Chapter One: Of Gods and Shadows
The village of Grixen was just as quiet as normal. When several of the local boys returned in the late afternoon from the road in the west, Smiles on their faces and hands on each other's back, the villagers just smiled at the sight, knowing they had just come back from some kind of good deed. These were the kind of boys every village thinks they have, but few really do. They were strong and hotheaded, and they used their talents to help those who less fortunate. They did not bully other children when the public eye was not on them, and they nearly always told the truth.
Leading the pack was the tallest, and the handsomest, boy in the group. His hair was long and straight, falling almost to his sides. It was a lovely strawberry-blonde, much like his mother's, the townsfolk would remark. But anyone who knew a thing about this town's history would know he was very much his father's son, with just the right blend of charming and warmth in his smile, while having that look of a protector in his eye. His name was Sean (see-en), and most of the kids his age (well, almost men by this point, but they had since he was around 11) called him "God-Made", because to the village it was as if a god had reached down and handed him to them. He could hold his own in a fight against many older men at once, and he never once abused that power. Sean had a large, thin sword (outsiders would call it a "katana") at his left side, where it always hung, a memory of his father.
Following the group, slightly behind and outside the warm embrace, but still very much a part of them walked a small boy with raven hair. It was short and choppy, and always it was dirty for the boy rarely washed. His name was Shawn (sha-an), and like the Sean, most kids called him something else, in fact the entire village called this boy "Shadow" because, to all accounts, that's just what he was. He was never more than ten paces being Sean, he rarely said a word, and he kept to himself. He wore dark clothes, and never did a thing in his life to stand out. He did, however, have a darling little smile that many of the craftsmen and women in town liked to try and see. In fact, there was even a quiet little saying they had developed in the past few years: "A smiling shadow is a day's good luck." Every now and then, as he walked, he clutched the small little dagger he had swiped from a gang of bandits that day, as if to make sure it was still there.
Despite their difference in size, Sean and Shawn walked with the same gait. As they passed the village's blacksmith, Harl, he smiled upon the group.
"Hello, God-Made, heya Kids." He greeted them warmly, then he leaned over to look past them. "Heya Shadow!" He waved to the boy, who simply looked down and said nothing. The man turned back to Sean. "So, where were you boys today?"
"We went far down the western road, Harl. you member those bandits we were hearing about? Well, they're no problem anymore." Sean said proudly, and all his friends cheered. "In fact, Shawn even got himself a little prize from the fight. Shawn, show Mr. Harl what you found?" He said, using the same friendly and protective tone as he always did with the small dark-haired boy. Shawn walked forward timidly, then pulled the small dagger from his belt, and held it carefully, not looking at the middle-aged man. Harl smiled down at Shawn again.
"Come now, Shadow. you can trust me, I will give it back, I swear. I just want to see it." He said, holding out a hand. After a moment, Shawn reluctantly placed the dagger in the Blacksmith's hand, blushing. He lifted it up, pulling it out of it's sheathe and admiring it. "My my, what craftsmanship. This is a fine weapon, indeed." he said, then in the corner of his eye he caught Shawn's shy smile show itself for just a moment at the praise. He then lowered it back to the boy, true to his word. "Now, you be careful. That thing is very sharp." To this, the boy just nodded, blushed, and replaced the dagger at his side, right where Sean's katana was upon him, and backed off. Sean and Harl noticed this, and smiled. "Look at that, God-Made. You're not the only man with a blade in the family anymore." Sean laughed.
"I know." he said, his voice flawless. "I was worried for a moment, but Shawn's very careful. He won;t cut himself... too much." He and his friends shared a laugh, then waved goodbye and walked their own ways. For those who did not pick up on it, let me make this clear: The two boys, who have little in common, are brothers, and the only family they have is each other. Theirs is a tragic tale, not one shared lightly (or at all) by the townsfolk to outsiders.
For many years, Regal and Luxy were happily married. Regal was the village's mightiest fighter, and the Katana he always had at his side was evidence of that. But late one night, while he was out escorting a merchant along a dangerous road, a Company of bandits ran into town, harming and looting the people with reckless abandon. He got back in time to stop them from killing anyone, but when he got to his house, he had the worst surprise. His son, Sean, ran to him to tell him about the bad man in their house. Upon arriving, he found the rouge not stealing from or beating his wife... but violating her. In his rage, he stuck the man down. But he did not stop striking, not until there was blood all over his clothes and the man was in several pieces at his feet. He recoiled in what he had done, and when his wife came to him to comfort him, he ran out in shame. He chased the remaining men out of town, but his fortune was ill, for as they were leaving h tripped upon a stray stone, and fell upon his blade. Seeing this injury, the men moved in and treated him as he had their fallen companion. Regal lay dead that day, his blade through his own heart, and the men who vandalized his town almost all made it out alive.
This was not the end of the tragedy. His poor widow, Luxy, was left alone to raise her son without her husband's income to support them. The whole town chipped in, out of respect to Regal, but as time wore on, a new horror developed. Luxy was pregnant. the locals hoped, even prayed, that the child was Regal's, but Luxy knew better. They only wanted the one child. This new baby was no doubt the offspring of the man responsible for her husband's death. When the day came for the child to be born, two things told the villagers this was no son of Regal; The boy's black hair, and his mother's death in childbirth. The village elders gathered and met, and chose to execute the baby, a spawn of a killer. But the boy's big brother refused to let them near him. They told him about the other man, and how this boy was that man;s son. Little, brave Sean still refused to hand his baby brother over to the men. Eventually, things settled down, and little Shawn (or, as the people began to call him, 'shadow',) Became a part of ordinary life.
But even that was not the end to the tragedies these boys would know. That very night, they had a dark and lonely future awaiting them.