The thick snow of Ellador collects like blankets on the ground. Two travellers wander to the entrance of a Isldarrin hold. One of which is a red headed Ailor with a bushy moustache and a big hat. The other is a young Isldar, his identity concealed by fake Moon Vault tattoos and clothes new to those who knew him. This is Theo. Theo has a history in this hold. It was his home where he was disgraced for his beliefs, his rejection of Dragon Worship. Where he was forced to run and hunted down. But all this is in the past. He's here for closure. Whatever the result of this visit, it's better than knowing nothing.
They stop at the hold's entrance, knowing well that only the Isldar can pass through. Theo turns to the Ailor.
"Wait here. I'll be back in a bit."
The Ailor nods and Theo continues alone into the hold.
Walking around his old home Theo keeps his head down, looking for someone. He passes many places he remembered all too well. The school that caused him years of taunting and trauma, the blacksmith's place where his father got his dagger as a gift, and finally the library. Ah, the library. Theo remembers this place the most. It was his escape where he could read about heroes and villains, good in bad, light and dark, all clashing in ways he never thought possible. He would go there everyday after school. Him and...
He passes a young girl, around fourteen. Her hair is medium length and her bangs go down to her glasses. Theo does a double take, she does a double take. Their eyes widened. This is undoubtedly Rose. Rose is Theo's younger sister and was his best friend while he was still in the hold. They would always spend their afternoons in the library reading, no wonder she's here. She takes a step towards Theo and a shaking voice greets him.
"Th-Theodore?"
"Rose.." Theo responds. "Rose, I missed you. I-"
"You're alive!" Rose runs to envelope him in a hug. "They said you were dead.. They said so many terrible things about you but I knew they weren't true!" She hugs him tighter. "I knew they weren't true."
Theo smiles sadly as he wraps his arms around her. "I know, I know. I'm sorry I ran away.. But I needed to. I wasn't safe here any longer."
"No, no. It's okay.. But now you're here to make things right? To right the wrongs of the past and join back into the family?" Her face loses color as Theo begins to frown. "No, you can't disappear again. Theodore you can't disappear again! Please don't leave!"
"Rose, I'm sorry. I just-" he takes notice of the small crowd joining around them, their brows perched. "We should discuss this outside the hold, I'm safer there."
And so they walk back, meeting the red headed Ailor who greets Rose with a nod. He mainly stands in the background, at ease and focused on other things, that being the entrance of the hold.
"So, Rose.." Theo begins. "First, I'm sorry I didn't tell you anything about where I was when I ran away. That was one of my biggest regrets."
Rose responds with a nod. "It's alright.. I was just- really, really worried."
"I know, I'm so sorry.."
"But why did you?" Rose questions. "Was it really that hard on you? The taunting and the screaming?"
Theo shutters at the memories rising in him. All the sleepless nights he spent bawling his eyes out while everyone told him he wasn't good enough.. It all started to come back.
"No, it wasn't that." Theo finds a strange sense of comfort in the new memory rising. It was one his friends had helped him come to peace with. "I was slashed across the back that last night, on my way home from school. I was bleeding out and the medics, they wouldn't help me.. Told me I had it coming. That in some twisted way I deserved it. Rose, I was no older than you when it happened.. Can you imagine?"
"I.. I can't say I can." Rose looks at him with sad eyes. "I don't want to imagine.. I just want you safe. Please, come back.."
"Rose, I'm not safe here. But don't worry. I've found a new home with a lot of friends in the city of Regalia. I even found a lost cousin of ours. Her name's Silver. You'd love her, you two are very alike." Theo smiles softly as Rose starts to wipe away the tears growing. "You're always welcome to come visit me, you know. You'll find me in Petalcourt. They follow a different religion, All-Mother worship, but that's what I'd align myself to nowadays anyways. And they're accepting of other religions, too. Really, you should visit us sometime." Theo looks to the Ailor and then back.. "But I will ask a favor. Could you bring Seb out here? I need to have a few words with him."
"Wha?" Rose seems to be taken off guard. "Yeah, uhh.. sure. If I can find him, that is." Rose scrambles back into the hold to search for their brother.
Theo turns to the Ailor. "Be on your ready. He may attack. But please, don't hurt him unless you need to."
"Of course." The Ailor nods. "We went over this many times before."
He turns as Rose returns, followed by an eighteen year-old Isldar. All the light that may have existed on the man's face from years prior has been wiped and replaced with a deep-seeded hatred. He glares with his tired, dead eyes and it seems that at this moment all that anger is directed towards Theo. The man's eyes are void of shine and his left is a dull blue. His right, however, is covered up by scarring tissue, a visible imprint of a slit going down the center. Although his look has changed significantly since the last time Theo had seen him, he still had that charismatic haircut of his brother, even though the face no longer matched it. A hatchet stained with dry blood is gripped tightly in his hand.
They stare for a while before Sebastian wipes a beaten hand across the hatchet, smudging the blood and says "You bitch.."
"Hello to you too, Seb." Theo replies, glancing to the ground.
Sebastian stares daggers at Theo. "About time you brought your cowardly ass back here."
"I came to make things right, Seb." Theo lifts his eyes to meet Sebastian's. "I want to-"
"Oh I'll make things right alright." Sebastian takes a step towards Theo, readying his hatchet. "Make things right by caving your skull in!" He goes to run at Theo but Rose grabs his arm.
"Seb- Stop!" She is thrown to the ground.
Theo takes a step back. "I know you don't hate me, Seb. And to be honest I really miss you."
"Shut up." Seb takes another step forward. "You don't know shit."
"And I'm sorry I took your eye. It's just-"
"It's just what, Theodore!? What is it!?" Suddenly, Sebastian's voice isn't just angry. It cracks and breaks as emotions try to make their way through.
"Well you were trying to take my life.. You attempted to kill me..." Theo's tone is sad.
"Well how about this time it's not a fucking attempt!?"
"Seb.." Theo's voice calms. "I miss you, the old you. The one that would do anything to help me. I know you're still there. That's why you won't kill me-" Before the Ailor can react a hatchet is launched through the air, breaking through Theo's leather armor and digging itself in his chest. He falls to the ground with a thud.
"I never loved you! Not then, not now. Nobody ever will Theo! You need to realize that!"
Seb seems to not notice the Ailor rapidly approaching him.
"And I'll do whatever it takes to make sure that the ground you lay on will be your grav-" |POW| Seb is hit by the Ailor with a hook to the side of the head. He is instantly knocked out and collapses on the floor.
Theo's face loses the little color it had as he rapidly loses consciousness. The last thing he sees is a small orange fox coming out of the woods.
All the screaming, all the fighting that was happening, it all mutes. It's just them. Theo reaches his hand out to it and it comes to him. Curling up beside him as he bleeds in the snow, not to leave his side. Theo smiles and pets the fox as he drifts off.
A shaky hand caressing a fox slows to a stop.
They stop at the hold's entrance, knowing well that only the Isldar can pass through. Theo turns to the Ailor.
"Wait here. I'll be back in a bit."
The Ailor nods and Theo continues alone into the hold.
Walking around his old home Theo keeps his head down, looking for someone. He passes many places he remembered all too well. The school that caused him years of taunting and trauma, the blacksmith's place where his father got his dagger as a gift, and finally the library. Ah, the library. Theo remembers this place the most. It was his escape where he could read about heroes and villains, good in bad, light and dark, all clashing in ways he never thought possible. He would go there everyday after school. Him and...
He passes a young girl, around fourteen. Her hair is medium length and her bangs go down to her glasses. Theo does a double take, she does a double take. Their eyes widened. This is undoubtedly Rose. Rose is Theo's younger sister and was his best friend while he was still in the hold. They would always spend their afternoons in the library reading, no wonder she's here. She takes a step towards Theo and a shaking voice greets him.
"Th-Theodore?"
"Rose.." Theo responds. "Rose, I missed you. I-"
"You're alive!" Rose runs to envelope him in a hug. "They said you were dead.. They said so many terrible things about you but I knew they weren't true!" She hugs him tighter. "I knew they weren't true."
Theo smiles sadly as he wraps his arms around her. "I know, I know. I'm sorry I ran away.. But I needed to. I wasn't safe here any longer."
"No, no. It's okay.. But now you're here to make things right? To right the wrongs of the past and join back into the family?" Her face loses color as Theo begins to frown. "No, you can't disappear again. Theodore you can't disappear again! Please don't leave!"
"Rose, I'm sorry. I just-" he takes notice of the small crowd joining around them, their brows perched. "We should discuss this outside the hold, I'm safer there."
And so they walk back, meeting the red headed Ailor who greets Rose with a nod. He mainly stands in the background, at ease and focused on other things, that being the entrance of the hold.
"So, Rose.." Theo begins. "First, I'm sorry I didn't tell you anything about where I was when I ran away. That was one of my biggest regrets."
Rose responds with a nod. "It's alright.. I was just- really, really worried."
"I know, I'm so sorry.."
"But why did you?" Rose questions. "Was it really that hard on you? The taunting and the screaming?"
Theo shutters at the memories rising in him. All the sleepless nights he spent bawling his eyes out while everyone told him he wasn't good enough.. It all started to come back.
"No, it wasn't that." Theo finds a strange sense of comfort in the new memory rising. It was one his friends had helped him come to peace with. "I was slashed across the back that last night, on my way home from school. I was bleeding out and the medics, they wouldn't help me.. Told me I had it coming. That in some twisted way I deserved it. Rose, I was no older than you when it happened.. Can you imagine?"
"I.. I can't say I can." Rose looks at him with sad eyes. "I don't want to imagine.. I just want you safe. Please, come back.."
"Rose, I'm not safe here. But don't worry. I've found a new home with a lot of friends in the city of Regalia. I even found a lost cousin of ours. Her name's Silver. You'd love her, you two are very alike." Theo smiles softly as Rose starts to wipe away the tears growing. "You're always welcome to come visit me, you know. You'll find me in Petalcourt. They follow a different religion, All-Mother worship, but that's what I'd align myself to nowadays anyways. And they're accepting of other religions, too. Really, you should visit us sometime." Theo looks to the Ailor and then back.. "But I will ask a favor. Could you bring Seb out here? I need to have a few words with him."
"Wha?" Rose seems to be taken off guard. "Yeah, uhh.. sure. If I can find him, that is." Rose scrambles back into the hold to search for their brother.
Theo turns to the Ailor. "Be on your ready. He may attack. But please, don't hurt him unless you need to."
"Of course." The Ailor nods. "We went over this many times before."
He turns as Rose returns, followed by an eighteen year-old Isldar. All the light that may have existed on the man's face from years prior has been wiped and replaced with a deep-seeded hatred. He glares with his tired, dead eyes and it seems that at this moment all that anger is directed towards Theo. The man's eyes are void of shine and his left is a dull blue. His right, however, is covered up by scarring tissue, a visible imprint of a slit going down the center. Although his look has changed significantly since the last time Theo had seen him, he still had that charismatic haircut of his brother, even though the face no longer matched it. A hatchet stained with dry blood is gripped tightly in his hand.
They stare for a while before Sebastian wipes a beaten hand across the hatchet, smudging the blood and says "You bitch.."
"Hello to you too, Seb." Theo replies, glancing to the ground.
Sebastian stares daggers at Theo. "About time you brought your cowardly ass back here."
"I came to make things right, Seb." Theo lifts his eyes to meet Sebastian's. "I want to-"
"Oh I'll make things right alright." Sebastian takes a step towards Theo, readying his hatchet. "Make things right by caving your skull in!" He goes to run at Theo but Rose grabs his arm.
"Seb- Stop!" She is thrown to the ground.
Theo takes a step back. "I know you don't hate me, Seb. And to be honest I really miss you."
"Shut up." Seb takes another step forward. "You don't know shit."
"And I'm sorry I took your eye. It's just-"
"It's just what, Theodore!? What is it!?" Suddenly, Sebastian's voice isn't just angry. It cracks and breaks as emotions try to make their way through.
"Well you were trying to take my life.. You attempted to kill me..." Theo's tone is sad.
"Well how about this time it's not a fucking attempt!?"
"Seb.." Theo's voice calms. "I miss you, the old you. The one that would do anything to help me. I know you're still there. That's why you won't kill me-" Before the Ailor can react a hatchet is launched through the air, breaking through Theo's leather armor and digging itself in his chest. He falls to the ground with a thud.
"I never loved you! Not then, not now. Nobody ever will Theo! You need to realize that!"
Seb seems to not notice the Ailor rapidly approaching him.
"And I'll do whatever it takes to make sure that the ground you lay on will be your grav-" |POW| Seb is hit by the Ailor with a hook to the side of the head. He is instantly knocked out and collapses on the floor.
Theo's face loses the little color it had as he rapidly loses consciousness. The last thing he sees is a small orange fox coming out of the woods.
All the screaming, all the fighting that was happening, it all mutes. It's just them. Theo reaches his hand out to it and it comes to him. Curling up beside him as he bleeds in the snow, not to leave his side. Theo smiles and pets the fox as he drifts off.
A shaky hand caressing a fox slows to a stop.
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