Chapter Four: Books and Brothers
He was surprised that no one had bothered to check the library yet. Everyone knew that he hid in the library whenever he wanted to be alone. That was why it was so silly for him to keep hiding in the library. Ten year old Erestor sniffed as he took another book off the shelf and settled back onto the windowsill. He hated it when people picked on him, and he especially hated the fact that the three bullies made him cry just about every day. The thing he loved was the fact that books offered solace.
He heard the door swing open and soft footsteps echoed throughout the mostly empty library. Erestor scowled. It looked like his moping time was up. He closed the book and walked over to the end of the aisle. When he poked his head out from around the corner, he saw his five year old, dark haired little brother. Erestor groaned inwardly. The last thing he needed was a five year old demanding to be read to. His little brother looked up with wide, dark eyes, grinned, and waved. Erestor sighed. He'd been caught.
"Hi, Eres'r." his brother called as he skipped over to his brother's previous hiding spot.
"What do you want, Thalion?" Erestor demanded. Thalion attempted to hold his older brother's hand, but Erestor folded his arms over his chest. Thalion frowned as he regarded his brother's tear-stained cheeks.
"You crying, Eres'r?" He asked, concern coloring his words.
"How's that any of your business?" Erestor snapped. Thalion seemed completely unfazed by his brother's bad temper.
"You like reading. I know you do." Thalion said in a cheerful voice. Erestor's eyes narrowed dangerously.
"I am not reading to you, Thalion." He growled. But Thalion paid no attention to his brother. Instead, he walked behind Erestor and began looking at the books. Erestor closed his eyes for a brief moment, took a deep breath, and silently counted to ten before turning to look at his little brother.
"Look, I don't want to read to you, and I won't. I just want to be left alone." He told the elfling, his tone stern.
"You sad, Eres'r. I not leaving you when you sad." Thalion replied as he took a heavy book off the shelf and dropped it on the ground. Dust flew everywhere, but Erestor paid it no mind.
"Don't do that!" He exclaimed as he grabbed the book off the floor and stuck it back on the shelf. "You could easily ruin a book by doing that." Thalion frowned.
'I was gonna' read that to you." He said.
"I don't want you to read to me and I don't want to read to you! I just want to be left alone!" Erestor screamed. Thalion's bottom lip began to quiver. Before Erestor could say anything else, his little brother was out of the library in a flash. Erestor sighed and sat down against the bookshelf. He was finally alone, but he didn't feel good at all.
"You are such an orc, Erestor." Erestor sighed. He let his head hit the bookshelf and closed his eyes for a brief moment before taking the book Thalion had dropped on the ground. A soft smile graced his features when he saw the title of the book. Always the smart one, Thalion had wanted to attempt to read Erestor's favorite book to his big brother. There was no doubt in Erestor's mind that his little brother had more brains and a bigger heart than he did. Erestor stood and exited the library, book under his arm. Hopefully he could find Thalion before his Ada or Naneth did.
"Hey, bookworm!" Erestor groaned inwardly and kept walking. He didn't have time for this. But of course the stupid bullies didn't care about that. How could they when they had more brawn than they had brains?
"Come on, Erestor. We only want to talk."
That's what you said last time Erestor thought, anger bubbling up inside of him. He quickened his pace as he rounded the corner, and came to an abrupt halt when he came face to face with the third bully.
"What do you want, Mardion?" Erestor sighed. "Can't you pick on someone your own size, or are you too big of a baby to try that?" Mardion's bright blue eyes darkened with anger and Erestor groaned inwardly. Mardion was at least two heads taller than him. They were the same age, but Mardion was taller. Why did he always have to offend the one that was taller? The other two bullies came up behind him, not giving Erestor much of a chance at escape.
So much for finding my brother He thought I should have just read to Thalion. Then I wouldn't have had to go looking for him. Mardion took a step towards him and Erestor took an instinctive step back, right in to the waiting arms of the other two bullies. One of them wrenched the ancient book out of his grasp and the other grabbed a hold of him, pinning his arms to his sides. He was pretty sure Alyan had a hold of him, but his gaze was locked onto Mardion and he didn't feel like looking.
"Now, where do you want me to hit you first? Or would you like me to choose?" Mardion sneered. Erestor's gaze hardened.
"Go to hell, Mardion." He spat. Mardion glared at his victim and backhanded him. Erestor bit his tongue to keep from crying out. Where were the grown-ups when you needed them?
"You leave my big brother alone!" Erestor gasped and looked behind him the best he could. Of all the people to fend the bullies off for him…
"Thalion? What are you doing here? Get the grown-ups!" Erestor exclaimed, finally regaining some sense after a few seconds. Thalion shook his head and took something out of his back pocket. Erestor's eyes widened. Did his little brother really think that he could fend off three bullies, all of whom were five or six heads taller than him, with nothing but a slingshot? Despite his disbelief, Erestor did have to admire his brother's bravery.
"No, Thalion!" Erestor exclaimed. "Get the grown-ups! I don't care who, just get somebody!" Thalion, however, was not in the listening mood. He took a rock out of his pocket and aimed at Alyan.
"Let him go." Thalion growled.
"Go back to your toy soldiers, elfling. What do you think you are, some kind of hero? Erestor here doesn't need you, brat. He's got us." Alyan jeered. He was rewarded with a smooth, round pebble smacking his forehead and a sharp kick in a place too impolite to mention. Erestor managed to get his arms free and dealt Alyan a stinging slap. He was angry. Thalion reloaded the slingshot and pointed it at Mardion. He was going to get him if it was the last thing he did.
Erestor, however, had no time to think about who he wanted to take down first. He was warding off blows from all three of his tormenters. Alyan, however, wasn't making too many attempts at bringing Erestor down, so it wasn't really that bad of a fight. Not when your little brother decided that he was going to hit Mardion with one of his bigger rocks in a place too impolite to mention. Erestor grinned when Mardion doubled over. He pushed past Alyan and Bregolien, snatched the book from the floor, and dragged Thalion away from the fight.
"You could have gotten hurt, Thalion." Erestor admonished.
"Yeah, but aren't you glad I did it?" Thalion asked cheerfully, fighting to keep up with his older brother, who was half dragging him down the hall. Erestor had to grin at that.
Chapter Four: Books and Brothers
He was surprised that no one had bothered to check the library yet. Everyone knew that he hid in the library whenever he wanted to be alone. That was why it was so silly for him to keep hiding in the library. Ten year old Erestor sniffed as he took another book off the shelf and settled back onto the windowsill. He hated it when people picked on him, and he especially hated the fact that the three bullies made him cry just about every day. The thing he loved was the fact that books offered solace.
He heard the door swing open and soft footsteps echoed throughout the mostly empty library. Erestor scowled. It looked like his moping time was up. He closed the book and walked over to the end of the aisle. When he poked his head out from around the corner, he saw his five year old, dark haired little brother. Erestor groaned inwardly. The last thing he needed was a five year old demanding to be read to. His little brother looked up with wide, dark eyes, grinned, and waved. Erestor sighed. He'd been caught.
"Hi, Eres'r." his brother called as he skipped over to his brother's previous hiding spot.
"What do you want, Thalion?" Erestor demanded. Thalion attempted to hold his older brother's hand, but Erestor folded his arms over his chest. Thalion frowned as he regarded his brother's tear-stained cheeks.
"You crying, Eres'r?" He asked, concern coloring his words.
"How's that any of your business?" Erestor snapped. Thalion seemed completely unfazed by his brother's bad temper.
"You like reading. I know you do." Thalion said in a cheerful voice. Erestor's eyes narrowed dangerously.
"I am not reading to you, Thalion." He growled. But Thalion paid no attention to his brother. Instead, he walked behind Erestor and began looking at the books. Erestor closed his eyes for a brief moment, took a deep breath, and silently counted to ten before turning to look at his little brother.
"Look, I don't want to read to you, and I won't. I just want to be left alone." He told the elfling, his tone stern.
"You sad, Eres'r. I not leaving you when you sad." Thalion replied as he took a heavy book off the shelf and dropped it on the ground. Dust flew everywhere, but Erestor paid it no mind.
"Don't do that!" He exclaimed as he grabbed the book off the floor and stuck it back on the shelf. "You could easily ruin a book by doing that." Thalion frowned.
'I was gonna' read that to you." He said.
"I don't want you to read to me and I don't want to read to you! I just want to be left alone!" Erestor screamed. Thalion's bottom lip began to quiver. Before Erestor could say anything else, his little brother was out of the library in a flash. Erestor sighed and sat down against the bookshelf. He was finally alone, but he didn't feel good at all.
"You are such an orc, Erestor." Erestor sighed. He let his head hit the bookshelf and closed his eyes for a brief moment before taking the book Thalion had dropped on the ground. A soft smile graced his features when he saw the title of the book. Always the smart one, Thalion had wanted to attempt to read Erestor's favorite book to his big brother. There was no doubt in Erestor's mind that his little brother had more brains and a bigger heart than he did. Erestor stood and exited the library, book under his arm. Hopefully he could find Thalion before his Ada or Naneth did.
"Hey, bookworm!" Erestor groaned inwardly and kept walking. He didn't have time for this. But of course the stupid bullies didn't care about that. How could they when they had more brawn than they had brains?
"Come on, Erestor. We only want to talk."
That's what you said last time Erestor thought, anger bubbling up inside of him. He quickened his pace as he rounded the corner, and came to an abrupt halt when he came face to face with the third bully.
"What do you want, Mardion?" Erestor sighed. "Can't you pick on someone your own size, or are you too big of a baby to try that?" Mardion's bright blue eyes darkened with anger and Erestor groaned inwardly. Mardion was at least two heads taller than him. They were the same age, but Mardion was taller. Why did he always have to offend the one that was taller? The other two bullies came up behind him, not giving Erestor much of a chance at escape.
So much for finding my brother He thought I should have just read to Thalion. Then I wouldn't have had to go looking for him. Mardion took a step towards him and Erestor took an instinctive step back, right in to the waiting arms of the other two bullies. One of them wrenched the ancient book out of his grasp and the other grabbed a hold of him, pinning his arms to his sides. He was pretty sure Alyan had a hold of him, but his gaze was locked onto Mardion and he didn't feel like looking.
"Now, where do you want me to hit you first? Or would you like me to choose?" Mardion sneered. Erestor's gaze hardened.
"Go to hell, Mardion." He spat. Mardion glared at his victim and backhanded him. Erestor bit his tongue to keep from crying out. Where were the grown-ups when you needed them?
"You leave my big brother alone!" Erestor gasped and looked behind him the best he could. Of all the people to fend the bullies off for him…
"Thalion? What are you doing here? Get the grown-ups!" Erestor exclaimed, finally regaining some sense after a few seconds. Thalion shook his head and took something out of his back pocket. Erestor's eyes widened. Did his little brother really think that he could fend off three bullies, all of whom were five or six heads taller than him, with nothing but a slingshot? Despite his disbelief, Erestor did have to admire his brother's bravery.
"No, Thalion!" Erestor exclaimed. "Get the grown-ups! I don't care who, just get somebody!" Thalion, however, was not in the listening mood. He took a rock out of his pocket and aimed at Alyan.
"Let him go." Thalion growled.
"Go back to your toy soldiers, elfling. What do you think you are, some kind of hero? Erestor here doesn't need you, brat. He's got us." Alyan jeered. He was rewarded with a smooth, round pebble smacking his forehead and a sharp kick in a place too impolite to mention. Erestor managed to get his arms free and dealt Alyan a stinging slap. He was angry. Thalion reloaded the slingshot and pointed it at Mardion. He was going to get him if it was the last thing he did.
Erestor, however, had no time to think about who he wanted to take down first. He was warding off blows from all three of his tormenters. Alyan, however, wasn't making too many attempts at bringing Erestor down, so it wasn't really that bad of a fight. Not when your little brother decided that he was going to hit Mardion with one of his bigger rocks in a place too impolite to mention. Erestor grinned when Mardion doubled over. He pushed past Alyan and Bregolien, snatched the book from the floor, and dragged Thalion away from the fight.
"You could have gotten hurt, Thalion." Erestor admonished.
"Yeah, but aren't you glad I did it?" Thalion asked cheerfully, fighting to keep up with his older brother, who was half dragging him down the hall. Erestor had to grin at that. The bullies were subdued for now. Subdued and angry. But they'd probably nurse their injuries for a while before attacking Erestor again. And it was all because of his determined little brother.
Big little brother Erestor corrected silently He's my big little brother