Summer, Spring, Autumn, and Winter are brothers in arms and blood. Relentless and unwavering in their love and loyalty for one another. They are to meet every equinox and solstice to pass the Torch of Gaea and give respects to the Procession, but wh...
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In his right hand a tippèd staff he held
With which his feeble steps he stayèd still
Winter
I paced when I worried. It was not something I had complete volition over, not unlike the way mortals swing their arms when walking or the involuntary blinking that occurs when sand contacts an eye. It felt natural. And at that particular moment, I could do nothing but.
My feet picked itself up after the other, speeding up and slowing down its pace with no particular rhythm on the damp, stone floor of the atrium. I could feel eyes on me, but I wouldn't dare meet them knowing that I would only find expectations and questions in their unwavering gazes. But that look in their eyes wasn't the issue, I was not afraid of failing to meet their expectations nor was I afraid to give it to them straight- that I hadn't the faintest notion what was happening. But I was terrified. Terrified that if I looked into their eyes I would feel it again, that feeling I can only describe as pure intuition.
What was that? I thought to myself. Of course, we were celestial beings. Our beings were more spiritual than physical, unlike mortals we could sense power, emotions, and if we were at close enough proximity, share telepathy. But that? It was something else entirely. It was as if he simply... vanished. Dissolved. Come to naught.
I had never felt grief as swift and raw as that I had experienced in the clearing. That I was still experiencing underneath all my new-found resolution. And my brothers... Summer, I knew, could keep his emotions and personal feelings at bay. Somehow, he could detach himself completely, as if they were creatures he could simply lock away in a cage. Spring was the opposite, he was driven by his emotions. He would allow it to overtake him, and the pain I saw in his eyes was enough to fill oceans.
I picked up my pace, almost tripping as I stepped on a crevice. I cursed under my breath and ran a hand through my combed back hair, anxiety and agitation coursing through me.
"Brother, why don't you come here and sit down. Mother won't be long now." I whipped my head towards Summer, startled that he had broken our long-maintained silence. He sat on the fountain's ledge, Spring sprawled at his side. The moonlight that came through the gargantuan dome above, made his golden crown of hair turn silver and his blue-green eyes- like the sun shining through the shallows of an ocean- sparkle reflectively. His voice was calm and soft, attempting to soothe my wracked nerves.
When he didn't think, I was going anywhere, he repeated. This time allowing a hint of authority to seep into his voice. "Brother sit down," he said then darted his eyes pointedly towards the tense form at his side. Spring was studying me. Every move and expression was closely examined and registered as his intense gaze scanned me, growing more strained with my every move.
