Because I Love You✔️

Chapter 172: My Dream Boat

Chapter One Hundred and Seventy Two: My Dream Boat

After a time, Xaphile and Adariel got out of the tub, and dressed themselves back up.

With their hair wet, they left the bathroom and Xaphile had his brother wait for him at the table while he trotted upstairs and poked his head into Amelia's room, but Vordt was still asleep, lying flat on his stomach with his head pillowed on Amelia's downy comforter.

He hadn't even gotten beneath the covers... it seemed like he'd just flopped down and had immediately fallen asleep. The poor guy looked so tired that Xaphile shut the door with a sigh and trotted back downstairs, deciding to head out on his own.

He felt, deep down, like things about Atlas would be easier to understand if his memories of living on the world finally came back, but at the same time, he didn't know if that would ever happen since his other self was still a living force that slumbered deep inside his mind. 

He wondered vaguely if he would just be himself... and about what would happen.

Something was bound to, eventually.

He just didn't know what the outcome would be.  

Adariel blinked when he took his hand and walked outside.

There were people going to and fro just like before, but the moment they saw him, gasps filled the air, and people stopped walking all over the place. Xaphile ignored most of them as he led Adariel down through the marketplace, and although the stares unnerved his little brother, he reminded himself that they probably didn't know just how close he and Ella had grown.

Adariel followed him without panicking.

"Aren't we going to bring Uncle?" he asked, long ears flicking and tail happily wagging behind him despite the obvious stares being directed their way.

"Not this time," Xaphile murmured, giving him a smile. "He's still really tired."

"Oh," the little boy murmured, nodding. "Then he should sleep."

It was here that Xaphile slowed the pace down; his eyes narrowed in dismay when he finally noticed the limp in his little brother's footsteps, a limp that didn't have anything to do with bodily weakness, but something else.

He observed Adariel's leg as they walked.

Vordt was right.

He hadn't noticed until now, since he'd been carrying his sibling everywhere back in Atka, but the little boy's limb had mobility issues and he even seemed to have trouble bending it. He led the child through the city, looking for something that could be considered a barrack.

In the end, though, his brother's limping finally got to him.

"Is your leg hurting you?" he asked, trying not to make a big fuss about it. "Be honest."

"No," Adariel said, looking down at it, then back up at him. "It's just hard to make it move. I can't make it do what I want like I used to. I think its because the orc broke it, but it doesn't hurt."

Xaphile's stomach turned upside down.

Taking a deep breath, he squatted down, looking Adariel in the eyes.

"Listen to me," he said softly, raising his hand and cupping the child's cheeks. "Your leg... Vordt told me that it might not get better. At least, not completely."

The child's eyes went wide and he opened his mouth to say something, but Xaphile shifted his thumb and pressed it against his lips without breaking eye contact. His brother's eyes shone, alarmed and slightly afraid, but he kept everything within him calm and assured.