“Why won’t you talk to me, Silas?”

The two had been walking for a while, silently at first until Evander decided that the silence was much too unlike Silas to be right. It was mid-spring and the forest, just like his brother, were strangely quiet despite the blooming of flowers and trees around them. Evander sped his pace, trying to match Silas’ strides but finding, with their difference in height, he was nearly running after him.

Evander didn’t understand why he stopped speaking, stopped even wanting to be around anyone at all. He didn’t know what his brother had seen, what had been done to him and just what horrors he’d been through. He couldn’t have known and nor did he want to despite his curiosity.

He stopped in the middle of the pathway and Silas seemed not to notice until he was already several strides ahead of him. While he slowed at first, he didn’t stop until the two were apart by more than just a few feet. Evander saw his shoulders sag, hearing a sigh rattle in his chest but he didn’t turn, didn’t do anything beyond stand there silently.

“Evander,” he said, pausing for what felt like forever, “I want,” another pause, “I want to be alone.”

“Why?”

“I don’t want,” Silas swallowed, “to talk.”

He didn’t understand why Silas was afraid all the time, why Silas was afraid of him. Nothing at all, nothing he’d done could have caused him to fear even meeting his younger sibling’s eyes. Evander bit back a sharp remark, clenching his fists at his sides and whirling around back towards home again.

“Fine.”

“Wait, Evander-“

“Go off then! Sulk on your own! I’ll leave you alone!”

Evander wasn’t sure how Silas reached him so quickly but he felt a hand tap at his shoulder, whipping his head around to see Silas draw back immediately. He swallowed harshly again, stammered, and then was silent.

“I said you can go,” he hissed.

“I’m sorry.”

“Why are you afraid of me?” Evander demanded, raising his hands and only getting more furious when Silas flinched.

“Not you,” he paused, “I’m not afraid of you. Evander, promise me something?”

He didn’t say a word, only crossing his arms in front of him.

“Promise me,” he said, stopping and stepping back, “you’ll run. I can help you. I know where to go.”

“Why do I have to promise-“

“Promise me,” his voice hardened, “now.”

Evander stayed quiet again, waiting for Silas to glance up from the ground again. It wasn’t his fault, Evander thought, but he didn’t have anyone to blame for the brother he’d lost. He wasn’t the same, not even close, and Evander didn’t want to think he resented him for that.

“Vex it all, Evander! Say you will!”

It was the first time that Silas so much had spoken in more than a whisper and the first time, in as long as he could remember, that he’d actually raised his voice. Evander was startled for a brief moment, shoving him away when Silas went to grab him by the shoulders. Silas cringed, stumbling backwards and ending up half on the ground by the time he stopped retreating away from him.

Evander blinked, shuffling backwards in fright.

“I will, alright?” he said softly, “I will.”

Silas looked up, gulping down a breath and nodded his head very slowly.

“Thank you,” another pause, “not everything…is what it seems.”

“Aurora, can you hear me?”

A groan escaped him before he could stop it, eyes clenching shut after he made the mistake of trying to open them. He felt heavy, every bit of him feeling just as fogged and confused as his head. It hurt, despite the haziness in his mind, everything hurt. He cracked an eye open, swallowing what felt like sandpaper and turning his head towards the voice.

“Oh, wonderful you can hear me. I was afraid you would never wake up. You’re not so angry when you’re sleeping, do you remember waking up before? You’re peaceful when you’re sleeping, adorable, like a child.”

“What?”

“You have pretty eyes but I can’t tell what color they are. Blue? Green? But they have yellow too, don’t they?”

“Can,” he swallowed again. “Can you stop talking?”

The girl was smiling, something he could tell even with the blurs in his vision, and she was no older than he was. She was lanky, friendly looking, and sitting in a chair just beside his bed.

“Where am I?”

She glanced towards the door before answering. “Same place as before. My father saved your life back there. Do you remember that? Aldwyn would have killed you if he hadn’t stopped him but don’t worry, you’re not the first.”

“Where are they?”

“I’m sorry, who?”

Evander shook his head, attempting to sit up only to find his arms shook too savagely for him to make it past pushing himself up on his elbows before the girl pushed him back down again.

“Calm down, Aurora. You don’t need to hurry and you’re just going to hurt yourself. The dog, is he yours?”

He nodded, closing his eyes again.

“Who are you?” he asked, eyes flashing open again. “Where is my compass? And my horse? And-“

“Enough questions already! I think I liked you better when you didn’t talk so much. How about this, I tell you as much as I know and you can ask question at the end?”

“Fine,” he sighed, then groaned at the effort.

“Alright then, Aurora,” she paused, chewing her lip thoughtfully, “my father stopped the fight you probably started and brought you inside. Your hound and your horse are still here. The other runaway is here too. Your coat is over there.” She pointed towards a crate. “But the compass, where did you get it?”

“My brother,” he answered, pushing himself up to a half way upright position again. “I got it from my brother. Why do you ask…”

“Elizabeth.”

He briefly closed his eyes, rubbing at the back of his head and wincing when he brushed over what was wrapped in bandages. Elizabeth frowned, sitting down in the chair again.

“Are you feeling alright, Aurora? We were worried about you for a while.”

“Why do you keep calling me that?”

The frown deepened.

“I read the back of your compass and it says Aurora. I thought it was a strange name for a boy but you’re from the east, I guess. Things must be different there-“

“Wait, you can read it?”

She shrugged, walking over to where his jacket had been tossed and brought it back to him. Evander rummaged through the pockets, relaxing once he found the compass, only turning it over briefly before he slipped it back into the jacket again.

“The name is the only thing I could read. The rest is just,” she shrugged, “I don’t know what it says. You can ask my father, if you’d like. He might know what it says-“

“Your father, what is his name?”

“Jackson,” she replied, then adding, “Stern. We can go find him if you think you can stand. I could help you-“

“I can do it myself,” he replied gruffly.

“Don’t mention it, Aurora.”

“You know that really isn’t…”

He trailed off, remembering what Silas had said earlier about going by a false name. While it likely wasn’t what he’d meant and certainly wasn’t a name he would have chosen on his own, it was easier than explaining.

“I’m sorry?”

“Never mind,” he said, waving the question away.

He sat up, wincing and biting back a slew of curses as he swung his legs over the side of the bed and slumped forward. It was then that he realized that a large bandage, one that crossed over the entirety of his chest on one side, had replaced his shirt and he found himself in pants, much too long and gathering at his ankles, certainly weren’t his.

“Before we go, would you happen to know where my shirt is?”

She looked up, moving back towards the crate and collecting a dark linen shirt, something that again wasn’t his, and tossed it towards him. He slipped one arm over himself carefully, pulling it up over his other arm and moving to fiddle with the buttons stiffly.

Evander winced, tugging at a gash in his back when he tried rolling his shoulders, getting to his feet and finding that his vision wasn’t the only thing that was unsteady.

“Do you want help?”

“No,” he said, grimacing and trying to pass it off as a smile, “I’m fine.”

Elizabeth opened the door. “Come on then. There is another runaway here but he claims you two don’t know each other. His name is Daniel, I think.”

Evander shook his head, trying to shake the dizziness from his vision. “How long have I been out?”

“Not too long, a day or two. You woke up once before,” she said, walking out into the hall, “but I don’t suppose you remember that?

“No,” he answered simply, “I’m afraid I don’t.”

“Of course not.”

He looked up, smiling in an attempt to cover up his wincing when he rested his weight on his left knee. It wobbled, threatening to give out beneath him, and made his limp, despite his efforts, a little less than concealed. His head was the worst of it all, a persistent pounding that gonged on and on endlessly no matter what. Part of him wished he would have just stayed unconscious rather than have to deal with the pain that wracked his limbs, body and head alike.

“Are you coming, Aurora?”

“I’m right here,” he said, pausing in the doorway to lean.

“Isn’t Aurora a little long for a name? It’s tiring to say-“

“And Elizabeth isn’t?” he grumbled.

She smiled, shrugging. “You have a point. But I’ll still think of something shorter. But come this way.”

The inn smelled of food and he didn’t really think about how hungry he had been until the smell made his stomach growl. He followed her down the hall and into the open area of the inn, crowded with tables and chairs, and only stopped when he spotted another figure, a boy about his age, and a familiar hound.

Orion barked, rising to his paws and hurried over, claws clacking on the wood and body hurdling across the room like a shot. Evander braced himself, drawing back but found that Orion stayed on the ground rather than jumped up to lick at his face. He nudged at his hand, whining like a pup, with his tail wagging fiercely behind him.

“Easy boy, calm down.”

“So you’re Aurora?”

He looked up at the boy, meeting the jade of his eyes, much too dark for the gold of his curly hair, and only nodded once. For a moment he was distracted, both put off and intrigued by the dark flecks in the boy’s eyes, and watched as he glanced away quickly.

“I am,” Evander said. “Who are you?”

“Aurora, this is Daniel. He’s the other runaway,” Elizabeth explained.

“Not so loud,” Daniel called, looking sideways as if someone would hear them.

“Oh, don’t worry. We won’t give you two up.”

Daniel seemed satisfied, for the moment, and he walked forward a few paces with his hand extended. Aurora paused, staring down at him, studying the braided leather band on his wrist that seemed out of place with the rest of his nice clothing, much too nice for someone that was running.

“Aurora,” he said, taking the hand carefully, “Pleased to meet you.”

Daniel let go, stepping back and looking towards Elizabeth, reaching up to rub at the back of his neck.

“I heard about the fight. I only just got here when I heard the gunshot. What happened? It seemed, from what I heard, like quite the…fight.”

“Oh, leave him alone. I’d like to see you try fighting off something like that-“

“It was just a question,” Daniel stated, “I could have said worse. I don’t know many who would start a fight they couldn’t win.”

Evander felt a spark, perhaps something more, of anger break through the pain in his head, narrowing his eyes and only reaching down to scratch Orion behind the ears.

“I should keep moving. I have to be in Darrow soon and I’ve already lost time. My brother is waiting for me there-“

As soon as the last words left his lips, the door opened and with it blew in a man covered in a sheet of ice and snow. He shoved against the door, closing it and latching the cold out before turning and bringing the scarf tucked over his face down with a gloved hand.

Daniel didn’t meet his eyes, glancing down at the ground nervously, but Evander only swallowed, staying silent. The man made a small grunting sound that may have been a replacement for laughter, moving to hang his coat, scarf and hat on a coat stand just beside the door.

“So, you’re the boy with the unusual name. Glad to see you’re awake now. I was going to say that I admire your bravery but I can’t bring myself to say that because you’re exceedingly stupid.”

It was spoken jokingly despite the words and Evander found himself smiling.

“Believe me, I wouldn’t have chosen to fight. I was defending myself,” he explained, wrapping an arm around his middle. “I’m grateful for what you did but I have to keep going. I’m already behind-

“You’ll have to stay here for a bit. I don’t think you should be back on the road just yet.”

“I-“

“You’ve been unconscious for a night and the better part of a day,” the man replied, dusting the snow from his hair. “You’re staying here until I know you won’t keel over as soon as you get back on a horse.”

He opened his mouth to argue but something told him that the man wasn’t going to change his mind. It was hard enough to come by a place to stay that was out of the cold and, even for a moment, out of harm’s way. Evander knew, even if he didn’t want to think about it, that he couldn’t ride in the state he was in and he certainly couldn’t make it on foot.

“A few days?”

“You can stay until you’re well and then we can talk about other things. You boys, until then, can work for me and do your share around here. Elizabeth and I usually are the ones who do all the work around here and we could use your help,” the man called, walking over to lean against one of the tables.

“Sir-“

“Jackson,” the innkeeper corrected, “I already told you to call me that, Daniel.”

“I know,” the other runaway replied sheepishly, “I’m sorry.”

“I’ll do what I can but” Evander paused, stretching one of his arms out and wincing when he tried flexing it too far, “I’m not sure I can-“

“I won’t make you do anything until you’re strong enough. But don’t expect to get by doing nothing either,” Jackson answered, scratching his chin. “I trust you two have introduced yourselves to each other?”

Evander nodded, looking over at Daniel again who only flashed a nervous sort of smile.

“Good,” he said, turning to walk towards the hearth, “from now on, until you’re better, the two of you are brothers.”

“Excuse me?” Evander exclaimed before he could stop himself.

“It’s only for the time being,” Jackson said, stacking logs in the fire. “Just for a few days at most.”

“A few days at most.”

He could deal with that, Evander thought.

Next Chapter: Chapter 6