Chapter 159 - 159- The Story Of Two Brothers

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_qlgFQs7E4- music! 

"Theseus! His father just died. You're his brother. You should be next to him. He also lost his mother. At such a young age." Allias told his lover. 

At the moment they were positioned at a camp deep in the forest close to the portal, waiting as their army regrouped. The war had barely started and they were already facing too many loses. Just a few days ago the Disee queen and king had died in battle, butchered by the hunters. Their bodies had become examples as they stole them and hanged them on two big trees right at the entrance of the human camp. 

If your royals can't defeat us how could you? That was the message they were trying to pass by showing the dead bodies of the leaders. Usually when elves died their body turned instantly into dust and returned to the earth, becoming one with the first magic but somehow they had stopped that, disturbing their souls from resting in peace. 

Ares had seen everything, even after Allias had tried to hide it from him, how his parents had been humiliated in such a way he sneaked out one night, leaving the camp and show his parents with his own eyes. He had returned, hiding in his tent, turning the lights off as he cried for the rest of the night. His wailing could be hurt all over, saddening the soldiers. The next day everyone pretended like they had never heard the prince's distress, the sorrow in his heart and the anguish of losing his family, as he strolled the barracks with dark circles underneath his eyes, his look void of any emotion. 

"I am afraid he will throw himself into battle and die. Please Theseus" Allias begged him. They were sitting on their shared tent, eating warm bowls of soup with bread as everyone else seemed to rest. The sounds of the night and fire were their only companions as they talked about Theseus' only remaining family. The general snorted and moved his raven hair away from his face, looking at the prince with a dissatisfied look.

"The kid hates me, Allias. I will do more harm than good. Believe me" 

"That is not true. You're his brother. The only one he has. Don't act so childish."

"Well I will deal my family matters my own way. Thank you so much." Theseus told him and stood up, leaving his dinner unfinished as he headed towards his bed. He laid down and wrapped himself with a thick blanket turning his back on Allias, pouting like a small kid. "Goodnight" he mumbled and Allias rolled his green eyes finishing the last of his soup. 

"Goodnight" he told him. 

The next morning battle awaited. Bodies colliding and swords clashing. The sound of raw metal and the screams of the ones bathed in agony as their limbs fell off their bodies. Elves bathed in their lover's blood, parents holding the lifeless bodies of their children. Nothing stopped though. Even as mothers cried, even as raging magic, empowered by sorrow ripped through the skies the massacre did not stop. The sky was still clear and time moved forward. More people met their ends, begging for their children to see a better tomorrow as they heard the burning of fire, felt the taste of bitter poison. The war kept going, the heat of the fight always fresh as you battled for your life and at the same time your heart cried. For the friend that just died next to you, the one you couldn't protect. For your love that was waiting back home only to receive a cold letter, informing them that you were gone, turned into eternal dust by the enemies' sword. Even though time still kept going, for the elves fighting there, stepping on the muddy battlefield there was no tomorrow. 

And in the midst of it all a lost prince. A prince who had lost it all, not just his way. Mother, father and his heavy crown. He had lost his soul. In the center, surrounded by death as he watched his people die, fall to utter demise he screamed, rushing in, knowing there was nothing else to lose. Since he had been left with nothing. Ares, the Disee prince, the pride of the kingdom, the youth that had so many possibilities, a bright future ahead of him did not care if he lived or died. All he wanted was to get it out of his head. That horrid image of his dead parents, hanged on those ratchet trees, humiliated. Once they were King and Queen, now they were just lifeless bodies. His heart was racing, the sweat salty on his lips and his eyes filled with rage. The burns of his cuts and the ache of his feet was nothing as he dived deeper and deeper into the enemy troupes. He didn't care about meeting his end, all he wanted was revenge. 

Someone stopped him, grabbing his wrist and putting a stop to his march of madness. It was his brother, looking at him with wide eyes. 

"Let go of me!" he screamed. 

"You foolish child!" his brother scolded him. "Everyone is retreating. Can't you see?" He asked him and Ares looked around. He was right, the battlefield was almost empty. He wanted more though, he needed to kill more. This was not enough to clear his head, not enough to actually help him sleep at night. 

He stared at his brother. It was obvious he was mad at him. They had never been close. Theseus was a bastard son, barely even there while he was growing up. Ares had learned that he, always was above him. That he shouldn't care about a nameless child. Everything belonged to him. The mother, the father, the crown. He had it all but somehow Theseus, the brother he always pretended that didn't exist was the only one left 

"Let's go back" Theseus said and began dragging him away. 

"No! Don't touch me" Ares told him and pulled his hand away. "You never cared why do you care now? Just leave me alone." 

"So you just want me to let you die? Right in front of my eyes? You're my little brother!" Theseus shouted. 

"This is ridiculous" Ares said and scoffed. "You calling yourself my brother. You're just a bastard. You used me as bait when I was a kid! I was almost sold! You don't have the right to call yourself my brother. It disgusts me" 

"Well I am sorry to inform you but this disgusting brother is all you have! Because everyone else is dead. Your mother, my father, your servants and so many of your friends are dead. The only one that has left is me" Theseus told him and Ares suddenly felt like he couldn't breathe. 

Alone. He was scared to be alone. He was just a child how could he survive all of this by himself? He noticed that everyone had disappeared, even now it was just him and Theseus on that battlefield, surrounded by ashes and dead bodies, the smell of death still lingering. The elf kingdom was beautiful, filled with green prairies and rocky mountains. It was beautiful in the winter and in spring. Extremely hot in the summer but the smell of flowers was almost intoxicating. His life used to be beautiful so why, why the magical elf kingdom, the one that resembled a fantasy was a host to such horrid scenes? Why were they spoiling his beautiful life with those deaths, why were they breaking his heart like that just to leave him all alone? 

"I have no one, I am all alone" he said with tears staining his handsome face as his heart broke into a thousand pieces. "I don't want to be alone!" he sobbed and fell on his knees, his palms getting dirty from the soil, his cuts stinging as he put pressure on them. "Mum! Father! Please don't leave me!" he cried out and his tears landed fast on the ground. As if it was raining. 

"Ares you are not alone." Theseus said and crouched. Placing his palm on his shoulder. His younger brother raised his face and he, carefully with his dirty fingers, filled with blood and mud, wiped them away, making his face look like he had rolled in dirt. Theseus smiled with how innocent he looked, his eyes wide, shocked from his words. "You have me; I am your older brother. I will never leave you. Okay? So don't throw your life away." 

Ares just blankly stared at him, his lips slightly parted, his hot breathing barely escaping as he felt his heart clench. He did care, it was him who always disregarded him, who pretended that he didn't want his brother. Theseus never really tried to walk away from him, even when he insulted him and degraded him, he always seemed to laugh it off, no matter how hurt he could be. 

"Aaah!" he screamed and his crying became even louder as he fell into his brother's arms, clenching onto his shirt, damping it with his tears. "I am sorry. Please don't leave me too. Please, please Theseus I don't want to be alone. I will do anything." 

"You don't have to do anything. You're my kid brother. I swear, I will never leave you." Theseus whispered as he caressed his back. 

That night, when they returned to the camp, looking exhausted Allias was waiting for them at the entrance. The moment he saw Ares he ran towards them. Grabbing him from his shoulders and inspecting him carefully to make sure he was alright. Once he realized he wasn't hurt he gave him a very strict look and slapped him. The young prince felt like his jaw was going to fall off but he didn't speak. His green eyes were teary as he hugged him tightly. 

"Don't you ever do that again! Do you hear me?" He asked him and Ares nodded shyly. 

He had lost everything. He had seen an unfamiliar darkness, scary filled with monsters but in the end, he was given something in return. 

His brother and a new home.