Chapter Fourteen

Radley wandered around the structure, running his hand across the smooth marble wall as he stared off in the distance lost in thought. Kalin, who had been examining his sword again for the last several minutes, caught up with him.

"It was always nice here," Radley said softly. "It was a favorite spot on the grounds."

"Was this part of the castle grounds?" Kalin asked.

"I think so." Radley stopped walking and leaned against the wall. "A lot of things are still fuzzy, but I remember happiness being here." He sighed. "But . . . are the memories really mine, or am I picking up on Prince Ramon's memories because of the nature of this place?"

Kalin shook his head. "I'm the wrong person to ask. It seems undeniable that we are the Princes by this point. Yusei would probably wonder if the mirrors are rigged somehow . . . but this place has been buried for centuries, so that's unlikely."

"I guess the mirrors could have been rigged with magic. Who knows. Obviously it must be magic that makes them work regardless." Radley passed a weary hand over his face. "If I'm really Ramon, how could he actually speak to me? I know sometimes that happens in anime. Sailor Moon's even done it a time or two; I remember it with Sailor Saturn speaking to Hotaru when she didn't remember her true self. I still don't get it, though." He gave a dry smirk.

"I've almost given up questioning things further," Kalin said. "My hand-writing matches Prince Kalin's. He suffered from depression. Now 'he' apparently spoke to me through the mirror."

"I guess the mirrors are tapped in to our psyche or something like that?" Radley mused. "If they're for real."

"I guess," Kalin said. "I have no idea if that could be scientifically done or if it would have to be magic."

"Well, either way, I wish one of us could remember what else is in this place that Anastasius might want," Radley worried.

"Prince Kalin said that the Ramon family was distrusted by the Kesslers because of it," Kalin said. "They thought the Ramons might abuse their power." He gestured in frustration. "What power?! What's even in here that would make anyone worry like that?!"

"I thought whatever was here was a secret to the outside world," Radley remarked. "Maybe instead it's just the music box's role in things that was a secret."

"That would be my guess if it wasn't proving so hard to learn anything else," Kalin said.

"I'd say maybe it's nothing and people just cruelly blew this place out of proportion, but the journal sure acts like it was something important," Radley said. "Could it be the mirrors? Something that can reveal anyone's true nature would really be incredibly invaluable. Think about it—no one could ever be tricked by a cruel schemer; the mirrors would tattle on them!"

"It would be useful in war too," Kalin mused. "The hard part would be getting people to the mirrors."

"If they could have put this principle into hand mirrors, they could take it anywhere and never be fooled," Radley said.

Kalin slowly nodded. "But could it be put into hand mirrors?"

"I guess we really can't know without knowing how it works," Radley sighed.

"And the prince me said there was something else here," Kalin said in exasperation. "I can't think what. Why can't I remember that when I remember being here?!"

Radley patted his shoulder. "Maybe those memories will come back soon."

Scotch bounded over to them. "You don't think maybe the Ramons were destined to rule over the whole world, do you?!" he exclaimed. "Or at least all of Spain?!"

Radley scoffed. "Nah, not really. You're thinking about Crystal Tokyo in Sailor Moon now?"

Scotch nodded. "It's possible!"

"Possible, but unlikely," Radley said. "Now, if Prince Ramon was destined to protect the world, or at least Spain, that would make more sense. He was always training to try to get his pendant to full power. Why did they even have the pendant? What was the purpose?" He started running his hand over the wall again. "It was passed down from parent to child in my dreams and it was supposed to protect at least the people of their kingdom, but that's all I really know."

"Prince Ramon had the pendant and Prince Kalin had the sword," Kalin said. "He was the best swordmaster in the kingdom. Prince Ramon was always struggling with the pendant, but could never quite seem to grasp it. Maybe their kingdoms were rivals for the protection of Spain." He hesitated. "Or they could have been being secretly trained to conquer each other's kingdoms, even though they refused to comply."

Radley grimaced, clearly not pleased with that idea. "I hope the kingdoms weren't that nasty to each other."

"When their distrust and hatred created the evil force, it must have been pretty bad," Kalin pointed out.

"Wouldn't something of that magnitude have been recorded in the journal, though?" Radley said.

"Probably," Kalin conceded. "Even though the sword wasn't talked about." He scowled, clearly still irritated about that.

"It was supposed to be a cold war," Radley said. "And their kingdoms were united in the long-ago past. I wonder if what split them apart is relevant to this mess."

"It sounded like it happened long before the Princes were born," Kalin said. "Maybe no one in their era even knew how it started."

"Also possible," Radley admitted. He looked to Scotch. "What have you guys been seeing?"

"It's really epic!" Scotch exclaimed. "We found some memories of how we idolized Prince Ramon and did everything we could to help in that final battle!"

". . . Did you all survive?" Kalin asked.

Radley flinched at the thought that they hadn't. He had wondered, but had been afraid to find out the truth if it was a grim one.

Scotch sobered and looked away. "Um . . . I'm not sure yet," he said. "We protected you guys when you were hurt, and Anastasius started throwing all of us around using the power of the evil force. You know, he was like a Sith Lord! And when we were all laying hurt . . . or something . . . the Princes got the strength to get up and fight some more."

". . . All of us being dead would also be like Sailor Moon," Billy grunted.

"It's really haunting to think about, though," Radley said quietly. "It was bad enough for it to be Kalin."

"Yeah," Scotch said. He shifted. "I'm sorry, Radley. . . ."

Radley managed a smile. "You're just telling me what you saw. We need to know."

Suddenly Billy looked repulsed. "We sacrificed so much for you back then, but in the present day we all ran away and joined Lawton out of fear for our lives."

Radley sighed and hugged him with one arm. "You didn't remember any of this, and being faced with losing your life is a scary thing."

"We still should have been braver," Billy said.

"I can't deny I wish you'd stood by me," Radley said. "But I do understand, even though it hurts."

"You're better than any of us deserve," Billy said.

Scotch nodded agreement. "It's no wonder we all idolized you, Radley. You're the same awesome guy in both lifetimes!"

Radley had to smile a bit at that. "Well, of course," he said lightly. "If I'm the same spirit all along, how could I be anything but?"

Kalin gave a quiet smirk. Radley was trying to make things happier for the Bunch, as usual, despite his own conflicted feelings.

". . . So what do we do now?" Billy asked. "Just wait around to see if Anastasius shows up?"

"For now, I'm afraid so," Radley sighed. "He'll probably be here any time. But if he thinks we don't know the secret, he'll still need the music box."

"The servants will let us know if he tries to break in," Valentina said.

"And then if he finds the box is gone, he may suspect we figured things out," Antonio said. "We've seen that he, or that force inside him, is dangerous. What will we do if he comes here?"

"I'm still working that out," Radley said. "We'll have to face off with him and try to get the force out of him, but how will we keep the past from happening all over again? The force will try to kill him a second time, probably, and then it'll be after us. Will we really have enough strength to fight him without anyone dying?"

"We'll have our friends, including the Big Five and their rings' powers," Kalin said. "Surely that will add to our strength."

"Maybe," Radley said. "But what if the secret to safely winning isn't in brute force?"

"Then what would it be?" Kalin grunted. "If it's friendship, we'll have plenty of that too."

"I know," Radley said. He sighed. "Maybe I'm worrying unnecessarily."

"Maybe," Kalin said. "But maybe you're not. Any reasonable person would worry. We can't let the past repeat."

Radley nodded. "The legend says it won't, but surely that doesn't mean we can just sit back and wait for things to happen. We have to do everything we can to help it along. And Kalin . . . have we?" Worry flickered in his eyes. "What if there's more we need to do and we don't know or remember?"

". . . I worry about that too," Kalin said. "But even our reflections acted like we've done all we can and we'll remember the rest when we need it." He sighed. "So I don't know what else to do."

"Yeah." Radley sighed too. "Maybe we should keep exploring or reading the diary while we wait."

"There's not much left to see," Kalin grunted.

"We havta be missing something." Radley wandered down the hall, running his hand across each pillar he came to. "What could be the secret?"

"We still don't know where the castles went to either," Kalin said. "Yours, anyway. The Kesslers have that tradition about mine. It might not be true, though."

Radley paused, gazing out across the marble structure while hugging the pillar with one arm. "I remember . . . there was a way of protecting the castle when there was danger. . . . It was a safehouse to everyone in the village when it had to be. . . . Prince Ramon's mom showed him how it worked, but he wasn't to tell anyone else. . . ." He walked forward, back to the mirrors, and began feeling underneath the marble platform.

Kalin followed. "Anyone could find it there," he objected.

Radley shook his head. "There's a button that unlocks a panel. Then you have to input a code to make it work."

Valentina stared in amazement. "Do you really believe the castle could be hidden and not destroyed?"

"Well, it's a possibility anyway." Radley turned around, sat on the floor, and shined his phone up at the underside of the platform. "Here we go." He pressed the button. "Did anything happen?"

"A panel popped open on top," Kalin said.

Radley pulled himself out and stood, studying the new row of buttons. "Hmm. . . ."

"What happens if you get the wrong combination?!" Scotch asked.

"I hope nothing," Radley remarked. "I definitely don't want to act on this unless I know what I'm doing."

"Do you think the diary says any more about it?" Kalin wondered. "Or maybe the music box helps?"

"Let's try the diary." Radley scanned over the next pages. ". . . Prince Kalin didn't want to tell the secrets in case the diary ever fell into the wrong hands. But right after he said that, he added again how much he loved and treasured the music box. It's possible he wasn't just praising it and that the clue really is there. If we just knew what song it plays. . . ."

Scotch opened it and let it play again, the beautiful and bittersweet melody echoing up and down the marble halls.

Valentina sighed. "I just do not recognize it, at least not by name."

"I guess there's no chance Grandma would know?" Radley said.

"But she didn't want us to talk about the legend around her any more at all!" Scotch said.

"Yeah, I know. It might be important, though." Radley contemplated a moment, then moved to flip to the Phone app.

"Would she know anything if her grandparents don't?" Kalin said.

"You wouldn't think so, would you," Radley mused. "She wouldn't unless she researched on her own and somehow found the answer."

"Maybe it tells the name somewhere else in the diary," Scotch said.

"Maybe, but I get the feeling Prince Kalin figured anyone reading the diary and playing the music box would recognize it," Radley said. "Maybe it was a popular tune back then." He glanced at the buttons. "Or . . ." He quickly counted them. "Could it be? There's eight, just enough for one octave of music."

". . . And that means what?" Kalin frowned.

"I'm not sure. It could mean that playing the music box song on the buttons is the key." Radley listened as the song played and then mentally mapped out which buttons would potentially correspond to the piano keys. As he pressed them in sequence, another rumbling came from somewhere nearby in the ground.

". . . Something else is coming up!" Scotch yelped.

Radley looked outside with a start and then worriedly to his great-great-grandparents. "Is that also part of the area you were told not to use?!" he exclaimed, praying it was so.

"Yes, it is!" Valentina declared.

Together they watched in utter astonishment as out of the ground came an entire castle. Its beautiful white marble surface glistened in the moonlight, and as it fully emerged, a walkway of pillars came with it. Each pillar, as it set into place, became a fountain, the clear water running over the tops of the lily-shaped bowls resting on top.

". . . Holy cow!" Scotch burst out. He immediately snapped pictures.

Radley just stood and stared in awe. "I can hardly believe it. . . ." He walked out of the marble structure and over to the castle's walkway, staring up at each pillar as he headed for the grand staircase.

Kalin trailed after him. "It was here all the time, under the ground . . . ! I wonder if mine could be in a set-up like that as well. . . ."

Radley gave him an apologetic look. "I don't think so, judging from the diary. The one other thing Prince Kalin did say is that he wished his kingdom had the tech and the know-how to make what Prince Ramon described to him for the protection of their castle."

Kalin sighed. "Then mine probably really was destroyed."

"We can't say for sure, but it doesn't seem hopeful it wasn't," Radley said with a frown. He looked up longingly at the castle. "And I really wanna go in there, but we should probably stay outside and wait for the others to come first. It should be any time now."

"You're right." Kalin stopped at the bottom of the staircase and looked up. "So what should we do while we're waiting?"

Radley sighed. "Look at the diary pages?"

"Go ahead," Kalin said.

Radley took out his phone and opened the next page. He had to chuckle. ". . . The kingdoms hosted another ball," he said. "Unfortunately, this one went badly because of the increased suspicions from people in both kingdoms. The Princes decided to show how they could be united and danced a waltz together."

"That is epic!" Scotch gushed.

Kalin grunted. "I don't know how to dance, let along waltz."

"Strangely enough, I know how," Radley said. "More lessons from family. Maybe when all this is over, I can show you how."

". . . Will we have a chance later?" Kalin had to wonder.

"We'd better," Radley said. "But you're right. Why wait? We can't do anything else yet anyway." He smiled a bit and stepped closer to Kalin. "Okay, so I put my right arm around your waist and then I clasp your hand with my other." He took Kalin's right hand with his left. "You put your other hand on my shoulder."

Kalin did, and smirked a bit. "This is interesting. And nice."

Radley smirked too. "I know. These days it's more common to not have a hand on the waist, but in the Princes' day, they probably did it like that."

Kalin grunted. "Why was it changed?"

"Who knows," Radley shrugged. "So, usually people learn dancing by doing the same steps over and over for a few lessons, but I'll just lead and show you the whole dance right now since there's no time for that," he said.

Scotch grinned and opened the music box to provide the music. Smiling, Radley led Kalin in a careful and slow waltz, gradually speeding it up as Kalin followed along without too much difficulty.

"The fast waltzes are more interesting," Kalin said.

"I thought you'd like that," Radley said.

For the next several minutes they became lost in the moment, the dance. It almost seemed that they could hear the orchestra of the long-ago ball, the cheers from what supporters they had, the murmurs of disapproval from most of the partygoers. But they were happy, displaying their unity and their love for all to see without shame or fear, and when at last Radley brought the waltz to a sweeping close, applause erupted from the spectators.

Kalin started. That was more than just the Bunch and Radley's great-great-grandparents. As he looked around, he saw Yusei's group as well as the Big Five standing at the edge of the walkway.

"That was great," Yusei said sincerely. "I didn't know you could dance like that, Kalin."

"I didn't know I could either," Kalin said. He supposed from her knowing look that Valentina would tell him it was muscle memory from his life as the Prince, but he preferred to think of it as being because Radley was a good teacher.

"It was very impressive," Lector said. "On both your parts."

"Thanks," Radley smiled. "Hey, we're really glad all of you guys could make it."

"We are," Kalin agreed.

"And seriously, where did this thing come from?!" Crow exclaimed, gawking at the castle behind them. "You didn't tell Yusei anything about finding the castle!"

"It came up out of the ground," Kalin deadpanned. "It's a long story."

"Incredible," Nesbitt gasped.

". . . Cool," Crow said. "So now what do you do with it?"

"Explore it!" Scotch cheered.

Radley laughed. "I'd really like to. But I don't want Anastasius to show up and slip past us either."

"Some of us can stand guard," Billy said. "You really should explore it, Radley. There might be important clues in there that would help us figure out what to do next."

Radley finally nodded. That was certainly logical. "Okay," he said at last. "Maybe Kalin, I, Grandmama, Grandpapa, and a few of you guys can come in right now while the rest stand guard. If Anastasius still doesn't show up, we can switch off and some more of you can come look while others stand guard."

"Works for me," Virgil said.

Soon the two groups had been sorted out and Radley started to lead his group up the white stairs.

"It's like something out of Cinderella or something!" Scotch gushed.

Radley had to chuckle at that.

"I want to know how the mechanics of hiding it in the ground work," Nesbitt said.

"Don't we all," Gansley mused.

Kalin moved closer to Yusei. "So how much do Jack and Crow know about what's happening?" he asked low.

"I didn't tell them everything, just that you and Radley came out here investigating a legend both of your families know and revere and that it looked like someone you'd run into had dark magic powers and was dangerous," Yusei whispered back. "I thought you and Radley should be the ones to tell the details."

"So they don't know at all about the reincarnation?" Kalin wondered.

"I only touched briefly on that to prepare them," Yusei explained. "Jack thinks it's crazy. Crow shrugged and was fine with it."

"Jack accepted being a Signer," Kalin said with a bit of a frown.

"I don't know if he would have if he'd been told he lived a past life as one," Yusei said. "But maybe he'll surprise us."

"Maybe." Kalin sighed. He had to admit he had been concerned about this very thing. Finding out Yusei was also concerned wasn't terribly encouraging.

Jack stopped at the top of the stairs. "So what's the deal with this place?" he demanded. "Whose castle is it?"

"It belongs to my family," Radley said. "This is the Ramon property."

"Yusei said this legend is about princes who look like the two of you and your families all think you're the princes reincarnated," Jack said.

"That's true," Kalin said.

"Do you honestly believe that?" Jack practically snorted.

"It's a very complicated situation, especially by this point," Radley said. "After all that we've been through and discovered . . . and remember, it's very difficult to say it's not real now."

"What do you remember?" Jack retorted.

"I remember things about these grounds . . . about how to unlock the castle from its hiding place," Radley said. "It wasn't here thirty minutes ago."

Kalin said, "I remember being in the building where we found the code to bring it back up. And I know those are superficial things that could have other explanations. There's far more to this than that."

Radley nodded. "Let's see what there is to see inside." Taking a deep breath, he went over and pushed on one of the heavy doors. It creaked open, revealing the spacious and majestic hall of the Ramon castle. As everyone followed him inside, overhead lights came on and illuminated the rooms in all their glory.

Kalin looked up with a start. "Electricity?!"

"Not just that, but motion-sensor lights!" Radley exclaimed.

"That is ludicrous!" Jack snorted. "This castle couldn't be from centuries ago!"

"Have you ever heard of the modern facilities in ancient Mesopotamia?" Radley responded, gazing up at the lights in awe. "They even had indoor plumbing."

Crow shrugged. "It's true. I remember Martha talkin' about that."

"And the whole set-up with the controls and the castle underground is high-tech," Marty said. "No wonder the Kesslers were jealous of the Ramons and worried about them abusing power! They were way ahead of their time!"

"In some ways, maybe," Radley mused. "Maybe the Kesslers' kingdom had at least some of these fine things as well."

They wandered through the hall and into many of the rooms, marveling at the architecture and modern elements of the building. Several bathrooms were found, as well as electric lights in every room. Eventually they found themselves in a hall of portraits.

"Several of these people bear a strong resemblance to you," Jack remarked to Radley.

"I know," Radley said. "And that's perfectly normal and natural. But only Prince Ramon is exact." He stopped beside a portrait of said Prince.

"You've gotta admit, that's eerie," Crump said.

Kalin nodded. "Prince Kalin is also exact. We've found many paintings of him and Prince Ramon in the care of the Ramon family, as well as being held by Anastasius."

"He's the guy we're waiting for?" Crow asked.

"Yes," Kalin said. "He was with Devack in cults."

"Oh boy," Crow winced. "That's a name I hoped I'd never hear again."

"And you're so sure he'll show up?" Jack frowned. "Wouldn't he be here by now?"

"You'd think so," Radley sighed. "I don't know." He pushed away from the wall and kept walking. ". . . Everything is so still. . . . It's all just as it likely was all those years ago, when the Ramons lived here. . . . Perfectly preserved in time even after tragedy struck. It's eerie and sad."

Scotch suddenly looked sick. "Um . . . remember how the castle for Marty's family had a crypt in the basement?"

"Could we ever forget?" Billy retorted.

". . . Well . . . do you think this castle has one too?" Scotch ventured. ". . . And that maybe the Princes were both buried there? I mean, if the Kessler castle was destroyed, maybe they wouldn't have had a place for Prince Kalin and he was buried with Prince Ramon. . . ."

Radley grimaced. "I honestly never even thought about what they did for burials. That's just an itty-bit too creepy if we're the Princes."

"Especially since sometimes important things were put in tombs?" Marty said. He looked queasy himself.

Radley passed a hand over his eyes. "So we probably need to go down there and see," he realized, his stomach dropping at the thought.

Even Valentina and Antonio looked unsettled by now. "We understand if that is too much for you," Antonio said.

"But Marty brings up a good point," Radley said. "I think we'll have to check it out."

Yusei looked concerned too. "Are you sure you want to do that, Kalin?"

Kalin looked squeamish, but said, "It would be foolish to overlook it when we still need more answers. It's unfortunately possible there could be some there."

"Okay, but the two of you wouldn't have to look for them," Yusei said. "Some of the rest of us could do it."

Radley managed a smile. "That would be nice. But I doubt any one of us feels like seeing the mortal remains of the Princes."

"Probably not," Crow said, definitely looking creeped out and grossed out.

Jack hmphed. "Let's get it over with." Finding the stairs going down, he started to descend.

Staring after him in varying states of concern and dismay, the rest of the group followed.

It was hard to even know what to say on the long journey into the basement levels. The wine celler was innocuous enough, but as they resumed their venture, the reality of what they were seeking loomed taller and more chillingly over them. Kalin eventually gripped Radley's hand, a gesture which he swiftly returned. Kalin also tightly gripped Yusei's shoulder. This was not a place Yusei should be, not after having seen Kalin dead before. But Yusei resolutely kept going, staying right with them.

"Do you really want to come with us down here?" Kalin finally asked him.

"Yeah," Yusei said. "I came here to support you and that's what I'll do, even down here."

"But what if . . ." Radley frowned. "You know what we're likely to have to do."

"Bodies in the tomb should just prove that you're not princes from another era," Yusei said. "I'm hoping it will give all of us some closure and understanding."

Radley sighed. "I hope so too."

The crypt was on the very lowest level. Jack opened the iron gate, letting it creak loudly in the echo chamber. Everyone's shoes also echoed eerily as they walked along the desolate corridor. Tombs unvisited for centuries were on either side of them, each ornately decorated with carvings and belongings meaningful to the occupants.

Radley had to catch his breath at the sight they were approaching. At the very back of the room, a high window revealed the pure moonlight shining on an especially large tomb. Lifelike statues had been carved on the top, depicting two men laying side by side. Instead of holding swords or flowers or other more expected funerary art, they were tightly clasping hands.

". . . This is it, isn't it?" Crow said in a hushed voice.

"It must be," Kalin said.

Jack drew close enough to identify the statues first, and from the way he stiffened, the answer was obvious. Now even he was unsettled. "This is it," he said.

Valentina went over to read the carved inscription. "'Here lies Prince Ramon of the Ramon kingdom and Prince Kalin of the Kessler kingdom. In life and death, their strongest desire was to be together as brothers. We of both kingdoms have granted them their dying wish, praying to God that they will remain together in death and then in life again, for the second chances they have been promised.'"

". . . That's some heavy stuff," Crow said after a long silence. "Are we really breaking in there?"

"I wouldn't call it that," Jack grunted. "We'll just open the tomb and see if anything important was buried with them. There must be a way to open it."

Antonio went over and examined the tomb from every angle before finding the opening. Everyone braced themselves and some looked away as he pulled out the drawer. But then he stopped, blinking in surprise. "It's empty," he reported.

Radley looked up with a start. "Empty?!"

"What does that mean?" Kalin frowned.

"It could mean your bodies now are the same ones you had back then," Valentina said. "They were renewed and given back to you both for your second chances."

"Or it could just mean this is a decoy tomb," Jack shot back.

Antonio was still examining the drawer. Finally he straightened, holding a bouquet of yellow roses. "This is all that was in there," he announced.

Valentina gasped. "They are alive and in bloom!"

"That's not possible," Jack retorted.

And yet it was. Despite having likely been buried with the Princes, every flower was open and blossoming, happily reaching for the moonlight through the window.

Radley took the bouquet, hushed and reverent at the sight. "They're beautiful," he said.

"It is a sign from God!" Valentina declared. "A sign to tell the grieving families that the Princes were alright and are alright!"

Radley looked to Kalin with a smile. No matter what the truth of the reincarnation was, that was a thought he could get behind. And from Kalin's answering smile, he felt the same.