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“And how do you suppose we do that, brother?”
Remu takes another step towards me, his jaw clenched tight. "I will not be content to watch from the shadows any longer, Romulus. It is my right as much as it is yours."
“In that case, brother,” I slice the word like it means nothing at all. Right now, it has to lose all significance for me to do what I might have to - slaying my brother. “We must fight till the end, till one survives to sit upon it.”
Remu's eyes flash with a mixture of defiance and sorrow, recognizing the challenge in my words. “A fight it is then, brother. To the end,” Remu squares his shoulders, accepting the inevitable clash that lies ahead.
I draw my sword, the cling so sharp, I see a few people close their ears. Remu extends his hand behind him, waiting for his footman to deliver his sword to him.
All around us, the Senate erupts into chaos, the senators shouting and scrambling to flee the unfolding confrontation.
We circle each other slowly, brother against brother. My heart lurches with a small, sharp stab of pain as I look upon my brother’s eyes and realize: This would be the last time I see him.
But then, suddenly, the ceiling turns a deep shade of purple, its stone walls hidden somewhere above clouds. All around us, people scream, some cower, and some fall to their knees on this great symbol of divinity.
A flash of thunder cracks through the air, followed by a blinding light that engulfs the entire throne room. The ground trembles beneath our feet as if the very earth itself is now protesting against our impending clash.
Remy and I both stumble back, away from each other, compelled by some force.
At last, the blinding light fades, and I dare to raise my eyes. Before us stands a figure towering and formidable, clad in gleaming armor with a crimson cloak flowing behind him. His eyes glow like molten gold, his gaze pinning us in place.
This is no mortal man. The power radiating from his form shakes me to the core, awakening an instinctive adoration I had never known. Here is a being of myth and legend, a God whose name had long been revered…Mars.
Mars's presence in the throne room sends a ripple of awe and fear through the gathered senators, their voices silenced by the power emanating from the god of war. I drop to my knees before him, unable to withstand the weight of his divine gaze, feeling the gravity of the moment settle around me like a heavy cloak. From the corner of my eye, I see my brother on his knees, too.
Mars's voice booms through the room, resonating in every corner with a power that commands obedience. "Cease this foolishness," he declares, his gaze shifting between Remu and I. "You forget the blood that flows within you, the heritage that binds you. Your fortunes are intertwined, and your dues are not to be settled by mere steel."
I lower my sword, for his words compel me to.
"You have forgotten your purpose and allowed greed and ambition to cloud your judgment."
I dare not raise my eyes, keeping them fixed on the polished marble beneath me, my heart pounding in trepidation at what judgment Mars might pass upon us.
Was it this battle between brothers that brought him here?
"Romulus, Remu," Mars continues, his voice a thunderous symphony that demands attention. "Your destiny was written in the stars long before this day. It was written on the day I decided to become your father.”
People look shocked all around us. I, too, feel the very earth shake below me. What could this divine being mean?
“O great Mars,” Remu asks from beside me. “What is our fate? I beseech thee.”
"Years ago, I caught the sight of a vestal virgin, your mother. She was the fairest of them all, with eyes like sapphires and hair like spun gold. She caught my attention, and I descended from the heavens to claim her as mine. But alas, our love was forbidden, our union deemed a treacherous act against the order of gods and men. Your mother bore the burden of our secret love, and in her honor, I ensured Amulius raised you as his own when he had first set out to murder you.”
“Murder us?” I ask, in shock.
Suddenly, the world goes dark. I stumble and fall back.
“Watch,” Mars says, and all I can see is a graveyard. There, right in front of me, is a woman surrounded by others. In her arms are two babies. It doesn’t take long for me to unravel that we’re watching a scene from the past, one that Mars wants us to.
A few minutes later, the vision wanes. Gasping in shock, I reel from what has just been unveiled - our mother dying in a prison cell. I look across at Remu, and his face is ashen, as I imagine mine might well be.
My heart pounds as the truth sinks deep within my soul. How had we never seen what was written in every line of our faces? We bear his likeness, his strength and passion, as clearly as if formed from his flesh.
I struggle to find my voice, trembling under the weight of his divine presence. "It's you," I whisper. "You're truly our father."
A slow smile curls Mars' lips, stirring an unfamiliar warmth in my chest. "So you have finally realized the truth of your heritage." His voice resonates with the clash of swords and thunder of hoof beats, as mighty as the god of war himself.
"Your mother kept her secrets well, but the time has come to claim your birthright, my sons. You were born to rule, destined to forge the greatest empire the world has ever known."
