River of Red

XXIII

362 BC
Thebes, Greece.

The laughter of children reverberated throughout the cool, air.
The sun dial was at IV.
The men carefully lounged against the rough stone wall. Women peeked at him, as always. The two brothers were know throughout the community as the ever present troublemakers.
They didn't care.
They did as they pleased.
The brothers were similar in looks, dark eyes, dark hair, and dark skin. They were mysterious, no one knew much about them. The brothers had appeared one day in the city, sliding in unseen and unnoticed.
One person noticed, though.
A girl.
She was different, instead of the normal dark skin, hair and eyes, she was a new breed.
Her eyes were unnaturally bright: blue, and her hair unnaturally light: yellow, and her skin unnaturally pale: white.
She was an anomaly.
One of a kind.
Of course, the two brothers were completely infatuated with her. Like them, she had no family, no friends. Like them, she had lots of money to spend.
She bought lavish gowns to seduce the brothers, and in return they bought new shirts, boots and pants to impress the fair lady.
Just like normal men they spoiled her. One bought her jewels and gems, the other brought her adventure and surprise.
The women, against odds, fell in love with the two men.
But she loved one more.
The youngest brother, the one that brought her gifts and poured his heart to her, not the sultry, adventurous older brother who enjoyed the outdoors more than his own home. Soon, all her time was taken solely on that one younger brother.
But she had a secret.
A very serious secret.
A secret she had to tell.
So on a cold, dark night, she chose to tell the man. Under the moon, in a large field, the couple stood. He held her hands like a lifeline, and clung onto them as though they he'd him from hell itself, and maybe they did.
He had no clue.
Her face was one of absolute remorse. Remorse of her love for him, the love that would never work. She had to break his heart; tell him she had to move on.
He didn't see it coming, his heart was still freakish and young.
Whereas she was not.
The man stared adoringly into her blue eyes, but slowly, as she talked, the happiness turned to darkness.
Many emotions he felt then, sadness, betrayal, depression, love, heartbreak, and emptiness. When the women was done, she disappeared and left him standing in the empty field alone. Little did the women know, that was the last time she would ever see him alive again.
For on his walk to find his brother and tell him the story, he was ambushed.
Five men came from all sides, pale and strange like the women he had come to love. She was there too, wrapped and gagged in a large man's arms.
They surrounded the poor boy, and taunted him by hurting his love. They sliced her, and held him back as he watched her scream in pain. He screamed along side her, as though he could feel her pain too. The screams had attracted an onlooker, a man that had been for a stroll in the woods.
A dark haired man.
Who also loved the woman.
Upon the scene, the man promptly attacked the men with a sword, which he had occurred at a small town swordsman. In his right hand he fought with the long sword, the left a small, engraved dagger. The men were strong, abnormally so, but that didn't deter the man, in fact, it doubled his anger. He fought like a beast, and killed three of the men until he was overpowered by the other two left. The large man that had tortured the now limp girl bit the man, and instead of a killing bite, he made a death bite.
A bite that would cause his death.
His death that would lead into eternal life.
The man dropped the sword and dagger, which smoothly flattered to the cold dirt ground. The woman and the boy stayed limp on the ground.
The man joined them.
The stranger bit the boy, after he had finished the man, and him and his friend left the scene.
The next morning the two brother awoke.
They both shared a splitting headache, and a very sore throat. In addition, their gums ached and a hunger gnawed at them like never before.
But the most different change was their bodies.
The youngest brother was pale, with blue eyes. The older brother was pale, also, but instead of pale eyes his were dark as night. Soon, though, their confusion faded as realization slid over their laps. The woman they loved was still broken and helpless on the ground, arms still bound and gagged.
The long, silver, engraved dagger had been in her heart.
The boy blamed his brother, and the love for him quickly turned to hate. The brother, of course, did not kill the woman, for he loved her with his whole heart, but grief and hatred tore them apart.
The youngest, who was once good and sweet, turned a blind eye to his brother, and left him for what he thought would be forever. The oldest, deep and sultry, fell into a pit. He spent years in big cities, no longer took enjoyment of the countryside he once loved, and killed men and women alike.
He took interest in poetry in the 1500's, he even visited Shakespeare's one night to aid him in his adventure of Romeo and Juliet. No one knew who the man was, some said they were lovers as Shakepeare had been said to have an interest in some men. But the mysterious man left again, only to disappear for hundreds of years.
Records of death followed him, Jack the ripper was especially popular.
All through the years the older brother never heard a word from his younger brother.
Until Katrina came along.
Ironically, the woman they had both loved was also named Katrina.
Ironic indeed.

______________

Hi
How did you like this chapter?
Should I do more flashbacks of the past?
I honestly loved writing this chapter, it really gave me an insight into the brothers lives.
I obviously love Domitius so much better.
I would have had dialogue, but ancient Greek isn't accurate today, so try to picture the scene as best you can.
Happy Friday.
This cold weather ain't on fleet thou.