Facts VS Fantasy

Prologue: Part 2

As the residents of Mania celebrated that night, the king managed to slip away from them without bidding anyone goodbye. He left silently just as he had arrived many eons before. His time had come: it was time to depart from the affairs of humans. He hoped his sons would not change their ways; he hoped for the best for his nation. He was an immortal; he knew his indefinite slumber would commence soon.

Besides, he had raised his sons well as he had promised his deceased love, hadn't he? Now was the time to fulfill the promise he had made to himself. He had to find a way to be reunited with his love, even if it damned him.

Factia and Fantasia failed to notice the absence of their father 'til the next day, when everyone had returned to their homes. They tried checking his room, his bathroom, to no avail. They organized a search party and went out to look for their king; all their efforts in vain as they never found a trail, not even a clue as to where he might have gone. Eventually, the duo accepted the sudden disappearance of their father as an action done willingly and hoped that it was for the best.

Time passed by as the Counselling Unit – chosen by the lost king himself – revealed to the twins the hidden mysteries about their father. The fact that he was an immortal, which, in turn, meant that both twins were also immortal. The powers he could wield, and the powers that each of the pair had selectively inherited. They couldn't however explain where their father came from.

"Where did he come from?" The twins had once asked.

Members of the unit looked at each other in confusion, and after hesitation, their leader answered, "Err, we don't know. He never told us, said its better if we didn't know."

This answer troubled them. Nevertheless, they didn't inquire further about their father's background.

The Counselling Unit ruled over Mania in the absence of the king. They had to wait for the twins to be of age before they decided on who should rule over the land. Factia was taught how to control his power – wielding fire, amongst other things – and how to fight with his weapon of choice: the sword. Fantasia on the other hand developed his abilities – including water bending – and preferred to remain with his good old weapon: the bow. He preferred to attack from afar to avoid contact with his opponents while Factia chose close combat: challenging his enemies from up close. In battle terms (or rather sports terms), Fantasia became a tactician and strategist; his twin resolved to be an opportunist and a poacher. Together, the two were unbeatable.

When the duo became old enough to rule over Mania, members of the Counselling Unit met to choose the future king – a meeting that was useless since they couldn't decide who the better ruler was. Both had desirable traits. Factia could make rush decisions whenever required; Fantasia played the long game, sketching out a plan and thus could make decisions way before the time came. Factia could motivate the citizens towards a common goal; Fantasia had appeal over the people and could lift their moods during the darkest of times. Factia could raise the nation's resources steadily while Fantasia could do it in a moment's notice if he wanted.

With Factia, the manians were guaranteed of a victory during any war. With Fantasia, they were guaranteed of a victory way before any war even began.

Unable to come to a unanimous decision, the council members presented the situation to the twins, hoping they would decide to let the people cast votes. The pair threw back their heads and laughed, leaving the others confused.

"We already made a decision by ourselves – we knew making a choice would be tough," Fantasia said.

"And what did you decide?" One member dared to ask.

"We will rule together," Factia answered, "as two princes."

Two princes? That was unheard of.

"But that's impossible! We must have one ruler."

"We know," Fantasia answered, "which is why we decided that my brother will be the superior. Sort of like, he's the president, and I'm vice." The two brothers reasoned that the people of Mania needed a ruler that was strong and willing to take the risks to protect their nation. One that would not let his personal feelings get in the way of the best choice. A person that could hold peace and at the same time risk himself when everything was at stake. Fantasia certainly wasn't made for this – he tended to get attached to almost everything, even his subjects – which meant Factia would be the superior. Moreover, Factia could detach himself from his emotions whenever necessary in order to get results. That made him perfect for the job.

"Ah," another member mused, "I see. Give us a moment to discuss this."

The council members argued over the proposition offered but eventually deemed it as the best course of action. Factia would fit into the role perfectly, they agreed. Fantasia played a bigger role though – one that everyone was yet to realize. You see, since their childhood, Fantasia had to discern the world of emotions to his brother – teaching him how to be human, how to feel. By ensuring his brother's emotional stability, he determined the outcome of situations Factia was involved in. Which meant that he would have indirect control over matters in Mania.

Playing the long game, as he always did. Fantasia was a smart one, even if he didn't show it.

The 'Emotion for dummies' lessons had worked out well before, since the duo agreed on almost every matter. The two were yet to experience a catastrophe if they were to disagree on a major issue, especially if it somehow involved any sort of emotions. No pressure though.

"We members of the Counselling unit view your proposition reasonable enough," the leader of the council announced, "yet...unique. However, acting as your counselors, we accept the proposal and give all our support to the both of you."

Factia was crowned the king the next day, together with his brother who bore the title 'camp de aide'. The citizens of Mania were overjoyed with the arrival of a king they had been awaiting for over a decade. The Counselling Unit was disbanded and its members were transferred to a new set-up, referred to as 'the Council of Mania'. Consisting of ten merns (or members), the council was responsible for the coordination of national duties in the kingdom.

Nothing out of the ordinary occurred for a yearor two. The usual activities were conducted as expected and the kingdomflourished.