Chapter 2 - Thank God

‘Phew!’ Xavier muttered, as he kicked off his worn training boots before entering the back door of the kitchen. Although he still hadn’t been able to land a single hit on his father for the past year of his basic training, he could still feel his improvement; no longer did he have that slow, clunky feeling wielding his training blade. It almost felt like an extension of his arm at this point.

Zeus was also thinking along a similar line, he was far nimbler than his brother when it came to sparring their father and could avoid and weave through a greater deal of his blows. However, he also knew that, if his father willed it, he could be swatted away without a moments notice. He signed in knowing defeat, kicking off his training boots before following his brother into the heavenly aroma of his mother’s soup that filled the kitchen.

The house the family lived in was modest; made up of two medium sized floors. The downstairs was comprised of the kitchen and living area which melded seamlessly into one another. The walls were made of what appeared to be cobblestone, supported by beams of solid oak which were worn and almost grey at this point. The kitchen itself was roughly ten metres squared with a wooden island in the middle and basin on the left of the back door. Of course, it didn’t have modern day luxuries such as taps or an oven, instead, a striking fireplace was centred next to the basin, which was currently roaring with a large metal pot placed atop its flames. A large rectangular dining table was placed just outside the boundary of the kitchen, in the living space, with two chairs placed on either side opposite one another, it was adorned in numerous carvings and symbols, none of which the twins had ever been able to decipher. Beyond the table there was not an awful lot in the living space besides a sort of bed which was covered in the fur of an animal Xavier and Zeus had never seen in their lives.

Emilia Chaoxs was humming a melody as her two sons burst through into the kitchen, seeing their boots being flung inside before themselves. She turned to see them both ragged and muddy and couldn’t help but smile lovingly.

‘Gear off,’ She chastised teasingly, ‘And change into a new pair of trousers Xavier, it looks like you’ve had an accident.’

Zeus once again erupted into giggles as the two of them unclipped their light over armour which was on top of their cotton overshirts.

‘It’s just mud, Mum!’ Xavier steamed as he sprinted up the stairs to his room to retrieve a new pair of bottoms.

‘How was it today?’ Emilia asked Zeus who had finished placing the pairs armour into a box aptly labelled ‘Armour’ by the door.

‘Okay, I guess? Neither of us have been able to hit Dad yet or even make it seem like he’s trying, but we’re definitely getting better.’ Zeus replied as he trotted over to the big pot on the fireplace and taking a big whiff of his, soon to be, meal.

‘Your father was a ‘King’ class swordsman dear; I keep telling you this. If either of you actually managed to hit him, I don’t know if I’d be more proud of you or ashamed of him.’ Emilia chuckled.

‘Can me and Xav go into the village today? We’re always so bored sitting at home when we aren’t allowed to.’ Zeus asked his mother politely, completely ignoring her earlier comment whilst staring into the soup.

‘Okay dear, but I believe your father has something very important to talk the pair of you about today.’ Emilia replied sweetly, unphased by the dismissal of her earlier comment.

A lump formed at the back of Zeus’ throat. He hadn’t found out about him and Xav sneaking out last week, had he? They’d been sure to make as little noise as possible and be back well before he would wake. Zeus’ mind was racing thinking of the possibilities of what their father could want to talk to them about but before he could think of the answer he was rudely interrupted by a series of loud bangs.

‘Oof! Argh! Oof!’ Xavier groaned as he tumbled down the stairs collapsing in a pile at the bottom with a loud thud. ‘Damn I should really use my brain a bit more sometimes.’

Zeus’ trail of thought ended when he realised what occurred and once again burst into laughter, his stomach ached at this point from the amount of amusement his brother had given him today.

Sheepishly, Xavier went to the dining table to await his meal and took a seat. Zeus also stopped admiring the soup and went to take the one next to him.

‘I think dad knows...’ Zeus whispered to his brother who was still nursing his sore arm from the tumble.

Xavier’s eyes opened in fear. They had only ever once upset their father and the aura he released at the time made them both shake in fear, if possible, they never wanted that to happen again.

The thoughts of repercussions could wait though, as their mother placed two bowls of steaming soup in front of the pair. Xavier tapped his twin with his empty wooden cup and Zeus raised a finger, filling it with fresh water doing the same to his own and the other two in the place of his mother and father.

‘Still unfair how you can do that.’ Xav tutted, receiving only a smile in return from his brother.

Their mother also took a seat, placing herself opposite Xav and waited for Sy to join them. A few seconds later the twins’ father joined them at the table, his expression unreadable as always.

‘So,’ Sy began, ‘Care to share anything, you two?’