finality attached. In response, Gascon gritted his teeth at the reminder he wouldn't succeed their Father as the next Emperor.

"What kind of 'role' are you talking about?" The brunette demanded to know, waving his arms dramatically.

"Would you have me spoon-feed everything to you!? You must find your own answers to such questions. That is the Hamelin way!" The Emperor shot back in a booming voice that echoed throughout the chamber. Everyone was deathly silent for a moment before Gascon scowled. Spinning on his heel, he turned towards a sheepish Marcassin.

"Fine! Come on, Marcassin. Let's go and practise some magic." The elder prince decided with a huff.

"A-All right!" The black-haired boy stammered with a nod, leaving their Father's disappointed sighs behind them.

"I-I can't believe him! The absolute nerve of that man!" Gascon seethed as they ventured through the spiralling halls of the Hamelin palace. The soft golden light of lanterns illuminated their figures as they speed-walked. Marcassin hesitated before tugging on Gascon's sleeve. "Huh? What is it, Marcassin?" His brother blinked, the anger melting from his eyes as his focus shifted.

"I… I think Father's wrong." Marcassin shyly explained, holding his wand close to his chest. However, Gascon simply blinked in confusion as the two came to a stop.

"You'll have to be a bit more specific there. He's wrong about a lot of things…" Gascon tried to joke despite the humour not reaching his eyes. Once more, Marcassin hesitated before taking a deep breath. Butterflies danced in his belly and he couldn't stop himself from fidgeting.

"I think you'd be a really great Emperor!" The black-haired boy explained, rushing to speak before he lost his confidence. "You're better at talking to people than me… You don't let people push you around! Or back down when people don't listen to you! And you're a lot better at the engineering stuff… The only reason Father favours me is because I have magic…" Marcassin bemoaned, making himself smaller as Gascon sighed.

"Marcassin…" His brother tried to say.

"It's the truth…" The younger boy mumbled, feeling the weight of his wand in his hands. He truly didn't even want to become the next Emperor. All of that pressure and expectations… Marcassin struggled enough adapting to his current schedule. It didn't seem like any fun to only add to his mountain of responsibilities.

"Come on, look at me." Gascon encouraged, crouching down to meet his brother's eyes. "Listen, you're definitely a softie. But… the Emperor needs to be someone with a level-head. I can't just yell at everyone, you know? That's where you come in, all diplomatic-like, yeah?" The brunette softly went, putting a hand on Marcassin's shoulder. The younger boy slowly nodded and Gascon smiled. "Good, I don't want to hear you putting yourself down like that, okay?" He asked. In turn, Marcassin nodded again. "Now, let's go practice some magic!" He chirped as they continued towards the grey outskirts of Hamelin.

Unfortunately, Gascon missed the quick flash of regret in his brother's eyes as they journeyed.

Ever since their Father was forced to admit that Gascon lacked any prowess in the magical arts and turned towards Marcassin's potential, his older brother had seemed… lost. Marcassin remembered the downtrodden cloud that had followed Gascon for a full day… before his attempts to help teach Marcassin magic increased tenfold. A part of the younger prince thought that it was Gascon's way of finding a new purpose for himself through Marcassin.

Gascon just didn't know that his brother didn't need the help. He didn't know that Marcassin held himself back every time they practised, purposefully made himself look like a struggling novice in front of him. Marcassin felt bad for lying. His heart raced with every lie of hardship and his stomach churned uncomfortably.

However, Marcassin didn't want to stop practising with Gascon. He loved the sparse moments where they would just leave Hamelin and focus on something other than their futures. His as the next Emperor and Gascon… whatever unknown role he was meant for. Marcassin was happy that he could help give his brother some small sense of purpose and… it was fun.

Thus, the black-haired boy tried to put the argument behind as they went.

—

The older prince had quickly maneuvered himself and Marcassin to a hill above the Candelabracadabra's - a confusing name in Marcassin's opinion - reach. Marcassin had been confident Father's guests would be able to handle themselves against the ghastly beast. He'd been confident that Gascon and him could stay safely away as they battled.

He shouldn't have been.

"Gascon!" Marcassin cried as a shockwave from the beast tore at the earth. He watched in horror as his older brother crashed downwards, his head roughly smashing against a rock. Faintly, he heard the others gasp while a familiar finally dealt the killing blow to the beast. However, his focus was entirely on his fallen brother. "Gascon! Are you okay! Gascon?" He repeated while shaking his brother's arms.

"Ugh…" The older of the two groaned as Marcassin paled. Unfortunately, before he could properly panic a more monstrous growl erupted behind them. Turning, Marcassin realized that the beast was rising for another fight-

No. No way was he letting his brother get injured any more today. His body moved on its own, defying fears of his lie being exposed. Marcassin flew into the air with his wand tightly secured in his hand.

It was over in barely five seconds.

Candelabracadabra swiftly disintegrated in the golden light of Marcassin's spell. Its ghastly screams faded from echoes and into pure nothing. The ensuing silence was nerve wracking as the strangers stared at him in shock. Well, most of them stared at him in shock. The tallest of the group - Lars, he believes - wore a pig mask that covered the top half of his face. So, he couldn't quite guess his feelings.

"Marcassin… That spell… Did you…?" The blonde-haired girl - Esther, he thought - quietly asked.

"Y-Yes…" He stammered, quickly scooting back to his brother's side. Luckily, it seemed Gascon was coming too.

"Marcassin… You did it… You got him… That was… amazing…" Gascon mumbled into the dirt. His eyes were glassy, yet pride shown through them as bright as Hamelin's forges… before rolling into his sockets.

"Gascon!" Marcassin panicked, returning to frantically shaking his brother.

"Hey, don't worry." Lars soothed, crouching down next to him. "I can patch him up. Your brother will be back to tip-top shape in no time, kid." He visibly grinned while getting his wand out. Marcassin glanced at him and then at his unconscious brother before reluctantly shifting to make space.

"Lars, I might be better for this…" Esther tried to suggest. However, Lars turned to her and some non-verbal message seemed to pass between them before the girl backed down.

"The Prince will be fine, just asleep for a while. You should go retrieve Mornstar while we have the time…" Lars noted as he cast Healing Touch. At first, his companions protested, wanting to stay and ensure the Prince's recovery. However, they eventually relented to recover the legendary wand as Marcassin and Lars stayed behind.

—

An awkward silence floated between the two males. The wind howled between the rocky expanses and gravestones. The young prince nervously looked between the alter, his brother, and Lars as he finished casting the spell.

"So, he'll be okay, right?" Marcassin repeated, holding his wand close.

"Yes, Healing Touch is a useful spell to have for moments like these. Do you know how to cast it?" Lars asked in a calm voice, moving into a sitting position opposite of Marcassin.

"I know..." The boy shyly admitted, looking at his shoes. He felt embarrassment flutter into his face as he realized he could've cast it himself instead of allowing his panic to take control.

"Don't feel bad about not thinking to cast it first, kid. You're a kid. No one's expecting you to be perfect." Lars comforted as if reading his mind. The older man opened a bag and began messing through its contents. Marcassin's chest felt a tad lighter at his words. However, he quickly recalled his life in the palace and all of the expectations there. The truth was that he was expected to be perfect… eventually.

"A lot of people do." Marcassin retorted in a resigned voice.

"Well… that's a lot of stupid people then. All that pressure…." Lars shook his head in a bitter tone, and Marcassin wondered if he'd gone through something similar in his life.

"It's not any fun." Marcassin nodded.

"I bet." The older man agreed as they returned to a more comfortable silence. "That was an impressive display of power back there, kid. I didn't think you had it in you after seeing how you and your brother handled that Ogrrr." Lars chuckled as he played with a bag of guilders, metallic jingles creating a song with the breeze. Upon hearing his words, Marcassin froze. It was as if all the veins in his body turned to ice as he slowly turned towards his peacefully sleeping brother.

Gascon… saw him cast that magic.

Gascon… would know he was lying. Or, at the very least that he wasn't bad at magic anymore. He was proud of him! But, now they wouldn't have any reason to practice together any more. Worse, his brother might lose his sense of purpose again… all because of him-

"-kid? Hey, kid?!" Lars' voice startled the boy out of spiralling thoughts. He blinked, gathering his bearings before meeting the older man's masked eyes.

"S-Sorry, I was just thinking…" Marcassin tried to say.

"It's fine, kid. But, I said not to worry. Your brother will be fine-" The masked man waved off, placing his bag of guilders to the side.

"I'm… I'm not worried about that… I believe you." Marcassin interrupted without thinking, realizing his misstep too late. Unfortunately, Lars cocked his head to the side and pushed.

"I'm flattered, but something's definitely bothering you, kid." The older of the two went, voice filled with concern. In turn, he caused Marcassin's brain to race to find an explanation.

"I-I don't want to talk about it…" He feebly tried. And to his surprise, it worked.

"Okay." Lars shrugged, accepting the explanation with ease. Sighing a breath of relief, Marcassin turned back towards Gascon. How would his brother react upon waking up? How would things be between them when they returned home? Would Gascon become distant as he searched for his 'role' in Hamelin? Would he see him less and less until they were strangers? Irrational fears raced through the young boy's mind as he fidgeted.

"This isn't fair. Gascon wanted to be the Emperor before Father told him he didn't have any magic. It's not fair that I have to become the Emperor just because of it. Now, we're going to go home and…" Marcassin glumly thought before a slow epiphany came to him. "Go home…" He hadn't realized he spoke aloud. Yet Lars gave no indication of hearing.

The only reason Gascon couldn't become Emperor was because Marcassin had such strong magic.

So, if Marcassin… vanished… then there would be no reason from stopping his brother from fulfilling his original role in Hamelin. If Marcassin vanished then he wouldn't have to deal with all of the pressure and stress of the empire.

They'd both get what they want… what they needed… if he vanished.

"But… I don't want to leave Gascon… or Father." Marcassin bemoaned, shaking his head. "But, I want Gascon to be happy." He realized afterwards, a feeling more potent than his desire to stay. He wanted his brother to be happy, to know where he fit in the world. The solution seemed all too simple in his head. "Um, Mister Lars?" Marcassin quickly asked, his heart rapidly beating in his chest like thunder.

"Yes." Lars quietly went, and there was something else there in his voice that Marcassin couldn't place.

"Do you have any paper… and something to write with on you by chance? I-I like to write when I'm nervous." The lie jumped out of his lips unsurely. He hoped it was enough. Marcassin didn't want Gascon to wake up without any parting words from him. So, he'd write a letter saying goodbye. He hoped it was enough.

"I do… here." Lars slowly removed a small folded sheet of paper from a notebook and an old pencil from his bag. He gave it to the boy in an even slower motion.

"Thank you, Mister Lars! Thank you!" Marcassin smiled brightly. "Erm, I am in your debt!" He added after a moment's hesitation, pasting on one of his 'diplomatic' faces his Father always used in meetings with the council.

"Don't mention it." Lars mumbled, quickly shifting his gaze away to stare at the distance. However, Marcassin couldn't focus on the man's changing demeanour. He quickly began writing, not caring about making the perfect note, just making sure all the words he wanted to say were there. He wrote why he was leaving, that he… he wanted this, that he believed in Gascon's ability to lead the empire.

Marcassin read his note over thrice before tying it to Gascon's arm. He was about to cast Travel until a jingle ceased him to yelp. The young boy spun around only to see Lars' bag of guilders near his feet. Looking up, he saw the man himself staring at him with a kind expression.

"This is probably pocket-change to a prince of Hamelin. But, what do I know? Buy yourself a treat or something the next time you and your brother sneak out or something. I can't imagine any of this not being stressful to a couple of kids." Lars explained at his baffled face.

"I-I can't…" Marcassin tried to turn down.

"I'm a bounty hunter, kid. I'll earn it back in a day tops." The older man insisted with a flippant wave of his arm. "Oh, looks like Oliver and the others are about done in there." Lars ruefully smiled, and Marcassin knew it was now or never.

Wordlessly, the soon to be former prince grabbed the bag of guilders and stuffed it in his pocket.

He raised his wand.

Oliver's body began to emerge from the alter.

Lars turned away.

Gascon groaned, prying his tired eyes open.

"Travel."

—

Author's Note: Okay… I've never played the actual game but watched a bunch of playthroughs. I couldn't find which spells Marcassin can't do. The only ones I could think were the really obvious story-specific spells like Mornstar and Evenstar. So, if Marcassin casts a spell that he apparently can't do, well he learned it now in this AU! I hope the end bit wasn't too rushed. I wanted it to feel like Marcassin's impulsive decision making in the moment. I have the entire pic written out! And since i just need to edit each chapter, I'll try to update weekly!

Anyways, please tell me your thoughts below and have a fantastic day! Until next time!