Thread: "Bloodless Brother" (xeo-wizzard & Remnant_Of_Dreams)

Aden walked quickly in the moonlight, the shroud of night, one of the few comforts he enjoyed now. The second great war had finally settled, and he had been dismissed with the rest of the draftees without grace or gratitude. His combat uniform was the only medal offered, but he refused, the horrors of battle were as much a part of the uniform as they were in his mind. He could see no reason to keep such memories in their physical form. After arriving home he hitched a ride on a cargo train, hiding himself within cargo boxes by daylight, the sun had gradually become more intense, and his head throbbed in the early hours of each sunrise without a cover of shadow. When the train stopped to unload in his district he waited for darkness and began the long trek home. His family had lived on a small farm for many years, a gift from the local lord as payment for an ancestor's services. The years of such chivalrous acts had long since past, and the vast lands of the King were now fought over by corrupt Land Barons and greedy merchants. The family farm had been a small slice of heaven for the Melia family. His twin sister, Ama had always been a source of joy and energy. In their younger years they took many trips into the forest, exploring each stream, rock, tree, and burrow. One summer they plotted to run away from home, and live together without having chores to do, books to study, beds to make, or parents to lecture them. They spent most of the summer building a crude tree house deep in the forest and filling it with their favorite toys, nick-nacks, and other treasured possessions. They tried several times to stay, but whenever the sun began to set they became frightened of the dark and the sounds of creatures waking from their day-time slumber. Even as the years went on they remained close, their escapes to the tree-house were frequent in the summer, and they would fantasize about the adventures they would have together when they grew up. Their mother had always been a frail woman, and stayed inside through most of their lives. Shortly after their 16th birthday she contracted pneumonia and was bedridden after a week of struggling with the disease. Ama began filling her ailing mother's shoes, and Aden took his father's mantle by sowing crops, tending the fields, and caring for their livestock. Their father tended to her every need, and sent for doctors from the nearby village with no avail. Several months later she passed, and their father became a defeated man, aged by the loss of their mother. After the death of their mother, the twins stopped visiting the woods entirely, the daily activities of the farm consumed their every moment, and with two young pairs of hands minding the farm, the crops and livestock flourished in their bounty. Two years passed, and the great wars escalated, a draft was issued by the local government and Aden found himself marching away from the only place he had really known. Ama continued working the farm, and seeing his wife's spirit in his daughter's eyes, her father became ashamed of his grieving and put his aging hands back to work. Their efforts would come to little, as local officials had begun collecting crops and livestock to aid the war efforts. Two more years passed and Ama was told by a passing traveler that the great war had finally ended. As Aden rounded a curve he noticed fence posts at the side of the road, his own handiwork. He quickened his pace, and was soon walking down the farm's main path. Memories of his life here quickly flooded back into his mind, but the twilight suddenly became a harsh warning as the first rays of sunlight darted over the horizon. He pulled the hood of his cloak up and keeping his head down ran to the house. Neither his father or sister were awake, so he left a brief note on the table. He found his room untouched, the cobwebs and dust told him the door had remained closed in his absence. He quickly pulled the shutters over the windows and hung the sheets and blankets from his bed as makeshift curtains. He empted the blanket chest at the foot of his bed, throwing everything inside onto the floor, then curled himself up in the chest and closed the lid. One thing was increasingly obvious, Aden may have returned home, but something had changed him. His memories of sunny, joy-filled days with his sister would never be the same. What he had once looked forward to, he now longed for with remorse. He shed a few tears and pulled himself tighter, trying to find comfort in the cramped space. He closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep.