Delios sat in front of the Pegasus stables, a sketch pad and pencil in hand. At the young age of 14 years, all he wanted to do was draw and sketch. Animals and nature landscapes were his favorite things to sketch and paint, but there weren’t many animals in Adonia. Most of the time Laximus accompanied him to Earth to observe all of the animals there because he was too young to go by himself. Earth was a young planet, but there were plenty of dangerous animals and humans that could cause Delios harm. He was too trusting and too innocent to take care of himself.

The only animals on Adonia were Pegasus, winged horses that he and his siblings took care of. There was one for each of them. Erasmus had them to teach his children responsibility and to understand mortality, something that they would hopefully never encounter. Delios named his Pegasus, Sunshine because his fur and mane was a light honey color, just like how the sun shone when it rose along the sea on Earth.

“Sunshine,” Delios called, trying to get the Pegasus to look directly at him. Sunshine let out a huff and flicked his head. Delios knew that Sunshine abhorred his stable, much preferring to be out in the meadow.

“Ok, ok. I’ll let you out, just this once,” Delios sighed with mock irritation. He unlatched the gate and Sunshine meandered out of his stable, happy to be free but too lazy to show excitement. Sunshine walked out into the middle of the field and stood there happily, spreading his wings out to sunbathe. Delios went over and scratched him in between his wings and shoulder blades, Sunshine’s favorite place to be scratched because it he couldn't reach it.

“Such a good boy,” Delios praised.

“Hey Delios!” Laximus called from across the field. Delios turned and saw Laximus heading towards him, a huge grin on his face.

“Hey Laximus,” Delios responded, refocusing his attention on Sunshine, “What are you doing here?”

Laximus gently ran his fingers through Sunshine’s mane, untangling any knots that he found.

“Nothing much. I’m so bored,” Laximus whined, pouting his lips like an upset two year old.

Delios rolled his eyes. Laximus was much older than him, but you’d never guess that with the way he acted. A human child had a higher maturity level than him.

“So you came here to see me to rid yourself of your boredom?” Delios asked, eyebrow quirked.

Laximus shrugged. “Pretty much.”

Delios rolled his eyes. “The minute you’re bored, you come crawling to me. How would you survive without me?”

Laximus smirked, “The answer is simple, brother dear; I wouldn’t.”

Delios chuckled, walking away from Sunshine to return to his art supplies.

“Hate to disappoint, but I was just going to sketch for the rest of the afternoon. No grandiose adventures today,” Delios called back, sitting down in the dirt near the stables and picking up his pencil and pad.

“Really?” Laximus grumbled, “That’s it?”

“Really,” Delios replied, sketching where the land met the sky so he knew where to draw Sunshine.

“But...that’s even more boring than what everyone else is doing!”

Delios shrugged, eyes focused on the landscape.

“That sounds like a you problem,” he retorted, trying not to laugh. Laximus abhorred that phrase.

“Ugh, you’re so mean,” Laximus complained and plopped down next to Delios. Laximus peered over Delios’ shoulder to see what he was drawing. He stared at the way the pencil glided across the paper, creating the shapes and forms that were right in front of them.

“I guess, what I’m trying to say is that your art is beautiful, but I just don’t understand how you do it and how you find it so entertaining.”

“I can teach you if you want,” Delios replied, excited that his brother was actually interested in his art for once.

“You don’t have to do that. I’m okay with just watching you draw.”

“No, I want to teach you. It’ll be fun!” Delios replied, beaming. Laximus never could say no to that smile.

“Okay then. Teach me how to be an artist.”

Delios clapped his hands together in excitement and ripped out a piece of sketch paper from his book.

“Okay, here’s your paper,” Delios said, handing him the thick cardstock, “Let me find you a pencil.” He rummaged through his overstuffed leather satchel filled with watercolors, pastels, acrylics until he finally found a pencil. It had dried orange and red paint smeared on the sides but Laximus didn’t mind.

“Let’s start with landscapes,” Delios said, flipping to a new page in his sketchbook. “I start with drawing the horizon, which is the line where the land meets the sky.”

He lightly sketched it out, dividing his paper into a large section for the sky and a small patch of land. Laximus mimicked him, and let out a surprised huff when it looked better than he expected.

“And that’s about it,” Delios stated, “the rest is up to you. You can try to recreate what’s in front of you, or you can take it in a totally different direction.” Laximus gave him a confused look.

“But your landscapes always look so realistic. Isn’t that what you’re supposed to do?” Delios laughed.

“No, silly. There’s no right or wrong way to do art. Draw whatever feels natural to you. And remember, it’s not about how fast you finish it. If you make something that you’re happy with in 15 minutes, that’s great. But if you want to spend a whole day on it, you’re welcome to do that as well. Don’t limit your creativity just because you want to finish quickly,” Delios said, continuing to sketch his new landscape scene that looked absolutely nothing like the pasture in front of them, “That’s the beauty of art. It doesn’t have to actually exist. As long as it makes you happy, it’s art.” Laximus nodded, finally understanding why his brother loved art so much. It just made him happy.

“Okay...I think I get it. I’ll just...draw what I want to. Yeah?” Laximus asked, looking to Delios for confirmation.

Delios nodded, grinning ear to ear, “Exactly!”

*********************************************************************

“That afternoon, Laximus spent the entire time sketching. He ended up drawing a waterfall that we had seen once when we went to Earth. After he did the outline, he asked to use my water colors to paint it, and from that day on, we always spent time doing art together. I think it helped calm him down and gave him a way to express what he was feeling,” Delios concluded, finishing his story.

Xaria smiled and hugged him.

“Thank you for always telling me that story. It reminds me of simpler times,” she whispered next to his ear, truly grateful, “I think it’s what inspired me to play piano. Helps me process my emotions.” She pulled away and fixed her dress, trying to stop it from bunching up.

“Thank you for always being there for me Xaria,” Delios said, managing a half-smile, “It’s been hard. But having you here makes it easier.” Xaria gave Delios another hug and mussed up his hair. Or at least tried to. It was a buzz cut after all.

Xaria grinned. “Of course. What else are big sisters for?”

They continued on the path, talking about trivial things until they finally arrived at Erasmus’ audience hall.

Xaria stared at the looming marble doors and suddenly she didn’t feel so well. Delios noticed and put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

“You got this,” Delios said, his low voice warm and comforting. Xaria exhaled slowly, shaking out her hands, trying to expel her nerves.

“Let’s do this,” Xaria affirmed, and opened the doors.