Virgil took a deep breath as he looked out the window. His gaze landed on his hands, pale and shaking. He closed his eyes as they clenched into fists, trying to calm himself down. Every year on the same day, he had to go through this. Every year, the neighboring kingdoms gathered for a celebration, hosted by none other than his father. His father was King Patton, ruler of the Kingdom of Croy. He was the most amazing man Virgil had ever known. He felt his hand on his shoulder, comfortingly rubbing circles with his thumb.

"You'll be alright, Virgil," he said reassuringly, offering an encouraging smile.

He sighed, looking at his hands nervously. "But there's always so many people Dad," he murmured, making Patton smile sadly. He squeezed his shoulder a little to remind him he was there; Virgil felt a comforting warm from his touch, thankful for it.

"I know, and I'm sorry you have to be there," the king said. "But it's how we've maintained such positive relations with our neighbors. Your brother will be down there too, and Prince Roman's going to be coming with King Logan. You'll be fine, and no one's going to force you to talk to everyone. Just stay with one of them."

Virgil nodded, still staring at the ground with his eyes as his father moved away. He bit his lip, watching as his hands shook. "H-Hey Dad?" he called as he started to leave. The king paused looking at him. The dark prince looked up with scared eyes. "W-What if... what if this time I can't hide it?"

King Patton frowned sadly, eyes full of sympathy. "Just remember to breathe," he said as his son looked away. "You are stronger than you realize."

Virgil nodded, letting his father know he could leave. The king nodded and left, closing the pale purple door behind him. The prince looked back out the window, seeing ships docking at the harbor and citizens already entering the palace. He sighed again, hands still shaking. When he looked down at them, his eyes widened. Black mist was swirling around them, making panic shoot through him. This panic caused even more mist to appear, and small strikes of purple electricity to shoot out.

The prince backed away from the window, gasping for breath as he tried to contain the magic. His eyes grew hot and his chest was tight. "No no no, please!" he whisper shouted as his whole body shook. "Please stop!"

He squeezed his eyes shut and felt a change in the air. When Virgil opened his eyes again, the black mist was gone. He sighed shakily in relief as a tear dripped down his cheek. He jumped as a knock sounded at his door. "Virgil? Can I come in?"

"Y-Yes, come in Luis," he called, quickly wiping his cheek.

His brother opened the door, offering a smile as he closed it behind him. "How are you holding up, Virge?" he asked, coming to stand in front of him. When the older of the two didn't answer him, he sighed. He was still clenching his shaking hands, making Luis reach out to take them in his own. "Look, you're going to be fine."

"H-How can you be so certain?" Virgil asked, pulling away and crossing the room. "You're so lucky, Luis... Your magic is normal! You don't have to worry about destroying something, or ruining father's reputation. You can control your power, and it's celebrated as your strength. I-I can't... and if someone finds out-"

"Virgil, breathe," Luis told him. The way his voice sounded made the dark prince look up. His eyes widened to see that a dark cloud had formed about their heads, charging the air with electricity. Virgil struggled to breathe, leading to his brave little brother approaching him and guide him back into control of himself. "That's it, breathe..."

The storm cloud disappeared, making the two of them sigh in relief. Virgil hugged Luis tightly, burying his face into his shoulder. "I don't know what to do, brother," he muttered. "If I so much as lose control of my nerves for a second, something bad happens. It gets so much worse with every year. How can I continue to keep this hidden? What if something happens again-"

"Virgil, you have to trust yourself," Luis interrupted, knowing he was just going to freak himself out again if he began thinking about the past. He pulled away from their embrace to look at him. "What does Dad always say?"

The dark prince bit his lip as he met his brother's eyes. "I'm stronger than I realize..." he said quietly.

"He's right, you know," he replied, smiling. "You know who else thinks so?"

Virgil looked confused until Luis reached out a pull out his hidden necklace. "The boy who gave you this," the young prince said with a smile and a wink. His brother blushed furiously as he took the necklace's pendant into his hand. He ran his thumb over the smooth red jewel, smiling a little. "Dad believes in you, I believe in you, and he believes in you."

"He doesn't even know, Luis," the dark prince said, his smile falling with a heavy sigh.

"That doesn't mean he doesn't believe in you," his little brother replied, laughing a little. "You two have been close since before I was even born! He probably idolizes you, Virge!"

The comment made his cheeks even redder, but got him to laugh. Luis felt pride well up inside at the noise, only wanting to hear his laugh. "How is it that you're so good at talking me through this stuff, little brother?" Virgil asked, reaching out to ruffle his hair.

"Hey!" he whined. "Just cause I'm shorter than you doesn't mean you get to mess up my hair! I have to look presentable and now it's a mess!"

The two of them shared another laugh as Luis fixed his hair. "And to answer your question, it's because I hang out with Dad so much," the young prince said, smiling. "I've learned from only the greatest man to ever live."

"Oh, definitely," Virgil replied as they laughed again. The dark prince reached out to put a hand on his shoulder. "Thank you, brother."

Luis smiled, reaching up to place his hand over Virgil's on his shoulder. "Anytime Virgil," he replied before turning to leave. His brother watched him with a grateful and loving smile as he opened the door. He couldn't help the pang of guilt and regret that shot through his system upon seeing the scar poking out of from his brother's shirt on the back of his neck; a painful reminder to him. The young prince paused, turning to him with a smirk. "Oh, and Virge? I don't care how long you two have known each other, if that prince hurts you, he'll have to answer to me for it."

Virgil laughed a little, shaking his head. "Whatever you say little brother."