Chapter 196

196 Chapter One Hundred Ninety Six

Marie wished she could ignore the sadness in Thorrin’s voice. He sounded sadder than she’d ever seen him and she would know. After all, she’d nearly grown up in this household. She’d been in the lives of the Chase family as she grew up and had even learnt their ways while she’d been there. In all that time, she hadn’t had the chance to see Thorrin fall this far into a depressed state, “You didn’t ram into that cake by mistake, did you?” he nodded to confirm her suspicions.

“I couldn’t withstand the thought of you going through something like that with my brother. I would like it if no one knew that I did that on purpose. Alas, I am sure the very thing I tried to prevent that day just happened today,” he replied.

“Thorrin, it’s been eighteen years...”

“And you don’t look a day older, dear Marie. It’s even worse that way. You look exactly the same as you did the last time that I saw you. I guess we both don’t want to change in one way or another,” he cut her off. Frustration, along with a myriad of other emotions that he didn’t have a mind to decipher assaulted him and he lacked the will to hold it all back before the woman that sat across from him, “You should get back in there. Tom will be getting worried if you spend too much time out here.”

“What does he have to worry about? There isn’t a rogue in a mile’s distance and...”

“Me... He has me to worry about...” he cut her off, “I’ll be fine out here on my own. I have my own thoughts to worry about. Probably stop them from swallowing me whole.”

“That won’t be happening, brother,” a male voice interrupted them.

Thorrin sighed, getting up from the bench and walking up to the fountain, away from his brother, “I see you haven’t forgotten to utilize your potential to sneak up on your family,” Thorrin spoke up.

“That wasn’t my intention, but I did come out here to bring you back into the party. The cake is amazing. I’m afraid Micah might have invited monstrous devourers. They just keep bringing it down in size like little mice,” Tom responded.

.....

“I won’t be...”

“Thorrin... It’s been eighteen years. You should use this time to be with the people you abandoned for eighteen years,” he replied. The Mighty Warrior snapped his eyes at his brother, “Yes, Micah told me everything. The moment we left, you were gone without another thought. The family hasn’t been the same since then. Father made you the head of the family with the hopes that you would come home once in a while, but you stayed away.”

“I’ve been busy, Tom. You wouldn’t know a thing. You’ve been playing house for eighteen years. Do you even remember how to wield a weapon,” Thorrin snapped at the boy.

“Boys, that’s enough. You don’t have to argue about this,” Marie snapped at the both of them sealing them both immediately. Thorrin stared at Tom with a look torn between hate and something they couldn’t decipher.

“Boy wonder, they keep saying... And yet, the one who always gets his way is right in front of me,” Thorrin said in a lower tone.

Marie snapped at Tom as he readied a counter for his brother. She glared daggers at him despite the words that threatened to come from him, “Just come back in the house, Thorrin. It’s not the same when the family is not full...”

Thorrin stared at the mansion and then to the ground. The music coming from the mansion could barely be heard from this far, but it was clear there was a party going on inside. The more he looked at the mansion, the more he felt more distant from them. They celebrated the union of his brother with a woman he’d only wanted for himself, “How am I supposed to act normal in a party between the two of you. Don’t you realise what torture that is?”

“You misunderstand, Thorrin. We see someone who hasn’t been able to move on after eighteen years. We don’t live as long as the werewolves do. If attending this party can bring you closer to moving on, then it’s worth it,” Tom replied, approaching his brother.

Tom’s presence brought so many things out of Thorrin. The two of them stared into their eyes for a while, “I miss my big brother. Don’t you wish we could go back to the way we used to be,” Tom tried.

“Your voice sounds like that of a siren. Trying to lure me into a trap, promising riches and comfort,” Thorrin responded sadly. Taking his brother’s offer meant he would be letting go of their past and accepting it. His heart had clung to it for a very long time and all for what. He’d been hurting for so long. The rogues that he’d killed in the time that he wasn’t with his family had faced his fury, but after everything he’d done, he was still the same. Nothing he’d tried had worked... ‘Why not try this path?’

“It won’t be easy, Thorrin. It’s been eighteen years after all. We can’t forget that all that time has passed since the last time you showed your face here, but we are family. Not even time or the gods can change that,” Tom continued.

“Our father... at one point, asked if I was ever going to get married. Apparently, Micah and you were wasting his time. He wanted a grandchild sooner rather than later...” Thorrin spoke out of the blue. For him, it was one of the only few moments in his eighteen lonely years that had breathed some life back into him. He’d cut everyone off and yet, they still tried to reach out to him. Facing them wasn’t easy, but he felt guilty every time they let him in without any resistance. It felt so hard and yet, they always made it sound so easy and called it hard once again.

“What did you tell him?”

“I told him I’d sleep on it... But that was about seven years ago. He didn’t talk about it again. I don’t know if the stories of my exploits reached his ears or if he simply figured I was in no mood to think about getting to know someone else,” he replied, plunging them into silence.

“Well, I wish you could have talked more about it. It would have given the old man some entertainment,” Tom chuckled.

“What’s she like... the girl you raised,” Thorrin spoke up all of a sudden.

“Well, she reminds me a lot of you. Although, she might just be a tad bit too hardworking. It’s insane,” Tom replied.

“I find that hard to believe. I know one other person that used to train as hard as I did. If you’d never been called to raise that girl, you would probably be the one holding the title of Mightiest Warrior and not me...”

“We can never know what could have been, Thorrin. What we can do is realise what has happened and embrace wherever the future takes us,” Tom lectured, pausing before inviting his brother once again, “The cake is better than advertised. You’ll like it.” He stretched out his hand and allowed the man to call his brother to him.

Thorrin disregarded his brother’s hand and pulled him into a strong hug. Shocked at the sudden show of affection, Tom was frozen for a moment before hugging his brother once again. “It will all get better... We shall be the last generation to see the rogue king... This, I can promise you...”

“You speak of the girl you raised. Is she as good as you advertise?” Thorrin asked him.

“Well... She has the potential to become something impossible and that’s what I intend to see her become. She might just be the one to bring him down and bring an end to all of this,” Tom replied, “We’d finally be able to go fishing and camping without authorisation from the Hunter’s Agency.”

“It sounds like a dream when you say it, but a dream that for once, feels touchable...” Thorrin replied, breaking from their embrace.

'

“Come in, brother. I don’t trust Micah with cake. He could have some hidden for future consumption regardless of the consequences,” Tom chuckled.

Marie stayed as insignificant as she could and barely noticed when a tear rolled down her eye. Choosing Tom over the other brother had broken the family. Drama amongst the three of them had been at its peak years ago and she was now glad that the sun was finally shining down on them. They walked back into the mansion and the party continued. Thorrin, as expected, fit into the crowd almost seamlessly. With help from Micah and Evelyn, the air of awkwardness had barely lasted a second.

Thorrin’s lighter mood was a surprise to everyone, but they all chose to keep it to themselves and enjoy the party. They played games of all kinds and filled the night with different challenges that brought them closer. Most of them were from his memory of the things they used to do for fun as they were children. Their parents worked as referees for most of the games and all disputes were settled by a coin toss. The night moved faster than they could have hoped it to and they were soon fast asleep. Bringing morning to them even quicker than they wished.

......