[ So Tris. Whenever you do leave Ariel's bedroom, Jupiter is waiting in the hallway, leaning against the wall. How long has he been there? Who can say. The servants have always liked him better than you. And until now, that was a mostly harmless thing... until now. Because who knows how much he's overheard, too? ]
[ It's not as if things weren't hard enough, the past week basically being a cold war between all the brothers. Jupiter himself angry at Tris's controlling nature, treating Ariel like a doll (as he said once, in one of their arguments.) He's been able to put his emotions aside for work, but perhaps that cold close-yet-far distance made it all the more bittersweet. Ariel has been growing more distant from Jupiter too, despite Jupiter being his confidant, which has only made things more tense. Understandably so. ]
[ And when Tris sees Jupiter out in the hall, one thing is clear: He's never looked more like the 'original', who was all sharp and intense except for rare moments of softness. If he skin wasn't as round and soft, if he dyed his hair red, it would be a perfect resemblance. ]
[He teleported, took them both to his room but it's not hard to follow the servants there when Tristan calls for them, and when he spots Jupiter he frowns, makes a "later" gesture and orders a bath, spare clothes, various essentials before going back in to argue with Ariel a while longer. Eventually he leaves Ariel in the bath and opens the door to Jupiter, wordlessly holding it to allow Jupiter to come in.]
[ Let's not forget Jupiter just knows Tris, and even like this seems to have uncanny intuition and a knack for sniffing out mages. But that's beside the point. Jupiter enters the room like he owns it, and turns to stare at Tristan with a challenge in his eyes. ]
This isn't the original timeline our world was part of. Originally the war your mother led lasted five years with an unimaginable toll in lives, but she won. The consequences were a new government, the oppression of mages, and her eventual assassination. Before that, however, she let two royal princes escape; Ariel and I.I planned to live peacefully. Ariel, however, did not. He wasn't right in the head. He turned to murder and torture while working his way up the social ladder. Eventually he took control of the country again.
You were also involved, the three of us...
In the end Ariel went too far in his dementia, I remade the world and his mind.
[It's a heavily edited, short version that goes neither into the true horror of the time, nor how Tris could turn back time and rewrite an entire world and its fate. It sounds frankly unbelievable. ]
[He can't. He feels like, if he acknowledges it. If he talks about how he was back then, he'll be that way again. Weak and spineless and useless and pathetic. He can barely think about it. Explaining it is more than he can bear.]
[He'd rather be hated than become that person again, and he feels very much like if he acknowledges what he was like, he'll return to that. It's irrational, but he never dealt with it, and he feels like he never can.]
I have no intention of talking about it. Go comfort Ariel, he's had a harder night than you can imagine.
[ Jupiter's lips thin, and it's obvious he feels that Tristan's refusal is a betrayal of some kind. But he doesn't press any more, moving past Tris to quietly enter the bathroom. ]
[Tristan ignores the look, taking blankets and pillows and setting himself up to doze on the couch.]
[Including the bathroom and his suit no one can enter or leave without him allowing it. Jupiter and Ariel are trapped in here unless they wake him, but the trade off is he can't sleep deeply. But it's not like he's slept well since Ariel banned him anyway]
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[ It's not as if things weren't hard enough, the past week basically being a cold war between all the brothers. Jupiter himself angry at Tris's controlling nature, treating Ariel like a doll (as he said once, in one of their arguments.) He's been able to put his emotions aside for work, but perhaps that cold close-yet-far distance made it all the more bittersweet. Ariel has been growing more distant from Jupiter too, despite Jupiter being his confidant, which has only made things more tense. Understandably so. ]
[ And when Tris sees Jupiter out in the hall, one thing is clear: He's never looked more like the 'original', who was all sharp and intense except for rare moments of softness. If he skin wasn't as round and soft, if he dyed his hair red, it would be a perfect resemblance. ]
Tristan.
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Explain.
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Don't order me.
[He snaps, closing the door and prowling around the room, sealing the royal suit magically, as he sealed the bathroom. ]
How much did you hear? He'd rather talk to you than look at me right now.
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I trust you.
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This isn't the original timeline our world was part of. Originally the war your mother led lasted five years with an unimaginable toll in lives, but she won. The consequences were a new government, the oppression of mages, and her eventual assassination. Before that, however, she let two royal princes escape; Ariel and I.I planned to live peacefully. Ariel, however, did not. He wasn't right in the head. He turned to murder and torture while working his way up the social ladder. Eventually he took control of the country again.
You were also involved, the three of us...
In the end Ariel went too far in his dementia, I remade the world and his mind.
[It's a heavily edited, short version that goes neither into the true horror of the time, nor how Tris could turn back time and rewrite an entire world and its fate. It sounds frankly unbelievable. ]
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... you've edited parts out. Is this related to Ariel's nightmares? And this means you did plan for us to be like this, with you?
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But no, i didn't map out how you'd end up, not intentionally.
[He sounds less sure, questioning himself and his own intentions.]
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Tell me about your life.
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I don't want to hate you, Tris.
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[He'd rather be hated than become that person again, and he feels very much like if he acknowledges what he was like, he'll return to that. It's irrational, but he never dealt with it, and he feels like he never can.]
I have no intention of talking about it. Go comfort Ariel, he's had a harder night than you can imagine.
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[Including the bathroom and his suit no one can enter or leave without him allowing it. Jupiter and Ariel are trapped in here unless they wake him, but the trade off is he can't sleep deeply. But it's not like he's slept well since Ariel banned him anyway]