Brother of Mine

Chapter One: King

Sitting upon his throne, Yugo finds the days blurring together more so than usual. His own memories having become muddled with sameness.

Ever since his wife, Amalia, had passed a decade ago, Yugo had never felt the same since. And though he had watched the other members of the Brotherhood of the Tofu pass, and he had mourned them all equally, Amalia's death had left a sort of emptiness in his life. As such, he had hoped that throwing himself into the rebuilding of his people would fill some part of that void.

Though, even after having accomplished that feat, the emptiness was not satisfied. Maybe if he had any descendants his eternity would've been easier to bear.

Much to their despair, Yugo and Amalia were never able to have children. It was through no fault of their own, but it was painful for Yugo to watch how much it tortured Amalia. After a while, they stopped trying. Yugo still had contact with Eva and Dally's descendants. However, he felt the growing distance with every child anew. Soon, nothing of Yugo's past would remain, and he would be alone.

He would later pursue hopes that having a sense of familiarity would soothe the emptiness inside of him.

As such, he grew attached to routine in order to capture the sense of familiarity he longed for. His people found his growing OCD quite bothersome to deal with as he refused to update anything around the palace that needed it. Things that others viewed as garbage were treasures to him. He found it hard to part with any sort of belongings he had. There were rooms within the palace filled to the brim, and he had ordered servants to be kept out of them. To him, these objects were the only proof he had of certain memories. His people could never understand, especially with their pathetically short lives.

Yet, as he sat in his throne room listening to an endless line of requests from his people, he began to wonder if this sameness was eroding him. Or, at the very least, his mind. How he wishes he could return to the innocent twelve-year-old boy he used to be.

"Your highness?" Yugo startled at the sudden voice next to him.

"Yes?"

"There have been reports of a large, airborne beast headed in the direction of our kingdom."

"When was it sighted?" Maybe fighting something would help clear his mind.

"A few days ago in Bonta, your majesty."

"Alright, it'll probably make its way here sometime tonight," His messenger nodded his head, "Tell everyone to stay inside come nightfall, I'll take care of it."

"Of course, right away, your highness."

Yugo watched the young Eliatrope skitter away to do as told. It was good to see more young Eliatropes. His people were growing and that gave him some sense of meaning.

With that, he disbanded the hearings and retreated to his room to wait.

***

Night had fallen shortly after due to the short winter days. Every now and then, the light of the moon would shine brilliantly through the large window on the ceiling as clouds passed.

Had he been younger, he would've chosen a more modest room. But Amalia insisted on having something larger than a storage closet. As such, they settled for a wide open space with a fireplace and a window that pointed toward the sky.

'Our alarm clock,' she had stated, pointing at the glass ceiling. 'We'll wake when the sun does, as should our people.'

He hadn't had the heart to change to another room after she died. Now, he spent his mornings and evenings staring through it alone.