Brother of thy Blood

Chapter 1
Through the white steam from the train he could see the tall figure approach him on the platform. It was a silhouette he knew well; from the neatly combed black hair to the way he swung his walking stick. Yes his brother was just as he remembered him; tall, elegant and handsome. But above all things, a safe haven. Casting his bag to the side he threw himself into his older brothers’ embrace. As the strong arms encircle him in he drew a long sigh, feeling at home for the first time in a very long time.

“William, aren’t you getting a bit old for hugging you brother like this?”
Hearing the smug tone in and knowing the teasing smile he had on his lips, William looked up and met his brothers’ eyes.

“So I have finally reached the age when my big brother no longer desires my affection and adoration anymore, is it so Henry?” he answered with a theatric look of inner pain.

With a soft laughter he was pulled into the embrace again.

“Well, maybe not that old. Now, let me have a look at you.”

Stepping back William straightened his back, trying to get as tall as he could before his brothers’ gaze.

“My have you’ve grown a lot, and just look at your hair! When was the last time you had a haircut? It
looks like a black haystack.”

“Very funny!” William pouted and ran his finger through his black locks only to tussle it up even more. “Excuse me for have been thinking about my studying and not my hairstyle.”

“Well now you don’t have to worry about it anymore as your big brother is here and he will take care of everything for you.”

“Oh my knight in shining armor!” William said in a high girly voice, pretending to bat his eyelashes towards his older brother.

“I see you have developed quiet a quick tongue there little brother, let’s see if we can’t cut that as well as your hair.”

Still playfully bickering the two brothers made their way down the platform. It was two weeks before Christmas and outside King Cross station the street was packed with people. A carriage waited for them and they hurried inside away from the cold December air. Here, William finally found the time to look at his brother closely. He discovered that, even if it wasn’t a remarkable change, his brother had grown too. When he left for boarding school a year earlier his brother had still, somehow, been a teenager. Over the year his yaw had gotten a more distinct shape and his shoulders seemed broader than before. The biggest change thought was the eyes. When he left they had still carried the uncertainty of a child, now at the age of twenty one they shined with the calmness and cunning of an adult. People had always said that William took after his mother with his curly hair, dark eyes and short figure, while Henry had their fathers’ enameled eyes and masculine face. William thought that his brother had never looked more alike their father as he did now.

“So, tell me about your school. Have you got any friends? Are you behaving before the teachers? Not fooling around with girls yet I hope.”

“Henry!” William blushed slightly and looked out the carriages’ window. “It’s an all boy school, how should I be able to fool around with girls when there aren’t any around.”

Henry started to laugh again, making Williams blush even deeper.

“I’m just kidding with you dearest little brother! But honestly, you must tell me everything that you have done this year, I’m dying of curiosity!”

As he told his story the carriage slowly made its way through London’s crowded streets, soon it reaching its wealthier parts, leaving the small streets for the broader avenues. It stopped in front of a large apartment building built in classic Victorian style.

“This is where we live now little brother, I know it isn’t as fancy as our fathers’ mansion but it’s still rather good for a newly examined lawyer, don’t you think.”

“Henry it’s marvelous” William said almost breathless while he eyed the big French windows and stone ornaments. “Is your salary really this good?”

“Well I do work for one of the bigger firms in London, I believe it is only right that I get a fair share for the work I do.”

Stepping in to the house William entered a big hall where a quiet maid took his bag and disappeared up a stairway. It had been a long time since William had had any servants around him and it almost made him feel a bit shy.

With an almost childish enthusiasm Henry started to show him around in the two floored apartment. It had several rooms and seemed to be way too big for only two persons too live in; it even had its own library which Henry seemed to use as his own study.

“You can of course come in here at any time and read any books that you want.”

“I just got back from a year at boarding school, do you really think I’m interested in reading books?!” William said laughing.

“Well I sort of hoped that it would have made you more literate but I guess you can’t have everything you wish for.” Henry said with a sigh.

Even though William loved everything with the apartment it was one room that made him blush with happiness. On the second floor, with windows facing the street outside was a big room with soft creamed colored walls. It was furnished with peaces in dark wood and in a corner stood a fireplace from which comfortable warmth spread.

“This is your room from now on” Henry said with a proud smile “I immediately thought about you when I first came in to this room and it has been ready ever since I moved in here, just waiting for your return.”

His first very own room. When they still lived in the mansion he had shared room with his brother, not because they lacked space, but because both the brothers had wanted it. It had been a happy time until their mother had gotten “sick”. All the adults said that she had a disease but both of the brothers knew that she had gone mad and had to be locked up so that she wouldn’t harm anyone. Sometimes her screams could be heard all the way to their bedroom. When that happened William had sought comfort in his brothers’ arms. His brother would hold him and stroke his hair long after their mad mothers screams had gone silence. It was also during this time that their father had started to gamble, probably as a way to get away from his mad wife. When she died he also started to drink, this time to get away from the memory of her, and the kids who reminded him so much about her.
Soon it was all gone, the house with the big garden, the servants, the money. When William heard that his father had disappeared he wasn’t very sad. The father that had held him in his arms, played with him and smiled to him had been gone for a long time. The children now came to live with different relatives’ but they never stayed long anywhere. Somehow people seemed intimidated by the two brothers who rarely spoke to anybody but each other. At the time when William was 11 and Henry was 16 they came to an old aunt who was almost deaf and therefore didn’t care much if the brothers spoke to her or not. It actually suited her better if they did not talk at all as it gave her more room to talk.

During all this time Williams only safety was his brother who always was close by. Late at night Henry used to tell him stories before they went to sleep. Sometimes it was stories he had read in books and sometimes he made them up by himself. But the stories that William liked the best were the one about how it would be when they grew up. Henry used to describe how he got rich from different kind of amazing jobs and all the things they would do with the money. Yes for William his brother was a promise of a better future, of a safe future.

At the time Henry was almost done with his lawyer exams the old aunt suddenly died. His brother could get student apartment but William was sent away to a boarding school. It was with a heavy heart he parted with his older brother. In the beginning he had had a hard time adjusting. He wasn’t used to have so many kids around him all the time. But soon he found a pace and he started getting more confident and open. Before he knew it he had a lot of friends and was quite comfortable with the life on the school though he never stopped missing his brother. Not one day went by that he missed his smile and friendly voice.

The room he had in front of him now was one of his brothers’ night time stories coming true. Maybe his job wasn’t as amazing as a gold digger or an inventor and maybe he wasn’t as rich that he could by them a castle, but it was still a home.

“This is the best part!” Henry said with a smile and led him to a door on the right wall. William had first thought it was only a closet but behind the door was another bed chamber, this one with darker walls and a gigantic four poster bed in the middle.

“I thought that you are old enough to have a room of your own but I haven’t seen you for almost over a year and I’m not about to let you very far away from now on. This way I can come and visit you in your room or you can just come into mine if you have a nightmare or get afraid of the dark.”

“It was years ago I was afraid of the dark!” William said a bit insulted. Still, deep down in his heart he was very happy that he had his brother so close by, not that he would never admit such childish thoughts. He was sixteen now, almost an adult and way too old to cling to his brother all the time.

Over dinner William continued to tell his brother everything about the school, his friends, teachers and other things that seemed significant for Henry to know of. In turn Henry told him everything about his new job, his coworkers and the lifestyle he was living now. They talked long into the night and it wasn’t until William started to yawn that Henry glanced at the watch.

“Oh Lord is it so late already! You must be exhausted after your long travel and here I keep you up until this late hour. It’s long past your bed time young man.”

“I think I am a little too old to have bed times Henry, I’m not a child anymore!” With a smile he rose from his chair and was just about to make his way to his bedroom when Henry suddenly grabbed his wrist and pulled him into a tight embrace.

“You are very touchy today brother.” William snickered.

“Well it has been a long time since we saw each other, and aren’t an older brother entitled to the privilege to hug his younger brother whenever he likes.”

Sighing William pulled in the familiar scent of his brother, he felt calm, warm and safe. He really didn’t mind the hugs at all. The protest was mostly for show and he knew that Henry knew this as well.

“I’ve really missed you.”

William felt the warmth of his brothers’ breath in his hair. His heart suddenly skipped a beat and he felt a bit embarrassed. He coughed and quickly freed himself from his brothers’ arms.

“Well…goodnight then Henry, It’s really good to see you again.”

“It’s really good to see you too little brother. Welcome home.”

Two simple words and it still made him feel happier than he ever had been.