AN1: This is a sidestory-oneshot for my main story "The dragon's uprising" or DU to shorten the whole thing. It's about Natalya Oswell and Brayden Oswell. It's not completely necessary to know the story of DU to understand it, but I highly recommend to read DU at least to chapter 4 first and then read 'In memory of the forgotten'. Otherwise the end might be a bit confusing for you.

- Yu Liberte -

"Hubert is back! Hubert is back! Come on Brayden! It's Hubert!"

A high pitched voice rang through the house accompanied by trampling footsteps down the stairs which were quickly followed by a long scream.

"HUBEEEEEERT!"

The man in blue that stood in the entry hall of the Oswell residence barely had the chance to turn towards the stairs before a screaming ball of blonde hair jumped from the last few steps at him. The impact nearly caused him to lose his balance. Tiny little arms threw themselves at his chest and clinged to whatever part of the blue uniform they could grab. Not giving the blonde ball a chance to fall off, the man quickly returned the embrace.

"I missed you soooooo much!" whispered the childish voice before bright sky-blue eyes looked at the eyes of Hubert Oswell, lieutenant of Strahta, one of the commanding officers stationed in Yu Liberte and war hero of two conflicts.

He probably had even more titles he didn't know about. Those were only the ones that were thrown at him whenever he appeared in official area.

In his usual deep-blue uniform together with his deep blue eyes and his deep blue hair he looked like the incarnation of the perfect Strahtan soldier. The only thing that seemed off was his pale skin which burned easily under the hot Strahtan sun. Besides his first name, hair- and eye-color it was the only thing that remained from the place that he had called home as a child. His frame was now toned with lean muscles from the countless hours of training he had to put up with ever since he had passed the age of thirteen. And his formerly wimpy attitude had changed ever since the night he had left his old home. He hadn't dropped a single tear since then.

In his arms was Natalya Oswell, his little sister and youngest child to the Oswell family. His little six-year-old baby-sisters. It didn't matter to him that they weren't related by blood like he was with Asbel. The relationship between him and his older brother was quite more difficult to describe than the one to his foster-sibling. Asbel and Hubert had been close. Just as close as he was to his other siblings and, at some point, maybe even closer. But they had lost each other in those seven years of separation that had forced Hubert to become the man he was now. The brothers were still working on rebuilding their relationship to a level even remotely close to where they were before his adoption.

However, this time nothing separated him from those he had come to love. And quite a lot of this love was mixed with protective feelings since this time, it was him as the older brother. With more than enough power to back up his attitude. He had been there with Natalya when she grew up to be the bright and enthusiastic young child she was now, born just three years after the Oswell's had adopted him. That was something far more important to him than blood ties. His feelings were the same when it came to his little brother, Brayden, who was a bit more reclusive than his sister but none the less dangerously intelligent. Not even the aversion to his foster-father that he had developed in the year before he became a lieutenant and moved out was able to keep him away from them.

Out of habit Hubert bothered for a second to maintain his usual face, emotionless and stern, while looking at his sister. But a glance at her eyes shattered through that facade with practised ease and earned her an affectionate look and a warm smile from him before he hugged her tighter.

"Now now, what did father tell you about running in the house young lady?" scolded the lieutenant mildly as he sat the girl down.

Both of them knew he didn't mean it.

"It's not proper for a girl to run around. She always has to keep her diggity."

She rolled her eyes while she repeated the sentence she heard at least twice a day with a voice that was soaked with boredom.

"Dignity," corrected the lieutenant her and gave her a small pat on the head. The girl immediately tried to capture it with her own small hands.

"Diggity," she repeated when she caught his wrist and held his hand close to her.

Hubert sighed before he decided to let it slide and take her in his arms again to carry her, this time bridal style. She giggled as he gave her a small kiss on the forehead and started to look around.

"Ok Natalya, where is your brother? And where is father?"

"Brayden is in his room and sulking because I said that you're better than Richard. He didn't believe me and said that Richard was better because he is a king. So I called him a liar!" she said the last sentences with a tone of utter conviction as she looked at her older foster-brother.

Hubert sighed again. He knew his siblings long enough to know that there was more to it than that.

"And?"

With the speed of light her eyes suddenly found an infinity of things that were more interesting to look at than her older brother. Natalya tried for a moment to act like she hadn't heard his question but quickly gave that up when Hubert started to tickle her in his arms. After a few seconds of a merciless and fierce tickle-attack he gave her time to recover.

"And I maybe ripped his Richard-poster off the wall," came the nearly inaudible response after she had calmed down from the last of her giggles.

Hubert had a reply about that on the tip of his tongue before he decided to let it go. His foster-father would have to deal with this, it wasn't his place to educate the two. He was merely the older brother that enjoyed playing with both of his younger siblings whenever he had enough time to leave the barracks and his quarters there. Both of his siblings held a very special place in his heart.

"I see our little rascal has already found you," echoed an amused feminine voice through the large entry hall.

Walking with elegant steps from the living room into the entry hall was Salene Oswell, wife of Garret Oswell, foster-mother of Hubert and mother of Natalya and Brayden. She wore one of the currently popular combinations of a long pink skirt that covered all of her legs and aqua-colored blouse with a white shirt underneath. All of the colors seemed to compete to see which one was the strongest, looked the most intense. A contest that none of them seemed to win. Usually Hubert cursed mentally whenever he saw a woman wear that atrocious color-combination that gave him the feeling that his eyes were starting to bleed. But somehow his foster-mother made this outfit work for her. It hugged her broad hips and thin waist, while her blouse accentuated her chest. If not for the shirt making extra sure that what was underneath stayed hidden, the upper part of the outfit would have to be called indecent.

Salene was a sight for sore eyes, especially for a woman in her late thirties. If Natalya grew up to be like her mother, she would not have to worry about not receiving enough male attention. It was rather Hubert who would have to worry about her receiving too much of it.

As he looked at the woman again, Hubert asked himself like countless times before what his foster-mother saw in her husband to be able to love him. She surely didn't marry him for money since she herself owned enough to live on her own. The thought was quickly interrupted when he forced himself to answer her.

"I fear so Salene. But if it's a cute little rascal like this one I guess I can live with it."

The flattery made Natalya giggle a bit more while Salene gave him a look that would've been unreadable for anyone that didn't knew her. It was a very well hidden look of small hurt.

Ever since Hubert's adoption she had given her best to replace his mother, but in all these years she had never been able to get that spot in his heart as she wished so much. She knew he held her dear and she knew it was inappropriate to wish for that spot, especially when his biological mother was alive. Still, she had always wished that he would one day be able to love and accept her as his mother. After seven years without the recognition she had given up on it. But the way he called her name instead of the word "mother" was always a silent reminder for her during their conversations.

Ignoring her look Hubert went on to involve himself in a bit of small talk with her, Natalya still in his arms and playing with the buttons of his uniform-overcoat.

"I hear Brayden has become a fan of King Richard?"

Salene laughed at the mention of her son's newest obsession.

"You have no idea Hubert. You should've seen him when the vendors from Windor first started to sell those little story books about you and your friends and your fight against Lambda. He was reading it all the time because of you until his attention sprung towards your friend. I think this 'villain turning away from evil and helping the world'-motive struck something in him, because after that it was all Richard here, Richard there. If I remember correctly he even has one of those wooden Richard-rapier-imitations together with the trading cards and a few posters. I swear I had to demand from Garret that he wouldn't cave in when Brayden asked for a custom tailored King Richard outfit."

The lieutenant couldn't suppress a grin when he imagined the scene in his foster fathers study. He even allowed himself to become a little more lax in his speech.

"That bad, huh?"

"Just try talking to him about your friend and you'll see what I mean."

She smiled warmly before she turned her attention to the little girl the lieutenant still held in his hands.

"I'd love to talk more with you Hubert, but I have to go. Our little miss sunshine still has to practice the piano like she promised me this morning."

The sound of mother-daughter lessons on the dreaded instrument got Natalya more active.

"But mom, Hubert's finally here! Can't I practice tomorrow?" she tried to sneak her way out of her promise with a cute angel-eye expression that, contrary to her musical skills, had years of constant practice. After an equal amount of constant practice to resist that look, her mother was completely unfazed.

"No, Natalya, now. You know how important it is to your father that you know how to play it. Now come on. You can continue playing with your brother in an hour. Hubert, why don't you have your talk with Garret while we're practicing?"

"Damn it," muttered the little girl under her breath, barely audible to Hubert before he let her down so she could follow her mother into the living room.

"I think I'll discuss a few things with Brayden first. Only Paradine knows what he sent Garret in that letter and I'd prefer it to spend some time with my little brother before this letter reveals information that will ruin my good mood," the lieutenant said as he stood upright again, getting back into his more formal facade and talk.

"Are you sure? It sounded rather urgent to me." a deep frown appeared on Salene's face.

"Whatever it is, it can wait. Especially when the president deems it necessary to send the letter first to my foster-father and not directly to me," assured Hubert to end the topic before he crouched and was face to face with his little sister.

"Now follow your mother Nat and we will play later, I promise. And I promise to visit more often when I can," he said.

Her face lit up at the promise of playtime and she quickly ran towards the piano, only to be scolded again for running in the house.

With a smile Hubert turned around towards the stairs and began walking up to Brayden's room. A small white-colored floor and a few turns later he arrived in front of a dark-brown wooden door. Mentally the lieutenant prepared for the worst before he carefully knocked and entered his little brother's room, only to find the back of his younger brother towards Hubert. He was sitting on the floor with a King Richard poster in front of him that had a severe looking tear in it.

"Leave me alone!" said the seven-year-old while trying his hardest not to look like he had just cried. It was a futile effort. His red, puffy eyes still gave him away. Hubert decided to ignore the words and sat close beside his little brother.

"What's the matter Brayden?"

A small moment of contemplating silence passed before his little brother began to talk.

"Nat ripped my original limited edition King Richard poster. Look what she did to it! They are so rare and she broke it!" his voice trembled as he pointed at the poster on the floor.

"Calm down Brayden, I'm sure she didn't mean to do that," the lieutenant tried the soothing approach to calm down his brother.

It didn't look like it worked all that well when Brayden stood up went into a small tantrum as he walked in circles in his room.

"But she did it! She always breaks my stuff and she always gets away with it because she's the little baby of the family. I don't havy anything for myself and if I do she complains that I don't let her play with my stuff. It's so unfair!"

Hubert sighed. He could barely relate to having a sister that was only a year younger than himself, he always only had Asbel to worry about though that had been by far enough for him. For a moment he wondered how much easier his childhood would have been without his big brother before he turned back to Brayden. With him already in the "The world is against me"-mode Hubert had pretty much run out of options to calm him down, except one. Silently he asked the absent Richard for forgiveness for what he was about to do.

- Windor -

King Richard of Windor was observing the reconstruction of Orlen when he suddenly felt the incredibly strong urge to sneeze.

"ACHOOO!"

"Bless you, your majesty," replied Duke Dalen on his right immediately while offering his king his handkerchief, "I think we should head back to the castle before your majesty becomes seriously ill."

With a wave of his hand Richard declined both the offer and the suggestion and took his own handkerchief.

"No Dalen, it'll be fine. It just felt like somewhere far away somebody was about to make an extremely terrifying promise that somehow involved me."

"In that case we shall hope that this feeling doesn't become a reality."

The Duke's face remained as straight as ever while he answered, though Richard knew him enough by now to know that this was his way of joking.

Without a reply Richard chuckled a bit and turned his attention back towards the construction sites.

- Yu Liberte -

Meanwhile Hubert was on his way to make said dreaded promise that involved Richard.

"Hey Brayden, I've got an idea. How about I talk with dad and arrange a small trip to Windor for us, so we can go to Richard and get you a new poster with his signature?"

The effects of his words were immediate. Brayden stopped and looked at Hubert with wide, unbelieving eyes.

"Really?"

"Really. I bet I can convince dad to let you join me the next time I have to go there. I'm sure Richard will find some time for you."

It looked like the little boy didn't know how to react at first. Than he jumped at Hubert in a hug who was still begging Richard for forgiveness in his mind, knowing fully well the dangers of unleashing a fanboy on the object of his desire.

"Thank you Hubert! Thank you! Yes! Yes! I'm going to see King Richard! I'm going to see King Richard! The others are going to be so jealous!"

The lieutenant endured a little more of the tirades of his little brother before Brayden calmed down enough for them to finally have a small talk, man-to-man.

Well, man-to-small-man.

Which meant that it was Brayden talking about Richard whenever he got the chance too and Hubert entertaining him with slightly exaggerated storys from his travels during the Lambda-conflict. It was a picture so unlike the normal, formal lieutenant that anyone that had locked at them still wouldn't have believed that it was Hubert Oswell sitting there, talking to his younger foster-brother.

Half an hour later the lieutenant exited the room of a boy with a now shining good mood and made his way to the place in the house he wanted to go the least. His foster father's study.

He got to the door and entered...

...only to leave the study half an hour later in a state of utter confusion.

Looking back, he would barely be able remember what topics he had discussed with his father. His only memory outside of the door was that he had held the letter to his redeployment to Sable Izolle in his hands. Together with the ownership documents of a house that was meant to be a gift from the president Dylan Paradine to both him and his girlfriend Pascal.

The following months were full of work for him, organizing his redeployment, preparing his successor for his duties, organizing moving in in Sable Izolle and coping with the fact that he would soon live together with the woman of his strangest dreams. A woman he had kissed for the first time only a few months ago.

It was no surprise that three months passed in the blink of an eye.

- Sable Izolle -

Hubert Oswell stood in front of four substitutional graves with four dark-brown marble stones on them. He was the last of his family that was known to be alive and the sole heir to everything they owned. The final Oswell.

"Garret Oswell, Salene Oswell... Brayden Oswell... Natalya Oswell."

He read out loud the names on the stones to himself as if that could undo what had happened. His voice staggered when it reached the names of his little siblings and his mind was flooded with all the regrets and all the things he was now unable to experience.

Never again would he be able to play with Nat. He would never be able to play the overprotective brother to shield her from all the male attention. Never would he be able to hear her playing the piano again. Never again would he be able to tell Brayden his stories or tease him about girls. And he would never be able to fulfill the promise he had made to him.

A single tear escaped his eye and ran down his face, soon vaporizing in the searing heat of the Strahtan sun before it could begin to drop on the sand.

"Come Hubert, let's go home," said a female voice behind him. He felt a hand touch his shoulder and didn't need to look up to know that it was Pascal's.

Malik was not far behind them, still in his stoic pose with arms crossed in front of him, silent as ever, watching him.

Hubert couldn't answer. Besides the scorching heat a coldness had manifested inside him and robbed him of the ability to speak. He could just barely shake his head and continue to stand there, looking at the four empty graves that had been made in his absence.

They had said that they hadn't been able to find the bodies and that they could still be alive. They had said that hope wasn't lost.

The lieutenant didn't dare to hope.

Still unable to talk he turned to his girlfriend, his love, the only thing he had left in Strahta and buried his face in her shoulders.

And for the very first time in nine years, since the night a small boy had been taken from his home to live in Yu Liberte, Hubert Oswell cried. He cried until there were no tears left in him anymore.

While the last of his tears dried on Pascal's shoulder, the grieving brother straightened his shoulders and looked past his girlfriend at the sea of makeshift graves behind her.

'So much death...so much destruction,' echoed it in the soldier's mind.

Desperation started to overwhelm him until a sudden burst of determination came back to him.

In this moment he made a silent vow to himself. A vow he would do everything he could to fulfill.

The last Oswell would make sure that whoever had done this would pay.

AN2: I promised you a story, here you've got a story.

This is also partially a tribute to every in-game NPC and otherwise important character that I killed, not just those in Yu Liberte but also in Barona and Zavhert.

Anyway, after writing that I'm pretty damn sad myself. Damn, now I feel like a dick for ever mentioning Nat, Brayden and Salene. Sorry if I just ruined a perfectly good day to you. With this in the back of your head, I hope you can understand Hubert better now.

As always this story was proofread by Aespren. And as always I throw huge cards with 'Thanks' written on them somewhere in her direction.

And as always, reviews are appreciated.