2 ~ Take My Hand ~

To say that Winter's hunger was a minor physical discomfort was an extreme understatement. Pain sheeted through her stomach with a terrible intensity. Every small movement sent fresh ripples of pain throughout her whole body. Her head hurt too much. Her body hurt too much. Every part of her ached with fatigue. Every part of her was screaming for help.

Despite this, she watched as Aiden bit down aggressively on her last piece of stale bread. She adjusted her position on the cold floor and felt fresh pain cut across her stomach. She wanted desperately to eat as much as she could, but the inner workings of her brain fought against her. Despite being inside a child's body, Winter's mind was both further developed and mentally more mature than Aiden's. She couldn't help but want to protect the poor child in any way she could, even if he left her to rot in the end.

She closed her heavy eyelids and tried to dig up distant memories of what she had read in The Cursed Winter, but they seemed to have faded away as the hunger stricken days passed. Her mind had faded to a blank slate, regressing to a state of utter blackness.

"Winter," Aiden whispered to her softly, "Do you think we'll ever get out of this place?"

She reached out a scarred hand and gently caressed the pitiful boy's dirty cheek. He truly was nothing more than a hungry child who the world had turned its back against. He looked at her with broken ice green eyes, searching desperately for a reason to keep living.

"Yes," She told him softly, "You and I, we'll get out of here one day. We'll be free."

A single tear slipped from his eyes and Winter saw a glimpse of hope flash beneath their pale green surface. She truly wished that she was right. Winter knew she was saying it for not only him, but for her as well.

"Aiden, you're going to become a powerful man one day. I hope you won't forget about me when the chance comes."

"Never," He told her with a shaky voice, "You're my other half."

She smiled at him and watched as he ate what was left of her share of food. She basked in the silence that hung between them. They found comfort in each other's presence. They felt comfort in knowing they weren't alone. Suddenly, the sound of heavy footsteps sliced through their newly found silence. The sound of them echoed sharply throughout the cramped attic in chaotic patterns.

"Hide," She told him.

Ignoring the pain that seared through her body, she pulled Aiden up by the arm. She watched him slink into the shadows of a small cabinet hidden away behind discarded furniture. It was small enough for one person only, leaving her with no other hiding place than a broken chest that didn't close properly. Hesitantly, she climbed in and sat as lifeless as a corpse. She closed her eyes and wished for the darkness to swallow her whole. She wasn't sure if she could survive another heavy beating.

The attic door swung open with a loud bang. The chaotic sounds of boots pounding against the creaky floor were terrifyingly close. Winter crouched in the dark of the broken chest, praying that Aiden would be all right. She was okay with being found first as long as it guaranteed his beating wouldn't be as bad. She watched through the slight opening as several men began to dig through the piles of junk.

She hugged herself in the cold darkness and watched helplessly as one of the men approached the small cabinet where Aiden was hiding. An overwhelming feeling of despair ate away at her hunger stricken stomach as the man reached out and opened it to reveal a trembling Aiden. She felt as if her last shred of hope that was dangling from a thin thread had just been clipped. Aiden wouldn't survive the beating. This wasn't how the story was supposed to go.

"No!" She screamed with a trembling voice as she stood up from inside the chest, "Don't touch him! Hit me! Hit me instead! Just please don't touch him!"

The world was far too cruel of a place. Dying was a natural thing for her. She remembered her blood stained fingertips in her past life and the way the world had faded right before her very eyes. She remembered drawing in her last breath before being swallowed by darkness. At this rate, if they beat them both, both her and her twin brother would die. Winter didn't mind dying. After all, the character she was was bound to die anyways. Aiden was going to become a King. That's how the story went.

"Please," She called out with a voice thick with desperation, "I beg of you. My brother has to live, so hit me instead."

She searched the wide eyes of the men for an ounce of pity. Even just a sliver of a resonance with how she felt. They watched her carefully, confused expressions. Her early death was something that tied her to this story. It was her curse. It was the reason she was brought here after dying. She was meant to die so Aiden could live.

Amidst the chaos, she caught a glimpse of a lion woven with shimmering golden thread. Winter swallowed the bile that was rising in her throat as the terrible circumstances of her situation dawned upon her. The golden lion was the symbol of the Silvermondian Empire, and there it was on every single one of their uniforms. She fell to her knees, as her sight grew foggy. They were here. And they were going to take Aiden and leave her to rot. She reached a shaky hand out in one last attempt to reach her brother before hitting the cold floor.

It's okay, she thought to herself as her consciousness began to slip away. They're here to take Aiden. It's over now. This is where your story ends. As she felt herself being pulled away into the darkness, the stoic eyes of the lions seemed to mock her with their glares. The suffering was over. She was finally going to pass peacefully like she should have. She closed her eyes and gave in to the darkness that beckoned her to play.

She hadn't been Winter for long, but Aiden was truly her brother through and through. The bond between her and her brother was unlike no other. No one else in the entire world could understand the hell they were faced with as the days went by. In an attic of broken objects, the two of them were by far in the worst condition.

Winter could die peacefully knowing her other half would get a chance at living at a proper life.