When did it start? When did I start hating my brother? As long I can remember, he wasn’t at home. “Your brother is really amazing. When you were born he helped me a lot.”
“The young master? Since he was a baby he was reading everything. He really was a special boy.”
“Your big bro? He could already BAM when he was young. He’s my pride as a son. When he comes back I’m sure he’s gonna love you too.”
Everyone was praising him, that big brother I didn’t know. What kind of person was he?
Why…
Why?
The first time I met him, he was beating father up. -- Anon Guest
It's hard to live in someone's shadow, even when the person casting it is not present. My older brother was perfect. An angel. A paragon. The most virtuous of men.
I could never match him.
Or at least, I could never match his reputation. I could not be as clever. I could not be as noble. I could not be as strong. I could not be... enough. Any achievement I had was already overshadowed by the True Prince of Slosalia. My brother Kanmujian.
"Artabas, why can't you be more like your brother? He was defeating brigands and rogues at your age."
"Artabas, why are you so hopeless? Your brother aced every single one of these classes."
"Artabas, could you be more awkward? Your brother was had perfect manners with the gentler sex."
It all left me fuming at my failures. I even escaped the castle and the guards just to find somewhere I might be accepted as myself. I swapped my princely wear for something a lot more common. I gave my name as Artie. And finally, I settled in the place with the most problems.
Doing what I could to help whoever needed it the most.
It took a month for the news to reach me. In the form of posters asking for information about the "Lesser Royal Son". The face on the posters was not mine. I recognised it from portraits of my absent brother.
In the second month, the posters were searching for the "Younger Royal Son"... and they still didn't use my name.
The next year, our father went on a speaking tour through his realm. Bemoaning the loss of his perfect boy.
I was shocked to hear my name on his lips in association with those praises.
I was even more shocked to see a man charge the stage and punch my father out.
"You said the same things about me when I left your judgemental ass," he yelled. "I was never good enough for you until I was gone! And now you've done the same thing to my baby brother! ASSHOLE!"
He was six years my senior, and just as hateful against our father as I was.
That was how we met, and that was how we finally bonded.
[Photo by Bibhash (Polygon.Cafe) Banerjee on Unsplash]
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