The past (8):Welcome home.

Erevan has always been a king, the day he took Carlos to the queen's funeral without talking to his father, the current king or the day he had killed the father of his for his brother. He never had shown any emotion besides boredness. He was 10 when he took Carlos in and he had announced Carlos as his brother in front of nobles to protect Carlos. He was 10 when he got beaten by his father for taking Carlos as his brother. He was only 12 when he did the first time killing because of Carlos who had been attacked by assassins. And he was only 14 when he killed his own father, the king and took the throne and made Carlos the duke of the eastern region. And he had never regretted it and that is what made Carlos respect and admire him. The funny thing is that the king's sponsor didn't even help the king because he was too boring. Instead of helping he watched Erevan destroying his own father. 

The things he did are mostly for Carlos. No, everything is for Carlos.

And Carlos, he can never dare to hurt his brother. Let alone kill him. Even if he tries, his brother will always be stronger than him. And now Carlos is waiting in front of the heavy door of the throne room to meet his one and only family, his brother and his saviour,--the king that sacrificed everything for him. Carlos has walked this path before and stood in front of this door, once as his brother's little boy, then as a man filled with endless regrets and promises. Now, he is neither boy nor man, but something else entirely–something broken, something missing, something lost. He is going to fight his beloved brother and he had no choice but to fight.

With a breath that shook his heart, he placed his right hand against the door and pushed. The doors howled open, a sorrowing of time and duty. The throne room was extensive, its domed ceiling stretching beyond sight, the room filled with darkness. And there, the moon is shining bright and upon the throne of this empire, sat his brother, the brightest star of the Moonier empire.

King. Monarch. Ruler. No longer just the little boy who is only a year older than Carlos or a boy who chased the sun like a dream, no longer the youth who had sworn oaths of brotherhood, no longer the older brother who swore to protect Carlos. The crown glowed upon his face like a moon shining with stars, a circlet of gold and silver that seemed heavier than the weight of the empire itself. 

"Little Carl" the king spoke, his voice carrying gentleness across the room and the distance between them. It was neither condemn nor cold, it was welcoming and warm, it was the voice of a kin, not a king. It is just his brother, his brother's hair falls in soft, uneven layers, a blend of cyan touched with dark blue, like a seafoam kissed by deep ocean currents. It framed his face loosely, brushing over tired eyes that hold the serene green of an untouched forest–deep, calm, endless, unwavering, as if they've witnessed every sunrise through the trees and still believe in the beauty of the world after all the suffering from those gods. His face is beautiful in a worn–the kind of face that once might've been godlike in its youth, but now carries the shadows of battles not just fought, but endured. Faint lines linger beneath his eyes, craved by sleepless nights and burdens too heavy for a mortal soul. Yet he is still smiling not to his mother, not to anyone, only to him, his little brother.

Carlos stepped forward, each footstep echoing in the cavernous hall. He felt the eyes of the king, no– his brother's eyes upon him. And he stood not too close or not too far. Just enough to show that he is his little brother and his loyal duke at the same time. And his head raised and his face turned toward his king, his older brother's eyes. His brother's eyes are dark, no emotion, no shine and no gentleness unlike the voice of his. Carlos' own voice hesitated and faltered before he found it again.

"Your Majesty…Brother" 

A flicker of something—pain? Memory? Suffering? — crosses the king's face, yet it went quickly as the smoke disappeared into the air "You have returned."

"I have"

"It is been a long time"

"It had been 10 years, Brother"

A silence stretched between them, an abyss of time and regret, a line of choice and promise made and paths forsaken. He had once fought for this empire as his brother's loyal dog. He didn't care if he got called the dog or he got into a war at the age of 18. It doesn't matter if it is by his brother's side. He had once held his brother's trust as a sacred thing and thought that his brother must have a reason for him to put him in ruthless war. As the time becomes longer as he stays in the war, he understands his brother more. The war is more safe than he is in the empire. He had to fight again and again but at least he knew he would survive, but not in the empire. Everyday is a nightmare in that empire and every god helps that woman to see if he can survive. And he had no god to help him unless he stuck besides his brother's side his whole entire life. But Carlos realized that he may be safe in the war but his brother is not safe in that empire at all. His brother had given himself to those cruel gods to save him. 

But wars ended, and his brother had changed because of those gods. And it only puts distance between them.

The brothers looked at eachother, as if they know that fate has played their destiny and now both brothers are waiting on who will start first to fight. And as fate has displayed, only one of them will be alive. And only one of them would stand when all was done. The weight of it hung between them, unspoken but undeniable. The silence had been noticeable. And Carlos can't keep it anymore. Between the two brothers, Carlos was the one who always tried to break the silence every time. Even though Carlos wasn't one for long conversations–his replies to others were often clipped, sharp, brutal and barely more than a nod or a grunt. But around his brother, he becomes a different person, more like night turns into day in an instance. And as always Carlos tried to speak… but no words came. He tried again and again to speak and he failed again and again. But the voice rings in the room, it is not his nor the other. It is from his brother, Erevan.

"10 years disappeared in a thin light and now it is time to came back"

"Welcome home, my knight"

"I have been waiting for you"

Carlos' breath caught. His brother was never the one to speak first. His brother is the kind of person to listen to his nonsense and his fighting techniques and stay quiet instead of engaging in conversations. Carlos' heart thundered, and for the first time in years, he questioned. 

"For what?"

His brother didn't speak and Carlos became more desperate. He wanted to know if what Kave said was true. Carlos had killed his soldier for the sake of his brother, even if Kave crossed the line first, Carlos still kill the man and said to him that Carlos doesn't believe him before Kave die. And his guilt hasn't gone away yet. 

"I heard some rumors from the outside"

"..."

"It is true, brother?"

"It is true that you are going to kill me."