TW: gore, death and grief
Do you ever think about how, pre-Chronicles of Wonder, Rae would definitely remember watching Icarus die?
I mean he did before, to an extent, depending on how fast Fable could rip the page but even then he wouldn't have to deal with the after.
Would only have a maybe a few seconds to process what happened, before being ripped away and having his memories rewritten. But if he remembered Icarus dying for good? oh how traumatizing do you think he would remember getting that memory back to be?
Receiving the memory of seeing his brother's broken body, limbs bent at impossible angles, blood splattered on the usually bright yellow wings on either side of their head. Being able to do nothing as they fell but scream in vane for the only family that he'd had, someone he'd never see again. Having only a split second before hearing a final cry of agony and the blood-chilling crunch of bones.
Sobbing from atop whatever ledge they'd fell from, a helpless, lost little boy with no one left to take care of him. Even his final, begrudging guardian taken from him. Sobbing still as he descended to drag their lifeless body up to a poorly dug grave, with a stone that read nothing but their name in shoddy handwriting because digging took to much energy out of his small body.
Grieving their brother and trying to move on, trying so hard but it's so difficult. Because no matter how much they bickered and argued, no matter how angry the two would get, that was still his big brother. No matter how much it felt like they didn't like him, he still liked to believe that they loved him. The only semblance of guidance he'd had since Isla was taken, the person who by many means was keeping him alive, one of the only links he'd still had to his mother. And they were gone. just like that. With a trip, a misplaced step, one tiny mistake that cost them their life.
Of course, it didn't happen. But Rae would have memories and felt like it did. It was real to him. It would not be the somber acceptance he had felt the last time he had truly seen his brother. not through altered memories but when they'd said goodbye next to the Quixis pond. The grief would not be something that he hadn't hoped for, but had already mentally prepared himself for, it would be sudden and without reason and hit him like a tidal wave. The pain would still linger, even after his true memories return. do you ever think about it? because I sure do
(Icarus knows this is what has happened to his memories, knows that even in leaving and even in altering the world so it was like they had died many years ago, they still managed to hurt their brother. Whenever they can see him grieve them, see him speak of them so fondly even after everything he doesn't remember they did, they try to console themself by saying it'll be ok when they're back, that the memory will go away and one day, both of them will be ok again(if they ever were)
(it doesn't comfort them much)
