Red Roses - (FCRAs 2016 Winner)

Brother in Arms

Rosy was found three days later.

Dead.

Some young men from another local village were out riding in the forest to gather plant life and came across the body. Everyone in the surrounding areas knew about the missing girl of course and they could identity her even in the state she was found in.

A state that suggested she had been attacked by monsters.

Lorelie was still left reeling at the end of the week, her limbs stiff and mind dazed. She had been the one to attend to her own cousin's battered and beaten body as the closest person around with any medical knowledge. But her skills lay in healing people; she didn't deal with the dead.

She didn't deal with those who were damaged beyond repair or recognition. The things she had seen in the brief time she was there before the doctor from the closest town arrived would haunt her for a long, long time.

At the end of another day, she sat in the bakery, her back to the door, her shoulders drooped and her eyes dazed.

Her mother had left as soon as Rosy had been found to be with her brother and nephew and was still with them. Lorelie had done everything in the bakery herself on top of her daily orders and the whole process left her tired, drained and aching from emotional pain.

Dragging herself up, she slowly picked up the sheets she used to throw over the tables, covering baskets for the night.

She felt the shift in the air without seeing what caused it. Something about the village had changed but she didn't care at that moment. She didn't want to investigate or know what was causing the anxiety or excitement that evening. She didn't care about what made the voices of the evening rising like it was the middle of a market day. She was too tired.

The door opening was the first thing that forced her to pay attention to the changing atmosphere.

"I'm sorry, we're closed for the day," she said, her tone a tad harsher then she had meant it. She flicked another sheet open without looking around and threw it across the counter.

The young man behind her gave a slight snort at the brush off.

"That's a fine welcome home, little sister," he said and Lorelie's eyes widened.

She whirled around to see a young man dressed in an army uniform in the doorway, a knapsack over his shoulder, pulling his cap from his head to reveal red hair just like hers.

"Jean," she gasped, gaping at her brother for a moment, before dropping the remaining sheets and running at him.

His arms came around her like a bear and he swung her around laughing, hugging her tightly, keeping hold for an entire minute before holding her at arms length.

"Oh it's so good to see you," he said finally, pulling her back into the hug, "I've missed you, Lore,"

"You didn't send us any warning, we had no idea you were coming home," Lorelie said, leading him back into the house when he let her go again.

"Our leave was somewhat unexpected but our entire regiment has returned, we've actually been placed in one of the neighbouring towns so I'm home again."

"Does Mama know?" Lorelie asked quickly as she set the kettle to boil.

Jean's expression darkened instantly as he slowly took a seat at the kitchen table, settling his things on the floor.

"She knows," he said, "I heard about Rosy."

Lorelie's fingers stilled as she reached for the cups. She cleared her throat then nodded slightly.

"Word reached me when we were travelling back. I went straight to Uncle's house yesterday and spent the night there."

"So long as she knows," Lorelie muttered.

Silence settled for a moment as they waited for the kettle to boil and then for Lorelie to make the tea. Once she set the cups down with a plate of biscuits, Jean glanced at her.

"Do they know anything more about what happened to her?"

Lorelie shook her head; taking a sip of her tea and scalding her tongue, grimacing. "The police put it down to a wild animal."

"Do you think they're correct?"

"You didn't see her, Jean," Lorelie said, her voice cracking at the memory, pressing a hand to her eyes. The darkness of her lids and hand only brought the full force of the memory into her mind's eyes and she opened her eyes again and looked at her brother. "My god, Jean, it was awful," she said, tears forming. "She didn't even look like a little girl anymore. And I... and they wanted me to..."

Jean reached across the table and took her hand, squeezing it tightly. "I'm sorry," he said softly, "I'm sorry you had to deal with that alone. It was wrong of them to ask a seventeen-year-old girl to face that. I wish I had been here for you sooner."

Lorelie looked away, wiping her eyes and sniffing. Jean shifted his chair around the table so he sat next to her instead of opposite and pulled his tea over. After a moment, she cleared her throat again and looked at him.

"So, how are you?" she asked.

He smiled slightly. "I'm alright. And I'm doing alright."

"So, no regretting your decision to join the army? Mama won't be getting her way this time?"

"Not this time," Jean said.

"Well, I suppose you're looking good. No worse for wear."

"Training does that," Jean said with a laugh.

"Training is one thing, but you were saying you've seen combat, right? What was it like?"

Jean's face lost what little colour it had and his smile became strained, forced. His fingers started trembling slightly and he curled them into a fist on the tabletop.

Lorelie stared at the reaction for a moment, then looked at him. She'd seen those signs before. When she visited The Coronel in the neighbouring town. When he wasn't as imposing and forceful as usual, in his weaker moments when he said 'the memories were playing up,' she saw those same tremors.

She had to create special concoctions to contain those memoires for The Coronel.

"Jean," she started and he took a sip of his tea.

"Let's not talk about that, war isn't a good conversational topic for the kitchen table."

Lorelie's brow creased. "How long will you be stationed here?" she asked instead.

"A few months, I think. After so long, it's a relief to be home again for even a little while." He chuckled slightly. "And I got my way, finally, I'll be attending the assemblies with the gentry."

Lorelie laughed at that. "So it was all worth it in the end."

Jean's smile faltered for just a second. "In a way," he said.

"Has Beldon taught you all the proper behaviour for dining with the rich? He returned with his regiment, I assume?" Lorelie asked with a grin and Jean's smile vanished.

He looked around at her, his brow low.

Her smile vanished a second later.

"What?" she asked.

"You didn't hear?" he asked slowly.

"What?" Lorelie asked, pulling away from him, "Hear what?"

"The Captain— ah," Jean seemed to catch himself. "Beldon... he's the reason we're on leave at the moment."

"Why? What happened?"

"Lorelie," Jean said, his voice trembling slightly, "Beldon was shot."

~~~~~

Next up: Thursday

Art By: Google Image

.... Yep! You read right. I had the boy shot.