A Four Letter Word - Chapter I: Scars

A Four Letter Word
Chapter I: Scars

"I'm only doing this because I love you!" Lord Brudo's voiced echoed through the emptiness of Castle Avarius, accompanied by the sound of his thundering footsteps.

One word filled Ludo's thoughts. Run. As far back as he could remember, he had always been running. He twisted and turned through the castle halls, using every trick he could think of to lose his pursuer. Yet somehow, the footsteps never got any further away. Only closer. In a blind panic, Ludo took a turn down an unfamiliar hallway, and soon found himself staring in sheer dread at a dead end.

The echos were catching up to him now. He had no place left to run, and nowhere to hide. As his father rounded the corner, Ludo turned around to face him, finding Lord Brudo's expression to be one of pure scorn. "I don't understand... just tell me what I did!" Ludo backed up against the wall, trying to make himself as small as possible, as though he might somehow become small enough to vanish from existence.

"What you DID!?" Lord Brudo loomed over his terrified son, sneering down at him as he pulled his belt from his waist. "Obviously you DON'T understand! Haven't you ever heard of tough love? Figure it out, runt! Then maybe you won't feel the sting of leather so often!"

"Ludo!" As Lord Brudo raised his arm to strike, Ludo heard a distant voice calling him. Not the booming, frightening voice of his father, but a worried, panicked voice that sounded like it was coming from everywhere and nowhere all at once. "LUDO! Wake up!"

Ludo's eyes flew open, the concerned face of his brother filling his vision. "Hm? Dennis...?"

"Sorry about barging into your room, but I got worried when you didn't show up for breakfast." Dennis reached out to place a comforting hand on his brother's shoulder. "You were having the dream again."

"... was I?" Ludo rubbed the sleep from his eyes with a large yawn. "I don't even remember laying down."

"You didn't. I found you passed out over your desk last night in your office, still writing letters for the family reunion." As much as he respected his brother's work ethic, he could tell it was starting to take its toll. "I carried you back to your room."

Oh..." Ludo sat up and slipped his blankets off, sitting on the edge of his bed. He felt a twinge of guilt over making his brother worry. "I just want this whole thing to be a success. Even with the repairs on the castle nearly done, it's been so stressful being trying to organize fifty brothers and sister coming here at once.

"I've noticed. We're worried about you." Dennis was sure he was more worried than anyone, but the rest of the Avarius siblings had expressed their concerns as well. "So... somebody came here to cheer you up."

"Oh, who is it?" Ludo clapped with delight, happy to have the company after spending so many late nights working alone. "It's Menudo, isn't it? Good old Menudo, always there for me when I'm feeling down!"

Dennis shook his head with a small smile. "Even better. It's me, Dennis! And these two!" The door creaked open, Bird and Spider bursting into Ludo's room.

"Spider! There's my girl!" Ludo jumped to his feet, rushing over to Spider. He let out a laugh of genuine warmth, lovingly stroking Spider's head.

Ludo then turned to Bird, regarding her with curiosity. "Oh, hello there. Who are you?" He reached out a hand, gently holding the tip of Bird's wing in an imitation of a handshake.

"That's Bird." For the life of him, Dennis couldn't understand why Ludo never seemed to remember or recognize his feathered friend. "You've... met before."

"Oh, I don't think so. I would remember this one." Unable to reach Bird's head, Ludo settled for rubbing her belly, which she happily accepted.

"... you're sure you're okay?" Even though their situation had reached a point of relative stability, Dennis could tell Ludo was still coming to terms with his new life.

"I don't know." Ludo sighed, returning to sit on his bed. "As long as I've been apart from Mom and Dad, I feel like I'll never quite get over what they put me through. Like there's something chasing me that I can never quite escape. A mark that will never really fade away. Do you know what I mean?"

Dennis motioned to Bird and Spider, who slipped out of the room, Spider pulling the door closed behind her with her web.

"... yeah." Dennis took a deep, hesitant breath, then slowly raised his shirt, exposing his bare belly to Ludo. "I know what you mean."

As the feathers and skin become visible, Ludo gasped in horror at the scars that covered his brother's body. "... why didn't you tell me?"

Dennis shook his head sadly, pulling his shirt back down to cover the marks his parents had left on him. "What difference would it make?"

"What dif- Dad can pick on me all he wants, I can take it, but this time he crossed the line!" Ludo's rage was rising, and he stomped around his room, fuming with anger. "I'll hunt him down like a dog and feed him that stupid crown until he chokes on it!"

Dennis remained dead calm in response to his brother's fury. "Would revenge make you feel better?"

"YES!" Ludo shouted back without hesitation.

Thinking for a few seconds before responding, Dennis decided it was best to cut right to the heart of the matter. "For how long?"

"I... huh." Ludo stopped dead in his tracks. He hadn't really thought that far ahead. He had long dreamed about giving his parents, especially his father, a taste of their own medicine. But what then? What would it really accomplish? "So what are you saying?"

"Well..." Dennis took a seat on Ludo's bed next to him. "I read in an old book once that the best revenge is a life well lived."

"Really?" Ludo took his place next to Dennis. "I always heard revenge is best served cold. Good thing too, since I've never been much of a cook."

Dennis chuckled, not entirely sure if his brother was serious. "You know, the family reunion is really shaping up. I got more letters back this morning." Dennis reached into his pockets, pulling out a small bundle of papers. "Udo can't wait to see everyone again, but he probably won't be able to stay for very long. He and his wife are expecting a daughter soon. Sudo says she might actually take us up on living here for good. And Trudo... she wants to come stay here as soon as she's old enough to leave the nest."

"That's good to hear." A smile stretched across Ludo's face, which suddenly vanished as quickly as it had appeared. "Although... there are some of my brothers and sisters I won't be happy to see."

"I know you didn't get along with everyone. Especially Chudo. But most of them have been away from Mom and Dad for a long time, just like you. Maybe they've changed. We have." Dennis gave Ludo a chance to consider his words, and when no response came, decided to give him one more small push. "Don't they at least deserve a chance?"

Ludo let out a resigned sigh. "... alright." He knew Dennis was right. If he'd been given a second chance at life, he figured he owed his brothers and sisters the same.

"Just think of it. We can be a family again, Ludo. Brothers and sisters, nieces and nephews, maybe someday even kids and grandkids. A real family, who really love each other." Dennis rose from his place on Ludo's bed, the conviction in his voice growing. "And when we think about mom and dad, we'll know they're just rotting in that old shack, bitter and alone.” Dennis paused to let the idea sink in. “Or maybe we don't ever think about them again. We could all just live the rest of our lives and be happy. I don't know about you, but that's revenge enough for me."

"You always were the brains in the family, Dennis." Ludo shook his head, laughing to himself. "And me... I'm just the runt."

"Ludo..." Dennis looked down at his brother with a gaze of pure admiration, then swept him up in a hug. "You're bigger than any of us."

Ludo could feel himself starting to tear up as he returned his brother's embrace. "Thank you, Dennis."

Dennis set Ludo back down on the floor, smiling warmly at him. "Well... we didn't want to start breakfast without our favorite brother. Everyone’s waiting for you. Are you ready for the rest of our lives?"

"The rest of our lives..." Ludo hadn't thought about it that way before, but again, he realized Dennis was telling the truth. Though he could never erase the memories of his old life, he could at least make peace with them. With the family he always wanted, the suffering of his past was nothing compared to the joy of his future.

"The rest of our lives sounds wonderful."