My brother is a hero. Both mine and to our people. He was a capable leader, full of courage and loyalty. Even in his last moments, he sought to save me. Just like he had with so many of our friends and family before. He succeeded in some, failed with others. He never gave in though. No matter how many died, no matter the hopeless situations that we often found ourselves in. In my own darkest hours, he was the shining light. Until that fateful day however.

  An ambush. Caught off guard, our friends were cut down to the last. The dwarves we thought we had escaped from tracked us down. They came from all sides. Even some appearing from the ground beneath us. So we ran. Only a small group of us escaped the initial slaughter. I cried. Everyone was dying. I could not stand. We could not stand. Perhaps death was better than this wretched life. The only one who stood was him. He gave us his boundless courage, words of encouragement, words of hope, and we believed him. So convinced was he that it would be better if we could only weather this storm that it had convinced us. So we continued running. My brother, leading the way. Until we reached our end.

  I kept it a secret. My magic that I learned. One that would reverse time. I couldn’t use it. I was too weak. We were all too weak. It would cost more than I could give. I would die for it to be casted. So I kept it a secret. The dwarves knew where we were going, rather there were only so many paths we had left. They made that known when they blew up the bridge we were on.

  On the other side was freedom. They could not hope to catch us there. We could rebuild, find more friends. But they knew. An explosion cut our hopes. By brother and I went last, the others safeguarding the bridge before us. As I stepped on the bridge, shells exploded from below. My brother pulled me out, but it hurt. My body, it was torn and battered. My brother casted a healing spell on me. It felt better but something wasn’t right. Poison perhaps? Rotting my insides.

  Just the two of us now. I could not portray my despair. Why did the world hate us so? Looking behind us, we saw the dwarves. So proud they were. To catch the “Queen”. Oh how I hated them. Why couldn’t they just leave us alone? They blew their horns and their war machines rolled. My brother assured me that we would live. That we would see tomorrow. I couldn’t believe him.

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  Not because he lied or that I held anything against him. No. It was just too much. What more could he do? I watched him slaughter their warriors. Their vanguard were cut down by his prowess. He could match 1000 of them, but there were more still. So many more. They wanted us dead for good. Surrounded and outnumbered, he failed to contain them all.

  They feared him and his power so they came for me instead. They surged forward without a care for their own deaths. Like madmen they came. A blow was struck. My body was torn to shreds. They grabbed my antennas. Pulled them off. How painful it was. Then they wished to kick me off to the pit below. Maggots everywhere.

  He came running in. They tore away his limbs, shattered his back, but he came. His face, half gone. Tearing away at the rest of them, he came in time to hold me, to hold my hand once more. He used a spell greater than his capacity. To blow them away for a mere precious moment of peace. His soul cracked and shattered. I could tell. His will though. It kept him here. It kept him here with me for one last moment. His undying loyalty, ever present. He was here because of me. For me he would risk everything.

  So I came to realize it. I made him suffer. Looking back, I made everyone suffer. My brother suffered the most out of all of them. Oh the burden I must have been. Still he smiled, his lovely smile. So I resolved myself. The courage he gave me I will repay back to him. Pouring whatever I had into a spell. One that would surely give him the future he could achieve. I won’t be there. I won’t see him succeed. How I wish I could. If there was a god for us, let them be merciful. Let me see him once more.

  A voice cracks throughout my mind and body, one that felt like it was everything and nothing at the same time.

“Surely you have suffered enough. I will give you just one small miracle.”

  Everything is hazy. My memories are fading. Who am I? What am I? A light appears and beyond it. A face? A warm smile appeared on it. How familiar. So very familiar. If I could only remember who it is. A name laid on my lips. Something inside me wished so desperately to say it. An unknown barrier blocks me from saying it, but something within screams at me to break it. He turned away, my hopes fading for reason I know not. Loneliness swept in at this very moment. It took whatever I had. I poured my whole soul and heart into saying it for if I did not, I felt that I would be lost forever. With a small but sure voice, I spoke.

“Brother.”

I know not what I said, but I said it.