Remus's POV
(Warning for: Memories of threats, verbal abuse, and alcoholism.
Also warning for scars, and a slightly disturbing joke made by Remus.)
I listened at the door for Virgil and Roman to get home, and grinned when I finally heard their voices. "Remus, just sit down. You look ridiculous." Janus scoffed. He was sitting on the couch, watching the show Emile gave him. "Shh, I'm listening!" I whispered. It's ridiculous, just ridiculous the song played in my head.
"-enjoyed spending time with you." I heard Roman say when I started listening again. "Yeah... me too." Virgil stammered, giggling in a giddy way. "Uh... I'll see you tomorrow?" He then added. "Of course, my darling of the night." Roman agreed, causing me to snicker. "Alright. I'm gonna go talk to Remus." Virgil replied, causing me to bolt away from the door.
"Hush!" I told Janus as he laughed. I plopped down beside him as the door opened. Thankfully Virgil wasn't paying attention, he was watching Roman walk away with a love sick gaze. I managed to adjust myself, looking as if I had been watching the show with Janus. Eventually I heard the door close, and Jan and I looked up. "Hey Virgie! How did your date go?" I asked, grinning excitedly as I stood up and sat on the back of the couch. "It went well." Virgil stammered before giggling again. Janus raised an eyebrow at him, and I just laughed. "Seems that way." I mused.
"Anyways..." Virgil then muttered before clearing his throat. Janus sighed and paused the show. "What did you want to talk to us about?" He asked. "It's more Remus I need to talk to." Virgil admitted hesitantly. "Me?" I asked, as if I didn't already know. "Yes... You've heard about the whole missing Prince thing, right? Roman's brother?" Virgil began. "Yeah, Roman told me about that." I informed him, starting to feel confused. "Well... Roman and I both think that it might be you." Virgil revealed.
"Me?" I asked, watching as Janus became much more alert to the conversation. "But... I have the thing my Mom has with the hair." I told him. "Yeah... Apparently Roman's brother has the same thing." Virgil sighed before sitting on the coffee table. "No, that... that can't be..." I murmured, thinking it over in my mind. "That can't be true." Janus agreed, his voice tense. "Why would Cruella risk letting him go to Auradon if it was?" Janus reasoned. "Doesn't it kind of suit her sense of humour? Auradon's destruction caused by its missing Prince?" Virgil retorted. "But... That..." I hesitated, not sure how to feel about this.
"You do look a lot like him. If your hair was a lighter brown like his and you didn't have the moustache, you'd look almost exactly like him." Virgil told me. "Yeah, but... even if I am, Virgil... what would that even mean?" I asked in a desperate tone. "That all this time, I had a family in Auradon, and they had no idea who or where I was? That all this time, I could have grown up here? And, like, what would I even do about it? Like, what, do I just go to Belle and Adam like: 'Hi I'm your kid apparently.' Would they even believe me? Or would they think it's just another stupid part of the plan we had? I mean we already drugged their other son, now I'm going to waltz up and claim to be the other?" I ranted.
"Or maybe you talk to Roman, he'll find out if you are his brother, and then on Family Day, if you are Duke, you can approach his parents. Maybe they'll be so happy to have their son back, someone that both Logan and Roman can vouch is a really great person, that they'll just love and accept you as you are... I mean, if any of us deserve that, it's probably you. I think you're the one who needs that the most." Virgil assured me. I couldn't help but feel a bit suspicious. Like, not only was this so difficult to believe on its own, but then Virgil being so optimistic about it just made it all the more confusing.
"But what if I'm not him? What if he's someone else on the Isle? What if he's locked in some villains basement or something and they stop looking for him because they think I'm him?" Remus questioned. "I thought I was the one that over thinks things." Virgil teased. "How do you expect me to react Virgil? That... That would change everything! I don't even know what to feel... I mean, I could totally see Roman as my brother, but... I don't even know Belle and Adam except from stories Gaston told us. I don't know how they'll react... I don't know if they even... want me... maybe it's just Roman that... cares." I argued, choking up a bit at the end. Janus began to run my back in an attempt to comfort me.
"But what if they do want you? What if you are him?" Virgil countered. "What do you get out of this?" I asked suddenly. "What do you mean?" Virgil questioned. "You're not usually this optimistic about things." I explained. "So what do you get from me being Roman's brother?" I clarified. "Well... I want to help Roman, that's one thing." Virgil began hesitantly. "And I want you to be happy. Why wouldn't I? You're my friend." He added. "But what happens if they do accept him, and then want to keep him away from us?" Janus asked. "Then fuck them. We're a package deal." I huffed. Janus just looked down, not seeming convinced but not arguing. "Look, you don't need to do anything if you don't want to. I just figured I should let you know. If you want, you can talk to Roman, and if you aren't ready to, that's fine. We're here for you no matter what." Virgil assured me.
"You haven't been, though." I muttered, causing Virgil to look guilty. "You haven't been there for me... I wanted to stay here and you didn't care about anything I said." I continued, looking down and hugging myself as I remembered all the stress we went through. "I'm... I'm sorry, Remus." Virgil sighed, causing me to look at him in suspicion again. "I was unfair to you. You were right, I understand that now... Or, at least, I hope you were right, because if not we're screwed... Still, I... I wasn't being a good leader. I should have listened to you, to what you wanted. I should have tried to get more information before shutting you down. That's on me." Virgil admitted. "Really?" I asked, relaxing a little. I always thought that I was just being naive... I thought it was my fault, I just... Eventually stopped caring. Virgil just nodded before standing up.
"I'll... I'll talk to Roman." I decided, standing up as well. "Remus wait." Janus called. I turned to look at him, and he looked worried. "Maybe... Sleep on it first? It's been a long day, and this... If you are... We already have so much to figure out." Janus stammered. "But if I am him, then we could stay in the castle Jan! Wouldn't that be cool? If I am him, sure, that would be a lot to adjust to, but... Wouldn't that be fricken cool?" I persuaded before gasping. "Virgil! If I am him and you married Roman then we'd become brother in laws!" I cheered excitedly, causing Virgil to flush and fidget. "I... uh... yeah... I guess... That would be cool." He agreed nervously before clearing his throat and laughing nervously.
"Besides, I'm only going to talk to Roman. I'm fine with him being my brother, but I'm probably going to wait until I have more info before approaching my parents... or, possibly my parents..." I decided. "Alright..." Janus agreed hesitantly. "Wish me luck." I sighed, taking in a deep breath before leaving the room. Janus wished me a halfhearted good luck before I closed the door, and Virgil said good luck more hopefully before yawning and stepping into his own room.
My feet felt heavy, I felt heavy, as I walked down the hall. Nerves and worries flooded my mind as I tried to process all the evidence that what Virgil said was true. Memories I never put much thought into. Cruella used to say things when drunk, things I dismissed at the time because I was used to saying nonsense. "What are they gonna do? Banish me? Already did that, and I brought their rat with me." "🎶They're not gonna find him🎶" "What do you want, a castle? You're lucky I haven't fed you to the dogs." "It's a good thing your hair is right... Do you know how hard grey hair dye is to find? *laughter*"
Nicknames she gave me like Lucky Penny, Ransom, Royal Pain, Secret Weapon... They made sense now. The way she talked about the missing prince, which was rare, was like she knew something everyone else didn't... Then again, she talked that way a lot, but still... there's too many coincidences. Too many things that line up if you put them all together.
I felt anxious as I stood in front of Roman's dorm. I was frozen in place, not sure whether or not to knock.
Suddenly, Patton stepped out, and he made a startled sound when he saw me. "Oh, Remus. Hi." He stammered, taking a moment to clutch his chest and catch his breath. I could hear a bed creak from inside, suggesting that someone had been sitting on it and stood up when they heard my name. "Uh... hi... is... Roman here?" I asked hesitantly. Patton nodded and stepped out of the way as Roman came to the door. "Hey, Re. Come in." Roman greeted before stepping back. "Don't mind me, I'm just leaving to get something." Patton explained to me before walking down the hall.
I nodded, and entered the dorm, feeling like a kid called into the principal's office. I guess I'm scared to get my hopes up... Like... Things have already turned out so well, my luck has to run out eventually, doesn't it? I shouldn't push it...
"I'm guessing Virgil talked to you?" Roman asked tiredly. "Yeah... Should I come at another time?" I asked hesitantly. "No, I just... Sorry, I'm just really anxious about tomorrow." Roman told me. "Why?" I questioned. "Well, I came out as Gay to the whole school, so I'm going to find out how my parents reacted to that... Also gotta introduce them to my boyfriend, the son of Maleficent, and Coraline's grandfather will not be happy with me if he shows up." Roman began. "Then there's the whole becoming King thing, which, I'm really dreading." Roman continued before sitting down.
"You're stressed about becoming king?" I asked, tilting my head as I sat beside him. "Well, yeah, of course. It's a lot of responsibility, and I want to make sure I do it right." Roman explained. "Huh..." I replied. Virgil never seemed scared about becoming King one day... That was all he ever wanted, wasn't it? I thought.
"But, anyways..." Roman began, getting out his wallet and handing me a picture. "Virgil said that this is you." He stated. "It does look like me..." I agreed hesitantly. "But I'm scared... I don't want to end up not being him, and then everyone think I was trying to pretend to be him." I admitted. Roman nodded, offering an understanding smile. "Well..." He began before pulling up his sleeve and revealing a reddish coloured freckle on his shoulder. It sort of resembled a shield. "Do you have something like this?" He asked. "Kind of?" I replied, lifting up my own sleeve to reveal a large scar in that area.
Roman flinched at the sight, and looked at my shoulder in concern. "She... must have cut it off then..." He muttered weakly. "Probably. I wouldn't put it past her." I sighed. "Jannie has pictures of me when I was a kid, maybe we could use that as proof if we need to?" I then suggested. "Maybe..." Roman murmured thoughtfully. "Wait..." I said as I realized something. There was another thing from my childhood that sort of made sense now... "Is there... Is the curse your Dad had still a thing?" I asked hesitantly, causing Roman to tense. "I'm not supposed to talk about it... but... Yes. There's after effects from it, sometimes when we're angry it takes effect." Roman explained. "Is that what happened when you yelled at Logan the other day?" I asked.
Roman nodded guiltily.
"Huh..." I breathed out, not sure whether to grin excitedly or feel nauseous. "I... One time when I was a kid... Well, a lot of times actually, it's just thinking about Jan and I when we were kids made me think of one time specifically, I turned into this weird monster thing. Cruella would only laugh like a maniac when I asked her about it, and I didn't want to risk anyone other than Janus knowing about it, so... I just kind of got used to it being a thing." I explained.
Roman offered an understanding smile, trying not to seem too overjoyed about having more evidence. "At this point, Re, you're definitely my brother." He cheered, causing me to become overwhelmed with relief. "So... Are we... We're brothers then? Is that really true?" I asked, trying not to cry. "Can you think of another possibility?" Roman challenged. "For all you know I could be pretending." I cautioned. "Then why would you be so worried about being mistaken?" Roman questioned. "That could be an act." I told him, wiping away tears. "Remus..." Roman sighed, pulling me into a hug.
I was a bit startled at first, but then I hugged him back and cried into his shoulder. "I'm just... I'm so scared that I've pushed my luck to its breaking point... Everything's turned out so well, I don't want to risk ruining that." He cried. "Maybe things are starting to turn out well, because you were wronged by fate, and now the universe is finally making it up to you." Roman suggested softly. This just made me cry more, feeling overwhelmed by all the possibilities, good and bad, and by all the trauma that could have been avoided all this time. All the speeches my friends and our parents made about us being destined to be evil... and all this time, maybe I wasn't. Maybe I was destined to come home.
"I should take you to the castle!" Roman cheered before suddenly pulling away. "Uh... I don't know..." I replied hesitantly, watching as he walked over to his window and opened it. "It'd be better to meet them before Family day. The paparazzi is going to swarm us if you guys reunite there." Roman told me. "I don't know... I... I'm still worried. Like, I'm fine with being your brother, but... They might not be as willing to accept who I am now as you are..." I replied.
"Remus nothing you've done on the Isle is your fault, and anything you do or have done here, you didn't know better. I know you're a good person, that's all that matters." Roman assured me. "I don't mean that." I dismissed. "You've grown up with all these expectations, raised to be this perfect prince. Nothing about me is Royal, Roman. I'm not a leader, I'm not polished or prim or proper. I'm the opposite. I'm messy, chaotic, hyper, and too honest for my own good. I'm not going to be able to play the part they'll want me to play. I want to be able to be myself." I then elaborated.
"Alright... I understand." Roman replied. "I won't push you if you aren't ready. I know this is probably a lot, and I don't want to put any pressure on you. That being said, when you are ready, I can tell you that Mom will love you no matter what, and so will Dad, he just has a harder time showing it. They'll be really happy to see you again." Roman told me in a reassuring tone.
I mulled this over before looking over at him, and watched as he closed the window. "I'll just have to think of another excuse..." He murmured to himself. "Excuse?" I questioned, tilting my head at him. "I was already planning on sneaking out... I was hoping to go home and sleep in my own room before tomorrow... It helps with my nerves, but Dad wants me to stay in the dorms because it will help me gain independence. Also Mom doesn't like me sneaking out because she's afraid I'll get hurt and they won't know where I am." Roman explained. "Ah... Well, in that case," I began, grinning as I stood up.
"We could sneak out, and if we get caught, you can use me as your cover story." I offered. "Are you sure? Like I said, I don't want to pressure you if you aren't ready." He asked hesitantly. "I'll take my chances. If I have to decide when I'm ready I might never meet them." I admitted with a shrug. "Besides, being a human shield is fun!" I added with a snicker. "They won't hurt us." Roman told me firmly. "I know, I know. Human shield is just more fun of a term than cover story." I dismissed. "Sure." Roman chuckled before opening the window again and leaving a note for Patton.
"Ready then?" Roman asked, smiling as he offered me his hand. I looked hesitantly at him, then smiled and accepted the hand, allowing him to help me through. We leapt down to the ground, and I giggled happily at how thrilling the fresh air around us was. It was cold and felt amazing in my lungs, filled with smells of grass and flowers and pine and dirt. When I first came here, the smell was strange and disorienting, but now that I was used to it, I couldn't help but feel refreshed.
"Come on! Last one there is a rotting corpse!" I cheered before running towards the castle. "Remus wait! We have to do this carefully!" Roman called after me, but I heard him chuckle as he ran after me.
Once we got the castle, I followed Roman's instructions as if I were following Virgil's on a mission. I tried to be as stealthy as possible, and we helped each other over different obstacles. Soon we were climbing into the window of his room, and I looked around in amazement as he pulled me through. "This is all yours?" I asked, my voice a whisper as I studied the toys, games, books, electronics, and... Everything that filled the large bedroom. There was a puppet stand, a big ass doll house, a huge tv, a roof covered in glow in the dark stars, even a giant fish tank with beautiful tropical fish inside. His bed was one of those beds with really tall bedpost and a curtain over and around it, and he must have had at least three blankets and ten pillows on it.
"Yep!" Roman cheered proudly, though was careful to keep his volume down. "Oh! I should show you your room!" Roman cheered, grinning excitedly as he walked towards the large red double doors leading into his room.
"My room..." I repeated quietly, feeling giddy and nervous as I followed him. He opened the door into a hall that alone would put Maleficent's castle to shame. Beautiful art works lined the walls, and every inch of the hall was a work of art in itself. The walls were brown with glimmering silver cracks in the wallpaper. The floor was covered in grey tiles and a soft brown carpet down the middle. The roof was arched and made of glass, so we had a perfect view of the stars above, but my attention was on the doors. Plain black doors with crystal knobs were lined between paintings in a symmetrical style. Their plainness brought more attention to the double doors standing directly across from each other in the middle of the hall. Across from Roman and I, there was a pair of green double doors, with a statue of a griffin on either side.
"This feels... What's that word when things are too good to be true?" I murmured. "Too good to be true?" Roman suggested with a shrug. "Yeah, but there's a word for it... starts with an S I think. Super? Oh, surreal. Right. This all feels so surreal." I explained in a whisper before approaching the green double doors. It felt like I wasn't supposed to be here... This place was nothing like anything I've ever seen before, except maybe in stories or picture books but even then. It didn't help that it was so dark, and technically we really weren't supposed to be here. Maybe this was a bad idea... I thought.
Oh well, too late to back out now.
I walked with Roman to the doors, and he gave me an encouraging smile. I smiled back at him, taking a deep breath before reaching for the doorknob. My heart rammed against my chest, I could hear it in my ears. I don't know why I was so nervous about just an empty room... Maybe it was because of what it represented? Maybe I was afraid that I would open the doors and find out this was all just a big prank... Maybe I was afraid that I'd open the doors and find evidence that I didn't belong here after all. "Are you okay?" Roman asked, watching my hands hover over the door handles.
I nodded and grabbed hold of the handles, but before I could pull the doors open, the hallway lights turned on. Roman and I both made startled sounds, and Roman turned to face the end of the hall. I nervously followed his gaze, and we both saw a plus sized old man, who looked kinda like the monopoly man but without a hat, stand at the end of the hall with a stern expression.
"Hey Cogsworth... How's it going?" Roman greeted nervously.
"Not well for you, I assume, seeing that you only break into your own room when you're upset or nervous about something." Cogsworth huffed before looking towards me. "Actually things are going pretty-" Roman began before getting interrupted. "Now, who would this be?" Cogsworth questioned, gesturing to me. "Uh... I..." I stammered, trying to stand a bit straighter and look somewhat more proper? Maybe I should have gotten changed into something more formal before sneaking into a castle...
Then again, they'd have to get used to this kind of thing if I was going to be their... son?
"This is Remus. He's one of the kids from the Isle." Roman explained on my behalf. "And why would you bring him here?" Cogsworth questioned, looking sceptically at me. I felt myself shrink a bit, that feeling that I wasn't supposed to be here washing over me again. "He's the missing Prince." Roman informed him matter of factly. Cogsworth's expression didn't seem to change. "We'll see about that. I will inform the King and Queen that you're here." Cogsworth muttered before leaving.
"Don't take it personally. Cogsworth is suspicious about everything." Roman dismissed, though he seemed nervous. Probably more nervous that he'd get in trouble than nervous for my sake, but it still wasn't very reassuring.