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                             Sibling rivalry

The sun was shining on the two abandoned hoes, egg baskets, and fishing rods, as a 

brother and a sister were racing each other around the dry-grass field.

“I’ll get you, Darius, if it's the last thing I do!”

“Yeah, in your dreams, sis.” Darar glared at her brother. Young Darius' muscular build was looking down at his puffed-out twin sister, a smug smirk on his face.

“You're the only warrior I can’t outrun from the village, even when you're handicapped!”

“Don’t worry, it’s only because Papa only trained me when we were young, nothing else.” He said, in a mock-comforting voice.

“Now children, no need to fight.”

“Mum, please I’m 21, and darar is 16, you don’t call us children!” Darius groaned, glaring at his old mother.

“Oh, and please please please, may I hang out with Cassius today?” pleaded Darar. This was a big mistake, as Darius immediately collapsed with laughter and started rolling around in the grass. Darar looked at him and muttered, “Oh shut up you”. This was also a mistake as Darius could hear a pin drop in the Olivian market. “WHY YOU...” He leaped onto his sister and pinned her down.

“Now now, what's this about?” said their mother, hopelessly trying to pull Darius off of Darar.

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“Well mother,” began Darius trying to ignore Darar, as now it was her who was rolling around in the grass laughing, “I just sometimes get angry at my little sister, as she can say the most hurtful things.”

Things would have gotten dirty at that point, if not for Cassius, a farm boy who was poorly treated because he was a native of the tribes that were colonized by the Olivian settlers, who came at that moment to meet up with Darar.

“Hey, I um, got you some wildflowers, I just came to ask if you wanted to go on a walk around the lake with me?” Darius could not hold himself in. He opened his mouth to laugh, but his mother shoved a loaf of bread in his mouth.

Darar looked at her.

“Please?” I’ll do all the farm chores, I’ll even do Darius' ones.”

“Oh alright, but be home by sunset or you won't get dinner. And you Darius, can go home and clean the barn.” Darius was taken aback, why was his mother punishing him? Had he misbehaved? Had she found out that Tilda the goat had swallowed Papa’s 'ring of high command over the Olivian army?

“You need to be kinder to your sister, she is living life and finding love, just like you.” Darius apologized, and cleaned the barn, but did not believe a word of what his mother had said, what was wrong with a bit of sibling rivalry?

While Darius was puzzled about his mother's words, Cassius and Darar had already made it to the lake, where they sat on some logs and chatted.

“So, how’s life with your brother?” asked Cassius,  as he brushed moss off his log. Cassius was rather strong for someone who was not fed so much, and as he was a native of the Olivian tribes, his skin had a bronze tint to it and according to Darar it was ‘as smooth as silk and as warm as the sun itself

“Pfft, you know, I guess it's okay...

“He embarrasses you, no?” They both burst out laughing and Cassius fell into the lake,

then scrambled out and got pushed back in by Darar.

Once Cassius got all of the reeds and leeches off of him, Cassius told Darar that “Queen Octavia of Jarrt has been in a heated argument with Queen Vetrix of Poco, and as the Declaration of Military Friendship is still going on, if war is declared, then the Olivian army will have to fight, and as the army is way too small, King Orion is planning to recruit everyone that is of age to the army.”

“How old is 'of age'?” Darar was hoping that it was over 21, as Papa was an Olivian captain, and he ended up with a sword in his gut, and she did not wish to kill or be killed.

“It's about 21, at the moment.” Darar was first shocked, then she fell, crying into Cassius’s rough linen tunic.

Cassius had never dealt with feelings before, but still patted and comforted Darar. She was terrified that she’d lose her brother if he joined. There he stood till he noticed something, the sun was nearly setting, and he did not want Darar to miss her dinner, even if he was not getting any.