Road of the Heavenly Light

18-3: Brantley's Wisdom

Why was history so difficult to understand? It was what Howard wondered as Apollo was helping him to understand everything they needed to know for their final exams. Apollo was now going at it for the third time, and Howard still had the idea that he was not making any sort of progress in mastering the subject. It didn't help that the sun was out in full force, casting its golden rays on Apollo's blonde curls, which then made his deep blue eyes and his soft cheeks stand out even more.

Damn, the outside air was not really helpful when it came to studying this time. Why had they agreed to study in the gardens again? Oh, who was he kidding. The venue hardly mattered for Howard; he would admire Apollo to the point of active distraction anywhere. The thought made Howard wonder if perhaps Erric had been right in a way; his feelings for Apollo would not do him any favors. Howard looked at Apollo for a moment before turning away. Apollo wouldn't be able to help him study, and, Howard increasingly suspected, would likely never return his feelings either.

Taking a deep breath, Howard abruptly stood up. Apollo stopped mid-sentence and looked at him in confusion.
"Sorry, Apollo, but I think I might be better off studying alone. I know you mean well and I really appreciate the effort you put in, but it's just not working."
Howard turned away and left before Apollo could even answer.

Erric groaned in frustration as he sat in his room. In front of him were the various drafts for the treaty with Divinia, and he had to make the final decision of choosing the one that would see the light of day. His only other options were to go back to the negotiating table and make unpopular or impossible concessions or to abandon the treaty and risk a complete collapse in diplomatic relations. Erric had the increasing suspicion that no matter what he ended up choosing, he would be a failure. He could already his father telling him how a certain someone else would have done a much better job.

His concentration was interrupted when someone knocked on the door. He couldn't help but be glad to have a distraction, even if for just a few seconds.
"Come in," Erric said.
The door opened to reveal Howard, probably the last person Erric had expected to see. Erric wasn't the superstitious type, but he wondered if his thoughts about his brother just now had somehow conjured him in front of his door.

"What can I do for you?" Erric asked, gesturing for his brother to sit down.
Howard closed the door and sat down on a nearby chair.
"You were right about Apollo and my feelings for him..." Howard admitted, "I'll break off contact with him when we graduate."
Erric was surprised to hear those words, but he was glad to see Howard making progress. Perhaps he would be more willing to hear him out now.
"I'm glad to hear you've changed your mind," Erric responded, "but why wait? Surely it would be better to break off contacts now and stop any temptation to act on your feelings."

"Why can you never stop for a moment to think about my feelings?" Howard shouted, seemingly snapping at his question.
Something about Howard's words made Erric snap too, and they descended into shouting with equal fervor.
"I never hear anything else but your feelings. The whole world revolves around you and has to do whatever you want it to!"
"You're not being fair. Apollo is the first real friend I've made and I can't just drop him like he means nothing," Howard argued, "I'm not like you, befriending every other person walking down the street with just a conversation and a charming smile."

Erric scoffed loudly at Howard's words.
"You think you're the one with problems? All I ever hear is how good you are and how people wished I was more like you. Even now, I'm forced to sign a humiliating treaty with Divinia or none at all, and papa will just beat me for being a poor crown prince and how much better you would have managed it," Erric sneered, "all these years, I've been hearing your praises. You've been spoiled and indulged while I had to be the perfect prince, ready to follow in our father's footsteps while still never being considered good enough."

An awkward silence followed as the words spoken sunk in between the two of them. To Erric, it felt like years of resentment and bottled up frustrations had just come to the surface, and it made the anger in him slowly subside. In the end, it was Howard who broke the silence.
"I never knew you felt that way," he admitted quietly, "I always thought you really were a perfect crown prince. People flock so easily to you and like you for your natural charisma. It's something I wish I had."
"I never knew you felt that way either," Erric answered.
He guided his brother to his bed, where the two of them sat down next to each other.

"I guess we both admired each other for having something we lacked."
Howard let out a soft chuckle.
"We were both being quite childish, weren't we?"
Erric nodded. It was hard to deny that he hadn't exactly acted like a responsible older brother these past few days.
"I'm sorry for pressuring you about Apollo, and so close to your exams, especially. I should have been more accommodating."
"And I'm sorry for not listening to you and being so prickled about it."

Erric was glad they had both apologized and gotten back on good terms, and he decided he owed his brother some help.
"How about I help you out with making friends when go home? And maybe we can find some other man who will be right for you? Or a woman, if you'd prefer that," Erric teased, though his words were genuine, "and just so you know, history is one of the few subjects I was actually good at when I stayed here. I can help you study and make sure you pass."
Howard chuckled before looking back into his eyes with a smile on his face.
"Only if you let me help you wit the treaty business. We should show those Divinians some Belmont diplomacy."
Erric found himself laughing at that remark and gladly accepted.

Howard waited anxiously a few days later for Erric to return from his final meeting with the Divinians, knowing what was at stake. He was relieved he had been able to help his brother out of a rather nasty deadlock caused by the stubbornness of the Divinians by suggestion a compromise that involved minor concessions on both sides. The travel ban and staff embargo would both be lifted, and while Divinia would not go so far as to recognize Lower Belmont as territory of Belmont, it would no longer recognize it as part of Brightwald either, taking a truly neutral position. In return, Belmont would allow just one light magic institution under very strict government supervision.

In return for Howard's help with the compromise, Erric had helped him with his studies in history. His brother was not a very bright student, but luckily history was an exception, and Erric was always good at explaining things. It also helped that his brother knew exactly what the structure of the final exam was like, allowing Howard to prepare more easily.

Howard held his breath when he saw his brother walking down the hallway, hoping desperately for a diplomatic victory. He was elated when Erric took out the signed treaty and waved it in front of him.
"But it's all thanks to your compromise. The ambassador even called it an unprecedented diplomatic victory," Erric explained.
"That's wonderful!" Howard exclaimed, "though I'm sure you charm must have won over the Divinians in the end."
Erric snorted and ruffled his younger brother's hair. Howard didn't mind it this once.

"How did your exams go?"
"Everyone passed," Howard said, "I got all the history dates right thanks to you."
"I only helped you a bit. It's your clever brain that did the work."
Howard smiled at the compliment. He was glad he was getting along much better with his brother now.
"I'm glad you're my brother," he said.
"I'm glad you're my brother too."