After a long talk with Janus, and really thinking over what he needed to do, Roman had made his way into the library and was doing his best to find something that might help him take back over the kingdom. He had settled on his course of action but he had no idea how he was going to do anything. His training had been in war, not espionage. There had been a few books that had suggestions, stories that told of trained spies getting their way through the use of mystery and subterfuge, but he wasn't sure how much of it was true, and how much was fiction. Roman was woefully lost when it came to acts of aggression that involved stealth instead of a military. He was also still hesitant to ask for help. This was his war, not anyone else's.
"Brother!" Remus threw himself at Roman. "If you are going to kidnap my boyfriend I demand recompense."
"What?!" Roman asked, toppling over onto the floor, and staring up at his brother. Remus was laughing but the way his shoulders were pinched up spoke of a seriousness behind his joviality. "Logie plans on going back with you. Said something about wanting to support you through all of this or something. So, if he is going with you, so am I, but I can't leave without doing something else, so you are going to help me with that."
Roman's mouth hung open, his brain attempting to catch up with what exactly Remus was saying. What could Remus possibly want help with? He might be his brother, but he was also still an unpredictable gremlin. Also, why would Logan come back with him? He was a bit overwhelmed. "Can you... can you say all of that again, but more slowly?"
Remus rolled his eyes, holding out his hand so that he could pull Roman into a standing position. "You and I are going on a quest, then, after our quest, we are going to go take over your kingdom," Remus said all of his words very slowly. It was irritating, but Roman had a feeling that was intentional.
"Are you sure the two of you want to leave? I understand how this place is your home. I don't want to tear you from your family, nor Logan from the knowledge he has found in this place."
"Yes, but your friendship is exceedingly important to me." Logan walked through the doors of the library, eyebrow raised as he looked over his boyfriend... oh that was new too. Roman would have to address that eventually. He knew that Remus and Logan were getting close, even seeing them kissing, which was not something he wanted to repeat, but the label was new.
"I would be most appreciative to have you by my side, but I won't force you." Roman was trying to give Logan an out, trying to give him the option to back down.
Logan rolled his eyes and walked over to Roman, "I promised that I would always stand by your side and support you." The action was reminiscent of when Logan had taken his oath as an advisor. He knelt down, hand cupped around Roman's "I will always support you, my king."
He knew that, he had known that for years, and yet the idea of anyone's undying support made roman want to tear up. Unfortunately, his tears were interrupted by his brother.
"Me on the other hand," Remus interrupted, pulling Logan up and away, "Will have to earn my loyalty, so about this quest...."
[Section Break]
The three of them trudged through the forest, a lantern by their side. Virgil had been kind enough to teleport them to the forest that Remus said they needed to start at, but that didn't mean that they immediately found what they needed to find.
"Explain to me again what we are doing here? And at night of all things." Roman turned his head to look at a sound he heard off in the distance, not seeing anything didn't give him any comfort. It wasn't the shadows, he had started relating those to Virgil, but the sounds still messed the prince up.
Remus rolled his eyes. "You aren't very good at listening, are you? Are you sure you want to be a king?" Remus was going to be fun to have around when he was king. "Janus used to tell me legend of an artifact that could turn humans into dragons. It was meant as a saving grace, a way to give community to humans who had been sacrificed because dragons didn't actually want sacrifices, but the artifact was seen as too powerful. Humans were terrified that dragons would use it against them, and so to foster goodwill, the dragons hid it, Taylon, the dragon who hid the item, knew that it might one day be needed again. They left clues on how to find it, but Janus always told me I shouldn't go after it."
"But you are going after it anyway?"
"If I am going to leave and stay by Logan's side, I want to make sure that Janus has a way to rebuild his family."
"And you really think this will work?"
Remus' voice got quiet. "I don't know, but he's my dad, and I have to try."
There was a quietness between all of them before Roman nodded. "Yeah, I get it, but why do we have to go at night time?"
"So that Janus doesn't know that we have gone. You know that if he found out he would immediately try to stop us."
"I guess that makes sense, but do you even know what you are doing? You teleported us to a random area and haven't told us anything else since then."
"There's a second reason it has to be at night. The text said that it can only be found under the light of the moon, so I'm trying to find the tree that supports all others. I thought it might be like the biggest tree kinda situation, but we passed by that already and the moon isn't able to reach the floor there.
Logan tilted his head to the side, "Do you mean something like that?" He pointed to a tree in the distance that looked like it was growing on top of another tree. There were actually a few trees that were all growing on top of that one tree. The underside of the support seemed to glow in the moonlight and they all stood in awe for a while before Remus broke the silence.
"YES!" He said excitedly, throwing his arms around Logan. "You really are the smartest, so fucking brilliant." Logan blushed lightly and wrapped his arms around Roman who hugged him tightly. "Alright, let's go check out that tree!" Watching his brother have an extra jump in his step made Roman smile lightly. He just hoped that this relic was real, that it was something that Remus could do for Janus. He didn't want to ask it, but at the same time, he had to know that his brother was being realistic.
"Hey, Re... what are you going to do if the artifact isn't real?"
Remus shrugged, "I know that's a possibility, but like I said, I have to try." That was something that Roman understood, searching after a myth despite knowing that it might not turn up anything or change anything because he had to try.
"I... yeah, I get that but... I don't know how to explain it."
Remus was quiet for a moment before turning to look at Roman, walking backward as they spoke. Logan immediately looked like he was going to have a heart attack. "Y'know how our family kinda sucks? Well, your family?"
"Yes,"
"Well, Jannie doesn't, and you wouldn't know it from how stoic he is sometimes, but he wants a family. He dreamed of having little hatchlings running around, and while I can't give him that, if there are some humans who are tired of being human, who want a new community, then, wouldn't it be nice to be able to give Jannie that community?" He asked.
Roman could see it, a bunch of dragons of all ages, learning magic, running around excitedly, it was a wonderful idea, especially now that he had adjusted his thinking about dragons being inherently dangerous. It still worried him a little bit, but he had a feeling that had more to do with his own history and not with the facts of the situation.
"But he wouldn't want you to put yourself in danger."
"I know, but I'm not a kid anymore. I gotta be able to take my own risks."
Remus started running towards the trees, seeing how the moonlight highlighted the line of trees that grew on top of one another. It looked like a network of support, each of them doing their best to keep everything together. From underneath the bottom tree Remus saw a shine. His eyes lit up excitedly as he went to dig under the tree.
"Remus! Please be careful!" Logan shouted. He looked over to Roman, sharing his concern for Remus' safety, but then he turned and ran after his boyfriend. Logan was trying to offer support but also make sure that everything was safe. He was chasing after both, and Roman knew that that's what he wanted, to chase after the impossible, while also being cautious.
He followed at a slightly slower pace, watching as they dug under the tree. Remus found a box, smirking as he held it up, and then turned to Logan. It looked as if it was designed to be opened by multiple people, a way to stop just a single person from fighting over an item. Remus spoke in a language that Roman didn't understand, the moon lighting up the area they were in. It felt like magic. There was simply no other way to describe what he was seeing. His brother was fighting to make things better, to make life more appealing for his father and Roman realized once again, that if he had been given the chance to grow up with a brother like this, then he might have become a completely different person, and probably in the best way possible.
There was a moment of calm and peace, a moment where Roman was sure that everything was going to work out. Then, Roman heard Logan shout Remus' name, and he watched as his brother collapsed onto the forest floor.
Shit. Shit. SHIT!
What happened?!