A Tale of Two Princes

6

~~Hello my lovelies! I'm back with another installment of this wonderful fanfic! I don't really have much to say here, so I hope you enjoy!~~

Mark's P.O.V.

It was late into the evening when I finally found the courage to g and talk with my brother. I had gotten over the initial shock of finding out he was a mermaid, but I still needed to know his side of the story. I quietly walked into my brother's room, trying not to be too loud. The lights were off, but I could see a figure on the balcony leading out of his room. I slowly approached the door, careful to not make a sound or sneak up on my brother. I quietly grasped the handle of the door, taking a deep breath before opening it, letting it squeak a little as I walked into the doorframe.

"What do you want, I'm busy." My brother didn't even turn to look at me, as he spoke in a slightly annoyed voice.

"B.. brother?" I quietly said, barely audible, but he still heard me. He quickly whipped his head around to see me before he quickly walked over to me, worry written all over his face.

"Mark, what's wrong? Are you okay, what happened?" He grabbed my shoulders and bent down slightly to my level.

"Tom... I.. I saw you earlier. With.." I started to try and form the correct words to say, but my voice was failing me as I fought for the right way to say it to him. His face grew pale as e shook me slightly, his voice going dead serious.

"Mark, what did you see." I closed my eyes, before taking a breath and just blurting out the question that has been eating away at me.

"I saw you with a mermaid! Tom, why were you and her... kissing?" I got deadly quiet on the last word, going back to my quiet self as I finished my sentence. Tom was now completely silent as he let go of my shoulders, he looked like he'd seen a ghost.

"Did you tell anyone! Mark, this is serious! Please, for the love of god tell me you kept silent!" Tom suddenly grabbed tightly onto my shoulders and started to shake me, and I felt tears start to come to my eyes. My brother was a kind, nice man who wouldn't hurt a fly, and he always had my back. To see him like this, a mixture of anger and fear covering his face, all because of me, I was terrified.

"I didn't! I swear no one knows! I'm sorry!!" The tears slipped down my face as I cried out to him. I closed my eyes and brought my hands up to my eyes to try and stop the tears.

"I'm... I'm so sorry, I'll never do anything wrong again-" I tried to control my breath as I continued to let a tear slip down my face. I suddenly felt two strong arms wrap around my body, pausing me mid-sentence. I lifted my head out of my hands enough to see my brother's figure right next to me, hugging me close.

"No, Mark, I'm sorry. I'm just so nervous about all of this, I love her. And if anyone was to find out about her, I would be devastated. But, that is no reason for me to take my anger out on you, I love you." He whispered kind words of comfort into my ear as he slowly drew circles on my back. I calmed down and gently pushed out of the hug to wipe the tears off my face.

"It's okay Tom, I'm just, so thrown by this, that's all. I never expected to see a mermaid in my life, and I definitely never expected to see my brother kissing one! It's hard to take in..." I looked up to him, with my now dried eyes. He smiled down at me before placing a hand on my shoulder.

"I understand Mark. I was thrown a little by this as well, meeting a mermaid. I had been taught that they were evil beings, and she was taught how awful us humans are. But we became friends, and then fell in love. Oh, Mark, I love this woman with my whole heart! It pains me every time I must leave her!" He turned and looked to the stars, too caught up in his memories of this beautiful maiden.

"But, brother, what about when you are to be married to another princess to become king?" My brother's shoulders immediately fell as soon as I mentioned the thought of marriage. He turned back to face me with a somber look on his face.

"Mark, I'm sorry but, I'm not going to become king. I can't, not after I met eyes with her. I don't want to live my life trapped in this castle, trying to be the perfect prince, the perfect king I'll never be. I'll never be good enough for father's approval. So, he'll marry me off to a fair princess of another kingdom, a strong, independent woman, who will rule the kingdom wisely and smartly, like our father. But, she won't love me. She'll hate me every day because I will never be the king I must be. So, I'm running away. I'm sorry Mark, but you have hope, you can become a brilliant king if given the opportunity, so I'm leaving. I'm going to bring my precious love with me as well, so we can live happily together. I know, It'll be hard, but I'm sure we can both figure out something, so we can remain together forever. I hope you understand Mark, this is something I have to do." Tom Finished explaining his plan and I felt the tears come back to my eyes. I loved him, so much. He was always there for me when I was trying to learn how to be a prince, and I was planning on staying by his side while he ruled the kingdom. I thought we would always be together here in this castle, but I guess Jack and his family changed up our lives more than I would care to admit.

"Tom, I.. I think you would be a great ruler. I always thought we would rule together, with you as king, and me as your loyal brother, always there to help. I... I would never have thought anything like this would happen... ever. But, I trust you, I love you! It would be extremely saddening to me if you left, but I understand why. Just... please, brother be careful." I looked down as I finished off my sentence, leaving us in a silence as my words sunk in.

"Mark... Thank... Thank you!!" I looked up to my brother smiling at me, with tears falling down his face. He grabbed me in a death grip of a hug as he continued to shower me in thanks.

"Mark, I never wanted to leave you alone here, not without your consent. I'm sorry I am leaving you alone, and although you may be upset by my sudden leave, I'm glad you understand." He let go of me and wiped the tears of joy off his face as he spoke to me. I smiled at him, fighting my own tears of sadness- but I would be strong for my brother.

"Yes, you can leave the kingdom to me brother, I will try my best to rule it with the grace and kindness as father has, and as you undoubtedly would have." I felt myself turn into the same "perfect prince" I was with my father, only this time it was too my brother. He only nodded and turned back to the side of the balcony, looking out into the stars.

"Yes, I will expect great things of you, Mark. I an entrusting the kingdom onto you, so rule it well. Now, it is time for you to go to bed, goodnight... brother." His voice turned into his business voice, and it all sunk in. He was no longer my brother. Once he ran away, he would just be another face on the street, another poor little peasant. He would no longer offer me comfort when father gets upset with my manners. He would no longer go on long rides with me, out into the countryside where we could goof off and be silly together. I was his prince, and just like everyone else, he expected me to be perfect. I turned and walked to the door, stopping for a moment to turn behind me. I looked back at him one last time at the image of my perfect older brother, because once I left this room, we were nothing.

"Goodnight... brother." I finally whispered out, before turning and walking off the balcony, and out of his room. I closed his door behind me, before I sprinted off to my own room, finally letting the tears escape down my cheeks. I threw open the door and slammed it shut, blocking out the rest of the world. I fell onto my bed and cried my heart out, I cried the love of my brother away. I was now in this dark, scary world alone, with no one to comfort me. I paused in my crying to turn and look out at my own balcony, at the millions of stars. I sat up and slowly walked over to the glass door, before opening int and letting the chilled night air fill my room. My balcony had the perfect view of a section of the sea, the stars and moon beautifully reflecting off the water's surface. A gentle breeze dried my tears as I grasped the marble railing holding me back from the captivating waves of the sea.

"I have Jack..." I barely even let out a sound as I said those words, but I still felt a warmth spread throughout me. Jack still cared, I wasn't alone in my struggles. He would be there for me, comfort me like he has before. We would help each other through anything, and that alone made me smile in my sadness. I went back into my room, shutting the balcony doors behind me and I drifted off into a peaceful sleep with those thoughts in my mind.

~~So, that got a lot more emotional than I originally intended. It just started coming out, and I guess it worked. I hope you enjoyed it anyways, and I shall see you, in the next update, Buh-Bye!!~~