For Prince Erik's 18th birthday, his father bestowed upon him a gift that gave him extreme power. It was a sword, made from the remnants of a dying star. Erik was ecstatic when he heard of the abilities that this sword gave him. He could cut through almost anything and when fully trained to use it, he could fly and control the air as if the sword were a staff. Ever-grateful for his gift, Erik named it Egil, meaning "to inspire fright". He would always practice with it and show it off to his younger brother Troy who was more of an avid reader and trickster than a fighter. Troy would always remind him to keep his head out of the clouds and focus on the power that he had at hand and always be careful with it. Of course, Erik didn't listen as he carelessly sent Troy flying into walls and turned his sister Saoirse's hair from gorgeous midnight waves to a frizzled mess. Nevertheless, the two were joyous seeing their brother so ecstatic about his beloved Egil. The prince loved it so much that he placed it right beside his bedside so he would see it glisten in the sunlight peering in through his windows. That is where our tale begins, one fateful morning when mischief is in the air.

Erik opened his eyes slowly, emerald eyes moving from his alabaster sheets to his hand-carved oak dresser where his sword of destiny would lay. He blinked for a moment, drawing in a shaky breath as he noticed that Egil was not on his dresser. He immediately sat up, walking up to Egil's usual resting place. Egil had gone missing. In a frantic panic, Erik began to open every drawer that the dresser had, finding nothing but tunics, dirty pants, and socks that smelled like they came from the stables. Erik held his breath, the odor from his sock drawer making him want to vomit out the window. He would most definitely call a maid to fix this mess once he finds his beloved Egil. He checked under his bed, finding nothing but dust bunnies and a few scattered quills and discarded parchment. He let out a shaky sigh, an epiphany hitting him just as he heard the door across from his room open. Surely Troy must have taken it, for his younger brother is known by many as the "Prince of Mischief" and would do anything to get a surprised yelp out of his brother. He quickly opened his door, relieved to see Troy walking down to the dining hall for breakfast, his ocean blue eyes scanning the words in a book he was holding with one hand.

"Troy! Oh, thank the Heavens I found you!" Erik exclaimed, catching up to his brother and putting a hand on his shoulder, almost sending his lanky younger brother down to the floor from the sudden pressure on his shoulder.

"Of course you did, you fool. You must have heard my door opening and closing like any other person in this hall. I'm quite surprised father wishes to make you the next king despite the law already requiring him to do so. You can barely understand the small world around you here in Paxgard. I wonder how you will keep our alliances with other realms together with how you speak before you think." He retorted, not even glancing up at Erik as he resumed his steady pace down the hall.

"Oh hush, brother! I do not care for your snarky remarks this morning! Tell me where he is!" Erik retorted, Troy now raising an eyebrow when he heard the panic and desperation in his brother's voice.

"Who?" His younger brother questioned, Erik grabbing both of Troy's shoulders and forcing him to turn and face him, the excessive use of force causing Troy to drop his book with a loud thud.

"Egil!" Erik replied, his voice cracking as he cried out the name of his beloved sword. There was a moment where a starstruck expression appeared on Troy's face, but shock and bewilderment quickly morphed into pure merriment as a hearty laugh left his lips.

"You address your sword as a living thing? How childish of you, brother!" He replied in between obnoxious laughs. Erik let out a low growl, pulling his brother's face closer to his, their noses touching.

"Brother, this is no laughing matter! Where did you put Egil!" He demanded, Troy wiping tears from his eyes as he finally regained his smug and collected composure.

"I have not taken him, brother. I've been in my room all night." He answered, Erik's eyebrows furrowing as his emerald eyes burned into his brother's sapphire ones.

"You're lying! This has to be one of your many jests, Troy! It has to be!" He shouted, Troy shaking his head as a smirk tugged at his face.

"I'm afraid it is not, brother. Perhaps you left Egil in the training yard when you were trying to test the air once again." He suggested, Erik shaking his head as Troy picked up his book and the two began to stroll down the hall.

"Nay, I have not. I remember polishing him and laying him on my dresser! I even remember draping the small blanket Saoirse made over him before I blew out the candles in my room!" Erik said as the dining hall came into view, Saoirse already seated there with their parents.

"Perhaps father has seen it. He is the last one to retire to his room every night." Troy suggested as they sat down, their father's forest eyes meeting Erik's matching ones.

"I assume you are speaking of Egil's whereabouts, Erik?" He queried, his son giving him a quick nod.

"Yes, father! Have you found him?" He asked, hearing a small giggle from Troy when he addressed Egil as a living thing once again. His father gave him a firm nod.

"Indeed, my son. It appears that Hannibal of Gigaheim sent a rogue elf to steal your sword. He sent us a letter this morning, saying that he will return Egil to you if we give him Saoirse's hand in marriage." He explained as the maids began to lay out their breakfast on the table, Erik ignoring the slices of fruit looking like crown jewels in the sunlight or the mouth-watering aroma of fresh pancakes that had been placed on his plate. His only thought was his beloved Egil, the thought of Hannibal stealing his prized treasure away just to get to his sister.

"Hannibal is getting more and more desperate with each time you refuse to let him marry Saoirse." Troy remarked, taking a bite of his pancakes, his mother's eyes latching onto him quickly.

"Do not say such things, Troy! Doing so could stir up more trouble and we don't need that right now." She chastised, her youngest son rolling his eyes at her words.

"Mother, it is not as serious as you make it out to be. Hannibal is nothing but a muscular cretin who goes for a woman that is clearly smarter than him. He would most likely confuse Saoirse for a-"

"Enough, Troy! Predicaments like these are no laughing matter! One wrong move could start a war and war with Gigaheim is something that no realm of the Great Rose wants! The last time we defeated them caused Paxgard alone to lose ten thousand people!" His father shouted, Saoirse almost choking on her tea as her father scolded her brother for yet another witty remark he thought would be hilarious. Troy avoided his father's fierce gaze as he looked at the floor, silent.

"Father, what shall we do about this? We cannot marry Saoirse off to that mindless beast and we cannot make another Egil! When shall we ever even encounter another dying star?" He questioned, getting a soft sigh in return.

"I do not know what we will do, my son. However, I assure you that we will get your beloved sword back." He said calmly, Erik not satisfied with his father's answer. That was what he usually said when he hasn't even thought of the situation at hand. He proceeded to eat his breakfast reluctantly, the anxiety attack he had this morning spoiling his appetite.

Later on that day, Troy had approached his brother who was grieving in his room. He had closed the door carefully, gazing upon the ruined man under a handful of blankets. Erik looked to have been run over by a herd of horses. His usually well-kept auburn hair could easily be confused for a bird's nest. He was in a fetal position on his bed, buried under blankets he had asked a maid to bring in. Troy rolled his eyes at such a sight, crossing his arms.

"Oh, this is just pathetic. Are you seriously putting yourself through a bout of depression over a bloody sword you only noticed was missing this morning?" He questioned, his brother shifting in his bed to look up at him, strands of hair covering his eyes.

"Would you just shut up?! Egil was my most prized possession! Surely, you can show me some form of sympathy!" He cried. There was an awkward silence that engulfed the room before a cat-like smirk painted itself on Troy's face.

"Yes brother, I do sympathize with you. That is why I have come up with an idea that will most definitely catch your interest." He claimed, rolling his eyes at his brother's sudden protests regarding his proposal. Troy has always been known for his many tricks, all of them starting with a single epiphany in that complex mind of his. Any time Troy comes up with an idea, catastrophes are soon to follow.

"Oh, enough with your complaining already! You know father will not work on getting your sword back right away. Why wait when you can easily take it back yourself, obviously with my intelligence thrown in the mix to help you. Lord have mercy on us all if you ever thought that you could blindly take on Hannibal by yourself when you can barely harness the powers of your own sword." He continued smugly, Erik slowly sitting up, half of his face gleaming in the sunlight flooding in through the windows.

"I'm listening." Troy's eyes lit up at his brother's response, pulling up the chair from his brother's desk to sit by his bedside, taking it as Erik's way of approving for him to continue.

"Hannibal will trade your precious sword for our darling sister Saoirse's hand in marriage. This is a cold and harsh fact that we have no way of evading, or do we? That is where my plan comes in, my dearest brother." He began, shifting in the stiff wooden chair, his cold sky blue eyes locking onto Erik's leaf green ones.

"You see, Hannibal's desperation regarding gaining Saoirse's love makes our solution easy to earth out. All we have to do is give him what he wants if you know what I mean." Troy's explanation caused Erik to grip the bedsheets and blankets tightly, his hands curled into fists as he processed what he had just heard.

"Brother, are you mad? How can you just offer up Saoirse like that! She is a beautiful, young and independent woman! She is not just an object that you can trade away! No way am I going to let you sell her just to get Egil back!" He objected, Troy sighing as he shook his head. He was not even surprised that his blockhead of a brother had not caught onto his plan yet. He knew that Erik was not the sharpest tool in the shed and usually uses that to his advantage in order to make a fool of his brother in front of his friends. He would do this by asking spontaneous questions such as how many juniberry flowers it took to make a simple invisibility pill, knowing that his brother would not know the answer. Of course, Erik would get his revenge by beating the absolute life out of his brother when they would train in the courtyard, Troy becoming best friends with the nurses in the infirmary with how many times he had been sent there after losing to his brother. However, Troy was certain that his intellect will most definitely get his brother's cherished sword back with the plan that he had fabricated after an hour or two of contemplating his options.

"No, you moron! There is no way that I would trade Saoirse away for that stupid piece of scrap metal anyway.  Saoirse isn't going to marry Hannibal! You are!" If the situation wasn't so urgent, Troy would have mocked his brother over the bewildered expression that formed on his face, but that could wait until Egil was back in its owner's hands. He did not wait for his brother to recollect himself before continuing to illustrate his intentions.

"You see, Hannibal will only return your beloved Egil if he gets Saoirse's hand in marriage in return. He will more than likely hand you or a bridesmaid the sword when he sees the bridal party has arrived, eager to meet his bride. He will also immediately get to saying vows as a feast happens immediately after a giant and his beloved are wed in the royal family. This being said, his impatience will most likely cause for him to lift the veil of the bride early, revealing you. That is when you grab Egil and pray that you know how to use that thing well enough to kill or critically injure Hannibal." Erik rose an eyebrow, crossing his arms as he leaned against the headboard of his bed.

"What exactly makes you believe that I am capable of besting a bloody giant in his own territory? He is the king of the giants, Troy. I cannot simply blow a gust of wind in his face and expect him to keel over and die!" He retorted, Troy having a cat-like smile form on his face as his eyes lit up like the stars on a cool Summer night.

"Of course, I will come in the form of a bridesmaid and will be there to defend you." He replied, an awkward silence now flooding the room. Erik looked like he had seen a massacre before his eyes, his jaw dropping to the floor and his eyes wide with something that Troy could not distinguish between surprise or horror. Suddenly, he began to chuckle and his quiet chuckles soon turned into fits of laughter that overtook him so much that he fell off of his bed cackling.

"YOU protecting ME? Good one, Troy!" He laughed, his brother's once prideful expression growing irritated and if you squinted, you could see a flash of disappointment appear in his eyes.

"T'was not a jest, brother." He replied sharply, Erik's laughter coming to a stop.

"I'm sorry, Troy. As much as I think that you are a good trickster, you are most definitely not a fighter." He said, recounting all of the times that his brother had failed in hand to hand combat or mastering weaponry techniques. Troy was just not destined to be a fighter which makes him not a good candidate for protecting him if he does play out his plan. Heck, the very thought of the scrawny lad attempting to strike down a giant with a sword could make anyone burst out laughing. Troy bit his lip and closed his eyes for a brief moment, taking in a deep breath to prevent himself from having a furious outburst.

"Brother, you and I both know that strength does not guarantee the defeat of your desired opponent. A man cannot merely swing a sword or shoot an arrow and expect to be victorious. Everything requires a strategy. How else do you think father and the other kings of Paxgard before him defeated their enemies? They did not run straight into battle without a thought in their mind but planned out each and every fight thoughtfully and consulted others for guidance. War is an art that requires much skill and knowledge, two things that you lack most of the time, brother. I am one of the wisest apothecaries in all of the realms! My pills can transform you into creatures that were thought to only live in old mythology books or give you powers that are not naturally within mankind! Father even said that I am quite the strategist and that I would be the best man to consult if Paxgard were to ever get involved in another war! What other reasons could you possibly want for your walnut-sized brain to comprehend that I really can protect you against Hannibal?!" Troy's breathing had grown shaky as he tried to collect himself. His face had gone completely red, the perspiration on his face causing him to glow in the sunlight. Erik listened to his brother, not used to hearing such desperation and fury in his voice. Erik looked into his brother's eyes, seeing nothing but hurt in the ocean blue orbs usually full of mischief and wonder.

"Troy, I did not mean to offend you." He began, getting up and putting his hand on his little brother's shoulder only to have it shoved off.

"Listen, will you follow along and deceive Hannibal or not?" He demanded, trying to hold back tears though he seemed to be failing miserably. Erik looked around his room before closing his eyes and taking in a shaky breath.

"Fine, but promise me that you won't cry." He said as a sly smirk formed on Troy's face, his trickster brother wiping artificial tears from his eyes.

"See that? That is you being a softy. You are easy to deceive, brother. You have no chance of going against Hannibal if you have that type of thought processing. Now, what if you had a mass manipulator on your side? I guarantee that you would get your precious sword back, brother. Give it some thought. I am in the library if you come up with a response." He said as he walked off, his smile still plastered on his face.

Erick did exactly what his brother told him to do. He pondered whether or not going through with Troy's plan was a wise decision for countless days. He imagined the scenario in his head over and over again. He thought of it while training with a plain iron saber instead of his beloved Egil. He thought of it while he was flirting with his comrade and training partner Violet Braidwood. He even dreamed of the plan while he slept at night. He could imagine walking to Hannibal's residence clad in an angel white wedding dress with the veil covering his face. He could illustrate Hannibal's horrendous grin as he lifted the veil and realized that it was not the beloved Princess of Paxgard but her foolish older brother who really thought he would be able to deceive him. Erik pictured his death millions of times whether it being stoned to death or sliced in half by an axe or sword. However, he did take comfort in the fact that Egil could only be wielded by Erik himself as his father had the blacksmith create it so the ideal weapon designed to embellish his son would become a reality. Despite this form of comfort, the largest thing he thought of was his little brother. Troy's outburst really left him something to think about. Throughout his life, Troy was considered the runt of the litter. He was never the strongest nor did he have as much confidence in himself as Erik did. When they were younger, nobody could separate Troy and Erik as the younger of the two simply refused to be with anyone else unless it was his mother.

However, when the two began to grow older, Erik began to change. He made many friends who shared the same interests as him such as adventuring or combat. He continued to make more and more friends, his main four being Violet Braidwood, Balder Asmundson, Hagen Hackettson, and Kelby Iverson. Erik had met the four when his father had him watch as he would address the problems of his subjects in order to prepare Erik for when he would have to do it on his own as king. Violet's family had their whole harvest destroyed by a horde of thrips that had come and sucked the life out of their precious produce. King Dustin had given the Braidwood family the opportunity to take a loan out and pay it back later to get them through the coming winter. Balder's family was having an argument with Hagen's family over the Hackettson family unintentionally planting their crops on Asmundson territory. King Dustin merely settled the dispute by ordering the Hackettsons to give the Asmundsons the produce that is grown on the land they had accidentally used. Kelby's father had come to the king to merely offer them some leftover baked goods from their bakery that they had from a recent festival in the kingdom. As these disputes were being settled with the exception of Kelby's family and their gifts, the children were talking amongst themselves. Whenever Erik went into town with his younger brother, he would insist they go and play with his newfound friends. Erik knew Troy was a shy boy and hoped that introducing him to his friends would help him break out of his shell, but the complete opposite happened. His four comrades teased Troy for being so small and thin, excluding him from their games and as they got older, they began to push him around when Erik wasn't with them. They locked him in the stables, told him that he was better off dead, and even went as far as sending him a rope for him to hang himself with. As Erik grew closer to those four, Troy began to drift farther and farther away, immersing himself in the arts of being an apothecary.

While apothecaries were known for medicine and drugs, Paxgard had apothecaries who could make drugs that could do the inconceivable. They made pills that could turn you into a dragon or a syrup to let you breathe fire for seven hours. Whatever you dreamed of becoming, an apothecary could help you achieve it. Apothecaries were one of the most important allies when it came to wars as they gave those who could pay for their services incredible strengths and abilities. Young Troy admired them since he was a mere boy and learning the art seemed to be the perfect distraction from the hardships Erik's friends brought him. He was a faster learner than Erik and picked up the skills quickly, becoming one of the greatest apothecaries ever seen by the time he was 15 years old. As his skills broadened, his confidence grew and he finally stood up for himself. Seeing his brother so brave made Erik smile to himself.

As he remembered his brother's accomplishments, Erik imagined seeing his brother fight by his side if the plan ever did fail. He envisioned Troy turning into a phoenix, it's bright orange flames engulfing Hannibal with one large bat of his wings. Even better, he thought of Troy morphing into a dragon and setting all of Gigaheium ablaze. It was then he realized his brother's true strengths and how much of a threat he really was to anyone who crossed him. When Troy swore to him that he could protect him if their plan went awry, he truly meant it while Erik treated it like a joke. Now he saw that Troy truly had the potential to get his beloved Egil back. How could he have doubted his brother in such a manner? He will find a way to make it up to him once he gets Egil back.

Erik quickly strode to the library, opening the doors and looking around, the silence unnerving him like it always had as he was never a fan of silence. He wandered the numerous aisles of books, trying to find his younger brother. The flipping of pages snatched his attention as he turned around to see Troy sitting at a table, his hypnotizing blue eyes scanning words on a page that was most likely from a book relating to apothecaries and their mysterious ways. Erik approached him and sat down, Troy looking up and that cat-like smirk from before immediately returning.

"Going by your stoic expression, I assume that you mean business, brother." He said as his older brother nodded.

"Yes, about your plan-"

"You accepted my offer! Splendid!" He exclaimed, Erik opening his mouth to speak once again but closed it after seeing the light in his brother's eyes appear.

"Y-Yes, but I came to ask you one thing, brother."

"Yes?"

"When do we start?" Troy grinned even more at his brother's comment if it were possible. Troy took out a pill from one of his pockets. It was a light brown with what appeared to be a feather immersed inside of it. Troy moved to one of the library's windows and opened it, popping the pill into his mouth.

"I shall inform Hannibal that we accept his proposal," Troy said as he began to shrink in size. As he got smaller, chocolate brown feathers began to sprout all over his body as his eyes turned a bright yellow. His slender legs turned into stick-like yellow ones with three toes with talons replacing his feet. Erik gasped as Troy's clothes fell onto the floor in a green and black heap, his shoes falling over with two soft thuds. In Troy's place sat a small sparrow, the small bird flapping its wings and flying upwards before quickly flying out of the window. Erick's jaw had dropped to the floor as he tried to comprehend what just happened. He slowly picked up his brother's clothing and shoes, looking out the window to see the small sparrow fly away.

Troy soared through the clear azure skies of Paxgard, gazing down at the busy streets below. The market was bustling with people as always and children were playing in the playgrounds after the school had set them free to take a break. There were two people sitting on the fountain in the town square reading as carriages passed by along with more citizens. Troy truly loved his home and wouldn't have town life any other way. He loves seeing people quarrel over the price of bread or see two people fall in love at first sight. There were so many things to love in Paxgard that made him even less excited over where he was to be going. He spotted the ports right away, the barrier that keeps Paxgard away from the other realms in the Rose fast approaching. Troy closed his eyes and passed right through, scanning for Gigaheim while surrounded by numerous luminous stars and passing airships loaded with goods. He continued to fly, noticing the clouded tangerine air that consumed Gigaheim and prepared to enter such a dangerous realm, the stench of rotting meat and complete misery overwhelming him as soon as he entered such a place.

Gigaheim is a land filled with smoke and the never-ending odor of dried blood due to the countless killings that occur there every year.  However, none of the other realms intervened due to the fear of starting another war. Troy tried his best to ignore the screams of terror and agony that he heard below him. The smoke from the fire pits below made it hard for him to spot Hannibal's large cave that sat in the center of the realm. When he did manage to find it, he found it quite odd for such a large place to be unguarded. He hesitantly flew down and laid his claws on the warm rocks that served as the foundation for Hannibal's cave. He lifted his head to see Hannibal sitting on his poorly crafted throne that Gigaheim took pride in as they were the ones who made it for the very first ruler Nero. The throne was made from a single oak tree that had been infested with termites, the throne itself still being full of small holes where the dreaded pests had lived when the tree had been alive. The two arms of the throne had skulls crafted on the ends, yet said skulls looked to have been created by primary school children who only had their quills as carving tools. The red stains on the skulls made Troy resist the urge to vomit as he did not want to imagine whose blood stained the beloved ruler's throne arms.

Troy thought that he had seen the worst of it, but he was clearly mistaken as he had finally seen the face of the Giant Ruler himself. Hannibal was a monster of a man if there was even a pinch of a human being within him. The blood that he has shed over the centuries is more than the salt water sitting in the seas of Seirheim. His sickly grey skin was similar to that of the ominous storm clouds that arrive during Paxgard's thunderstorm season. His teeth were sharpened like that of a shark's but they were the color of the insides of a pumpkin: a nauseating shade of yellow with hints of orange and even chocolate brown where the enamel was withering away and rotting down. His breath was even worse than the looks of his mouth, the stench of rotting flesh entering the air every time he breathed. His eyes were two completely different colors due to Heterochromia. His right eye was a dark blue with a daffodil colored sclera while his left eye was a forest green and had a white sclera like every other species in the Great Rose. His build was strong, his body hard due to such large muscles that could rival the greatest bodybuilders in Paxgard. His diamond face shape and high cheekbones made his facial structure seem odd due to his horrifying mouth and peculiar eye colors. His hair was long and as black as the night sky, tied up in a ponytail with a ruby red ribbon keeping it in place. He wasn't wearing a top, but his scarlet pants were torn in uneven strands when they reached his ankles. He wasn't even wearing shoes, his feet calloused because of this.

    Troy tried to contain his fear as a wicked smirk formed on the Giant King's face.

"Ah...You must be Troy, son of King Dustin himself. I have heard of your feats as an apothecary from the merchants that rarely come to this quite putrid place. I'm quite impressed, young one. I have never seen such a small boy do amazing things with his intelligence and experience regarding the scientific field. I knew you could shapeshift into different people, but a bird? Incredible!" Troy was taken aback by the praises such a horrifying beast gave him, but it was more attention than what his father ever showed so he took it with grace and tried to suavely continue the conversation.

"You have my thanks, Hannibal. I have come to inform you that my father has accepted your request and my older sister shall become your bride." Hannibal's eyes lit up like a firecracker as his grin widened at the thought of having the love of his life finally in his grasp for as long as they both shall live.

"My goodness! Is that so? Well, perhaps you shall tell me who is to be attending so I can make room!" He said, propping his head up on one of his hands which had been curled into a fist.

"Yes, I shall! Obviously, the bride will be attending already in her wedding gown and the veil draped over her face. Then there is just a single bridesmaid as my father viewed it as a simple gift to you and he is too busy to see the celebrations himself. He orders that you give my brother Erik's beloved sword Egil to the bridesmaid as soon as they arrive. He trusts her greatly with holding it while the celebrations last. You do not need to give him or Paxgard anything in return as long as you do not become a threat to the other realms like you were in the last war." He stated, Hannibal gazing down at the floor as he thought such conditions over. He finally looked back up at Troy and nodded.

"Very well. You have my word, boy. Do fly off and tell your father that I have accepted conditions and expect my bride to be here with her bridesmaid by tomorrow morning." He said, Troy nodding, internally relieved that Hannibal had bought the lie that he concocted right on the spot.

"Very well." He spoke before flapping his wings and soaring into the sky once more, getting out of the hideous realm as fast as his tiny wings could carry him.

When he reached Paxgard's palace once more, he flew through the open window that leads into Erik's room. His older brother was waiting for him by his desk, looking as if he had been waiting for eons. Troy immediately began to regurgitate all over his brother's spruce floor, Erik yelping and running to his brother's side immediately. However, Troy was simply throwing up the pill's contents. He immediately began to grow in size, his wings turning back into his stick-like arms and his lower body going back into its original form. When Troy morphed back into his human form, he dove for his clothes, quickly putting them on before his brother could even register his little brother was naked in the first place. Troy stood up once again and ran a hand through his chestnut brown locks, sighing in relief.

"Brother, we must begin right away." He said quickly and was about to walk to the door when Erik put his hand on his brother's shoulder.

"What happened? What was Hannibal like?" He questioned as a small chuckle escaped Troy despite the poor boy being extremely out of breath.

"Well, he spoke extremely well for someone who everyone thinks is barely even literate and he expects us to be there by tomorrow! That means we need to get started right now!" He said as panic began to form in Erik's forest green eyes. Troy fed off of his fear, chuckling before patting his brother on the back.

"You are so funny when you're nervous, brother! Did you think that I didn't predict any of this beforehand? I'm offended!" He cried dramatically, Erik's blank and slight irritated expression making him laugh even more.

"You are quite the fool, Erik. However, my mockery needs to wait as I need you to try on your dress!" He said, taking his brother by the hand and leading him across the hallway into his room.

"Woah, what?! I thought you would, like, turn me into a girl or something!"Erik cried as Troy rolled his eyes in response.

"Oh stop complaining you pervert! Contain yourself! I was just getting to that part!" He spat as he opened a small box where two blue pills and two white pills sat. Erik looked up at his brother with a raised eyebrow.

"Troy, what in the name of God is that?" He asked, pointing to the box and its contents. Troy merely smirked and shrugged.

"They're pills, brother that I created a good two days ago to transform you into our beloved sister. Take the white pill to transform into Saoirse and take the blue pill to revert back into your original form." He said excitedly, almost like a child on their birthday. Erik looked back and forth between the pills and seemingly ecstatic little brother, uncertainty written all over his face.

"Oh stop being such a crybaby! Try it!" He said, handing his brother one of the two white pills in the box. Erik hesitantly picked it up and swallowed it, feeling ill almost immediately. His auburn hair began to darken until it was as black as a raven's feather, his masculine figure beginning to look more and more feminine within seconds. He grew shorter and his clothes felt looser around him as his emerald eyes transformed into Troy and Saoirse's ocean blue. He looked in his brother's mirror, looking like a complete copy of his little sister. Troy grinned and went into his closet and pulled out a gorgeous angel white wedding dress with a veil hanging at the top of the hangar. It was a sleeveless dress that draped all the way down to the floor. There were small red flowers decorating the bottom of the dress with chocolate brown branches connecting them all. Erik looked at the dress in awe before his gaze met Troy's.

"You made this?" He queried, a prideful nod being his brother's only response.

"Yup! Now, all you have to do is try it on! Go on! Don't be a child who is forced to dress formally for a special occasion! Go!" He said, handing the dress and veil to his brother before turning around and facing to the wall to give him some form of privacy. Erik hesitantly began to put the dress on, trying his best not to rip Troy's handiwork as he did so. When he finally gave his brother permission to turn around, he beamed with pride over how well the dress fit Saoirse's figure.

"Wow, brother. You look ravishing!" He mocked as a cold glare came his way from his brother.

"I will continue to look ravishing as I kill you when I get Egil back." He retorted, an amused chuckle being the only thing that came out of Troy's mouth as he continued to study the dress and how it fit.

"Alright, you can take that off and put your clothes back on. When you're done, I can give you the blue pill and you'll be you again." He said, turning to face the wall once more. Erik gingerly took the dress off and placed it back on the hangar with the veil before putting his clothes back on. Once he tapped Troy's shoulder, his brother immediately handed him the blue pill. Erik did not hesitate to swallow it, almost choking himself in the process with how fast and sloppily he took it. Soon enough, his form began to change. His midnight hair began to return to its beloved auburn and his eyes becoming their emerald green once more. His features began to become more masculine as he grew to his original height of six foot four. Once fully returning to his original form, Erik let out a small sigh out of relief. Troy gently put the rest of the pills in the box inside of his satchel where he knew that they would be safe. He had his own pill that he would use to turn into a woman so that way he could go to the wedding as Erik's bridesmaid.

"Brother, why do you prepare for us to leave so early? Surely you can just teleport us to Gigaheim." he said, a cackle escaping Troy as he made sense of his brother's comment.

"I am an apothecary, Erik! I am most certainly not a sorcerer or a witch! I cannot transform us into anything as there is too much for us to bring back and forth to and from Gigaheim. If I did transform us into something besides the bridesmaid and Saoirse, it would take us a long time to regurgitate the transformation pill's contents, take in the pills that would turn us into Saoirse and the bridesmaid, take the blue pill, kill Hannibal, take ANOTHER transformation pill, take Egil and leave. We can do that if death or eternal imprisonment in Gigaheim is what you wish for, though." He remarked, Erik in shock once again at his brother's words. Troy rolled his eyes, questioning why his brother had to be so foolish at times as he put the dress back inside of his closet.

"So how exactly are we supposed to get to Gigaheim if you can't teleport us with your witchy powers?" He asked as an irritated groan escaped Troy's mouth once again.

"For someone so stupid you sure have a lot of questions! First of all, I am not a witch I am an apothecary. Second of all, we're taking an airboat to Gigaheim. I also have some merchant friends who will be able to help get us back safely and quickly with some of their 'witchy powers'." He said with a grin as he opened one of his drawers. Inside sat a series of small bottles and vials, each filled with their own colorful liquids. Erik peeked at the drawer's contents as he hid behind his brother's shoulder. 

"What in the name of the Great Rose are those, Troy? Don't tell me you have been stealing fruit juices and not sharing them with me!" He whined as Troy examined the bottles and their contents.

"I can share them with you if you want to ingest toxic liquids meant to go up in flames. If you do then the throne is mine considering the fact that Saoirse and Prince Seok, the heir to the throne of Alfdrisel have been cozying up to each other and becoming more than friends. Due to the way they have been acting and the strong bond our two realms share, they should be able to marry each other without hesitation as it also strengthens the union between Alfdrisel and Paxgard. So, please take one and drink as many as you like, though I do not think that they taste very good." He said, looking his brother dead in the eyes with a look of bloodlust and smugness.

"Okay, I don't think that they seem very appealing to drink anymore."

"You don't say."

"Oh, shut up, Troy! Just tell me why you're even looking at them! Does it pertain to our quest?" Troy took pleasure in Erik's irritation and pulled out a belt adorned with slots to hold bottles out from another dresser. He quickly began taking specific bottles from their places and sliding them into each slot.

"In case you were wondering like the ever-curious bloke you are, these are homemade bombs." He said, his brother's eyes widening.

"Homemade what?"

"Homemade bombs, you twat! Did you not listen to a single word I said? Anyway, these things took me years to perfect and the amount of clothes I lost to the failed tests is more than the number of brain cells you possess. Once you throw them on the ground, they experience a chemical reaction that causes the liquid inside of it to blow up and cause whatever surrounds it in a span of ten feet to go up in flames! Sounds amazing, right?! I showed my perfected creation to father and even demonstrated its power, but instead of praising me he just ordered me to destroy them all to prevent them from hurting anyone. If we ever get in trouble to the point where our lives are on the line, I am going to have these so we can escape safely." He explained as he tucked the belt into the satchel that contained the box of pills.

"What happens if you drop one by accident?" Erik asked as his brother turned around once more and laughed.

"If I drop one, I guess we just die." He answered simply as he looked outside of Erik's bedroom window to see the sun beginning to set, the once sapphire sky melting into a gorgeous mixture of scarlet, candyfloss pink, tangerine orange, and daffodil yellow.  He turned to Erik once more and sighed softly, noticing he looked irritated as his left eye began to twitch. It was one of Erik's "tells", little things he unconsciously does that reveal how he feels. He was never aware of it, but everyone else could tell exactly how he felt and he thought that people were sorcerers because of it.

"You're irritated. What's the matter?" He questioned, Erik beginning to pout at his brother's harsh tone.

"How come I can't bring a weapon?" He asked as Troy began to laugh once more.

"Nobody likes a bride with a weapon, brother. That has divorce written all over it and you know that." He remarked as he closed the window and locked it.

"Alright, I am going to make sure our plans are secure before I go to sleep. You should go off into dreamland before me to make sure you are at the height of your power tomorrow. Remember, you're doing this for your beloved sword. Go on, off to your room you go." He said, pushing his brother out of the room before he proceeded to close the door in his face. Erik sighed softly and walked into his bedroom and laid down, the worries of that day fading as he traveled into his dreamworld for the rest of that night.

The next morning, Troy woke up his brother and quickly made him take the pill. It was still early morning as the night sky still roamed while the sun waited patiently to rise. After helping Erik change into his wedding gown, Troy quickly took his own pill, morphing into a tall and slim woman with snow-white skin and golden waves of hair and intoxicating hazel eyes. He slid right into a sleeveless blood red dress with the help of his brother, trying his best not to complain. After grabbing the satchel packed of explosives and the reversal pills, he leads his brother out of the castle with the help of Violet Braidwood who had escorted them to the airship ports, trying her best not to laugh at the two princes in such ridiculous disguises.

"You two boys be safe and try your best not to cause the next war amongst the realms, alright?" She asked, a smirk forming on Erik's face as he pulled her close to him.

"Hey, even if we did I know you would be there to save the day like you always do." Violet's face reddened at the praise, her heart racing as she heard a chuckle leave Erik's lips, most likely because he noticed how flustered she became.

"Well, we best be off now, Braidwood. Remember, do not tell a soul about what had occurred this morning." Troy said in a warning tone, helping Erik onto the ship and closed the door as the ship began to take off, heading straight to Gigaheim. Violet watched it go, sighing softly as she began to think that maybe letting them go without telling the king was a bad idea.

The ship finally reached the ports of Gigaheim, its bridges for the ships to unload its cargo splintered and slowly being infested with termites similar to the tree that had been turned into Hannibal's throne and there was Hannibal already standing there to greet the two with a few guards by their side.

"Ah, Princess Saoirse! You look absolutely astonishing! I cannot take that veil off and see your beautiful face!" He exclaimed as Erik managed a soft smile and a curtsey.

"You look incredibly handsome, Hannibal. I'm glad that our union has finally come to be." He replied, trying his best not to throw up as the scent of hopes and dreams being crushed met his nostrils, Troy biting his lip to prevent his laughter escaping him.

"Anyway, we should marry quite soon as I have prepared everything before you got here, my love! Please, follow me!" Hannibal exclaimed as he led them throughout Gigaheim, Erik thanking God that the veil lessened some of the sour stench that roamed the entire realm. When they finally reached the cave, Troy noticed that Egil was laying on the ground right next to Hannibal's throne.

"I thought that your father would try some form of horseplay to get your brother's sword back so I merely hid it near Seirheim." He said as he picked it up and handed it to Troy who glanced over at Erik who was tapping his foot against the stone floor, waiting to receive his most prized possession and wield it once again.

"Okay, shall we commence the ceremony?" Hannibal asked, walking up to Erik and kneeling down, placing a hand on the veil that covered his face.

"Yes," Erik replied, glancing back at Troy who was slowly sneaking closer and closer to the two. Finally, once he was close enough, Troy handed his brother the sword and Erik quickly pointed it at Hannibal who only smirked in response.

"You are not Prince Erik and therefore cannot unlock the ability of the sword, foolish girl!" He shouted as Erik smirked, Troy managing to get a reversal pill out of the satchel and giving it to Erik who took it and began to revert to his original form. Hannibal let out a furious roar as he swung his arms to try and snatch the young prince only for Erik to slice his hands clean off. Troy gasped and quickly grabbed his brother who only broke free from him and ran at Hannibal.

"Oh God, this is going so wrong," Troy muttered and almost fell to the ground when a loud thud was heard and the ground shook with whatever fell meeting the floor. He hesitantly glanced over to see what fell only to see Hannibal's guards on the ground, deep gashes decorating their bodies as their scarlet blood spilled all over the floor. Erik was dodging every mindless attack Hannibal made, Troy immediately taking his reversal pill and joining the battle. He reached into his satchel and pulled out one of their precious explosives, grabbing Erik by the hand and beginning to run, Hannibal right behind.

"Brother, what are you doing?" He shouted as Troy glanced behind them to make sure they were a safe distance away from the psychotic giant before throwing the explosive, watching the around them become set ablaze. They continued running until Troy spotted an old shack and went inside where two young men were waiting inside. They looked identical with chestnut brown hair and matching mustaches that looked like icing piping on a cake. They were standing in front of a glowing platform with mist rising from it.

"Hey, Troy! Got free from the large crybaby?" One asked as the other let the two step on the portal.

"Yup! Thanks for letting us try this out, Tiffany!" He said as the man who Erik assumed was Tiffany pressed a button on the side of the strange platform and the two brothers were sucked into a large vortex that displayed all of the colors of the rainbow. When the colors faded, they were standing inside of Troy's apothecary lab which was in the dungeons. Erik turned to Troy with wide eyes, clutching Egil tightly.

"What...in the name.....of GOD WAS THAT?"
He demanded, Troy smirking as he noticed his brother was petting his sword as if Egil was as traumatized as him.

"That, brother, was a test of a brand new invention that will completely change the Great Rose forever. It is called the Bifrost in which it can transport anyone to other realms if a platform was stationed there. We just proved of its success. Now, if you'll excuse me I need to write a letter to Tiffany and Korra to let them know that we didn't die." He said, pushing his brother towards the door.

"Die?" Erik cried as he touched the doorknob, Troy shrugging once again.

"Did I say die? I meant permanently disfigured. Anyway, go play with your magical sword." He said, going back to his desk.

"Hey, Troy?"

"Yes?"

"Thank you."

"Anytime, brother. Anytime."