From Maria Tatar'sThe Annotated Peter Pan: The Centennial Editionby J.M. Barrie:

From Maria Tatar's The Annotated Peter Pan: The Centennial Edition by J.M. Barrie:

"[...] a spectacle dominated by masquerade, mimicry, disguise, performance, role playing, and masks" (xxxix).

My speculation is that themes like these could feature in Fall.

Simony

Summary:

Rafal was fed up with Rhian’s delusions of True Love. After the Vulcan fiasco, after following where the stories go at night, after seeing Gavaldon, Rafal reaches his breaking-point sooner in Rise, and decides to confront Rhian.

This is a canon-divergent fic, by the way.

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Simony (noun) = the buying or selling of something spiritual or closely connected with the spiritual.

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When Rafal returned to the Schools, still in an unrecognizable state after the brothers’ renovations, he knew he had to find Rhian, to communicate. Yet, there stood Good, pompous like a cathedral.

Rafal paced outside the glinting castle for a moment. His brother had sold himself out, twice, for faithless, unworthy lovers, and he’d tarnished himself and his soul in the process.

Rhian was his perpetual foil. Rafal always had to clean up his brother’s messes, do the dirty work his brother wouldn’t deign to do, stain his soul when his brother wouldn’t sully his hands. Wrap up everything when Rhian couldn’t.

He flung open the doors to Good’s foyer, and headed down an oddly vacant glass hall to another chamber, where he had sighted Rhian. With a conversation he would cast out Hook, purge one brother of impurities, and confirm the Evil of the other.

The wall of glass before him shone, the row of lancet windows casting long shadows. Rhian looked ethereal in the light, like a spirit.

His golden, wild-haired double turned to him. “Rafal?”

“Of course you’re here. The ringleader of the corrupt Evers,” Rafal said staidly, too drained to deal with false pretenses. “Where’s your right hand?”

Rhian paused. “Here, with me.”

There Rhian was, seeming as pure and untainted as perfectly blown glass. The walls behind him looked more the pure white of sugar glass, with distortions and cracks. He was backlit by the light streaming through the high, arched windows, haloed by it even. The dust motes swirled like powdered sugar. His soul was not unmarred, but it wasn’t stained irrevocably, unforgivably. He was marked by only cheating.

Rhian cut a striking figure albeit a dark one, with his face shadowed. Meanwhile, Rafal stood opposite him, not bathed in light but shrouded in shadows. With his suit that matched Rhian’s, Rafal stood out. Earlier, Rhian had doffed his royal blue jacket, and now, he only wore his white shirt, buttoned at the sternum, collar shielding his throat. On the dimmer side of the room, Rafal looked a smear of soot, sore and scalded.

He stepped forward and Rhian shrank from him. Rafal felt like he’d been impaled.

Rhian’s face crumpled, and he spoke. “I wish you’d stop attacking me and antagonizing your students. Even the Storian is on Good’s side, and it must have a reason.”

Rafal's head spun as the harsh light glared, illuminating Rhian. Yet, it obscured him in shadow. Even this grandeur and light had forsaken him, just like the Storian and its tales. The Pen always abandoned Evil, condemned it. Rejected and denounced the Evil brother. Always. He was hurt, not the villain. He was reactive—trying to prevent the downfall of the Schools and felled by his supposedly virtuous brother—this couldn't be an Attack.

Rhian’s hands shook as he continued. “I’ve only tried to improve Good. To bring glory to my Evers’ tales.”

“And what's all this? A new School, or a vanity project?” Rafal spat.

Rhian shook, more intensely than before.

“I was never consulted, so I shouldn't need to seek your permission for any changes I'll make to my Schools.”

Rhian recoiled, and his vitriol struck Rafal like live coals. “Your Schools? You abandoned them. And me.”

Rafal’s hands were cold, as always, he supposed. Rhian's voice was weak and sputtering out now, like a smoldering match, the last embers of warmth. His brother had always been his beacon, keeping him in check.

“I fix everything.” Rafal berated. “And then what? Do I get any credit? I don’t care whether I do. I don’t care what anyone thinks of me. But I’d appreciate basic respect for what I stand for. Yet, you seem to weigh the value of your life against what your reputation is. One day, you’ll let your precious Ever followers, the standard-bearers, the bards, the minstrels, wax poetic about you, write epics, compose ballads. Do you want your subordinates to hail and herald you like a martyr, Rhian? Like you’re Good’s one and only savior?

“I don’t believe it. You're too vain. You frame me as the one to be hated and scorned. A role I've been relegated to. To let rot and turn to dust in the storybooks. Why do you think I moved all of Evil’s tales to the upper shelves of our office?

Not all Nevers are villains. I may be a Never and a villain, but I never thought I'd be your villain. Oh, you underestimate how much the students revile and fear me.” His jaw tightened.

Rhian withdrew further under his incisive gaze. Rafal was always more perceptive than he gave him credit for.

"And, you've sold yourself out in the process of chasing your infatuations. You've betrayed your own soul, Rhian, and me. You've lost your true nature, your integrity and my trust.” Rafal stilled, swallowed, and continued on. “You've been corrupted. You've discarded your true nature and better judgment, for a man who ultimately betrayed you, and another who, who doesn’t have your best intentions at heart.”

“How would you know?” Rhian blared.

Rafal took another step forward, thrust out an arm, and blasted Rhian back onto the floor. Approaching smoothly, he loomed over Rhian, and hooked his hand under Rhian’s chin, lifting it to meet his gelid eyes. “I almost drowned to know that which you don’t.” He dropped his hand, and Rhian’s head nodded forward like a sodden mass.

Rhian quailed in Rafal’s grip. Rafal’s suit flickered to black for a moment, burnt and blackened, a scorched figure against the white, and Rhian shook his head vaguely, as if to dislodge water. Surely, he was hallucinating.

Rafal’s hand quivered, like he’d been singed. His eyes seared as if he were about to be burned to death, by the heat of his own built-up resentment and his brother’s corruption that he failed to prevent. He was hollow and numb, like an effigy. Yet, there seemed to be something off in his brother as well. Rafal’s heart throbbed with simultaneous fear and purpose.

His vision was momentarily veiled. Under the harsh, white light, all the flaws and rot beneath the surface of their relationship were laid bare. They were a specter of what they’d once been. Rafal’s face went dead cold.

And then, clarity in denial:

“I'm not Evil—I can't be," Rhian choked.

“And I'm not Good. I wasn’t, even when I had you.” Rafal’s finger burned with a black glow, blotting out the light in the echoing, empty room. He shot a Stun Spell at Rhian.

“I don't want to die.”

Rafal seized one of Rhian’s wrists to keep him from moving. “You’re human, Rhian,” Rafal said as he touched his brother’s face gently. “As in mortal.” He drew a dagger from his side, and held it steady above Rhian’s heart.

“No, Rafal! I forgive you. I love you,” Rhian gasped.

“And I loved you.” Rafal plunged the dagger cleanly into Rhian’s heart as Rhian stirred one last time. The rise and fall of Rhian’s chest quickened. His blood pooled when Rafal removed the dagger. His heart kept pumping regularly but rapidly, to compensate for the blood loss until it stopped.

Rhian’s body splintered into pure, golden light, dissipating in the air.

The burning, bright blue sky was unsettlingly placid as Rafal fled Good. The idyllic landscape around him unleashed a torrent of nausea in Rafal’s throat, for everything else in the world looked right, as it should. Right and good and balanced. No one had yet realized what changed.

It was The End. The End of Ends. For all of time. At least it had an End. Their tale has closed. It had been open for too long, he knew. He’d see The End printed on his tale’s last page soon enough.

Then, Rafal crossed over from Good, and stared at his reflection in Evil’s moat. Its dark waters undulated languidly like the Savage Sea in miniature. His gelid resolve died. Immediately, remorse flooded him. His face broke from its calcified expression. Rafal’s eyes widened. He couldn’t grasp his actions. He could only think of his stained, bloodied hands, and his brother’s stab wound welling up with blood. His jaw pulsed from having tensed it, and his face had gone white at the black depths of his soul.

His hands were pale, shaking, and blue-veined. What had he done? The only person who had ever loved him, gone. Because of him. His blind rage hadn’t been tempered or balanced by his equal as it always had been. No, Rhian brought this upon himself. He’d not placated Rafal. That was Rhian’s role, to appease his temperamental twin. But why was it that the instant Rafal left, he'd lost control? Was Rafal just as responsible for keeping his brother in check as well? His eyes burned and his windpipe closed. Then that meant he’d interfered with the Balance. That it was his fault. Not solely Rhian’s. Searing rage at himself compressed his chest. He couldn’t breathe.

The Storian would make him pay the price for his original sin. Because, Good and Evil relied on each other as much as they were locked in eternal war. And the brothers had breached their blood-sealed vow. The vow that overrode that war, and sustained the Balance. The very Balance he’d fought so long and hard to protect. That he’d destroyed in one, singular, rash move.

Rafal had been stupidly short-sighted for all his knowledge of the prophecy. All for the want of a truce. All for the want of an apology. All through the fault of a bet. The fate of the Woods had ridden on the outcome of a bet. A simple, petty, childish bet. Imagine that. What a tale. Staked on something so small and insignificant, blown out of proportion.

What were they now? Brothers torn asunder. Once pillars, that stood for Good and Evil. Stable and constant. Once equals. And now? Nothing. Nothing at all.

Love had burned Rafal, every time, like a sorcerer of the New tales, lashed to a stake.

There he sat, eyes burning with tears. And there he sat, never to trust again. Not anyone. Not even himself.

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Note:

If it's not obvious, and I didn’t explain it well enough, Rhian violated the Balance. And, the Balance was the sacred thing that was sold. Because Rhian sold himself out, meaning, his true self, or what his true self was meant to be, the image of Good. He might have once been saintly and pious, but now, not so much.

Songs I was inspired by:

“Fearing and Loathing” by Marina

“the last beautiful thing I saw is the thing that blinded me” by Paris Paloma

#deathfic, #fratricide, #rhian martyr fic

Alternate title I considered: “Original Sins and Simony.” Because it would have been the pair of them I considered. Yet, I thought “Simony” was more impactful alone.

This whole thing was written for the sake of narrative parallels. And highly specific imagery. And for the drama and mood. I’m not trying to be melodramatic. I’m just giving the situation the grievous graveness I thought it deserved, with actual drama, if it comes across the way I intended.

I'd love to know your thoughts and reactions, and receive feedback in general.

Also, this is mostly based on memory and a gradual outline. I’ve had this concept for a long time, and didn’t go back to check Rise. So please forgive any errors. Though, if you notice any errors, kindly let me know, so I can fix them.

Lastly, did anyone catch my reference to book one? Comment below what it was to see if you got it. I’ll reveal it a bit later.

Joke headcanon: Rafal has Marie Antoinette syndrome because of all the undue stress Rhian put him through during their childhood. Because Rhian had exactly zero self-preservation instincts, and Rafal had to keep him from trusting anyone suspicious-looking, or anyone who looked vaguely murderous. Rhian has probably given Rafal a near-heart attack on multiple occasions.

Rhian is a poor judge of character. It's highly unlikely, but this could be what drove Rafal to fratricide. Maybe, he got fed up with continually saving Rhian, and decided he would just murder Rhian himself than allow him to be murdered by someone else.

I could see him thinking that he'd rather murder Rhian himself than let anyone else do it. That he’d rather be the cause of Rhian's death than anything else. If he were twisted or possessive enough, he probably would rather Rhian die by his hand than anyone else's.

All this aside, I think he’s naturally white-haired though. I've always pictured him like that anyway, and it suits him.

Is Rafal an anti-hero or an anti-villain? Probably both. It depends on when. Prequel or main series? And, it changes too often. And, from whose perspective are we looking at this from? His own? The readers’? The side characters’? Rhian’s? Sophie’s? I just keep thinking in circles.

Also, to possibly oversimplify the terms: I think of anti-hero as good intentions/desired outcome, bad deeds/means. And, anti-villains are bad intentions/desired outcome, good deeds along the way.

Headcanon: Rafal would probably wear black Oxford boots, instead of standard, lace-up, combat boots. Unlike Agatha who clomps around all the time, he's particularly quiet and light on his feet due to his power of flight. Or, he could wear the boots he wears on the cover of TLEA: tall, leather, riding boots.

If he's an Ever, (I hope not) he'd just be another “Agatha.” Though, he’d be more imperial-looking, sleeker, less clunky, more fashionable, and more intentionally villainous than Agatha. He’s also grumpy, sour, dour, and Agatha-like in character. He'd cut a sharp, striking figure. All lines and angles. Sharp and cold.

Why Rafal Is (Likely) the Elder Brother

It makes so much more sense for Rafal to be the elder brother of the pair. I doubt the brothers’ birth order will ever be revealed, because, so far, it’s irrelevant to telling the story as we know it. But, it could add to the story if we knew. I picked up on some possible references to fairy tales. Also, again, I just love parallels. And, not only that, I felt like analysis.

Disclaimer: Since this is informal, I didn’t want to bother to cite sources. Part of what I’ve used represents my own prior knowledge, and was cherry-picked to fit my views. I’m well-aware that I was selective in choosing evidence, so prepare for an evident bias. Though, arguments contrary to my own are welcome!

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1. BEHAVIOR -

Rhian’s characterization is younger, more emotional, “weaker,” dependent, in need of protection, partly because he’s Good and cannot Attack, easily taken advantage of, insecure of himself, vulnerable, and possibly, gullible. He is just too easy to exploit, potentially incapable of being alone, and clingy as well. I headcanon that as a child he had separation anxiety in regards to Rafal because he relies on Rafal so often. His attachment is clearly present. Also, as for being emotional, we know he’s sensitive to physical pain, and his reaction to Hook’s betrayal is that he sobs. In contrast, Rafal shuts down emotionally. Also: Alas, poor Rhian! He believes in thought crime! He deserves better, and he blamed himself for his Evil deeds, which are only partially his fault.

Furthermore, Rafal has classic eldest sibling psychology in his character (if not actual oldest child syndrome).

From Google searches, I've managed to find these traits which apply to him. (Partly paraphrased, didn’t think it mattered if I cited.) Thus, common characteristics of oldest children include:

“Bossy and/or dominating behavior.” (Definitely present in TLEA and Rise.)

“They might want to lead and dominate/Potential for leadership.” (Completely and 100% true. Rafal himself thrives in leadership, even if his victims or students don’t when he’s in power because of all that he subjects them to.)

“High self-esteem.” (Seems obvious enough. His ego.)

“Unhealthy competitive behavior.” (Sounds like how the brothers thought to convert Aladdin to their side and the runaway train at the Snow Ball.)

“Strong-willed and independent.” (He deserts his brother. Need I say more?)

“Tightly-wound.” (I think this crops up with the eventual anxiety that manifests when he is reunited with Rhian, like when he looks into Rhian’s eyes after Rhian tells him off about his Nevers’ ‘SOS’ signs.)

“A sense of responsibility, and ambition.” (Yes, usually.)

“Nevertheless, the stress that comes from feeling ‘dethroned’ by the birth of younger siblings may also result in some less than positive qualities such as jealousy and competitiveness.” (It is not necessarily jealousy in Rafal’s case, but the competitiveness is there. Rhian has it too. And, the competition was probably amplified by the fact that they are so close in age, as that happens in siblings.)

“They’re also typically more confident and assertive.” (True.)

“They might become obsessive.” (Nothing could be more true, haha.)

“The oldest child becomes a protector of the younger ones. It is a good quality until it turns extreme.” (Self-explanatory.)

“If you find your child going overboard trying to make something perfect to the level of obsession, it is unhealthy for them and the younger siblings. Even the younger children may get used to the protection and become dependent, while the oldest ones could lose themselves to their siblings and become obsessive.” (Could be true for the most part. I could imagine Rafal locking Rhian up just to keep him out of trouble.)

“Firstborns are particularly anxious.” (I headcanon that Rafal has some measure of anxiety, even a slight anxiety disorder, in that he leaps too far in his mind, thinking the whole Woods will be thrust into peril if his brother, by some miracle, manages to accomplish converting every last soul to Good’s side. It’s a reasonable worry, but still—it’s largely unrealistic. In his mind, he goes dark and far, fast. To the more remote possibilities, possibly.)

“They might become controlling.” (What better adjective is there to describe him with?)

“Overachieving, determined, opinionated.” (Perhaps, the drive to become School Master. We don’t know if he wanted the position, but he must have? He relishes it after all. He probably has strong opinions, and is more vocal about them than Rhian is about his. Also, he must have held some ideas as to how he’d rule the Schools before taking on the role.)

“The pressure of taking charge of all responsibilities.” (Sounds about right. He fixed almost everything that went tangibly wrong in Rise, set everything right briefly before he went off alone again after the books. And, he potentially can’t trust Rhian to do anything alone ever again. Too bad the results of his effort didn’t last.)

2. FAIRY-TALE CONVENTION -

The eldest brother is typically a wicked elder brother. Sometimes, there’s multiple, abusive, wicked elder brothers, all in line for the throne or an inheritance, before their good, youngest brother, who is usually a virtuous, selfless, pious, saintly, God-fearing (Storian-revering?) youth of a prince.

Less commonly and more present in modern fiction, the youngest brother, since he’s not the heir, will be jealous, and will be evil himself. This could reflect how Rhian gravitates toward, is attracted to, or is lured in by Evil men.

Often, the elder brother(s) is always cruel to the younger. The youngest is always the most pure and good soul, can put up with abuse silently, and is most commonly rescued. He will trust too easily, leaves himself too vulnerable, and is open to deception as a result. Again, this reminds me slightly of the time Rafal turned his skin invisible when he spooked Rhian in that one flashback from Rise. Though, that act wasn’t entirely mean-spirited on Rafal’s part.

Plus, there’s the many versions of the classic Brothers Grimms’ tale where elder brothers go off to seek their fortunes, foolishly disregard or insult a person in need of help, and return home, punished by a curse. Then, the younger, “worthless” brother goes out and succeeds at that which his brothers couldn’t, usually with magical aid of some kind and by means of the kindness of his heart.

Also, that younger siblings as the weakest and most vulnerable up against foes makes high, life-or-death stakes all the more riveting. It’s good storytelling practice.

An aside: And we wonder why Rafal has trust issues—

His brother, his own brother, trusted a man he never wanted to hire, and made him his replacement and substitute in some powerful role.

Oh, I bemoan (and laugh at) Rhian's foolhardy decisions. Sometimes, I like to anticipate chaotic results while reading though. It's fun when everything amps up to a crescendo, to the payoff.

But anyway, his brother trusted two men he shouldn't have trusted, fell in love, etc., but doesn't. Trust. His. Own. Brother. AAHHH. This is so incredibly frustrating, and the crux of Rise’s plot.

So frustrating. He's your idiot, Rafal. So don't kill him (please.)

How can this be? Rhian trusts the wrong people, and when his brother comes back for him, to save him, he doesn’t trust Rafal!

You little ingrate, Rhian! Rafal is re-committed. Even if you can’t parse out his loyalties. Don’t distrust him because he’s Evil. Just because of that, really? What about all the men you went after? At the moment, he’s committed to upholding the Balance. And he’s already under a lot of stress. Please don’t doubt him, Rhian. I mean, look at him. He’s suffered so much. For you. And he’s got anxiety. Look at him. The intensity... anxiety in his eyes. (Referring to the scene after Vulcan's death when Rhian observes all of Rafal's renovations to Evil.) I feel so sorry for him and his impending tragedy. He’s going to try to prevent the unpreventable, the inevitable, the prophecy, for you.

If only you knew, Rhian.

And, Rafal is definitely the world-weary one, and the skeptic, through-and-through. How is he not exhausted?

3. A LOVELY PARALLEL TO SOPHIE AND AGATHA - (You knew this was coming, didn’t you? They are my reference point to Rise. The other set of twins.)

Sophie is older and the Evil twin, and so, Rafal should be too. Their roles are perfectly set as they are, and Rafal and Sophie are so similar.

But honestly, the more visible narrative parallels I thought were the Rhian and Sophie parallels: falling in love too easily, being exploited for power, and being taken advantage of overall.

4. BONUS FAIRY-TALE CONVENTION -

For his poor judgment, Rhian could easily be called “clod,” “simpleton,” “little Simpleton,” “the fool,” “the laughingstock,” “the lucky fool.” Maybe, “the fool that Fortune smiles upon.” (Not really though, considering his run of luck.) Perhaps, “the unlucky fool” then.

Like the typical youngest sons, he could be the lucky one, if the plot gave him the chance to be.

Maybe, he’d be “mute,” or “dumb” by its secondary definition. He could be “the mute” compared to Rafal who does have more of a voice, who discloses his own, harsh opinions. By that, I mean, Rhian is more likely to lie to save face because he seems image-obsessed, and he is more likely to lie to avoid trampling anyone’s feelings, I would think. In my interpretation, Rafal cares not for what anyone thinks. He cares for no one’s opinion, and just is.