Summary:
All of Stronghold had been able to see the convoy for hours now. Since morning a slow, messy line had steadily moved closer to them. So long that it extended towards the mountains many miles south.
Soon they would be close enough to make out the people themselves, carrying their flags high in the air, victorious.And Wilbur's brother at the very front, leading.
Or, Wilbur has not seen Technoblade in close to a year, hundreds of miles of snow and ice between them. Their reunion should have been a happy one, but his twin's behavior is a cause for concern.
Excerpt:
Wind whipped around them, nipping at Wilbur’s uncovered ears, worming its way underneath his cloak, making his little brother shiver.
Tommy’s warm weight pushed further into his side while Wilbur looked out over Stronghold. His little brother, almost as tall as Wilbur already, had huddled under his heavy cloak a few minutes after they had moved onto the balcony. It wasn’t even that terribly chilly - winter just barely beginning - but Tommy had always been the one most affected by the cold. Even with a heavy cloak and pressed to someone else for warmth, Wilbur was able to hear Tommy chattering his teeth.
His mother to the left of him didn't seem affected at all, she had waved her own cloak away while they had scrambled to put theirs on.
Her gaze was directed towards the path their soldiers were taking, her hands held by his father. From the ground, it would be impossible to make out the excitement on their faces. But Wilbur could see it. In the small crow's-feet by his father’s eyes that only showed up when he was happy and how his mother held onto his hand, otherwise, she would fidget creases into her dress.
All of Stronghold had been able to see the convoy for hours now. Since morning a slow, messy line had steadily moved closer to them. So long that it extended towards the mountains many miles south. Soon they would be close enough to make out the people themselves, carrying their flag high in the air, victorious.
And Wilbur's brother at the very front, leading.
The Empire’s troops were strong, had always been, as far as the history books went back. Still, Wilbur wasn’t foolish enough to disregard the possibility that one day this could change. Kingdoms could fall easily. All it would take was one misstep, one mistake.
He knew his mother would do everything in her power to not let this happen, just as he would.
One day, when he would sit on the Empire's throne with his brothers at his side.
The thought of taking over his mother's place made his hands sweat and his heart flutter anxiously.
His mother was flawless. Back straight, eyes looking ahead, not a hair out of place, crown balanced impeccably. Always ready to lead, always prepared.
Picture perfect.
Wilbur felt himself sway with one strong gust of wind. He would never be able to replace her. No matter how much time he spent educating himself, speaking with the council and nobles, working and working and working .
He could never be her, would never be her. And that scared him more than anything.
Tommy pushing his icy little hands underneath Wilbur’s vest and shirt snapped him out of his spiral. Wilbur noticed his own labored breathing, sucking in the cold air around him. He had to calm down.
His mother’s voice swept through his mind.
Leaders are calm even if armies are knocking on their doors.
Wilbur leaned his head down, hiding his trembling lips in the blond hair of his brother.
“You are a little shit, do you know that?” He asked, echoing the familiar words of his father, voice thin. He hoped Tommy wouldn’t notice.
“It’s freezing cold.” Tommy tried to defend himself, seemingly unbothered by Wilbur’s tone, pressing his whole hand against Wilbur’s stomach. The hand was far colder than the air around them, fingers wiggling, making the older flinch away from it.
It gave him enough of a shock to shake off his earlier panic. Not that it would be gone for long, it seemed to plague him more and more since Techno left.
As much as Wilbur adored Tommy - and by the Gods he did - Techno had always been the one person that was able to pull him out of his own twisting thoughts.
He missed his twin terribly.
Wilbur grabbed the still-wiggling hand gently, pulling it between his own gloved hands. He had the foresight to put on his gloves before they moved outside. Tommy had probably forgotten about his own. It wouldn't be a surprise to find them tucked between the cushions of the sofa in the sitting room.
“Give me the other one too, can’t have the baby lose a finger,” He teased, familiarity calming him down. “What would the other nobles say?”
Wilbur could feel Tommy take a deep breath, small chest puffing up in overplayed anger.
“I am not a baby! You-”
Tommy got interrupted by their mother, her voice authorial, but the smile on her lips was anything but. Her eyes were soft, fond of their antics, as they had always been.
“I know we have been waiting for a while now, but please keep decorum. They will be here soon enough.”
Leaders never lose tact.
“Of course, Mother.” They both assured her. Tommy, sounding half his age with petulance.
Wilbur cast a quick glance towards the approaching mass. They were almost in the valley now, the capital's main gate open to them. He could see some flags getting thrown around in the harsh winds coming from the mountains. White as the snow all around them, blue like the sky above them. And the purple gemstone, the country's jewel, proudly sitting in the middle surrounded by Ice Flowers.
His twin was closer than he had been for months. Getting Techno back was all Wilbur could think of for months now. Their correspondence had broken off a few months into the whole dispute and Wilbur had understood.
He was busy as well, their mother was putting more and more work on his shoulders, preparing him. But still, not speaking to or hearing from Techno for months felt like a piece of himself was missing. They had never spent this much time so far from one another. His sleeping had never been worse. The control of his magic even more so.
Looking back at his other brother he smiled, pushing those drab thoughts away. His twin was on his way back, Techno was almost home. A few more minutes meant nothing.
“Don’t pout. Give me your other hand, I can warm them up.”
What could only be described as Tommy throwing his other hand at him made him laugh lightly. He hoped most of the nobles in the courtyard were too distracted by themselves that they wouldn’t see the antics.
“Little Gremlin. I’m never gonna be nice to you again.” An empty promise and they both knew it, Tommy cracking a smile at it. He leaned back against Wilbur’s hip, almost hiding in Wilbur’s cloak. Blond hair tickled his collarbone.
Wilbur held the bundle of hands close to his face, blowing on the considerably smaller ones, letting just the tiniest lick of his magic stream out with the air. A sliver of blue light flickering for a moment before snuffing out. His glasses fogged up, the warmth sinking into his leather gloves.
He couldn't even feel the tiny amount of magic leave the deep pool in his chest.
In some way he was happy about it, anything else he had tried to achieve lately had been failure after failure. Like the two decades in closed studies had been for nothing.
Wilbur let go of Tommy’s hands.
He didn’t need to ask if his brother felt better, the satisfied curl of Tommy’s mouth was enough.
