Crowns and Coats

Prologue: An Ancient Kingdom

Long ago, in the faraway kingdom of Thundera, something incredible and amazing happened.

At the exact same moment, two identical male cubs were born.

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Five-year-old Tygra peeked around the corner of the hall leading to the nursery, ears flat against his skull.

Despite this, he could hear the babbles of a newborn cub.

Tygra padded down the hall until he reached the doors, heart hammering with sadness.

Was he still his mother's handsome little prince, as she so affectionately named him in the years before? Did he still matter?

Peeking inside, he could see his mother seated on the spare bed, humming her lullaby as she rocked a tiny bundle swaddled in a soft gray blanket. The babbling, previously echoing, now fell dormant as the lullaby took over.

A shadow fell over Tygra and he jumped from fright, quickly averting his eyes upward.

Claudius, Lord of the Thundercats, smiled proudly at his adopted son. "It's alright, Tygra. Do you want to see?"

Tygra wanted to say "no", but his child-like curiosity overwhelmed any rational thought. "Yes." Claudius smiled and led Tygra across the rug over towards the bed. His mother's eyes met Tygra's, full of warmth and love as she shifted the bundle to her left arm and patted the space beside her on the right. Tygra climbed up and leaned close to his mother as she pulled down the blanket ever so slightly.

The cub was so tiny with a mix of cream and tan fur and a shock of red mane. A spiting image of his father, an unquestionable decision of who'd take the throne after Claudius passed on.

For a moment, Tygra felt jealousy burn in his heart. But then, somehow, one of the cub's tiny fists reached out, fingers sprawled wide like starfish.

Out of curiosity, Tygra reached out for the cub's hand, surprised when the little fingers clenched his ring and middle finger tightly.

Their mother wrapped her arms around her children and kissed Tygra's forehead. "You're my handsome little princes."

And just like that, Tygra's jealousy flew out the window. He still mattered in his mother's eyes. This cub may take the throne, but as long as Tygra still felt loved, it'd be okay.

Claudius wrapped his arms around the three of them. "Tygra, this is your brother, Lion-O."

Tygra locked eyes with their hands, tight together. A smile crept up. "Hi, Lion-O." He quickly glanced at his mother, eyes glittering with the unspoken question. With a smile, the queen carefully settled the cub into his older brother's arms.

Unable to hide his grin, Tygra whispered. "I'll look out for you. I promise." 

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In a dingy basement rented room, another mother tucked her cub into the bottom dresser (a mockery of a crib), a tearful lullaby in her soft voice. She wrung her hands and surveyed their sparse room.

No rugs or toys would greet this little cub when he woke up. His parents barely had enough money to keep their home or to put bread on the table.

Her husband approached her, laying a hand on her shoulder. "Don't fret."

"But Lagravis," his wife protested as she removed his hand and sauntered towards the narrow window. "We're so poor. How can we take care of our son?" She buried her face in her hands. "I was afraid this would happen. We're already so distressed and now we have a child too."

Lagravis wrapped his arms around her from behind. "I'll talk to the bank. We'll find a way." He gazed back at his sleeping son. "We may not have much, but we'll do all we can to give Laval the best childhood ever." He approached his sleeping cub, who yawned and stretched before settling back into deep sleep. Lagravis knelt, cupping his son's cheek. "I promise you, my son. We'll give you a happy life."

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Years passed.

Fully grown now, Lion-O chuckled as he and Tygra clashed swords, a classic training exercise in action. Tygra nimbly swung his blade, smirking as their instructors praised and critiqued their forms.

"Don't hold back, Tygra!" Grune shouted.

"Good form, Lion-O!" Panthro grunted as Lion-O managed to parry the hit.

"Beat his face in!" Grune whooped as Tygra unleashed a roundhouse kick.

"Stay light!" Panthro ordered as Lion-O dodged the strike. Unfortunately, Tygra threw his full weight into another kick from the opposite direction and it struck Lion-O hard in the chest. The redhead crumpled to the paving stones.

Tygra quickly knelt beside his brother, sword clattering a foot away. "By Thundera, I am so sorry, Lion-O. Are you alright?"

"Yeah," Lion-O wheezed. Then his voice dropped to a low whisper. "Was that kick because I snuck out earlier?"

"Seriously?" Tygra shook his head at his little brother's antics. "You and your sneaky trips to recover.....whatever it is you call that pile of junk."

"Technology. And some of it is really cool," Lion-O protested.

"You can mess around with that later. For now..." Tygra stamped on the sword handle, launching it into his hand. "Shall we go again?"

Lion-O smirked, scooping up his own blade. "Yes."

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"Laval!"

The redheaded Lion yelped as he dropped a bundle of yellow silk on the hardwood floor. "Yes, Madame Maula?" He called, smoothing his hands out on his light blue vest jacket.

"Hurry up, you lazy furbag! Those suits must be finished by tomorrow night!" The Mammoth hissed angrily. "My customers pay good money for those suits and they must be the finest!" She caught sight of the silk puddle on the floor and scowled. "Clumsy fool! Pick that up and get back to work!" She turned and marched up the stairs, skirts whirling. "Charity cases -- they think they can get away with anything since they're so dirt poor."

Laval knelt and picked up the silky fabric. He let out a soft sigh, wincing as Madame Maula's words echoed in his skull.

Charity case. What a way to describe him.

But hey, he had his parents' debt to pay off. And he would pay it off, even if it meant his ears had to suffer Madame Maula's abuse.

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With lives so different, it seemed unlikely that the two redheads would never meet.

Fate, however, had other ideas.