Adira hadn't seen any of her brothers in twenty five years, but she believed that none of them had changed at all after all this time. Quirin was still broody and pessimistic, believing that it was better to believe that things were doomed than to strive for something more. Edmund was a martyr who believed in sacrificing himself and others for what he believed was the greater good. And Hector was still stubborn, viscous, and more than just occasionally cruel.
Adira thought that they were all self-sacrificing idiots who didn't know how to just let themselves live their own lives. She felt sorry for them, and she was furious at them, and there were times when she couldn't stand them, which was why she hadn't bothered to contact or visit any of them in all these years.
But they were still her brothers, and she still loved them. And if Adira was being honest with herself, she wanted to see them again.
She'd been content to watch the Sundrop and her friends from a distance as they made their way to the Dark Kingdom, only stepping in when they really couldn't figure things out for themselves. She knew she would have to escort them through the Great Tree though. The tree was a maze, and countless souls had lost themselves within its roots and bark. Considering how prone to getting lose they already were, Adira suspected they would need a guide just to keep them from getting distracted and killed by the many dangers hidden in the tree.
And then there was Hector, who would surely attack any trespasser within the tree. Adira would protect the Sundrop and her friends from him, of course, but she kew that what she really wanted to do was talk to him again. She wanted to reunite with her brother. She wanted to spar, and laugh, and make fun of Quirin.
She knew it was a fool's wish. Hector had made it clear how he felt about her and her belief in the Sundrop, but a long time had passed since then. Maybe a part of him had missed her the way that she had missed him. Maybe he'd be willing to hear her out when she had the actual Sundrop before them, making it clear that it wasn't a myth the way he had believed.
Hector wasn't one to change his mind, but he was one of the most loyal people she had ever known. The majority of that loyalty was to the Dark Kingdom, King Edmund, and protecting the moonstone, but she knew that at least some of it was for the Brotherhood. Maybe there was just enough loyalty deep down for him to at least hear her out.
Adira had expected Hector to strike before they even reached the Great Tree, and yet there was no sign of him or his animals. They got all the way to the tree itself and started the journey inside, and still he didn't attack. Adira stayed up all night, insisting on keeping watch despite Short Hair's distrust towards her. She hoped foolishly that Hector wasn't attacking because he'd been waiting for the others to be asleep so they could have some privacy. Maybe he did want to talk after all.
She waited, and waited, all through the night, but there was no disturbance. Not a sound. Hector didn't seem to be there at all, and Adira started to feel concerned.
Where was Hector? He would have had to have gotten really sloppy to let anybody get this far through the tree, let alone a group that was so large and noisy. Adira could admit that she didn't know everything about Hector after twenty five years, but she really didn't think that this much would change about him.
He was a protector. He was so loyal and dedicated to guarding the moonstone that he had threatened to disown and kill Adira over it. She just couldn't understand how something so fundamental to him had changed. There had to be another reason why he hadn't come out.
Morning came and the others woke up. They were all ready to get out of the tree, and Adira was ready for them to be gone. She had planned on seeing them the rest of the way to the Dark Kingdom from here, just to keep them on track, but she was changing her mind now.
She needed to find Hector and make sure he was okay. She had sworn to herself that she would see the Sundrop unite with the moonstone, and she would finally see an end to this senseless destruction and heartache. But she had made another promise when she had joined the Brotherhood. She had sworn to protect her brothers when she could.
Hector was perfectly capable of taking care of himself, but this tree could be dangerous to the most skilled warriors. Hector had been alone for twenty five years, and that was a long time for anybody to be on their own, let alone in such a dangerous place.
Adira took the Sundrop and her friends to the edge of the tree and saw them off. She shortly refused the princess' offer to continue on with them. She needed to go after Hector. The Sundrop seemed to think that Adira was saying that her brother was going to follow them, and he was still a threat. Adira didn't bother to correct her. She did, however, speak up when Short Hair decided that she needed to have the last word.
I'm still not sure I even believe that you have a so-called brother here at all." Short Hair said, because she didn't seem capable of not arguing with Adira about anything. "If he is in the tree though, he's a coward. Too scared to even try to do his job. The Coronan guards would never let a threat pass so easily through the borders. It's pathetic."
Adira stiffened and felt fury wash through her with every word Short Hair said. A powerful breeze blew past all of them as she glared at the lady-in-waiting. "Don't you dare speak of my brother that way. He is ten times the warrior you could even dream of being."
Short Hair crossed her arms and glared right back, even as the princess tried to pull her away, begging her to drop it. "I thought you said this guy was our enemy. Why are you defending him?"
Why indeed?
"I don't believe we are enemies." Adira said shortly. "We just have different goals. But even if we were enemies, he's still my brother, and he's still the greatest warrior I've ever met. So, I ask that you speak of him with the respect that he deserves. I won't ask so nicely next time."
The two of them stared at each other for a long time before Short Hair scoffed and let the princess pull her back. The Sundrop gave Adira a small smile before she and her friends set out to continue their journey. Adira turned back towards the tree and went inside, intent on finding Hector. Even if she had to search the whole tree, she wasn't going to give up on him.
"Well, wasn't that sweet." A cruel and taunting voice said. Adira felt shivers go down her spine even as relief overcame any remaining anger she'd felt towards Short Hair. She hadn't realized how much she had missed that voice. She turned around to see Hector standing just a few feet behind her. She hadn't even heard him coming.
He started to circle her, his eyes flashing brightly. "I don't think I've ever seen you defend me like that." His tone of voice made it hard to tell if he was grateful, teasing, or merely stating a fact.
"A woman can change a lot in twenty five years." Adira said.
"I don't know." Hector hummed. "You look exactly the same to me."
"So do you." Adira said. Hector stopped his pacing and just stared at her, his eyes unblinking. His expression was unreadable, which wasn't something that Adira was used to seeing from Hector. He always used to be so obvious with his emotions. He'd been alone for so long. Why had he bothered to improve his mask so much?
Finally a slow smile crept onto Hector's face. He looked amused, and Adira was relieved. She had started to worry that she had unintentionally insulted him. He could be so sensitive sometimes.
"I missed you, Sister." Hector said. With just those simple words, Adira's brief relief was replaced with horror. She pulled out her blade and pointed it towards him. He didn't even look fazed, and he didn't pull out his own blade either. He just tilted his head and gave her a curious look.
"What trickery is this?" Adira said coldly. "My brothers would never so easily admit to missing me." She could overlook the fact that Hector had ignored the princess and her companions, though it was suspicious. She knew there could be a reason for it though. She couldn't, however, see any reason why Hector would admit to caring about Adira when they'd parted on such bad terms. That more than anything was what told Adira that something was wrong here.
Hector, or at least the thing that looked like him, threw back his head and laughed. It sure looked and sounded like Hector, and he had all of his behaviorisms, but his actions were so far off that she couldn't ignore it.
"Is it really so much easier to believe I'm a shapeshifter or something?" Hector asked, his tone light and playful. He sounded calmer than Adira had ever heard from him, though there was still a pain in his tone that made a cold feeling grow in her chest. "Was I really so proud that you now find it impossible to believe that I could change? That I could have grown lonely after all these years."
Hector's light expression fell to one of betrayal and heartbreak. "You left me. All of you. I have been on my own for so, so long." There was raw pain in his voice, a vulnerability that was unfamiliar. A cold breeze blew past Hector and felt like it went right through Adira, straight into her soul. She shivered. Hector seemed unbothered by the chill.
"You have no idea what I've been through." Hector said. He didn't sound angry or condemning. He was just sad, and that hurt Adira far more than his anger ever could.
"Brother," She took a step towards him, reaching her hand out, but he flinched and stepped back from her. She lowered her hand, feeling a pang in her chest. Of the Brethren, Hector had always been the one who thrived on physical contact. Even when he was mad at somebody, he would jump at the chance to have their physical affection. For him to be rejecting it from Adira now, it stung. It made her feel like he was scared that she was going to hurt him.
"I never wanted to hurt you, Hector." Adira said quietly. "I didn't want to leave you, but my life was taking me down another path. One you refused to follow." She wasn't trying to put the blame on him, but she had never even considered visiting Hector before because she'd been sure that he had hated her.
Although, maybe their paths weren't so different now. "Brother, why didn't you try to stop the Sundrop? I thought you didn't believe in it."
"There have been enough lives claimed by the Great Tree." Hector said. He crossed his arms protectively around himself and refused to meet Adira's gaze. "Maybe I shoulda scared them away, but…" He sighed, looking completely drained. "I'm just so tired."
Adira felt both hope and concern. "Tired of what?"
Hector was quiet for a moment. "Of existing like this." Adira's concern began to spike, but then Hector continued. "I've given everything I am to serving the Brotherhood, and keeping the secret of the moonstone safe. I felt satisfied with my life, and my purpose, but now…now it's just too much, and there's no end in sight, and I don't want to be stuck doing this until it destroys me."
If Adira was a hugger, and if Hector was receptive to her touch, she would have pulled him into her arms. She felt devastated at his words. It was heartbreaking to hear him sound so defeated about his greatest passion. But on the other hand, she felt hope.
She had never thought that Hector would be willing to move on from the Brotherhood. She thought he would make himself miserable to serve the moon, and he would do so for the rest of his life. When they were younger she'd always said that this devotion to the Dark Kingdom would be the death of him. To hear that Hector wanted to get away from that and finally reclaim his life, it was just as joyous as it was sad.
"You want to leave the Brotherhood." Adira said casually. She had to fight to keep the smile off her face, because Hector looked devastated, but determined. This was something he had decided on a long time ago, but the choice still hurt.
"I've been wanting to be free from this burden for twenty years." Hector said so quietly that Adira felt like she wasn't actually meant to have heard it.
"So why did you stay here?" Adira asked. "Why didn't you leave the Great Tree? See the world?"
Hector started to shake his head before she even finished speaking. "I swore an oath to serve the Brotherhood, and I'm bound to my word. I can't…I can't move on until I've been released from my duty."
Adira didn't think she would ever be able to understand her brother. "Didn't you already go back on your duty by letting the princess and her friends walk through here? You know they're on their way to get the moonstone."
"Of course I know that." Hector huffed. "But that's…it's different." She didn't see how, but trying to figure out how Hector's head worked was pointless. She knew better.
Hector looked towards the tree's exit. The youth were out of sight by now. "I just want some rest." He sounded resigned, like it was something that he knew he would never get, and Adira just didn't understand that.
"I know you swore an oath, but you shouldn't condemn yourself like this because of a technicality." Adira said. "King Edmund sent us away. The Brotherhood is over."
"But not officially." Hector said. "And until it's official, I'm stuck."
She wanted to argue with Hector and make him see how foolish he was being, but she knew from experience that if she fought him he was just going to buckle down. They'd get into a fight, and then he'd push her away all over again. She didn't want to lose her brother, but more than that she didn't want him to lose her. He would be too proud to admit it, but this was a big change that he was hoping for, and he would have a hard time adjusting to it. He would need her to help him adjust.
Instead of arguing with Hector, she decided to swallow her pride and offer her help, and just hope that he would swallow his and accept it. "I was planning on going to the Dark Kingdom to help the princess with King Edmund. If you want, I can speak to him on your behalf. We can make this official, just like you want."
Hector's eyes widened and almost seemed to glow. "It…you'd do that for me?" He smiled broadly. "Really?" He sounded so hopeful, and Adira knew that this wasn't just an empty promise. She couldn't let her brother down. She may not understand why this was so important to Hector, but she could respect that it was a big deal, and she didn't want to let him down.
"Yes, of course." Adira said. She hesitated for a moment. "Did you want to come with me? It's been so long since we've travelled together."
Hector actually seemed to consider it before he shook his head. "I've made my choice, but the thought of seeing somebody actually try to claim the moonstone…No, I should probably stay here. I'd freak out, and I really don't want to do that anymore."
Adira couldn't help but be curious. Hector had always been feral and vicious, striking out in ways that she rarely saw from people, but none of them had ever called him 'freaking out' before, and he'd never been ashamed of it. Either something had changed after all this time, or he was referring to something else.
"So don't worry about it." Adira said. She had no problem doing the work so that he would remain calm. "I'll take care of everything."
Hector smiled, looking incredibly at ease. "Thank you, Sister. You have no idea how much this means to me."
Adira was starting to feel uncomfortable with Hector's gratitude. This wasn't the brother that she was used to. She started to feel an uncomfortable tension in her chest, like she normally would when somebody touched her in a way that she wasn't comfortable with. She wanted to talk to Hector more, to find out just what was going on with him, and what had happened to him twenty years ago to get him to change his mind.
She was uncomfortable with this interaction though, and a part of her was eager to get away from here before things got more sentimental. "I'll be back soon."
"You'd better." Hector said. His face scrunched up a bit as he tried to figure out if he should say something or not. Finally he sighed. "Even if Edmund says no, will you come back? I-I'm tired of being alone."
Adira smiled. She knew it had to have taken a lot for him to ask for this. Especially when she was already doing something for him. "I'll come back. I'm not going to leave you. Not again." Besides, if Edmund said no, she would need to come back to try to convince Hector to leave anyway.
He may be stubborn, but so was she. She didn't want to just leave him in this situation. Whether he wanted to or not, she was going to bring him out of this, and she was going to make him see that there was much more to this life than serving the moon.
Adira was going to go to the Dark Kingdom, and then she was going to come right back here. Hector needed her, and honestly, she'd been away from her brothers for too long. She could survive fine without them, but that didn't mean she necessarily wanted to.
Whether the Brotherhood was disbanded or not, they were still brethren.