Two sides

prologue

One was banished and the other ruled over the kingdom.

Theolmpia, was once considered the tarnished city. It was filled with ruins and wrecked roads. Everywhere you turned, you would be able to see collapsed buildings that looked more like pilled rubble and cracked pavements, miles long, lining all the streets. The people weren't any better. After the devastation of the war people were just trying to recover. Trying to find their loved ones. Searching the overcrowded streets desperately, looking to find a familiar face, hoping to god, that they were still alive.

A mother rushed forward out of the crowd.

"Amara! Xander! Can you hear me?" She cried fear filling her voice.

She went around asking every person she passed if they saw her children.

"Excuse me. But have you seen two children wearing coal coloured jumpers?"

She asked one person.

"No. Sorry. Have you seen a girl wearing a daisy dress with pigtails"

The mother replied negatively. Passing another gaggle of people she asked

"Is there an area where the children are being kept? I am looking for my sons."

Shakes off the head was what met her.

'No! They couldn't be? Could they?' She wondered in her paranoia. She wouldn't be the first to lose someone. But not her babies. Not her Amara who was always scared of the war and hid with her night when the nightmares overtook his wild imagination. Not her little Xander. Who always protected his brother despite being the younger one. Who always went out of his way to comfort any stranger they passed. Not her boys. She wouldn't let it be true.

She looked over the hundreds of people scurrying around to find their own loved ones. To her they all look like ants rummaging around in panic.

Scrutinising the area around her she noticed something in her peripheral vision.

There! She knew, she saw her little boys.

At the corner of the street near a vendor she saw her two giggling boys. Both dressed in what could only be described as rags, each holding a piece of bread in their hands, the stood.

Of course they were near the food! The poor dears must be starving.

Rushing over, she hugged close to them as if trying to merge them with her. Xander sensing something bothering his mother he hugged her tightly. Oblivious to this, Amara tried to pry his way out his mother's arms.

"Urgh." Amara huffed.

"What is wrong, mother?" Xander questioned

Shaking her head she responded "nothing, my dear. Just me being silly. Please, try to stay close to from now on. I worried that I had lost the both of you"

"Why were you worried? We have been here since the lockdown." Amara replied still scoffing his bread down.

"Do not worry about that, my love. Once you are both finished, we can depart."

"Here, mother, you can have half of my bread. I'm not that hungry anyway." Xander told his mother realising that she didn't want elaborate on her fears.

"No, you eat it, my child. As we do not know when we can next get food."

Both boys protested and tried to share their food, Amara slightly more reluctant but still insistent.

"Alright then. Many thanks, my dears." She responded and then ate her portion

The trio then started walking towards the abandoned castle as they were expected to.