A Royal Adventure

22: A Little Clear-Up

Remus’ POV

SONG: 7 Years
By Lukas Graham

“All things exist as inseparable and contradictory opposites. The Red Brother is supposed to represent light things, the Green Brother is supposed to represent dark things. Yin and Yang to better explain the relationship the two have in the story. The brothers were never supposed to separate. The concept of the story is that all things have the opposite. The brothers are supposed to work together and create and maintain balance for the land.” I read aloud. Roman sits in a chair next to Molly, both of them looking at me. Roman has his hand on his chin and one leg over the other. Molly has her legs and arms crossed and leans back in her seat. I look up and shrug.

“Okay, so we know the concept of it.” Roman says. “But, does it say anything about us?”

“How the hell am I supposed to know? We just got this mother fucker.” I say, tapping it with the back of my hand.

“Look at the”-Molly snaps her fingers, trying to remember the word-“Index or contents at the front or back of the book. Maybe that’ll tell you.” I do as she said and I see many chapters. 26 to be exact. I sighed.

“Okay, what do we want to know first?” I ask.

“How’d it end?” Roman asks. I look in the index and it says:

How it Ended..........................................25

I flipped to that page and started to read aloud for everyone to hear.

“Before I start this chapter, I’ll let you know this reader, the brother who wrote it, did write how it ended. But, over time as it got popular, most people changed the ending to represent a lesson to be learned from it. The lesson that people changed it to was: Don’t take everything too seriously.

“The story actually ended with the Green Brother going back to the Red Brother and finally making peace again. They ruled both lands together and lived in peace and harmony.” I finished. It wasn’t the end of the chapter, but I figured that that was the answer Roman wanted as it was the answer for me. Roman hadn’t said anything about reading more, so I didn’t continue to read.

“That’s odd. I wonder why they changed it just for the lesson.” Molly said. Roman and I shrugged. I look at Roman and he’s happy. I groan aloud.

“What?” Molly asks.

“Remus and I debated about how the story really ended the day before we met you. I guess I was right.” Roman said, aloud. I cross my arms and pout. He’s always right about everything. He gets everything.

I handed the book to Roman though, who opened it to the index. Molly looked at me and I looked at her. We smiled at each other in a friendly way. I hear Roman flip the pages to a new part in the book. He reads:

“The author of the story, who for some reason, alway wanted to remain anonymous, had a vision the night he argued with his sister about something. When he went to bed, he dreamed of the two brothers and it soon became a wide-known story. The author had written at the end of his story (which he wrote on a blank sheet of paper), almost like a footnote: One day at a time, a certain year will chime. One boy will be born, only to be torn. This day won’t come until I sign, which I said: On January 23, 1989.” Roman and I looked at each other in shock. Molly looked at us confused.

“What’s that? What’s it mean?” She asks, looking at us back and forth. We stutter to find words. The room becomes cold, the air becomes thin. I didn’t realize I was holding my breath when Roman said the date.