The candles had burned themselves down to
nothing, letting their white remains drip down the iridescent
black liquor of the piano. And that was all Edgar found. He had
hauled all the way from his room to find no one in the music
hall. Had Sabin stopped playing that long ago? Edgar
questioned himself.
He walked over to the piano stool and sat;
it wasn't warm anymore. Edgar gently placed his fingers on
the keys. He wistfully ran a few scales and then began to play a
simple concerto that his brother had taught him. In all honesty,
it was the only thing that Edgar could remember how to play. By
the time he'd finished the song, the lights finally went
out. He sighed and got up. He's probably in bed; it is
late.
Edgar stood and ran his hand along the
gloomy finish of the piano. He was debating between walking to
his brother's roomletting it go. Letting it go
was starting to become a very bright idea, but Edgar knew
better
Edgar also knew what he was doing.
He headed towards the side door of the
music room. He took deep breaths to keep himself calm as he
walked across the sand. His bare toes sunk downward as he walked
and left his footprints behind him. The full moon lit the
iridescent sands ahead of him, so much he could see the small
dunes and other footsteps left by the guests. He very much wanted
to follow their tracks out—
away. Anywhere but here.
"Anywhere," he silently
whispered to himself.
He kept walking until he arrived his
brother's door. He stopped and looked at it for a moment. He
reached out towards the handle and couldn't grasp it.
His hand began to shake. He closed his
eyes and opened the door.
All was silent. The lights were out and
the only sound was the muffled sounds of Edgar's younger
brother sleeping. Edgar walked up the dark stairs that were
barely illuminated by the blue moon of the season. The stairs
seemed to stretch for an eternity! Edgar felt this impending
burden as he walked, and it didn't relieve itself once he
reached the top. He took another deep breath and turned towards
the bed.
Edgar noticed his brother hadn't even
changed; he'd just pulled his shoes and armor off along with
shirt and cuddled into his bed. The sheets hung just slightly off
Sabin's hips as he slept on his side with his back to Edgar,
and he was sleeping intolerantly. His face would move every so
often in what look to be a small contortion of painor was
he weeping? Edgar couldn't figure it out, but nonetheless,
he stood and watched his brother's restless sleep.
He walked over to the bed and looked down
at Sabin. He saw Sabin contort once again and watched a tear fall
from his eye. Edgar narrowed his eyes in mournful pain for his
brother and wiped the tear off his brother's cheek;
Sabin's face was warm. He's been crying all night! Edgar
reflected. He kneeled down and put his arms on the bed followed
by his chin on his arms. He watched his brother breathing and
then he saw Sabin tremble yet again. Edgar reached out his arm
and began to gently rub Sabin's and it calmed him down.
Edgar gave a loving smile at the result.
Sabin suddenly gave a sniff and turned his
head to his brother. It startled Edgar; he almost fell.
"Edgar," Sabin tiredly asked as
his hair fell past his eyes.
"Yeah, Sab, it's me," Edgar
whispered back. "I'm sorry I woke you."
"It's ok." Sabin yawned.
"I'm sorry I hit you."
Edgar rubbed his cheek and smiled.
"That wasn't a bad right hook." Sabin gave a weary
smile at the half-attempted joke.
"Wha-what are you doing here,"
Sabin asked.
"I" Edgar put his
head down for a moment and then tapped his brother's back.
"Move over," he said. Sabin did as told and Edgar
hopped in bed next to him. He let out a small laugh.
"Doesn't it remind you of when we were little and had
to share a bed?"
Sabin sniffed again. "Yeah. And I
used to kick the crap outta you."
"That you did."
"'Member when I hit you off the
bed," Sabin asked smiling.
"Yeah, squirt. I do," Edgar said
poking his brother's shoulder blades.
"Hey! You were snoring so loud I
couldn't sleep." The two let out quiet laughs.
"Heh," Edgar sighed as the two
sat in nostalgic silence. After a few minutes, he could feel
Sabin tremble again, so he rubbed his brother's back; it
didn't do much good. Sabin began to sob quietly again.
"Ah, Sabcome're." Edgar moved so he was
sitting up as Sabin turned into his brother's chest and
began to cry. Edgar rubbed his brother's back and stroked
his hair. He didn't try to calm him, or hush him; he just
let Sabin cry in his arms.
"II can't do this, Eddy.
I-I can't! I don't want to be king" Sabin
ranted through his sobs. "I d-d-don't want, want to
haveth-thousands of people d-depending on me I-I-I
d-d-d-don't want ta-ta-to fail them" Sabin took a
deep breath and began to wail.
"ShhSab." Edgar
kissed the top of his brother's head. "You
wouldn't fail them. Shh. You'd do fine. You
haven't failed them in the past, and you won't
fail—"
Sabin interrupted his brother's pep
talk. "I'm a-a-afraid that I'm gonna fail
you." Edgar tightened his arm around his brother even more;
he hadn't expected that.
"Sabin," Edgar breathed and that
was all he could do.
"Most of all, I'm afraid to fail
dad." It was the only stable thing that Sabin said and then
he lost it once again. "I miss himso, much."
Edgar hugged his brother with both arms.
"So do I, Sabin." It had totally slipped Edgar's
mind what he came to do until Sabin spoke again.
"Edgar. Would you please, uhm, give
me some time alone?"
Edgar looked down. "Sure."
Sabin let go of his brother and Edgar
climbed out of bed. He walked over to the steps and stopped.
"Sabin. Meet me up on the battlements in about an hour. Good
night." Before Sabin could ask why, Edgar had already walked
down the stairs and out. All that was heard was the silent brush
of his cape.