The Kropp Princes (Prequel to Warhol)

Chapter 6: Still With Me

Trigger warning: Emerson's part here deals with death of a loved one, and might upset those who have experienced this themselves. If you're sensitive to this, then go ahead and skip ahead to Remington's part of the chapter. Thank you.

Emerson's POV

I wasn't sure how to react at first when our mother told us that our grandmother passed away. I guess at first, it didn't seem real like it was a dream. But, then the news and pain that came with it started to seep in my mind and body. I tried to act strong, like my brothers did. But, the thing was, our grandmother was the first person besides our mother to praise us on our musical talent and to tell us how important it was to make our own choices. As little boys, we didn't understand what she meant, because we had to obey our mother and father. But now at 17, I realized she knew what we might be going through. Now I just wished I had appreciated her more while she was still here with us.

Then, my brain came up with something I couldn't ignore. And I grabbed some paper and pencil and started writing down what was going on in my head. Remington and Sebastian came to see what I was working on, and I told them I was writing "a final goodbye to our grandmother". They then started helping me with the lyrics, and creating the notes on the piano. Then, Remington rehearsed the song and made sure it was how I wanted it to be. When we made sure it was perfect, I showed the song to our parents. Our mother started crying and hugging us tightly, and then our father said we could play the song during her funeral which would be the next day.

When it was the day of the funeral, the entire kingdom was there. People of all classes and ages, and the sun seemed to shine brighter than it ever has. Family members gave their eulogies, subjects laid flowers and trinkets on her coffin, and everyone for a single moment were one person. Then, it was our turn. We brought our some of our instruments, with a few string players, and then Remington started singing the song.

Remington's POV

After we sang the song, the kingdom silently applauded us, and we were able to get a sense of closure for ourselves. Our mother told us she was so proud of us that we were grown up, and that we'd be much stronger in the future. I guess I was a little proud of myself. This was the first song we created for someone else, but unfiltered by anyone else. It was strange. Somehow, this one song made me feel inspired, like I could create more powerful, raw songs like Emerson did. Maybe even Sebastian. Maybe what we've been doing these last few years are only a fraction of what we're really capable of.

I was talking to Emerson and Sebastian about all this a few days after the service, and they said they completely agree with me. I told them I had a few ideas in my head that I believed we could make into songs. We took all the time during lunch at school and even recruited some help from a few lovely people named Kate, Vanessa, Misti, Seb, and Vladimir. They had some experience with writing poems, songs, and sonnets, so they helped us understand how to make words rhyme and at the same time, make our point known without sugar-coating it too much. These guys were geniuses. I was really grateful that when we showed them a few of our lyrics, they didn't judge us or thought we had issues. Instead, they praised us for these lyrics and told us there should be more songs written and sung like ours. That made us feel slightly accomplished.

I also told my brothers that I'm not gonna hold back my voice anymore, and they said they agree. "Your raw and gritty voice will make these songs more impactful than they already are, and it will express the emotions of our songs perfectly", Sebastian exclaimed. "We're going to help express the repressed emotions of the people with our music and your voice. We'll create a new generation of artists and philosophers with our words", Emerson pointed out. I really loved my brothers. I don't know what I'd do without them. After nodding, we got to work to finish our first song.

Sebastian's POV

I had been seeing Larisa for about a month before our grandmother passed away, and outside of my brothers, she really helped me cope with the death. It was incredible how calm I felt when I was around her. Some days I never wanted to leave her side, and neither did she with me. She told me it was her dream to be a hairdresser, and that she was going to a beauty school to help achieve her goal. It made me so proud that she was a hardworking, strong, independent young lady. I wondered if I was good enough for her. Even though I was a prince and a member of a famous boy band, what if I wasn't worthy of her admiration and company. What if I didn't deserve to love her?

"What did you say?", she stated interrupting my thoughts. "Wha-what do you mean?", I said hoping I didn't just say that out loud. "You asked whether or not I deserved your love." I was speechless and could feel my cheeks turn bright red, "I-". She then walked up to me, and got really close to me. I started to feel nervous as she smiled at me, slightly blushing. "Do you have feelings for me, Sebastian Kropp?", she asked in a sly tone. I could feel sweat dripping down my face as I was forced to talk. "Um...No?" Her smile went away, and I continued speaking. "I don't have feelings for you. I'm in love with you." Her eyes got wide, and her blush deepened in color, as did mine. I found myself grinning, and she started to turn away. I got scared, and was about ask what's wrong when she kissed me without me expecting it.

We kept kissing right there, and I held her so tight as she pulled me closer with every second. When we pulled away, she looked into my eyes and whispered, "I'm in love with you, too."  We both grinned like idiots as I pulled into another kiss.

HELLO! Sorry if the beginning of this chapter was a bit emotional for those that read it, but I hope you enjoyed this chapter overall. We're getting close to the transition from Kropp Circle to Palaye Royale. Stick around to watch it happen! 😊😊😊