Ashur

Sam nods silently, fear in his eyes at the thought of the approaching storm. He crawls onto the threadbare bed next to his brother and curls up, head on Ash's lap. The older boy sits up and begins humming a soft melody as the storm rolls in.

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"Ash...hey Ash..." The teen prods at his brother.

"...Sam...time already?" The young man rolls over onto his stomach out of the shade and crawls up to be beside his brother on the ravine's edge. He pulls his crossbow up, flicking up the cover on its scope and looking through at the cloud of dust drawing ever nearer.

"Fuck it's hot. Here, take a look." Ash says, handing his weapon over to Sam.

The caravan had more guards than they were expecting. But that wouldn't be a problem. Bek would make sure of that. She was their ace in the hole, always had been ever since the three met almost seven or so years back.

Ash pulls out a smoke and lights it the way Bek showed him. She really was amazing, her looks weren't the only magical thing about her.

## Appearances

### Debut

Ep 20

"You better get down there Sami," a smile plays across Ash's face as he takes his crossbow back and lets out a puff of smoke from the corner of his mouth. "You know our girl doesn't like being kept waiting." Sam looks down to where he knows Bek is lying in wait for the signal. He was smitten. Both brothers were.

"Hey Ash...you ever think about doing something else?"

"Hell no, then you two wouldn't have any reason to keep me around."

Sam smiles.

"Sheeeeeiiittt, I guess you're right old man. I can see you now, pottering around the Gulch like an old bag of bones. No one's ass to wipe and no one to worry about."

"Fuck Sam, what would you do if it came a sprinkle and I wasn't around to sing your ass to sleep?  I'll always worry, I'm your big brother."

"Oh, I've got my own songs now and there's much better voices in town than yours old man." Sam chuckles.

Ash puts his eye up to the scope and chews on his smoke.

"Yeah, yeah, fuck off down the way there put that silver tongue of yours to work."

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"Ash...gods...Ash wake the fuck up you gotta see this shit." Sam shakes his brother awake as the cart rolls along the rutted path.

"Nine Hells...I can't even fucking believe it..." Ash can't tear his eyes away from the looming shape of Gran Marcellia.

"We really did it boys, we're here." Bek grabs Sam's hand and squeezes it. Ash can't tear his eyes away from it. Bek looks back at Ash and he quickly meets her gaze, smiling.

"So who's this contact you got that promised us work?"

Ash waves his hand and goes back to gazing out at their new home.

"Ah, some slick city type called Damian. He works with a group called the Wallers, they're supposed to be specialists, like us." He resonds.

Sam pipes up, chuckling.

"Go easy on that, we're looking pretty slick ourselves these days."

The cart bumps and bobs its way down the road, inching closer and closer to their new life.

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"Ash! Fuck...wake the fuck up!" Sam slaps his brother in the face trying to get him to come to. Ash sucks in air in a huge gasp and he reels back into consciousness. He slicks back his hair as the rain pours down on them from above. Thunder rolls over head.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck...Hells Sam. Thanks." The brothers embrace quickly as Sam helps Ash to his feet. "These Golden Sun jobs are fucked, if we make it out of this shit this is it. I'll take my cut and go fuck off to the middle of nowhere get fat and die... Fuck get down!"

The two scrambled to get behind crates as Imperial guards run past. Sam looks at his brother, it's been a long time since he was afraid of storms but he was afraid right now.

"Look Ash, if we make it out of this I'm gonna go for it."

Ash peeks over the crates weighing their options.

"What the fuck you talking about Sami? Go for what?"

"Her, Ash. Me and Bek. We're going to get married and get the fuck out of this shit."

Ash has taken a lot of hits but none of them ever hit him like this. For a moment he thinks about saving the Empress' dogs the effort and throwing himself off the building.

"I...I fucking can't right now Sam. Fuck you, why the fuck would you say that right now?"

"I...I just don't know what's gonna happen Ash, I'm fucking terrified."

"Oh, we're gonna make it you fucking asshole and then I'm gonna put a bolt between your eyes. Let's get the fuck out of here, Bek's waiting." Saying her name made him want to vomit. Thunder cracks.

The two stand up and dash as another group of guards round the corner, they cut back the other direction running across the roof tops. The guards give chase. The storm picks up as lightning flashes and the rain slants against them, stinging as it flies into their eyes. Sami was always faster, but Ash always made the jumps.

The two leap across a gap and Ash lands feet firm ready to run but he hears a yelp behind him as Sam plummets into the gap between the buildings latching onto the ledge with everything he's got.

"FUCK! ASH! HELP! FUCK!" He cries out for his brother and in that moment Ash freezes.

This could be it. He's always had to take care of Sam. Fucking Sam. Ever since they were kids. Everyone always liked Sam better, he had everything going for him. Even Bek, and she'd been there through almost all of it. She still picked Sam. The storm is loud, he could just not hear him.

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"ASH! FUCK!" Sam grabs desperately onto his brother's hand, rain masking the tears pouring down his face.

"I've got you Sami, fuck, I've got you man." Ash tries his best, but it's wet, and Sam was always the strong one.

"Fuck Sami, I'm not gonna let you fall." Tears rolling off his face blending in with the rain pour around them. Guards shouting, closing in. Grips slipping. Thunder booms right above them.

"Fuck it. Ash. You gotta go man. Please, let go, please man. Just get Bek and get the fuck out."

"No, Sami, fuck you, I'm the big brother... I'm the big brother. You don't get a shit of a say."

"Ash, we can't. Please." The moment stretched on longer than it had any business to.

Ash struggles and pulls with everything he has left but he just can't. They just can't.

"Fuck you... I'm the big brother. I'm your big brother Sam, I can't..." Ash closes his eyes tight, straining.

Sam starts to hum a familiar tune and takes one last long look at his brother.

Ash heaves, sobbing.

"...I'm your big brother...your brother...fuck fuck fuck..."

Thunder rolls.

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"Ash? Ash!" Bek rushes over to the man stumbling through the alley.

Ash collapses into her and they slide down the wall together onto the cobblestone. The rain has let up.

"...Bek..."

"Nine fucking Hells, I've been sick over you two. Where the fuck is Sam?"

"Bek..."

"Ash...?"

Grim realization blooms.

"No...no fuck you..." She drops him hard and stands up.

"No...fuck you Ash. You don't get to. You can't fucking do this."

"Bek please."

"No, you're fucking me."

"Bek."

"YOU'RE FUCKING ME!" She lashes out with her mind crushing Ash against the wall.

Ash cries out.

"Fuck, Bek please." She releases him and staggers back.

"He told me, I'm sorry. He told me right before, I couldn't, I didn't, I'm sorry. I tried, I."

She doubles back on him.

"No, fuck you, you did this. You and your fucking bullshit jealousy. This isn't one of your petty fucking games Ash, you don't just get to do whatever you want. He was your fucking..." she chokes on the words, "your fucking brother and you did this to him."

Ash weakly tries to stand.

She reaches out again and forces him back down hard.

"Fuck you Ash...it should've been you."

Bek fades away into the drizzling rain and Ash stares, dazed, into the overcast sky.

Somewhere in the distance a light crack of thunder plays across the sky.