The Masters of Death (The Outsiders x The Tale of the Three Brothers)

The Masters of Death

It was an unusually dark and windy evening as three brothers travelled an unfamiliar route home after an especially long day. The leaves in the trees rustled noisily and bats screeched in the sky above. There was chill in the air as the brothers came across an ominously turbulent river, waves cresting and spilling over its banks. There was a dilapidated rope bridge stretching from one side to the other and the three brothers eyed it cautiously as they assessed their options.

The eldest brother, Darrel, believed that if they crossed the bridge one at a time, slowly and not making any sudden movements, they would all reach the other side safely. The middle brother, Sodapop, suggested they all ran across the bridge as fast as their legs could carry them so as to give it less chance to collapse beneath them. Ponyboy, the youngest of the brothers, wondered why they couldn't just repair the bridge with their magic.

Realising that Ponyboy's option was the better of the three, the brothers all cast a quick "Reparo" spell to mend the bridge. As the wind whipped their hair into their eyes and the spray from the river dampened the hems of their trousers, the three brothers made their way safely over the good-as-new bridge.

On the opposite bank, they came across three extraordinarily powerful magical objects. A reward, they assumed, for fixing the bridge and making it to the other side. The first of these objects was a small branch from an elder tree nearby. It was the right size and shape for a wand, and the wind told the brothers that it would serve as a wand more powerful than any other in existence. The trees whispered in agreement. Sodapop swiftly claimed the wand for himself, trusting that it would help him conquer any enemies he might encounter on his journeys.

The second object was a smooth black stone from the river bank. As the water slid over hundreds of other almost identical stones, it told the brothers that the stone had the ability to bring loved ones back from the dead. "A stone for resurrection," hissed the leaves. Tempted by grief over the loss of their parents only months ago, Darrel snatched up the stone and stowed it in his pocket. It had been hard on him, having to grow up so fast so as to take care of his younger brothers, and the chance at bringing back their parents was not one to miss.

The third object was a shimmering sheet of material, spun from the silk of the forest spiders. It was draped over the branches of the tree closest to them, and as Ponyboy reached for it, the night became silent. The wind didn't whistle, the waves didn't crash, the leaves didn't rustle. No twigs cracked beneath Ponyboy's feet as he moved closer to the material. The moment his fingers brushed against the fabric, branches parted above them and a moonbeam shone down on the brothers. Ponyboy suspected then that the objects were gifts from the Moon herself. Gifts to guard and assist them throughout their many travels. Encouraged by the circle of ambient light surrounding them, Ponyboy lifted up the material and threw it over his shoulders like a cloak. Sodapop and Darrel immediately gasped and as Ponyboy looked down, he realised why.

Where once his shoulders had been was only air, at his feet only fallen leaves. Though he could not see his hands, he could feel them clenching the cloak around him.

A cloak of invisibility would certainly become useful on their journeys.

Bowing their heads in thanks, the brothers each left behind a hair from their head as a tribute to whoever had left them these gifts.

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After the passing of their parents, the three brothers had sworn that they would never leave each other's sides. They had wanted to be able to look out for each other and face every challenge together, stronger as a team. But now with these magical objects, Sodapop and Darrel didn't see it as necessary. Ponyboy had his doubts, but in the end, the brothers decided to go their separate ways, at least for the time being, and see where their luck would take them.