IF: Two Brothers

[SSFSX17]

((note to mDuo13: this takes place recently after the Personification's end, and before all the modern nations are established. If you're not mDuo13, you'll have no clue what this means, so you'll have to take what liberties you can.))The storms were unusually fierce, strengthened by winds that turned rain into pain. Something must have truly disturbed Lieros to make him interfere with Hrammet's gentle ways, to make him shoot lightning at Daeldosset's soil. Amees was not a strict believer of the elements, but he saw their undeniable power."This is your daughter."Amees shivered beneath his robes. Even though they were blessed by a Priest of Deuxos, they still failed to keep him warm enough. His brother surely must have been mad to have arranged something at this time and place. "My daughter is dead."Sidar took a step closer. His great coat kept his form in shadow, the bundle he held in his arms visible only as a slight bulge in the darkness. "I already told you of what I have done. The secret of rebirth was carried out as I said it would be.""My daughter cannot be brought back to life," said Amees. "You conjured a demon. Leave me be."Sidar came close enough for his face to be shown. He was the younger of the two, more ambitious, more handsome, but also less refined. "There was an interesting complication. She was born to a Concubine.""What great sin have you committed, that you ordered Lieros to cover your tracks?" Amees also knew Sidar to be a great spellcaster and important member of the court."The Senators, indeed, even the young prince himself, would eventually plot her death.""Barejelde karash er ec.""I am going to leave her here. It is up to you whether she dies or not. I will also give you something you may find useful in her blankets." Sidar resented his brother's fanatical tendencies. He dared to speak such an ancient language - a language that was good for nothing but hiding meaning from those who did not continue to speak it. He was accused of being rejected even by pure evil itself, but he had taken worse insults. "You do not realize that the secret of rebirth - not just raising our dead comrades, as is commonly done, but being reborn into something new - is the perfect way to achieve independence of Invinneuc.""You said Invinneuc does not exist. Now you fear him?" Amees took the crying baby in his own arms. "Perhaps you go paranoid. Barejelde gove er se nero. About your thoughts, that is.""No, the evil did not put the idea into my head. I was convinced of the existence of Invinneuc through a moment of meditation and know that we must be rid of him.""I'm walking away." Amees did not look back. He was not afraid of what his brother knew about anything, or how deep his corruption was in the court. Courts were corrupted all the time. People knew all kinds of terrible gossip. What Amees feared was what his mad brother's plans. Sidar had looked Zaind in the eye, learned many of her treacherous ways, and pacified Artucro with meaningless tribute. Sidar could have been ruler of the kingdom by now. Amees was glad that few outside the family knew that they were brothers; it helped him hide in his home scribing scrolls of Deuxos.Sidar knew that Amees was well aware of Invinneuc. He hoped that his old brother would see the threat of Invinneuc to all existence, to see that it was unfair for Invinneuc to ultimately make all point back to himself, when mortals should be allowed to concern themselves only with themselves. His brother solved the most important problems of reincarnation without admitting it. He would not regret it if only he could see how great his daughter would become. The potential of stacking memory upon memory into infinity in one person was surely a gift to all.---"The gold mines run dry, m'lord," was the latest piece of bad news that filtered through the Prince's mind. His father certainly wasn't going to do anything about it. He often saw that sad man lock himself in the study and write courteous letters to faraway nobles who certainly would not help. Ambition was a good thing to have in these times, because it gave the strength to persevere and conquer. The Prince loved conquering other blocks, especially because of the comradeship he developed with the other twenty members of the military.He especially enjoyed the mind-lessons of Sidar. They were not strictly magic lessons, but he knew there was something mystic about them. He could think beyond himself, into the past, into other people, and know their experiences firsthand. In this way he was conscious of better times, times when the gold was abundant, when the whole of the country belonged to his estate, when Solzeniy was not a stubborn resistor of his might. It was not really his might, but the might of his bloodline."Have you any good news for me, Hyptulos?"The blue dragon snorted. "The princess never made it out o' the womb alive. If that is good news to ye.""Very good, Hyptulos. You are good for something after all. I expect that the body shall be burned tonight.""Afraid not, m'lord. Sidar took 'er for his experiments. P'raps she was not even dead at all.""Don't make me kill you, Hyptulos." He pulled out a long pike from under his seat. "I've killed every single one of your brothers for similar reasons.""But I am blue, and a woman. You would not think of keeping me for marriage to a foreign dragon?""Alliance through marriage, especially through dragon advisors, is something I do not want to see happen here." He knew that Hyptulos had not died yet, despite the pole quivering in her body loosing her blue blood all over the floor. "You ought to know, by now, that dragon marriage does me little good if I do not get complete control of the target. You dragons are too equal and respectful of each other, even if you were to be mortal enemies."The Prince through the body of the blue dragon out his window. The corpse hit the ground below while crunching bones and spreading blue blood. The residents of the castle knew this to be a regular occurrence and were probably plotting against their Prince. He would have to take care of them too, one day. Especially the magic scribes, who refused to give him the spells of Deuxos and Zaind for free. Did they not realize that a war could not be run as well if he had to pay money just to have some simple fire and darkness spells? He sat down at his desk again and began writing the decree for their execution. He could always find new spell scribes for his block of the city later.---The glorification of the flesh, the ability to be so into feelings and possessions, the mania of conquest was represented by the dead blue dragon that lay down the street from his house. Perhaps Hrammet would let the dragon's blood mix with her water, as compensation for being stricken by a servant of Lieros. Lieros could never decide if he loved or hated Hrammet, nor could the Prince decide if he wanted to keep or slaughter his harem. Amees resumed his work on scratching out and inking the letters and symbols on a Love scroll, which he knew the Prince would use for the purpose of yet more seduction. Considering the Prince's request, it was probable that it was peacetime at the moment.He had no choice but to walk over to his boiling pot and scoop some milk into a mug. He let the baby stop crying by indulging on the stuff before drinking the rest for himself. He hoped that she would not mind being left by herself a lot later on in life, because that was exactly what he planned to do with her when she was old enough. He actually did not doubt that it was his daughter born again, nor did he doubt that she was born of the Queen. But he did not want to give Sidar the satisfaction of knowing that such a powerful tool was so accessible to him. His wife died in battle against the Prince, not because the Prince was superior in either fighting or magic capability but because of a special favor the Prince called in from Artucro. If it were not for the unleashing of that forbidden spell, he would not have to hide his identity behind a guild of scribes.There was always a recurring theme of two brothers, one good and one evil, one trying to kill the other. It was certainly starting to become true in his life as well, except that he did not see the moral of the story. Indeed, the purposes of all the other legends of two brothers were nonexistent. It was just about one brother being jealous of the other and trying to kill him. But these legends told nothing new of jealousy or the heart of a mortal; it was as if they were simple historical accounts. Amees shook his head and stirred the thick cream-milk with his off-hand. It was a mixture of normal un-sentient beast milk, pure cream, honey, and dragon egg white. For such an exotic and healthy substance, its price was mysteriously low. Perhaps because only commoners drank it for strength, while nobles were busy eating and drinking things that destroyed their bodies. Or perhaps it was because some insidious and vile country somewhere farmed beasts, insects, and dragons to mass-produce it. Amees only cared that a man could spend his whole life eating nothing but it with a supplement of hunted meat.He was starting to go as crazy as Sidar. Sidar thought too much and tended to get locked into his own mind. Amees did not want the same to happen to himself. To think only of oneself and his ability to manage the feelings of other people was to be dead. He wanted to be free of his own mind, free to receive the thoughts of someone greater.He blew on the scroll to dry its ink while he eyed the Prince's order sheet.