Once, there were two brothers. The elder was short, but cast a long shadow. The younger found it easier to hide in this shadow than strike out on his own. Their father was a warrior, so he could not stay. Their mother was a strong woman, but a mortal one. Even strong women die when sickness comes to claim them.
The brothers grieved their mother's death. They knelt before her resting place and the elder hatched a plan. The plan was daring and impossible, but he was too arrogant to back down. He would snatch his mother back from the jaws of death, pull her back up from the underworld.
Unable to sway his brother, the younger agreed. They would become strong, strong enough to master anything, even death.
In order to obtain, something of equal value must be lost. That they knew. They gave up their nights to study and their days to train. Years passed, but their determination to become masters of death did not abate.
The elder thought he alone would know the truth. They would surpass God, become masters of heaven and earth and pull their mother back from beyond this world.
The younger knew that this was wrong. No man could surpass God. He wanted his mother to come home, but knew in his heart that it was impossible. Still, he did not stop his brother.
The younger knew that his brother might challenge the sun, but he was too smart and too defiant to die when the wings made of wax melted. He flew too high, yes, but also too low. He'd fall into the sea, but he'd swim out again after all his losses were made painfully clear. The elder would survive because that was what he was best at, that and protecting his younger brother.
But the ocean was too deep and the younger couldn't swim as well as his brother with the golden hair and fiery eyes and arrogant words. He slipped away before he had a chance to break the surface.
No. The elder was not going to let the deep have him. He clutched the water and screamed and shouted and demanded that the sea give his brother back. And it shouldn't have worked, but it did because he was too smart and too defiant for his own good.
Master of death. The man to surpass God. He dove into water so deep he could not see the bottom and wrenched what was left of his brother back into the world.
Mother dead twice over. Father gone. Brother no longer whole. An arm and a leg gone. The elder tilted his head back and screamed. This wasn't supposed to happen.
Time passed. Both brothers dressed themselves in armor of steel and prepared to leave their home. They would return themselves to normal, atone for their sins, become masters of death once again.
The elder looked at his brother and promised that he would fix this. He had been the one to challenge the sun and his brother was the one who had been taken by the deep. His brother had paid dearly for his own arrogance.
The younger looked at his brother and promised that this wasn't the end. He could still feel the dark waters closing over him, pulling him down. His brother had saved him. He would not let his brother carry the weight of their great sin alone.
Once, there were two brothers. The elder was scarred and tired, but would never let the world see. The younger was scared, but hopeful that they could earn a second chance. Together, they burnt down their home, shouldered their great burden and promised to never return.
A/N: This is more me dipping my toes into this fandom than anything else. Still, if you liked it, review, favorite, all that good stuff.
Disc.: I own nothing. Seriously. It's a bit sad.
