Still, he found himself paying attention to her.

One day, he had followed Rosalind to the king’s gallery, listening to her voice while observing her expressions. Then she stopped in front of a portrait and lingered there longer than expected.

Something about it caught her attention deeply.

Rowan eventually looked toward the portrait as well and the moment he did, a strange feeling struck him again.

It felt familiar.

His eyes remained on the portrait while something stirred inside his chest and suddenly his head began aching sharply. He immediately looked away from it and forced himself not to think further about whatever strange feeling had just come over him.

Meanwhile, Alaric had noticed Rowan’s reaction to the portrait immediately.

But there was nothing in Rowan’s expression that suggested he remembered who he once was because years of laudanum had destroyed too much of him already.

So instead, Alaric merely redirected Rosalind’s attention away from the portrait before leaving with her.

But after that day, Rowan began having dreams.

Disturbing dreams. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

He heard voices constantly, heard screams, saw shadows he could not fully recognise and every time he woke up, there was always a deep pain in his chest as though he had once been hurt terribly there before although he could not remember why.

As days passed and he continued serving Rosalind, he found himself growing drawn to her and during that time, his memories slowly began returning in fragments over the following months. They were unclear at first but they were there.

When Rowan had once been punished in the pit and sustained injuries, the pain in his chest had suddenly triggered something and for a moment he remembered another injury, something sharp piercing directly through him.

After that, the fragments began connecting little by little.

The palace started feeling familiar again.

The corridors.

The throne hall.

Even Alaric himself...

Over time, Rowan and Rosalind grew close despite themselves and before long, they were secretly involved with each other. During those stolen moments together, more of his memories returned fully until there was no missing piece left anymore.

But he never allowed Alaric to realise he had regained his memories.

Then recently, when he and Rosalind had been caught together, Rowan had spoken those words and Alaric had been completely unsettled because he never expected Rowan to remember any of it.

From that moment onward, the only thing Alaric believed he could do was send him back into the dungeon once again.

****

"Tell me, brother," Alaric mused with a smirk resting upon his lips "What exactly is left of you now?"

Rowan slowly matched the smirk with one of his own and his sharpened gaze settled fully on his elder brother. "Why don’t you come in here and find out?" he asked calmly.

Alaric’s eyes narrowed slightly at him.

"There is no way for you to know if you keep me locked away like this," Rowan continued. "And we both know the real reason you are doing it."

Alaric chuckled coldly. "And what reason would that be?"

"Because you are scared of me."

For a brief moment, silence settled heavily between them.

Then Alaric laughed again although there was no amusement in it. "Scared?" he repeated.

"The moment people learn what you have done, everything ends for you," Rowan said and this time Alaric’s expression darkened visibly.

"Do you truly believe things are still the way they used to be?" Alaric asked as he stepped closer to the cell. "Twelve years have passed. The palace has changed, the kingdom has changed and no one remembers you anymore. I made sure to get rid of everyone who would have challenged me."

Rowan remained quiet while staring directly at him.

"There is nothing you can do now," Alaric continued. "You have always been the same, incapable, soft-hearted, loving and weak."

"I am no longer the same person I used to be and that is thanks to you," Rowan said as he slowly approached the front of the cell. "But one thing I am certainly not is weak."

Alaric’s jaw tightened immediately. "You have always been weak," he snapped. "Even when we were children."

Rowan chuckled and the sound irritated Alaric even more.

Rowan stood directly before the bars separating them. "And it never occurred to you that maybe I only pretended so you could keep believing you were the stronger one?" he asked calmly.

Alaric’s eyes narrowed sharply. "What?"

"I spent years letting you feel superior... and everything you have now exists because I allowed it," Rowan said quietly.

Alaric’s gaze darkened just as Rowan continued in his calm voice, "You do not want to find out what I would become if I stopped thinking about what our parents would have wanted... They would never have wanted me to turn into a monster like you."

The two brothers exchanged fierce glares and Rowan added to his anger, "Haven’t I always been the perfect son?"

Alaric clenched his jaw so tightly the muscles in his face twitched. His eyes narrowed with anger as he stared at Rowan through the bars. "You are saying all of this just to provoke me, aren’t you, little brother?" he asked coldly.

Then he added sharply, "At the end of the day, I am the one sitting on the throne while you remain locked inside this cell. No one is coming to save you except me."

"We will see about that," Rowan replied.

Alaric glared at him before turning sharply to leave but Rowan’s voice stopped him again.

"And if you are brave enough," Rowan said casually, "we can spar someday and finally discover which one of us is truly stronger."

Alaric slowly clenched his fists.

’Rowan was insane’.

That was the only conclusion Alaric could reach.

Alaric turned toward the guards immediately. "Under no circumstance is the traitor to leave this cell."

The guards nodded at once.

Then Alaric strode away from the dungeon with fury burning inside him.

He would kill Rowan.

And this time, with his own hands.