Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ A Life For Two ❯ A Life For Two ( Chapter 1 )

A Life For Two

Dedicated to my brothers, for I love them more than they will ever know.

 

 

Would you die for a friend? What about family? If you could save one without harm to yourself, but to save another as well you must take your own life, would you?

 

She spent years searching everywhere for the ingredients she needed. The only thing was that these items she collected were extremely rare. Finding one was hard enough let alone two. She had done it though. She got everything; The heart of the Crying Moss. The tears of the Giant Sea Horse, the breast scale of the Dark Dragon, and a strand of hair from the Balding Forest Sloth. Each of these items was no where near the other. She had to trek across vast amounts of land to go from one place to the other. Some of these were also very dangerous and may have cost her her life just collecting them.

 

She stood in front of the hut watching the smoke rise out of the top. They had to stay warm especially in this cold. The winters here were not easy to get through. Thankfully she had gotten there before another winter had passed completely. Her family did not know how many more they could withstand. Seeing the smoke was a relief to her.

 

Her family was well known for their medicinal practices. It was rare that anyone in their village got sick. The only time they lost anyone was from the elements or if something rare came after them. The thought of her brothers made her heart ache. They had been sick for so long and they tried everything, but nothing helped. This was a last resort, but she was willing to do it.

 

Her brothers were still so young and had so much of their life to live. She had a good life. She was united with a man already and had kids of her own. They were old enough to be able to understand what their mother was doing. She could leave happy. Nothing left unfinished.

 

`You alone have the power to duplicate these items, Genia.' She heard his voice in her head as she stood at the door of the hut. She made no noise to let her presence be known. She had to prepare herself.

 

She only had the task at hand in her mind before this, not the ending. She knew how it would end, but if she dwelled on it she was afraid that she would come to the conclusion not to do it.

 

“Iphigenia? My daughter? You have returned. Thank the gods. I thought you may have been lost to the dangers of the wilderness. I feared for your life.” A resilient woman inside the hut leapt off of her chair to greet the tall woman she hadn't seen in years.

 

“It is okay, mother. I have returned. Nothing could have gotten between me and the life of my own brothers.” She gazed at their still bodies at their mention. Their chests were rising steadily, but the sounds that escaped were not as comforting. Their lives were miracles at the very beginning. A woman bearing a child after her child bearing age was nearly unheard of, but there they were; Two young boys, 22 years her junior, born after the birth of her own children. A miracle they were.

 

She broke away from her mother's embrace and knelt between her brothers' beds. She opened her traveling sack, torn and frayed from the many adventures she had gone through. Her finger grazed the sliced fabric where the dragon's teeth had nipped. He was the worst one. Her death was so near in that moment, but she prevailed.

 

She reached into her bag and pulled out the waterskin. It had powerful magic to keep out the elements. It was great protection for her items. The outside was still damp from the sea water she had to swim through to get to the Giant Sea Horse. He was the trickiest one. Getting tears from a sea horse was not an easy task. Making a sea horse cry was the hardest part. A soft spot right behind the eye had to be punctured just right and then a container had to be placed over the eye without getting any water into it at all. The tears could not be contaminated by anything.

 

“Where is he?” Iphigenia asked.

 

“At the lake.” Her mother responded.

 

“I will go and fetch him.”

 

“No. Let me send someone else. You have been through so much already.”

 

“It is okay, mother. I need to speak with him anyway. We will not be long.” She gave her mother a small peck on the cheek and left. She walked out of the hut and turned west. The lake was a beautiful sight. She stood gazing at it taking in everything she could. The reflection of the setting sun upon the water was enough to make anyone rejoice in life. The light blanket of snow upon the trees and ground glistened, beckoning the young ones to play in it.

 

She saw the old man casting his eyes toward the setting sun. He thought of her, she knew that. Approaching as quietly as only the best huntress could he still knew she was there. That is what she loved about him. He was like a father to her.

 

“You're late.” He said quietly before she could even touch his shoulder.

 

“I am sorry, sir. The crying moss was very difficult to find. As you said it would be.”

 

“I thought as much. Where did you seek it?”

 

“In the Cave of Sorrow, as you suggested. It was there, but finding the heart was the problem. The moss was everywhere in that cave, but the heart was in the smallest, darkest, most penetrating part.” She paused but a moment, then continued. “I…I allowed it to get to me, sir. I am sorry.”

 

“Do not be sorry, Genia. It was just as I feared. You are the most familiar with pain, and the closest to loss. I had a feeling that the muffling spell would not be enough. Yet, you withstood the crying and sorrow you heard and felt because you completed the quest, did you not?”

 

“Yes, sir.”

 

“For that I salute you and give you my respect.” The old man turned his head towards her.

 

Iphigenia took her right hand, placed it over her heart and then bowed her head, “Thank you, sir. I will hold that with me until I die.”

 

“Yes.” With that, the old man turned back towards the village and began walking towards the hut. Iphigenia followed in suit.

 

Inside the hut, the old man went through the items and confirmed that everything was there and properly taken care of. Iphigenia had done well. She handed the old man a scroll where she wrote down everything from her travels, in case something like this had to be carried out again. Maybe it would not take so long the next time.

 

Iphigenia's mother was taken back to her own hut where she had to lay in wait. This had to be done right the first time, for it could not be repeated.

 

The old man took the strand of hair from the tiny bag and placed it on top of the scale. He looked at Iphigenia with a question in his eyes.

 

“That was the easiest to get. She did not put up a fight, but seemed to feel my pain. She even plucked the hair herself and gave it to me.” Iphigenia explained.

 

This intrigued the old man and he smirked. He placed the rest of the items onto the scale then looked at Iphigenia once more.

 

“Are you ready, my child?”

 

She looked at her brothers. They had aged since she had last seen them, but the experience would not be there when they awakened. It would be like they were ten again, but with 14 year old bodies. Keeping them alive this long was a miracle. No more would they have to feed them through bamboo straws to keep them healthy and hydrated. They would soon be able to do that on their own.

 

“Yes, sir. I am ready.” She said without looking away from them.

 

“Place your hands over the items, then.”

 

She did as instructed.

 

“Say the words.”

 

As she spoke the incantation, the old man moved and placed some pillows behind her. He held a blanket in his hands as he sat down again. Tears were building in Iphigenia's eyes. She hoped and prayed that she would see them awake before she had to leave. She wanted to see their brown eyes full of life again.

 

As she finished the incantation a light appeared beneath her hands and her heart pulsed loudly. She moved her hands away and saw that the items she had collected over the years had now doubled. Her skin was cold, but sweat started to form on it. Breathing was more difficult now.

 

The old man went to work quickly for he knew what Iphigenia's wish was. He split the items up so there were two sets and then mixed each together on top of the scales. He ground the mixture deeply into the scales so the grains of it mixed in too. Once he was finished he looked over at Iphigenia. She was still awake, but her eyes were getting heavy and her face was pale. It would not be long. He must work faster.

 

He took the first mixture and hovered over one boy. He smeared a streak of the mixture onto the boy's forehead, then placed some into his mouth, then the rest onto his chest. He repeated the same to the other boy with the other mixture. Now they must wait for the mixture to get absorbed into their bodies. This had not been done in generations, so no one knew exactly how long it would take, not even the old man.

 

He placed himself next to Iphigenia. She was hunched over and breathing hard, but there was nothing he could do for her.

 

`You alone have the power to duplicate these items, Genia. Those items that you need, it is too dangerous to get two of each and will take much too long. The life source inside of you will have to be used. I will teach you the incantation. You will not survive it. Are you willing to sacrifice yourself to save them both?'

 

She held herself up with an amazing strength. She would not allow herself to pass until she saw them. Minutes passed and the old man heard them start to stir. He looked at Iphigenia, the tears she held in her eyes had still not broken through yet.

 

Her body started to take control of her. She was not strong enough. She couldn't hold on any longer. Blackness emerged into her vision and her breath was shallow and inconsistent. She was weak and could barely sit up. Her heart's pulse had slowed to a point where she had to make it keep going. The air was not there anymore. She clutched her heart. Her body started to fall back.

 

Before she hit the soft spot behind her, courtesy of the old man, she saw two figures rise from there beds. Her gaze went from one pair of eyes to the other. They both caught sight of her before her eyes closed.

 

“Genia!” they both yelled in unison. Just as she heard that, her eyes closed and let the tears roll free. A small smile formed on her lips as her last breath escaped her.

 

`Yes. There is no doubt in my mind. They are both my brothers and they need each other. I could never choose which one to save. I love them both more than anything in the world.'