Virgil's grandfather, Markus, was the father to the late king and his uncle. He had ruled as king from the time he was eighteen, to just a few years before Janus was born. He had not willingly stepped down as king. His sons had to force him off the seat, though they had promised him a place on the council if he did so. In his time as king, he accomplished many many things.

Very few of them were things one may consider 'good'.

He was a cruel man. He did not know mercy. He had killed his father and older brother for the thrown, and just to make sure no other family would attempt to take it he married his younger sister off to a neighboring kingdom where he hoped she would be satisfied. If not, well, he had armies. His wife died when Hollis was a teen, neither of the Dark Realm princes ever met her. There are rumors that he poisoned her, though none of them were ever confirmed.

Most regarded the man as evil, the laws he passed were unjust and dangerous. Thousands of people died because of those laws. When Roman's mother first became queen she was only seventeen, her parents had just died and her older sister had been deemed unfit. She was never supposed to be queen, and at first, she made a weak one. He then declared war on the Light Realm. Since then, the war has ended (thanks to Virgil's father and uncle) but battles have not been uncommon and they've always been on the brink of the end. The relationship between the two kingdoms was a small one, probably only held together by the border that separated them. Markus sent the kingdom flailing into a depression which they struggled to escape and still hadn't fully left. He ruined the economy and lost the trust of many many people.

He was not a good man.

He had been happy when he was presented with not one but two able-bodied and healthy grandsons. He was a great grandfather, really. He took the two on trips. He bought them gifts and told them stories. He played games of pretend. He even stopped trying to kill their mother for them, a very kind grandfather indeed.

Then Janus began to display signs of magic. Janus was excited. The king and Queen were excited. Even Virgil, barely five at the time, was excited. Markus was not excited. Markus immediately stopped treating Janus as his grandson, and allowed the boy to see his true colors, the side of him that everyone else saw. Markus continued to build his relationship with solely Virgil.

Virgil found himself very attached to his grandfather. He even went through a phase where he followed the man around everywhere, from the moment he got up, till the moment his mother and the maids forced him into bed. Virgil really did love his grandpa. He was too young to understand he was a terrible man. Too young to know why people didn't like him. Too young, and naive, to know the man was trying to groom and manipulate him to be just like him.

The king and queen eventually caught on.

Markus died not too long after.

Or at least, that's what most people thought. That's what Virgil had thought. Though Virgil was still slightly too naive to understand death, he did know his grandfather was never coming back. He grieved his grandfather, he didn't understand why so many people, including his own family, wore red on their masks. He understood that wearing red on a mask during a funeral was a sign that the person who had died was considered a bad person. He didn't know why his grandfather was a bad person. He didn't know until Janus explained it to him when they were slightly older.

It had been nearly ten years since then. Virgil had been seven at the time of his grandfather's death and now, in present-day, nearing his seventeenth birthday.

Now...

Now he understood everything that he hadn't back then. He understood his grandfather was not a good person. He understood he had been manipulated by the man to think otherwise. He understood his grandfather had done terrible things, killed thousands of people, and was responsible for multiple attempts on his mother's life. He understood, his grandfather was dead.

Or at least, he had thought he did. Now he wasn't so sure. That was understandable seeing as the man himself stood in front of him and his friends, a wide smile on his face and arms outstretched as if asking the boy for a hug.

Later Janus would explain to him and the others what he had already explained to Remus when this all began and what his father and uncle explained to him when he turned eighteen. Their grandfather had never died, obviously, the adults in his family hadn't had it in him to do that. Instead, they banished the man from his own kingdom and said if he was ever found there again he'd hang from a noose. They faked his death, had a closed casket funeral, and told the kingdom he died of a heart attack.

They had thought they were done with him. They were not. Because now, Markus, along with General of the Light Realm army Kieran Tafe, and one of the most powerful witches to ever live, Ira, were planning a coup against both the Light and Dark Realm. And not only were they planning it, but succeeding as well. Now, the man himself stood in front of him. He was very clearly not dead.

The small group of soldiers accompanying Tafe and Markus filed into the room and the group backed away slightly. "Virgil," his grandfather said, his voice was soft, as if he was talking to a child, "Come here, Virgil." Virgil glanced at Tafe before shaking his head no, and moving further into the room with his friends.

Markus followed his gaze, "Kieran won't hurt you. Come here, Virgil." Markus repeated, his voice holding a threat this time. "It's me, don't you remember? Its Grandpa-"

"He's not a fucking kid!" Janus shouted, "stop talking to him like that! He knows what you've done. Leave him the hell alone!" Markus looked at Janus, a poison in his eyes that forced Janus to suppress a wince.

The General took a step forward now, eyes on Logan, he didn't even say anything. His gaze said it all, there would be consequences if Logan didn't move away from his friends. Roman saw the look and took Logan's hand, giving a message just as clear back to the General, Logan wasn't going anywhere.

"Let us leave," Roman demanded, "My parents are coming with an army! Them and Hollis, they're coming! They know you're here, they-"

"Remus, tell your brother to shut up," Janus whispered.

"Roman shut up."

"All of you can shut up," Tafe said, "Now listen, all of you. Virgil and Logan, you're coming with us. The rest of you are going to drop your weapons, and get back in your cells." They made no movement to do as they had been told and the soldiers moved in closer to them, the six of them continuing to move back again, "No?" Tafe said with a slight tile of his head, "Alright then, round them up." And with that, the soldiers moved to attack.

They targetted the twins first, and both raised their weapons to fight them off. Remus was not doing nearly as well as he normally could have, mostly due to his injuries but also partly due to the fact that a sword really was not his weapon of choice. Janus and Patton were targetted next, Patton really only had his bow as a weapon which served them no use in such a small space. Janus couldn't perform spells that were too strong, lest he hurt his hands, and one of the twins (most often Remus) was having to come to his rescue.

Logan wasn't doing to bad of a job of protecting himself, fighting off multiple people at the same time with his magic to guide him. He was assisting Patton as well, and they did seem to appreciate it. Virgil had a very difficult opponent, Tafe himself. This was because Markus did not want Virgil getting hurt, and didn't trust the soldiers to not do so. Which was a stupid thought really. Virgil's magic was a little more volatile than he wanted it to be right now, which wasn't exactly surprising considering he was severely close to a panic attack. But, the spells were the ones he wanted, they did what he wanted, when he wanted, so he was at least happy about that. Markus did not participate in the fight, simply standing by the door with a smile on his face.

Janus was careful to keep an eye on his brother, he desperately wanted to make sure Virgil was safe and get him out of here but of course, that wasn't fully possible right now. He was pleasantly surprised to see, however, that Virgil's magic skill had improved some. Not a superb amount, but he did recognize that Virgil had learned a few new spells and had gained some more control.

Roman was trying to stay close to his brother and Janus, though those he was fighting were doing a good job at keeping him away. He had managed to incapacitated two soldiers, they had quickly been replaced by two more. The fight was beginning to seem a little futile to him at this point. He could see both Dark Realm princes, as well as his brother, seemed to be more unnerved and scared by this than Logan, Patton, and he did. That made sense, Remus and Janus had been here for a while and had probably gone through a lot, and Roman knew that Virgil had now become very fearful of the general (something he had not been went he two had their first encounter).

It had been nearly ten minutes before the fight was finally over. Virgil made a mistake, he tried to fix it by dodging away from Tafe's attack but wasn't fast enough. With the flat of his sword Tafe shoved him into the wall, hard, the boy's had slammed into the wall and he slipped to the ground in a disoriented state. The general reached down, dragging a now struggling Virgil off the ground and holding him with his back to his chest in a way so he couldn't get away, and pressed the sword to his neck.

"Halt!" Tafe yelled, causing Virgil to flinch and everyone in the room to freeze. Virgil continued to struggle as his name was called out by those around him, both Patton and Janus having to be restrained by the others.

"Drop your weapons, now, all of you" Tafe commanded, for a moment those of them with weapons didn't make a move.

"You won't kill him," Janus said, though his concern was evident, "You need him, you won't kill him."

Tafe smiled, "No, but as your friends know, I definitely won't hesitate to hurt him. Now, do as I say, or I'll give the prince a pretty scar to match his brothers scales."

Jan watched the general for a moment before grabbing the sword from Remus's hand and dropping it on the ground, "Jan-" Remus said in a whisper, "What are you doing."

"He's not lying, do it. Now." Janus said to the others. Patton and Roman, the only two who still had weapons other than the soldiers, glanced at each other before lowering their weapons.

Tafe smiled, "Good, see? Now maybe His Highness's face can remain scar-free."

"Going," Virgil struggled to say, still not having given up on struggling his way away, "To kill you. Let, go, now."

"Aw, so he finally speaks. I was beginning to think you really were mute. You're going to kill me you said, I'd like to see you try. Don't worry, you'll have all the time you need to try just as son as we finish in here." Tafe turned back to the rest of the group, eyes landing on his nephew, "Logan, we have much to discuss. Get away from them, that's an order."

Logan looked around for a moment, locking gaze with Roman who as sending him an almost pleading look, "I'd rather rot in a cell then go anywhere with you. I'm not leaving them."

"Come now, the only reason I'm not leaving you in here with them is because your mother wouldn't be able to take any more loss. Come out of there, or else."

Logan didn't move, but all Tafe needed to do was raise his sword and bring it close to Virgil again before Janus had grabbed him and shoved the boy to the nearest soldier. "No! Wait! Logan!" Roman shouted, immediately jumping forward to try and help his boyfriend only for Remus to hold him back. It wouldn't be hard to get away from Remus, not in his state, but the chance of accidentally hurting him while doing so, made it impossible for him to try.

Logan struggled, just like Virgil but was quickly stopped. The soldier holding him, slamming his head into the wall, causing his glasses to fall the ground. In liue of sending a spell the wrong way, he stopped and remained pinned.

"Good job Tafe, you've succeeded at scaring a group of teenagers into doing what you want of them," Markus said as he entered the room slowly.

"One teenager," Roman growled, glaring at Janus as Remus continued to restrain him and the remaining four were forced into cells. Janus didn't let the words get to him, there was nothing wrong with not wanting your little brother hurt. Besides, if armies really were coming, then all they needed to do was survive a little longer, then they were saved.

Markus lifted Virgil's sword off the floor smiling down at it, "I remember this sword," he told Virgil, "It's survived for generations, it's so kind of you to have brought it to me. I'm sure if you had left it with your father, the looters would have reached it."

"M-my sword." Virgil said, trying to pull away from Tafe, "Mine. G-give it to me."

Markus shook his head, "I'm sorry Virgil, but the sword belongs to the King. And you are not a king. The sword is returned to me."

'Janus is king' Virgil wanted to sign, 'You're nobodies king.' He didn't sign that though. Instead, he fought against Tafe again, "Not yours," he whispered, voice scratchier than ever, tears coming to his eyes as he spoke. That sword was all he had left of his father and home. Janus had given it to him. The sword was his, even if he wasn't king. Even if he was never going to be king. The sword was his and his grandfather had no right whatsoever to take it from him.

"Take it to my study," Markus said to one of the soldiers, "I'll decide to do with it later. In the meantime, Virgil and Logan will be coming with us and the four of you will remain here. I'm sure the wonderful couple would love to fill you in on the rules."

And with that, Virgil and Logan were marched out of the room and their family and friends remained trapped in the prison tower with no one for company except each other.