The dormitory was quiet except for the soft rustle of blankets and the occasional sigh of exhaustion. Moonlight poured through the high windows, painting the stone floor in silver and shadow.
The four princes lay on their mats, bodies aching, muscles screaming from a day that had tested them more than any could remember. Sweat had dried to a thin crust on their skin, and the smell of dust and pine lingered in the air.
Vihaan groaned, rolling onto his side. "My body… it hurts so much. I don't think I can move tomorrow," he complained, voice small and whining.
Vivaan, lying calmly beside him, turned his gaze to the moonlight filtering in. His expression was serene, untouched by the pain that gripped his brothers. "Little brother," he said gently, "all of this… all the hurt, the soreness… it is in your heart. If your heart is strong, your body will follow. Endure it here, and your spirit will never break."
Vihaan blinked, trying to understand, and a faint smile crept onto his tear-streaked face.
Arish let out a deep, shuddering sigh. "I… I can't stop thinking about Father and Mother," he whispered, the weight of homesickness and exhaustion combining into tears he could no longer hold back.
Reyansh, as mischievous and fiery as ever, burst into laughter. "Hahaha! You're a baby, Arish! Crying in front of us!"
Vihaan, caught between exhaustion and amusement, giggled despite himself. "He really is a baby!"
Arish's crying only grew louder. "No! I… I just… I miss them!" he sobbed, his shoulders shaking.
Reyansh laughed even harder, punching the floor lightly with a grin. "See! I am not like you, little brother! I can endure!"
Vihaan, still half-laughing, joined in. "You're right, Arish. You're making everything worse!"
The room erupted into a mix of laughter and tears — chaotic, uncontrollable, yet strangely comforting.
Vivaan watched silently for a moment, then shook his head gently. His calm voice cut through the noise. "Enough."
The laughter froze. The younger brothers turned their heads toward him, expecting scolding, but instead saw tears glistening in his own eyes.
"I… I am remembering Mother and Father," Vivaan admitted softly, letting the emotion flow freely for the first time that night. "The pain, the longing… it is all in the heart. And when you let it flow, it teaches you… it makes you stronger."
For a moment, silence filled the dormitory. The older brothers, Reyansh and Vihaan, stared at him, frozen, realizing their own laughter had not erased the ache inside them. Slowly, the tears they had fought to hold back began to fall.
Arish, trying to stop them, shook his head. "No! Stop! Don't cry! You'll make everything worse!"
But Reyansh, pointing at Vivaan with a trembling finger, muttered, "It's your fault! Because of you, Vivaan, we… we can't hold it anymore!"
Vihaan nodded through sniffles, laughing weakly between sobs. "Yeah… it's all your fault, brother!"
Arish threw up his hands, exasperated, trying desperately to hold back both his own tears and theirs. "No! I am not remembering Mother and Father! Our mother and father are with us — in Vivaan! In all of us, as brothers. This is not weakness… this is love."
The younger princes froze, understanding dawning in their eyes. Slowly, their sobs softened into quiet sniffles. The room was heavy with emotion, but no longer chaotic.
Vivaan sat up slightly, brushing the hair from his damp forehead. "Pain, longing, and hurt… they come from the heart. If you understand your heart, you can endure anything. Even fear, even exhaustion, even loss."
Arish finally smiled, weakly but genuinely. "You… you make it seem like strength is not in hiding tears, but in feeling them… together."
Reyansh, still wiping his eyes, grinned sheepishly. "I guess… I never thought crying could make me stronger."
Vihaan leaned against Vivaan's side. "Brother… I think I understand now. It's all in the heart, isn't it?"
Vivaan nodded, his calm smile radiant even in the soft glow of moonlight. "Yes, little ones. The heart endures what the body cannot. And when the heart is true, you will always find strength — in yourselves, in each other, and in the bond that ties us as brothers."
For a long while, they lay there silently, letting the weight of the day and their emotions settle. The dormitory, usually filled with the sounds of restless children, now held the quiet of understanding, a deep and lasting connection forged under moonlight and tears.
Arish finally whispered, voice trembling but firm, "Thank you, Vivaan… for being our heart. For showing us how to endure."
Vivaan's smile softened. "And thank you for letting me guide you. Together, no burden is too heavy, no mountain too steep, and no night too long."
Outside, the wind whistled softly against the fortress walls. The moon shone bright and unwavering, a silent witness to the four brothers lying together — exhausted, crying, laughing, and learning the first lesson of their lives: true strength flows from the heart.
And as they drifted into a fitful, exhausted sleep, the bond of brotherhood had deepened, stronger than the mountains themselves, ready to face whatever the next day of training — or the world — would throw at them.