Blaine Anderson came bounding into the small house that was his home, kicking off the dirt that had managed to cling to the bottom of his worn shoes before stepping in. He dropped the rucksack he was holding on the floor just beside the door and went directly to the small kitchen that also doubled as the dining area.
Blaine looked around and smiled. Their house may be small, but it was warm and comfortable. There was a small fireplace to the left of the door that had a fire going day and night. The rooms were quite elevated from the living and dining quarters, ensuring some sort of privacy even if the two said quarters were filled with people. There were three rooms in total, two of which were only created recently as an extension of the house, one for his parents, another for his two sisters Kaylan and Cynthia, and the last one for his brothers, Kyle – Kaylan's twin – Kieran, and Connor, his youngest brother who was only seven years old. Blaine did not use any room inside the house for his own sleeping quarters, reasoning that it was already too crowded. He set up house at the topmost room of the barn instead, sleeping with the small group of animals that they had accumulated throughout the years as they managed their farm.
"Father, I'm home! I brought the parchment and other supplies that you had asked me to buy!" he yelled as he took an apple from the fruit bowl on top of the dining table and bit on it. He waited and listened for any noise to come about, and sure enough he heard the back door open and close and a large, burly man only a few inches taller than Blaine stepped in. Benjamin Anderson had a smile on his dignified face, but it was lined with tired creases that somewhat betrayed the jolly disposition he exuded.
"You sure you got everything your mother and I asked for, son?" Benjamin asked ruffling his son's curls as he walked over to where Blaine left his rucksack to rummage inside.
"Yes, Father. I got them all. The parchment, the feed that Shepherd James recommended..." Blaine started ticking off all the items that he bought in town when he was asked by his Mother and Father to run some errands. Being the eldest in their brood of six, it was his responsibility to help take care of his entire family, his siblings, and their farm. His parents were not yet of ripe age, but they were definitely not that young either that they could take care of a family of eight on their own. Blaine was already eighteen and was fit to already be wed and raise a family of his own, but he had to set that aside just like his Father did when he was Blaine's age. Searching for his mate had not even crossed his mind yet, only thinking that he had to help his Mother and Father take care of his brothers and sisters. And he didn't want it any other way.
Benjamin brought the sack into the dining room and started sorting its contents, smiling contentedly at his son when he was done.
"It seems like everything is in order. Go rest in your room then. Your Mother already started preparing our supper. I'll call you when we're about to eat," Benjamin said, smiling at his eldest son. Blaine smiled back and pushed off of the table he was leaning against.
"I will, Father. Has Connor come back from playing with the Marin boys yet?" Blaine asked as he finished the last bite of apple he had in his mouth. He placed the core on the table as he washed his hands in the bowl of water they had inside the kitchen for that very purpose.
"He has. I think he's in your room waiting for you," his Father replied. Blaine nodded and chuckled.
"He better not be playing with my lyre again," Blaine said, chuckling as he walked out of the house through the backdoor, grabbing the apple core and throwing away the contents of the basin onto the soil outside their house.
Blaine made his way through their farm and into the barn, waving at his brothers and sisters, occasionally, giving one or two of them a hug as they frolicked across the field while picking ripe produce from the vegetable and fruit patch that they grew on their farm. He entered the barn and fed the apple core to his horse, Dartmouth, before proceeding to the back of the barn. He went up the ladder that he had made for him to reach his room at the barn's attic and smiled. A mop of chocolate hair was peeking out of the sheets on his bed. He walked over to his bed and sat beside the mop of hair, petting it lightly.
"Connor? Connor, wake up," Blaine whispered into the small ear peeking out of the sheets. The lump under the sheets started to stir awake and a seven-year old boy who looked exactly like Blaine – except for the color of his hair – sat up.
Connor rubbed at his bleary, golden eyes and looked up at his older brother. "Brother," he croaked, wrapping himself around Blaine, sniffing.
"Hey, Connor, what's wrong? Did something happen today?" Blaine asked. Connor only snuggled closer to Blaine's chest, moving so that he was on his brother's lap.
"Jack and Marshall broke my lute," he whispered, sniffing lightly. Blaine let his youngest brother bury his face into the crook of his neck. He felt the tears travel from the slope of his neck down to his shirt, soaking it.
"Shh…hey, Connor, stop crying. It was only a lute," he whispered back, rocking his brother back and forth while he stroked Connor's back comfortingly.
"B-but you made me that lute, Brother," he said, sobbing a little. He looked up to stare at his brother, eyes wide and shining because of the tears.
Blaine smiled and hugged his brother tighter. "Exactly! Since I made you that one, I can always make you another. I'll make you another lute. A better one, I promise," Blaine said confidently. Connor pushed back to stare at him, eyes wider than Blaine had ever seen on his brother's face.
"Really, Brother?" Connor exclaimed incredulously. Blaine nodded and Connor threw himself at his older brother, his small arms wrapping around Blaine's neck.
Blaine laughed and planted a kiss on Connor's head. "Of course, little brother. I'll do anything for you!"
Connor squeaked with happiness at Blaine's words. Blaine laughed again and unwrapped his youngest brother's arms from his neck. "Now, go see if Mother needs any help fixing supper," he instructed Connor. The young boy jumped off his lap and squealed. Connor nodded his head vigorously and ran off to go back to their house.
Blaine smiled to himself as he unlaced his boots and loosened the ties of his breaches to get more comfortable. He was still smiling when he laid down to have a quick nap, happy that Connor was only crying because of a broken lute. Granted that making one from scratch takes a while to do, he was more than glad to do it for his youngest brother if only to see that beautiful smile on his face again.
Blaine turned to face the wall, getting comfortable on his bed. In a few minutes, his breathing evened out and he fell asleep thinking about looking for the perfect wood for Connor's new lute and what his Mother would be serving for supper.
He awoke to the sounds of loud screaming and there was an unnatural heat emanating from the direction of his house. He quickly stood up and chanced a glance upon the window beside his bed and gasped at what he saw.
His entire house was engulfed in flames. He could hear people – his family – screaming from inside and it caused him to scramble out of the barn. He made a mad dash towards the house only to see falling debris and the loud cries and screams of his siblings and parents.
"Kaylan! Connor! Kieran! Cynthia! Kyle! Mother! Father!" Blaine screamed over and over again. He saw a ghost of a form near the window and a hand grabbed the windowsill.
"Brother! Brother!" the figure screamed as it got engulfed in flames once again.
"Connor! Connor! No!" Blaine cried, running for the house when he felt strong, warm arms envelope his waist.
"Blaine, no! Stop! There's nothing you can do!" the person who was holding him back shouted while trying to pull Blaine away from the burning house.
"Let me go! I need to save my family! Kieran! Cynthia! No! Connor, I'm coming!" Blaine continued to scream at the top of his lungs as he struggled out of the man's embrace, but he was very strong. Tears were already streaming down Blaine's face. He was so close to the fire that he could feel it scorching his skin, but he didn't care. The only thing in his mind at that moment was to get inside his burning house and get his entire family out of there.
As if on cue, the roof of the house crashed and the entire place became an inferno. A heartbreaking scream escaped Blaine's lips as he clutched at the figure who was grasping his waist and pulling him away from the wreckage that was his home. His cries were earth-shattering as he allowed himself to be dragged away from the still burning ruins of his house.
"NO! Oh god! Mother! Father! No!" Blaine continued to scream. Finally he had barely any voice and strength left and he just sank into the ground sobbing, allowing the stranger who was holding him up to cradle him until unconsciousness swallowed him whole.