C/N: Whoo, a new chapter, hot of the presses. Hope you enjoy the chapter!

Chapter 21: "Family History"

Jeff could feel the tensity surrounding the room as he looked around. Four guards, all pointing their spears directly at him, poised to attack. One king scowling down at him, appearing to wonder whether or not he should let his underlings have at the intruder. Even the air, in its complete silence, played as a factor of intimidation. However, despite the completely unwelcome situation, the smile on Jeff's face remained flawless. It was unsure whether it was there as a result of the joy he felt for having finally seen his brother after so many years, or if it was an expression of stubbornness, meant only irritate the king. Either way, it didn't appear to be going anywhere.

"Would it be too much to ask for a glass of water?" Jeff spoke up casually, slowly lowering himself to the ground to sit on the floor cross-legged. A couple of the guards took a step forward, unaware of what the man was going to do, but, once they realized he was simply sitting down, they settled down a fair bit. "Six hours of driving with no breaks and having to run for your life through a castle as big as this can be tiring."

Silence.

The guards remained still, all focusing completely on Jeff, who continued to stare up at his brother with that perpetual smile. Sarasa stared back, the scowl on his face persisting just as easily. Silently, a competition sprang up between the two brothers as they each watched the other carefully. The slightest move, the smallest of twitches, even a single blink, and the loser would be known. The test to see who was the weaker of the two had begun before any of the guards could pick up on it.

As Sarasa stared at his brother, he couldn't help but detect the awkward feeling of superiority emitting from his smile. To anyone else, it would appear to be a simple, calm expression. But to him, to Sarasa, it felt powerful. It felt demeaning. Weakening. A feeling Jeff could always instill within his little brother, since they were just toddlers. And, even after so much time being away from each other, he could still easily make Sarasa feel inferior, as if it were simply an innate skill. It was unbearable.

Seceding, Sarasa broke his gaze and slowly settled back down into his throne. "Leave," he commanded simply to his guards, who lowered their weapons and stepped toward the door, not without a bit of hesitation. They all kept their eyes fixed firmly on Jeff as they passed him by and left the room quite silently, the sound of the large double doors closing shut being the last sound they made. Just as Jeff continued to smile up at Sarasa, the king continued to look away from him, choosing to gaze blankly at the tiling of the floor instead.

Now that the two were alone, Jeff felt he could finally drop his act. He let out a sigh, his smile disappearing immediately, and gathered himself up from the floor as best he could. Folding his arms and leaning noticeably onto one leg, he looked up at the king, with a solemn expression on his face.

"I'm sorry," he apologized after several seconds, watching Sarasa closely for any sign of movement whatsoever. His little brother didn't shift at all. "Anything else I can say or do? I know it's taken longer for me to come back than I promised, but, well, stuff happens, ya know?"

Sarasa didn't say a word.

"I practically risked my life to get here bro," Jeff persisted, a hint of impatience in his voice. He felt on the verge of pleading for some sign of recognition. "The whole time, all I thought about was how best I could apologize to you. But I got nothin'. 'I'm sorry' is the best I can come up with."

Again, silence.

"You know I'm not good at stuff like this. You being all quiet like that isn't really helping," Jeff muttered, unconsciously rubbing the back of his neck as he looked away from Sarasa for the first time since entering the room. His arms seemed to automatically refold themselves as he glanced back at his brother, hoping he would have the mercy to say something.

But, yet again, Sarasa stayed quiet.

"The silent treatment doesn't work on me as well as it did when we were kids," Jeff commented with a small smile. "Your daughter does the same thing when she's upset you know. Just like you. She'd stay quiet for days-"

"If you came for Daisy, then you have wasted your time," Sarasa finally said, still refusing to look at Jeff. "I will not relinquish her. To anyone. Especially you."

"What, you didn't believe what I said earlier?" Jeff responded, causing Sarasa to glance at him from the side of his eye. "I admit, if you hadn't taken Daisy, I probably wouldn't have come out here, but she's not the whole reason why I decided to visit. I came here to see you."

"...Since when has seeing me been a priority of yours?" Sarasa asked, the slightest hint of insecurity showing in his voice.

"Since I realized that it wasn't a priority anymore," Jeff answered with a quieted voice, ashamed to admit the sad fact about himself. "I'm sorry Sarasa. I shouldn't have just left you like I did. And I shouldn't have made all those promises if I wasn't going to keep them. I'm sorry about everything."

Really? Sorry about being gone for over two decades? Sorry about leaving Sarasa behind, charged with running an entire kingdom from the age of fourteen by himself? Sorry about leading what some might call a perfectly happy life while his brother struggled to simply keep himself together day after day? Jeff's decision caused more damage to Sarasa than he would ever know. And now, he was expecting to receive forgiveness just for saying that he was sorry? Those two, small words...they could never make up for the years Sarasa was left to suffer.

–

"What should we name him darling?" Lilly, the former queen of Sarasaland, would ask her husband minutes after the birth of their first son.

Sarasa the Second, former king, would look upon his son, beaming with pride as the newborn prince squirmed about in his mother's arms, becoming acquainted with the new world he was now a part of. Sarasa lowered himself to the level of his reclined wife, smiling just as she did as his mind settled on the perfect name almost instantly.

"Juno," he answered softly.

"After your grandfather?" Lilly would ask, prompting a small nod from her king.

"Yes. My grandfather was the wisest man I've ever known. And I see much of his wisdom in our son."

"Then Juno it is," the queen would agree with a smile, agreeing that, albeit barely developed as he was, their new son showed great promise in possessing the same wisdom as his great grandfather.

It was an exciting time, not only for the new parents, but for the entire kingdom. Citizens couldn't wait to flock to the castle's doorstep with gifts and well wishes for the new prince. Visitors from all regions of Sarasaland, and even a fair number from neighboring kingdoms, crowded the castle before the new parents could have time to even see their own son for more than a few minutes.

It wasn't long before Prince Juno had more appointments than the king and queen. Constantly carried all about the castle by a busy Lakilulu at all times of the day, Lilly and Sarasa hardly ever even knew where their baby was. But they had to admit that such a thing was to be expected. They were royalty. Their lives were naturally busy. And with a new member in the family, it was foreseeable that things would only get more hectic before they cooled down.

Little did they know, however, that a mere three months after having Juno, Sarasa and Lilly would discover that they had yet another on the way.

Just when things were finally settling down a year after Juno's birth, Sarasa the Third arrived, and the maniacal fuss started all over again. Mercifully, the king and queen were at least able to spend a bit more time with their first born, but at the consequence of having virtually no idea where their second ever was. They could only trust he was kept within the castle walls and that Lakilulu hadn't keeled over from all the constant work she was piled with thanks to the arrival of the new babies. It may well have been the new baby episodes that made her into the worrywart she would prove to be years later.

Once the fuss over Sarasa the Third finally settled down, the royal family was allowed to live in relative peace. The boys would be able to spend their days just being children, and growing into loving, well-rounding brothers. Yes, things went along swimmingly for quite some time. That is, until a frantic Lakilulu delivered dour news to the family during their dinner ten years later.

"Your Highness, the naval base in Muda has come under attack by the Darklands airship fleet," she informed, causing the entire family to look over at her in shock simultaneously. "They have already overwhelmed the base, it is gone, and the fleet heads for Easton next."

"What is the meaning of this, Sarasaland and the Darklands are at peace!" King Sarasa responded furiously, standing from his chair at the head of the table.

"It appears the citizens of the Darklands have risen in opposition to the treaty their leader signed with us," Lakilulu explained quickly. "Their king is of a weak will. Afraid of having his people turn against him, he bent to their demands and launched an attack, despite our negotiations. Please Your Highness, we must respond quickly. The people of Easton are in danger."

"Damn it all!" Sarasa swore loudly as he began to leave the table, the eyes of his frightened family following him as he headed for the exit from the dining room. "Send our fifth fleet to Easton at once and evacuate the citizens! I hate to do battle on my own land, but it seems we have no other choice."

And thus began the second recorded war between Sarasaland and the Darklands in history. Ruthlessly disregarding their newly-gained ally for the simple sake of pride in the kingdom, the Darklands military was sent off to Sarasaland in relentless waves that Sarasa had no choice but to combat. Thankfully, after the initial battle in Easton, Sarasaland's military was quick enough with its response to head off the Darklands forces on a neutral ground. But that didn't erase the fact that the forces of the Darklands proved far too overbearing for the might of Sarasaland, and it wasn't long before the normally peaceful kingdom was on its last leg, two years after the war's start.

"Please Sarasa, there must be some other way we can end this!" Lilly pleaded with her husband as he took up his sword and shield, headed down the main hallway of his castle with a look of determination in his eyes. "We can negotiate! We can try to talk to them! We can even surrender, I don't care-"

"I would sooner die than surrender Lilly. You should know that," the king would respond with a calm voice.

"But what if you do die out there!? What if you don't come back!?"

"Then it'll be up to you," Sarasa responded simply, slowing his steady walk down to a stall as his wife hugged him from behind, staining the back of his armor with tears. He would never admit it himself, but he was scared as well. But for his wife, his sons, and his entire kingdom, he was determined that he would never falter. He would go into the front lines himself and make a stand in the midst of battle. His mere presence would give his men strength, and his sword would weaken the enemy. Everything was riding on his two shoulders. It was all up to him. And he couldn't leave his home without sharing some of his strength with his own wife.

"If I should fall out there, you must promise me you will never give up," Sarasa spoke up softly for the sake of his crying wife. "Promise me you'll defend our kingdom as best you can until this whole mess is over. Promise me our boys grow up to be strong, able men. Okay Lilly? I want you to promise."

"I...I promise Sarasa," Lilly answered through her tears, without letting up on the firm hold she had on her husband. "I promise..."

Both of their boys stood by, watching in silence from the shadows. Neither of them could believe their eyes. Their father wasn't really about to go out to the front lines was he? He wasn't really going to leave them all behind and risk his life out there... He wasn't really going to leave them...

Prince Sarasa couldn't help but let his emotion get the better of him as he watched his father walk out the castle's front entrance, leaving behind his wife to stand in the middle of the carpet, crying. Young Sarasa imitated his mother, letting tears stream down his face as he hoped for his father to return safely. Juno, standing next to him, wrapped an arm around his little brother, ensuring him that their father was going to be okay. He was strong. He was fearless. And he was going to return from the battlefield someday, announcing Sarasaland's victory over the malicious forces of the Darklands. Juno promised that things were going to be okay.

If only his words held as much power as he wished they could.

Several months later, it was reported that the king had fallen in battle, overtaken in a battle between him and six enemy forces all at once. His skill with the sword was enough to cut his enemies down until only two remained, but one of them managed to unsheathe a concealed dagger and stab the king through the heart.

And now, the weight of the war fell onto the queen's shoulders.

Thankfully, in the time between the late king's decision to go to battle himself and the moment he was slain, the forces of the Darklands began to wane noticeably. The ravages of war were taking their toll on the attackers as well as the victims, and the queen felt it was time to finally put an end to all the useless battling. The war started over nothing, and both sides lost much thanks to it. Another treaty was in order if the fighting was to ever stop, and the grounds on which it was to be signed had to be neutral for the safety of both kingdoms.

Agreeing to meet with the king of the Darklands on the very battleground that most of the war took place on, Queen Lilly departed alongside several of her most able retainers. Now, it was Prince Sarasa's turn to plead that she not go. He couldn't bear to see another member of his family depart without insurance that she would return safely.

"Sarasa, there's no need to worry about me," Lilly ensured her wet-faced son as she pulled him into an embrace. "I'm leaving in order to present a peace treaty. This way, the war can finally end, and we can put a stop to all of this."

"But...I don't want you to go," Sarasa cried as his older brother observed from several feet away, his arms folded. "Father never came back. What if you don't come back either?"

"I'll be fine darling," Lilly promised with a smile. "I'll be back before you know it. And everything will be okay." Sarasa only whimpered as his grip on his mother tightened even more. "Mind your brother and Lakilulu while I'm gone okay? They'll take care of you until I get back."

At this, Sarasa finally let go of his mother and allowed her to leave. The scene looked remarkably reminiscent of the one that played out several months ago, with Sarasa in Lilly's place and Lilly in the place of the king. Even Juno stood in the same spot as last time. But this time, instead of consoling his brother, a singular tear ran down his cheek as he watched his mother leave. He couldn't show it to his little brother, but he felt just as scared.

As Sarasa glanced over at him, Juno quickly dried his face, pretending he was scratching an itch as he stepped forward toward his younger brother. Wrapping one arm around him and leading him out of the hall, Juno tried his hardest not to let another tear escape his eyes.

"Is Mother going to be okay Juno?"

"Yeah Sarasa, she is. I promise."

The next day, the news spread like wildfire. Both Queen Lilly and the king of the Darklands, assassinated by an enraged anarchist. Armed with a dozen high-powered, manufactured Bob-Ombs, the lone attacker laid siege on the grounds of the peace treaty by bombarding it with the explosives after sneaking up to the location with the application of a simple Boo Sheet. The anarchist was executed immediately, but that didn't repair the fact that the Sarasaland royal house was now reduced to only two: Prince Juno and Prince Sarasa.

It wasn't uncommon for Sarasa to lock himself away in his room, crying his days away at the loss of his two parents in such a short timespan. He felt so alone. So scared. So uncertain about everything. The only relief he could find was in the fact that the war had come to an end along with the stray attack at the signing of the peace treaty, but that didn't serve as consolation at all.

It would be several weeks before he could finally get over his grief just enough to leave his room one night and seek the company of his older brother. The last remaining member of his family was all he could look to for comfort. But, as he entered the prince's room, he would find that he was not there.

Where was he? It was dreadfully late at night, nearly two in the morning. He couldn't have possibly been anywhere else...

Hold on, what was this? A note was waiting on Juno's night stand, sitting, ready to be observed by anyone who bothered to read it. A paperweight held it in place, for a gentle breeze could be feel coursing through the room as Sarasa approached the stand and picked up the letter, holding it close to his face as he strained to read it in the dim light.

"To Sarasa,

"I'm only assuming you'd find this first, since nobody else ever comes into my room. Let me just say this outright. I'm sorry. About everything that's happened in the past, and about what I'm going to do right now.

"You see, I've decided that I'm leaving the castle. With Mom and Dad gone, and with me being expected to be the next king...it's just all too sudden for me. It's a lot of pressure. I just can't take it. I mean, I figured I had a good twenty, maybe thirty years to go, but now... I don't want all of that responsibility on my shoulders already. I'm not ready for it.

"I know, this is the most selfish thing in the world, but I just can't stay here knowing that it's going to be up to me take care of this place. I mean, I know you're not any more prepared for it than I am but... You have no idea how sorry I am about doing this...

"I've arranged for an acquaintance of mine from the Mushroom Kingdom to come and take me there. By the time anyone sees this letter, I should already be there. Please, don't come looking for me. Because I won't agree to return.

"Take care of yourself Sarasa. And look after Lakilulu too, she's getting a little schizoid nowadays. I promise I'll come back some day Sarasa. Hey, don't forget about me while you're up here being all kingly alright?

Juno"

And, with the reading of that letter, Sarasa was truly alone. Hardly a teenager and greatly unprepared to take up the title of "King", Sarasa was forced to live alone in a castle once populated by his family. His mother and father, dying within mere days of each other, and his cowardly brother, running away from his responsibilities, were all gone. Sarasa had no choice. He was the only one left. And, with Lakilulu at his side, all he could do was try his best to govern his land and become the man his father hoped for both of his sons to be.

Thankfully, he was able to achieve that dying wish. But with it came so many trials and heartache that he eventually lost sight of the man his father wanted him to be and became the man he never wanted to be. An insecure, untrusting, controlling tyrant. He became cold. Almost to the point of heartlessness. The welfare of his citizens meant nothing to him, the emotions of others were secondary to their assigned responsibilities, his servants were just that, mere servants. He disallowed himself to grow close to anything anymore. In fear that what he cherished most would be stolen from him in the long run.

And then, Daisy came along.

Daisy was his beacon of hope. She was his chance to make amends for the wrongs that were committed against him during his own childhood. And he was determined to give her the life that he felt he himself deserved to have, but never received.

A mere three years later however, her mother died, having taken her own life while Sarasa was away. Little did anyone know that he was off in the Beanbean Kingdom on the day she poisoned herself in an attempt to simply track down a bean fruit for his wife. He remembered how she so adored the firm texture and delicious taste of the food, and he meant it as a surprise cake topping for her in celebration of her birthday the very next day. Since Daisy was born, Sarasa was a changed man, having slowly become more family-oriented than he was in those days where he lived with just his wife. And on the day that he decided to act on an utterly spontaneous impulse, such an event occurred to remind him just how cold the world truly was to him.

Shortly after returning to discover a deceased wife, Sarasa went straight back to the Beanbean Kingdom to arrange for a marriage between Daisy and Queen Bean's young son, Peasley. At least, then, he would be able to ensure that one thing went as planned in the future while at the same time securing Daisy's future as a queen and extending his family to include the nobility of the Beanbean Kingdom. His only duty at that point was living to see the day that Daisy was to be wed to the man.

And, of course, even that was mere inches away from going completely off course.

"You left me here Juno," Sarasa muttered after a long silence, causing Jeff to look away once more, his face etched with shame. "You left me here to figure everything out on my own. I had no guidance. No family. I had to do everything for myself...

"Then, I go out on a limb, entrust my daughter to your care, and you attempt to convince Lakilulu that I'm being too overbearing on her. Then what do you do?" Sarasa continued, his voice picking up volume and quite a ferocious tone as he rose from his throne and began to step forward staring at his brother with malicious. "You come all the way here, after twenty-one years, and expect to clear everything up with 'I'm sorry'!?"

Jeff was sent to the ground harshly as Sarasa, in his rage, balled his fist and struck him with all his might, emitting a loud banging sound as the blow connected with the side of his head. Feeling rather dazed, Jeff could only shake his head and try to regain his bearings as Sarasa quickly stepped forward, knelt down, and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt.

"You are a disgrace to this family Juno!" Sarasa shouted angrily as he pulled Jeff back to his feet to meet his eye to eye. "I'm ashamed to have a coward like you as a brother!"

Jeff was then sent stumbling across the room as Sarasa pushed him away as powerfully as he could. The prince crashed against the wall next to the door, banging the back of his head so hard a noticeable cracking sound could be heard from the collision. He immediately placed a hand on the point of impact, hoping to soothe the immense pain as best he could before Sarasa launched his next attack.

"Twenty-one years!" the king persisted, stepping forward toward his brother. "Twenty-one years, and not even the decency to pay a single visit! I haven't heard a word from you Juno! Not a single goddamn word!"

As he spoke, Sarasa had begun to raise his hand in preparation for another strike, but, as Jeff prepared himself for the blow, he noticed that the hand remained still, suspended in the air, straining against the immense urge to bear down on its target. Its holder, however, held it back as he dropped his angered gaze away from his brother and his eyes began to set forth a stream of tears. The scared, helpless boy was returning through the blind fury, and Sarasa was powerless to stop himself from dropping his hand and approaching an empty portion of the wall. He placed his arm against it, acting as a rest for the top of his head, which pressed against it as he slouched and let his tears fall to the floor.

"I'm tired of it Juno," he muttered through his tears as Jeff looked over at him, having a difficult time focusing his vision as he did so. "I'm tired of having everyone leave me. Father, Mother, you, my wife, and now Daisy. It keeps happening, again and again... And I'm so goddamn tired of it..."

"Sarasa..."

"Leave," Sarasa commanded quietly. "Don't come back. You haven't for twenty-one years, so why return now? As long as I still have Daisy. As long as she marries Peasley. Everything that I've worked for will not fail. I don't need you. Or anyone else. Just my daughter."

"I'm not leaving Sarasa," Jeff responded firmly. "I came here to make things right. And I'm not leaving until I do."

"It's too late to 'make things right'!" Sarasa suddenly shouted. "There is nothing you can do, okay!? Nothing! Now leave me while I still have the good sense to let you escape!"

"No," Jeff said simply, defiantly. "I'm not going anywhere Sarasa."

"Guards!" Sarasa called out immediately, turning away from the wall and facing his throne as the door burst open in order to hide away his tears. "Take this intruder to the dungeon. Now."

Without hesitation, the guards that were previously ready and willing to attack Jeff where he stood roughly brought him to his feet and escorted him hastily out of the throne room. Once the door was closed once more and silence stood victorious over the length of the room for several seconds, Sarasa made his slow ascent back to his throne.

Slowly, he took his seat. Several moments passed wherein he simply gazed at nothing. And he buried his face in his hands, feeling that life was putting him through yet another of its cruel tests.

Footnote: Anyone actually feeling sorry for Sarasa yet? I kinda do. Anyway, see you next chapter!