ZARETH MALIUS

I pushed the door inwards, the hinges creaked subtly—the sight of Cathe’s bedroom coming into my view. The paintings hung by the walls took my attention for a split second as I considered them, realizing that my little sister had fancied herself with another hobby. I let my attention drift from the half-completed canvas, placed before a wooden stool—a half-complete painting of a bird flying over the horizon. A smile crept across my face.

“Cathe is quite the artist, isn’t she?” I mused, pride swirling inside me.

“That she is,” A familiar voice responded, and I turned on my heels discovering its owner—Helaina, the only person in the entire household who had ever bothered to take care of my ill sister. And for that I was extremely grateful, perhaps even more than my father.

She moved to the last rack, cleaning off the remaining dust with practiced movements.

She was young. A lot younger than most nannies were. Being in her twenties she brought quite a few jealous eyes from the other employees especially one particular one. Remembering a certain incident, I felt the insides of my mouth turn bitter.

When Helaina turned, she gave me a light bow, “What might-” She cut herself off as she noticed the box that I’d been carrying. Her confusion dissolved—like water being dropped into a sponge. She smiled warmly and I felt a tinge of embarrassment of a sudden.

I waved it away. “Where is Cathe?” I whispered.

Helaina gestured toward Cathe’s study, a faint light radiating from within. The door was slightly ajar but not enough I could peak from my position.

Knowing Cathe I could guess that she was immersed in reading something and I was right.

As I squeezed myself through the door like a cat sneaking into the kitchen, a warm light greeted me first before a sweet and buttery smell tickled my nostrils. The source of the first one was the large window placed in the middle of the room which allowed the morning light to pour inside.

My eyes fell on Cathe’s sitting figure, in front of her was a thick leather-bound book opened. Her small eyes leafed through it as she immersed herself in its world, yet her hands moved forward perfectly each time to pick up another cookie from the tray every so often.

Her wheelchair was a little away from her. Placing the box atop something, I neared her—my steps slick and quiet like a leopard.

When I was near, I jumped on Cathe from behind, hugging her tightly. She gasped in response but I was just a bit faster. “Happy Birthday, Dear Sister!”

“Woah—stop it,” She said, swatting my hand away. “I can’t breathe dummy!” She pouted and I retracted a step back.

“Sorry,” I let my shoulder hang low.

”Fine. Just don’t do that next time.”

“Of course, sis!” I grinned.

My eyes slid to the book that she had been reading. I asked her,” What were reading so intently?”

“Crystals,” She looked at me over her shoulder, “You gifted it to me a year ago, remember?”

“Hmm…” I mused, stroking my chin in thought, and then snapped my finger as memory made itself known. “Ah yes. Wasn’t it about a girl becoming the ruler of her kingdom?”

“That’s in the second volume but forget that,” She said, her eyes skated toward the present that I’d brought with me. She smirked, her curiosity beaming. “What did you bring your little sister this time? A sequel to last year's puzzle, perhaps? No?”

She guessed for a while but soon gave up when she realized that I was no easy adversary. There was no way that I was going to spoil the surprise. I wanted to see her surprised expression when she opened it.

“Just open it,” I urged her.

She tsked and slowly unwrapped the box, revealing the contents within. “A drone?”

“Yup! The latest model. It can easily reach the Lambarg fountain from here. And the camera attached to it will let you experience the scenario like you are there yourself.” I explained.

But unlike the kind of expression I’d expected of her, there was a gloomy shadow forming on her face.

Not sure if I’d said something wrong I asked, “What’s wrong? Are you not happy with it? Should I-”

“Zareth,” She said, a hint of gratefulness in her tone. “I’m really happy that you went out of your way to bring me this. I’ve always been happy whenever you bring me anything. It was nice. It is nice. I like it very much. But,” She paused, her tone shifting from gratefulness to sadness and I felt my stomach churn at the thought of what she might say next.

“I wanted to see it with my own very eyes. Is that too much to ask for?” She asked, desperation in her voice.

I remained silent for a few breath but the words that came out from my mouth wasn’t something I was very proud of. No, it would be better to say that I regretted them. But a moment in the past can’t be changed. They can’t be rewritten. Only, the regret remains.

“You can’t. Father would never allow that. You know how stubborn he is. And right now it is a crucial time for him. All his enemies are trying to hurt him, but it is not limited to him only. They would harm us if necessary.” I said, my face blank as a slate.

I knew what I’d said was right. It was logical but logic is only useful in certain scenarios. Humans are emotional creatures. We are just nothing but slaves to our emotions.

As my words poured out, Cathe silenced silently. She had to. After all, she knew all of this herself yet I was reminding her of all that fact. Was that something big brothers were supposed to do? Maybe so…

“I know,” She whispered at last. But before relief could flood me, her next words sent pangs of pain across my chest. “But for how long Zareht? How long do I have to stay here—alone, empty, and without anybody but you to talk to? How long must I spend thinking about a life that I could have had? A life where I lived differently?” The more she spoke the louder her voice became and I stood there like a petrified statue.

“Every night, I imagine a life where I was normal—running around like a girl my age would. Like how I would play with other kids in the field, how I would steal flowers and make a mess but alas it was all a dream. A dream! But that small dream gave me hope. Hope that even if I wasn’t able to run around, I could still see the world by myself. Because I’d a brother who cared for me.”

When she stopped all that remained was her empty sobs. I hugged her and she struggled at first, trying to push me away. But I was there.

“I am here, Cathe. With you,” I didn’t know how much my words did for her. Nor if it was any better.

But one thing was for certain— I was wrong. Wrong to think that she was fine. She wasn’t. Not as much as she showed herself to be. I should have thought more.

By the time, I was back on my feet, my lower half was aching because of kneeling for too long.

“I’m fine now Zareth,” Cathe said, a wry smile tugging in her lips, but her eyes swollen from all that crying. She wiped the remaining bits of tears left on her face.

“Are you?” I smirked, bringing a confused look out of her. “Helaina come here!” I ordered.

Seconds later the door was pushed open and the woman who was responsible for taking care of my little sister was inside. She passed a quick look over me and then noticed Cathe with her puffy eyes, the sign of her crying remaining. Her eyes slid toward me and she stood with a questioning look.

I didn’t bother explaining. It was a moment between two siblings. Instead, I said something else which surprised both of them.

“Please dress Cathe into something pretty,” I said, noticing Cathe’s flabbergasted look out of the corner of my eyes. “Make her look like a princess, will you?” I grinned.