Emil was the only non-magical person in his patchwork family. After learning this Mathis and Berwald had turned away, while Tino tried to comfort a balling Lukas. He was only five, not nearly old enough to know what having no magic meant in their kingdom. When Emil asked why he had sleep in the basement with the servants Lukas turned away with supposed scorn; but when as Emil cried out to him as he was dragged away by the servants his heart broke. Lukas was one of the most powerful magicians in the county, and was a member of the infamous magic trio. He was rich, powerful, had found the love of his life (an annoying Dane), but he would give it all, if only his little brother, his child, his only blood family, could be like them. Have magic.
Leon was also the only one in their ancient family of magic users to be barren, as it was called. But unlike Emil, he knew the consequences. All his life had lived knowing that he would have magic; there had never been any doubt, not in his mind or the minds of his family's. Yao had told him how magic was what differentiated them from the lower class. Those without magic were doomed to be slaves, soldiers, and sex items, or be throw out onto the streets and live out their lives as beggars, thieves, and prostitutes. Those without magic were not allowed to own land and to be registered with the government for conscription to the army. Some children were sold on the black market, and if you were a beggar, you could be picked up at any time and be brought to work with a magical family. Leon had always been told that he was better than these mongrels, and that he shouldn't socialize with; that those on the streets were dishonorable, for choosing a life of sin over a respectable post as a servant. He had never thought to empathize with them.
His family had been appalled when they learned that he lack magic. Yao, his surrogate father, wouldn't speak to him except to give orders. Im Young Soo, his older brother by two years, would tease and shame him. Mei, the girl he loved and was betrothed to, would look at him with pity then turn her head. The servants repelled him for his upbringing. He was disowned, but at his brother Kiku's request he was retained as a servant.
He had been sent to Arthur Kirkland to be trained. Kirkland was one of the Magic Trio, and as such any servant trained by them was worthy of Yao's standards. Yao told him it was his duty as barren to serve, but seemed to have tears in his eyes as the carriage pulled away. When he returned five years later, a perfectly trained and mannered ten year old, he found Yao did not so much as look at him. To add insult to injury, Kiku had married Mei and they were both deliriously happy.
Emil meanwhile had learned much in his five years of being a house servant, enough to know that no matter how much Lukas might have once cared for him, he was no kin to him. Sometimes the members of his old family looked at him, tried to catch his eyes. Emil ignored them and continued the task at hand. They had shown their true colors three years ago and Emil wouldn't give them the satisfaction of recognition. One night he heard Lukas crying to Mathis about how he had broken his brother. Emil, after many years maintaining a stoic poker face, almost laughed out loud. They were wrong, Emil was far from broken. If anything he was freer spirited than ever before.
For years Emil had heard of those who had gone out beyond the kingdom limits. Who practiced unnatural magic. They created things, not with magic but their own two hands. Normally, they ignored those inside the borders, but recently they had been bolder, going to raid cities and sometimes taking barrens with them. Emil had been hearing about them for years. But finally, after a particularly daring raid very near his, no the family's home, the ten year old knew what he wanted. He had been a servant for those who pretended to love him. He had been owed like a dog for something he could not control. He wanted what every barren who had been chaffed by chains of slavery wanted. Freedom. But unlike the others, who fled homes to gutters for the illusion of it, he knew how to get it. He had begun slowly by stealing a radio. He took it apart in his spare time, learning how it worked.
There was no guarantee that the rebels were using radio waves, but he tried anyway. He surfed radio channels every chance he got. The radio was an antique, from Tino's great grandparents. He had been devastated to find it missing, despite never even using it. Tino determined to get it back, so Emil had to work in even more secrecy. Berwald had gone looking for it, threatening the servants and intimidating them with his harsh glare. When he walked up to Emil's bed however, Emil simply stared straight ahead. Berwald had asked him once, but after looking into Emil's eyes he looked down. He then said something Emil never would have expected.
"C'm' 'n 'mil, ' kn'w y''r in th'r', pl's'," he mumbled. He wouldn't look into Emil's eyes. Emil sat still, trying to keep his resolve. He almost reached out to the tall man, and comforted him. Berwald, for all his height was extremely sensitive. Emil's silence would be like a physical blow to him. But then Emil remembered; the pain of beatings when a job was done wrong, the feeling of not being safe to speak. He felt bitter anger rise up in him, feelings that he had fought for the last three years, all the hate he had harbored since he last spoke. He sat straight and stared ahead. Berwald sat there for a few moments before standing up with a great sigh. Later that night, he heard him crying into Tino's shoulder
Emil continued to work on the radio, though it took three years before he stumbled on the right frequency. When he finally did, it felt like all his hopes and dreams came true. He wrote the channel down and experimented with others. He found ten, just by listening to the first. He would sneak out at night, and just listen to the wonderful noise. Emil spent months listening, and learning, and yearning. Sometimes they were daily broadcasts, like districts needing oil. Others times they were all switched to raid messages. They could be uplifting too, like a member of the community recovering from diseases like cancer. It made Emil think about how in the borders all that needed to be healthy was a healer mage. But out there, they had so many more challenges. But they worked it out. They worked for life and cherished it so much more than anyone Emil had ever met. It made Emil long to be with them; to live life like them rather than drag himself through here.
Then one day, during a planned raid, there was a sudden yelling, on all of the frequencies. Then all went dead quiet, the last thing said "GO DARK". Later, as he was serving the family dinner he heard them talking about the raid. The magic elite, including Lukas, had been waiting for them after a tip from an inside source. Not much was known about the state of the forces, except most of the rebels had gotten away. Emil went out onto the roof late in the night. He turned on the radio, but there was nothing but static. But he continued to flip through the channels, processing this loss. Would they change frequencies, he couldn't survive another three years of trying to find his peace again. He was jolted out his thoughts by a panicked fuzzy voice.
"H-hello, t-this, is Lily-y. I'm s-stuck in the g-gerald b-b-uilding, a-and, I N-need help. Does anyone copy?"
It sounded like she was crying. Emil sat frozen. The Gerald building, was just north of the grocery store the servants went to.
"D-does anyone copy, h-hello? I'm h-hurt and it's d-dark, I c-can't" There was a sob, "B-big brother?"
Emil shut the radio off. He was shaking. He remembered fallowing Lukas around reverently; when Lukas would pick him up, and he would giggle; how his first words were, big brother. How Mathis had played with him every day, and they would pretend that he was king. How Berwald would hold him on his shoulders carry him around. How Tino would make his food, and make him laugh. How in the middle of the night he could go to Lukas if he was afraid. How he had been ripped away from it all without warning. How he hadn't been a child since was shoved out of the nest by a lack of magic. There was a drop of water on his hand. Emil held a hand up to his face, and realized he was crying. In that moment he made a decision. The servants would go to the store tomorrow, and Emil would go with them. Go to the Gerald. Go to lily, whoever she was, and save her, even if it killed him.
A/N:This was meant to be a one-shot. I still haven't started the next chapter for my other story. Crap...It's not even a good story. It like, really badly written. What have I done? Welp, if you liked this story I will probably try to continue it at least. It may not be all that well written, but it will be done. -MOF