#stormdale

Drew walked down the hallway to Mikkel's newly appointed office in his makeshift fort at Highcliff. His hand kept twitching in an effort to close around the genealogy booklet Queen Amelie (my mother) had shown him as a form of comfort and assurance, but his nerves were still a little uneasy.

It wasn't that Mikkel was unapproachable. No, as far as Drew could tell, he was a very open man, and had a subtle but no less sharp sense of humor. It contrasted nicely with Manfred's more strict attitude, and made their friendly banter all the more fun to witness.

But, the footnotes he'd seen in the book - which Amelie had said were written by Wergar himself for permanent records - it made him nervous.

If only because he had no idea both how to speak to Mikkel about it, and because he worried if it would upset him to the point of ruining their friendship.

Glancing out a window, noting that it was just a little past seven, Drew faced the door to Mikkel's office. Taking a breath, he lifted a hand and rapped his knuckles against the wood.

"Come in," Mikkel's voice answered.

Turning the handle, Drew entered and closed it behind him. Not for the first time, he glanced at the desk Mikkel had and wondered how he dealt with all the books and scrolls stashed in the humble bookcases and drawers around the room.

Mikkel was writing something in a book, but looked up as he entered. "Drew? What brings you here?" he asked, standing up and closing it.

"I - I wanted to see you before turning in," he replied, wishing his voice wasn't so close to cracking as he watched Mikkel walk over to the rightmost bookcase.

"If it's about the combat schedules, I'm afraid you're not getting off of the eight o'clock regimen," Mikkel said with a smile. As he returned the book, Drew took a few steps forward and hurriedly responded, "Oh no, I don't have a problem with that. I just...well, Amelie - Mother, and I - we were looking over the book of our family history, and..."

As Mikkel turned, looking at him as he was about to pass the desk again, Drew squeezed his eyes shut and blurted, "I saw that you were engaged to my oldest sister."

The footsteps stopped. For about a minute, Drew wasn't sure if he could hear anything but the sound of his own heart pounding in his ears.

Then he faintly detected the slight creak of wood as pressure was applied to it. A few seconds later, Mikkel questioned, "Why are you coming to me?"

The sudden dryness in his voice made Drew's eyes snap open. Looking at the staglord, he was shocked to see the raw emotion on his face. Somehow, Mikkel looked twenty years younger and older than he actually was as he stared at the wall.

"I didn't want to upset Amelie anymore than she already was," he admitted, the slight shake of her body still clear in his mind's eye. "And...Manfred only confirmed what I already saw in the book. I just...wanted to hear about it - about Scathach - and you from yourself."

Mikkel didn't say anything for a long time. The emotion on his face shifted from anger, to pain, to regret, and seemed to cycle through them and smaller flashes of turmoil that he couldn't name as the silence stretched out between them.

Shifting, feeling like he'd thoroughly fouled everything up, Drew began, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have -"

Without looking at him, Mikkel reached over and placed a hand on his shoulder. His grip was firm, but there was a slight tremor in his hold. Slowly, with almost conscious care, Mikkel gently brushed his thumb over his collarbone.

Taking a breath, still staring at the opposite wall, the earl recalled, "Your oldest siblings were born four and a half years after I was. Because of that, and how important Manfred was to Wergar's court, I spent a lot of time in the capital. Sometimes, the Wolf would take his family to Stormdale, and so I ended up spending as much time with them and the political centers as I did in the forest.

"Scathach was the middle child, but...fiery," Mikkel went on, eyes distant even as a warm smile spread across his face. "She loved training as much as I did, and when she couldn't do that, she ran through the city or our hunting grounds as if born to it. Naja was less inclined to combat or the wild, and - well, that led to quite a few interesting arguments between them."

Drew smiled slightly, noticing that the steady movements of Mikkel's thumb had almost stopped. "When she was sixteen, we got particularly rowdy. I don't know why, but I was getting a kick out of teasing her. I said or did something that angered Scathach to the point she knocked me flat on my rear. The instant I hit the ground, I saw stars before she came into view, apologizing as if her life depended on it while trying to make sure I wasn't seriously hurt."

He chuckled, and was happy to hear an amused snort leave Mikkel. Expression turning wistful, Mikkel continued, "We ended up laughing like a couple of maniacs after the fact, and...well, I knew she was the one. We waited a few years - I didn't want to keep her in a betrothal if she changed her mind - before we got engaged.

"But then Leopold came."

His face contorted in rage, and Drew could hear his heart start beating faster. "He took Highcliff before Wergar returned from one of his last wars. Nanuq did his best to fight him, but a Wolf's strength can only do so much against a Lion. Naja was staying by Amelie's side, trying to figure out how to get you and your twin Walter out, and Scathach -"

He halted, breath catching. Eventually, he forced out in a thick voice, "She was going to propose marriage to Leopold to save them."

Drew's eyes widened, but before he could say anything, Mikkel's head dipped down. Eyes on the floor, he spoke as if he were still trying to rationalize it, "I tried to talk her out of it, but - Scathach could get through my thick head when even Manfred couldn't. And she...she could make me ignore my instincts when we really hit a crossroads.

"When she left, I knew it was a mistake."

Mikkel's lip curled, and for a brief moment his werelord strength came out to tighten his grip on Drew's shoulder. Drew resisted the urge to flinch as Mikkel, with venom in his voice, spat, "Leopold claimed that she'd turned into a large wolf and attacked him, said that Vankaskan had killed her. They never even returned her body. If not for Manfred, I'd have marched in and killed them."

For a small eternity, they stayed there: Drew, looking at the man who was promised to his sister, and Mikkel, staring at the floor in shame. Looking at the man, he couldn't help but think of Trent. He remembered all the times they messed around on the farm, got up to mischief in Motley, and would cover for each other whenever one of them was naughty.

The memory of his older brother trying to kill him in a prison cell still broke his heart.

And with distinct clarity, he realized the depths of Mikkel's own heartbreak. They were different circumstances, different people, different losses.

But still....

"I...I don't think your betrothal to Scathach was ever legally nullified," he began slowly, tilting his head to try and catch Mikkel's eye. As the earl looked at him in confusion, Drew finished, "So...we're still technically in-laws. Still brothers."

Mikkel blinked at him, realization dawning in his eyes and face as he gradually straightened. He looked at Drew for a long moment. Then, slowly, he removed his hand from his shoulder to gently hold his face, thumb just in front of Drew's ear. Even as the motion reminded him painfully of Mack, Drew realized that he would only be a little older than Mikkel and Scathach's children.

Wordlessly, Mikkel reached out with his other hand and pulled him into a hug, keeping his hand on Drew's cheek as he turned his head to rest on the staglord's chest. Wrapping his arms around Mikkel, Drew closed his eyes and listened as their heartbeats seemed to blur together.

"Thank you, Drew," Mikkel whispered, running his other hand up and down his back.

With a smile, he tightened his grip ever so slightly and responded softly, "You're welcome, brother."

It wouldn't change the past.