Thunder rumbled in the distance and showers of light rain descended from the grey Boston sky as, at long last, the wanderer returned home. Zachary Martin, clad in a dark cloak, drew stares from the smartly dressed passer-bys as he once again pushed through those revolving doors of the Boston Tipton. As he burst past the doorman, clad smartly in a suit of green and gold and into the so-familiar lobby, a cacophony of smells he once knew and loved overwhelmed him and as he surveyed the scene in front of him, from the eye-catching candy counter to the gold-encrusted mahogany front desk, he knew, he was home.
Slowly, as if he was still in a dream, he stepped towards the lift, ignoring the bellhop's query as to whether he needed assistance, taking it to the 23rd floor, conflicting emotions running through his mind all the while as he recalled the events that had led to his final homecoming.
"I'll take care of it! Go, Just GO!"
He buried his head in his hands,
"Sacrifice is the greatest form of love."
"Ding" The elevator reached the 23rd floor, and he exited into a hallway carpeted from floor to ceiling in lush green designs, and with an ease that came only with familiarity, turned to the room that bore the numbers 2330, on a tarnished brass plaque. He swiped his key card and entered. The room had obviously not been lived in for ages, and despite the fact that it was within a world renowned 5-star hotel, was covered in a thin layer of dust. As he once again looked around, at the mini kitchen that his brother had spent so much time in, cooking up new and original recipes, at the bedroom where he had once played, where he had broken his leg, where he had even kept the hotel's horse hidden once, he realized how much he had truly lost over the past few years.
He sat by the window, where soft light filtered gently in from the morning sky, and gazed longingly at the amulet he wore around his neck, a golden crest, with a single sparkling ruby in the center, then at the one he held in his hand, exactly identical but for the emerald it held. As the amulets reflected the morning light, projecting a kaleidoscope of colours on the walls around him, he thought back to two years ago, which though short, seemed like an eternity…