Twin brothers Frei and Qionne are separated by a cursed mirror. The younger is forced to shoulder the burden of the throne, while the older must learn to have courage and return to his world. In their wake is an empire at the brink of war, and a dar...
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Qionne knew he was dreaming.
He knew that he was not four years old. He knew he would never wear the green cotton vest and brown trousers lined with gold, unless forced to though, by his mother. He also knew that Frei wasn't alive, wearing the similar classy apparel in red, smiling beside him as they leaned against a recliner that was as soft and squishy as a cloud. Everything he was seeing must be a dream. The dream had to be a memory.
The boy felt a wet kiss planted on his forehead: soft lips touching his head that could only belong to his mother, Eva. The woman had kind and droopy eyes and silvery blonde hair who wore her indoor robes of fairy silk with grace. She held a large book to her bosom, regarding them with an inquisitive stare.
"So," she began, "what shall we read today?"
"The Adventures of Robin Hood."
"The Little Red Riding Hood."
Both brothers declared in unison. They immediately shot dirty looks at each other.
"We read Robin Hood yesterday," Frei complained, cheeks puffing, "and the day before that! And the day before that!"
"Red Riding Hood is for girls," Qionne smirked, knowing it would push his brother's buttons.
"Is not!"
"Is to!"
"Boys," Eva reprimanded with a firm tone. The look on their mother's face silenced them immediately. Turning to Qionne, Eva placed her free hand on her son's head and smiled in apology. "It's Frei's turn to pick a story today, my sweet. We can read what you wish tomorrow."
The older twin sent him a secret snort. Qionne responded by tauntingly sticking out his tongue.
And so, their mother began the story.
Qionne could barely recall the words, but he remembered the story all the same. A young girl cloaked in a red hood journeyed through the woods to find her grandmother's house. She had with her an innocent grin on her face and a bread basket slung on her arm. Along the path, she encountered the Big Bad Wolf who tempted her into straying from her path. The villain hurried along, ate the grandmother, wore the old lady's clothes and lay in her bed. There the villain waited for the unsuspecting girl who would be his next victim. "What big eyes you have!" and "What big ears you have!" she would surely exclaim. And by the time she realized the size of her 'grandmother's' mouth, it would have been too late. Little Red would be eaten.
In the end, they'd altogether be saved by a Huntsman though.
But Frei didn't buy it, Qionne remembered. Frei, ever the odd little lad, had changed how the story ended in Qionne's mind forever.
"Things would have turned out differently if the girl gave the wolf some bread."
Qionne and Eva had looked at the boy as if he had grown two heads. What a queer thing to say for a child, they decided. But it was Frei's nature to think differently, perhaps. That was what made his older brother 'Frei'.
