A short story looking at Varric's sibling relationships.
"You had a brother once."
The Kid has a habit of doing that. Reading the silence, speaking words written on the inside of another's mind.
"He was what you are not. He was harsh, could be cruel. He did his best, you thought. Even when he betrayed you, he was loved."
The boy, the spirit, keeps going. Wide eyes under a wide brim, reciting memories best forgotten.
"How does one turn their back on a brother? You never could understand."
A pause.
"You never could."
Another pause.
"He did."
The path is steep, but the Kid has no need to stop for breath. He stops only long enough to listen.
"Your brother is gone. Heart twisted and burned. You wonder if it was the red lyrium that made him abandon you."
He does stop now - voice and feet. Not because he forgets or because the memories fade. But as if the answer hurts him, too.
"You know it wasn't."
The spirit, the boy, walks on. Putting the pieces together. Does he hear the thoughts or see them? When he slips inside a mind is it like reading a book or hearing a song? Either way, he knows things no one else does.
"You lost your brother. But now you have a sister. She has your back and so you have hers."
There's no need to nod, to acknowledge. He knows. Of course, he does.
"You know where she is." A beat passes. "You won't say."
It's not accusatory. There is no judgment, just simple observation. As if it makes perfect sense. And maybe it does.
"You don't abandon your family."
The Kid looks away, beyond somehow. Maybe he's looking into the Fade itself. Or the past.
"You still don't understand how he could."
Thanks for reading!