Chapter Text
After he left, things in our house were turbulent. We couldn't look at each other in the eyes. "What did you do?" Zuko yelled, finally snapping. "That is none of your concern, young man!" I cringed. They both sounded angry, likely still on edge from what happened earlier between Emeric and Lovis. They never had the best relationship. Mom often had to split them up before they hurt themselves. She would make them both apologize before forcing both of them away from the house, worried that they would break something we couldn't afford to fix or replace. She used to say: "Leave before you drag each other through the mud," and they would both leave, their feet lugging against the ground as if they weighed as much as one of the trees Emeric hauled. They hated each other, probably, but they needed each other. Good without evil is evil, right?
The door clobbered open to reveal a drenched Emeric. He hadn't been gone for long. He was gone for as long as mom was during her post-jentacular walk. He wordlessly slid past us, pausing for a second to meet Lovis in the eyes, before continuing to his room. The air in the room was humid and unbending, but I did not leave. It felt wrong to get up and move. Hell, it felt wrong to breathe. But, I did not move as Zuko's eye's filled with anger, disgust, hatred, and sadness. He opened his mouth to speak, maybe to scream, but closed it quickly. His teeth made a sort of clink sound against each other. The house was noiseless for the rest of the day.
The next day began, and so did another roaring match between my brothers. I couldn't tell what they were yelling about, and I honestly didn't care. I changed my tunic and left. Hearing them faintly through the windows, I quickly walked away, wishing everything could be over. "Emilian!" Hearing my name called, I twisted, revealing Achilles. His short, light hair practically glowed gold in the morning sun. His eyes were bright despite the early hour, his skin tanned from his basking in the sun. He looked beautiful. "Good morning, Achilles," I said, with a meager smile on my lips. He stepped forward and waved his arm towards himself, signaling that I needed to go to him. "Yes?" I said. "Come, I have a gift for you," He said, radiating happiness. I had no choice but to return his smile.
He led me towards the blacksmith, all while holding my hand in his. His hand was warm and soft in a way that made my heart race and my legs weak. I could only focus on the way his hair looked ablaze in the sun. Despite him being a foot in front of me, I still felt engulfed by him. If we people passed looks to us, I didn't notice, and neither did he.
"-You should be careful with it, don't let Zuko touch it, too. We both know he would end up without a head," His voice snapped me out of my trance. "Were you seriously not listening?" His voice sounded playful, the same tone he used when we were children. "I was, I had gotten distracted for a second, I am truly sorry-" "You talk too much," He interrupted. I opened my mouth to speak, but he held his finger in front of my lips. My mind went blank until he whispered: "Don't apologize, my love," My mind went blank, but I did not try to speak. I took the weapon from his hands, feeling the weight of it against me helped me. "Go home, Emilian. You look tired," He wasn't lying. I hadn't been able to sleep since my mother went missing. "I will, thank you," I turned and walked out the door, the floor creaking under me as I went.