Welcome to Gaia! ::

Micah stepped lively through the halls, humming to himself and smiling broadly. And why shouldn’t he smile? He was off to see his little brother, arguably his favorite person in the entire world. It had been too long since they really spent time together and there was absolutely no reason not to now that they were attending school together! He wondered if Uriel was still writing. He hoped so; he always loved his brother’s stories. He wanted to hear everything that he had missed!

The door opened as soon as he reached it and Micah’s smile broadened into a grin. He didn’t even question how Uriel had known he was coming; it was wonderful that he did! ”Greetings, brother!” And that was all the warning that Uriel received before Micah stepped in and wrapped him up in a hug. That hug rather quickly became Micah lazily but affectionately draping himself over his brother’s shoulders. Undoubtedly Uriel would be used to that as Micah did it often.

”I’ve missed you. And it makes no sense to keep missing you when I can come see you. So much has happened already since we last really spoke! Did you know that I am engaged? I did not; I met my fiance before either of us knew. Haha, what about that for one of your stories? A chance meeting between destined lovers. No, ignore me; I am talking too much. I want to hear about you, Uriel! How are you?”

It was easy to get a little carried away when he was in such a good mood, though it did not always lend to him talking someone’s ear off. More often than not it led to dancing and even at that moment he was swaying a little, still clinging to Uriel’s shoulders like a very animated coat. He supposed he should let go, but he really did not want to and he decided to go with his gut.

Uriel looked a little tired. Micah thought idly. Had he chosen a bad time to drop in? Maybe, but it wasn’t as though he would be offended if Uriel decided he wanted to sleep. They could both sleep and then he would be right where he needed to be come morning! Ah, it had been years since he barged in on his brother for an impromptu sleepover! They were not children anymore; gone were the days when they could have slept in the same bed without as much as bumping one another. Could have being the operative words; Micah was a clinger. They were both full grown men, now, but Micah was sure he could still squeeze himself onto a couch or something. Like a cat.

A reasonable person might have actually asked Uriel about it at this point, but Micah was rarely ever accused of being reasonable. He had all but decided he was crashing with Uriel tonight so that they would have plenty of time to catch up.

”You always know how to put into words exactly the thing that I was feeling.” Uriel meant the world to him and having his brother near always brightened his day. Whenever they were apart it was felt, even if he was still happy and in good company. There were many whose company he enjoyed, but only one was his dear brother.

Micah considered for a moment, then shook his head to the offer of refreshment. ”Maybe later.” He readjusted his clinging hold around Uriel’s shoulders so that he could follow the slimmer male to the large floor cushion that seemed to beckon him invitingly.

”You did know?” Micah responded with great amusement when his brother replied to his big news. Ah, it really had been too long since they had spoken if he was not even the first to break the news! But it made sense when Uriel mentioned that he and Enzo had already met Elara in art class. Micah laughed easily and shook his head as he settled down onto the floor cushion with his brother.

”Yes, that does sound just like her! So eager and energetic, that one. I do not know how I intend to keep up! I learned of our engagement not long after we met in that battle simulation history lesson. I almost could not believe my luck; I never thought I would have a chance to meet my first bride before knowing our obligation to one another. It makes things much easier, I think.”

Micah seemed to spread out like a cat dozing in a sunbeam though he tried not to crowd Uriel too much. It was his room, after all! Micah could not be a rude guest. Of course that never could or would stop him from leaning on his brother as though he just could not physically remain upright.

Chased by a small wild woman! Micah did not mean to chuckle, but he could not help himself as he imagined the scene. ”Who was this wild woman? And how did you manage to mess up her training dummies? What a strange occurrence!” A small sound of amusement left Micah’s lips as he was momentarily distracted by the cute little teddy bears in a cute little outfit dotted over Uriel’s pajamas.

But of course his attention was immediately drawn again when Urial mentioned meeting his own betrothed. ”Oh, that is wonderful! I cannot wait to meet her! What is her name? What is she like? I want to know everything!” Had he said that already? Well, it was still true!

And Uriel was still writing! Sometimes Micah was a little worried that their parents’ cruelty would finally extinguish the author’s spirit in his brother, but Uriel was stronger than their harsh words and tamed fireplace flames. ”Will you tell me about what you are writing? Wait! I want to hear about your fiance first. Ah, there is so much I want to hear. But we have all of the time in the world, now.”

Micah grinned broadly as Uriel expressed confidence that he could keep up with his fiance with no troubles. Unless, of course, she could dance circles around him. ”Ah, but wouldn’t that be wonderful? I have not seen her dance, but she has told me that she is very skilled! Apparently her parents hired only the best tutors for her and they were quite impressed with her ability. Perhaps she really would dance circles around me, but I welcome it! I can see it now; dancing ourselves to exhaustion and collapsing into one another’s arms.” His grin softened into a wistful smile as he imagined it. Any night with a lady in his arms was a good night, after all.

What did Wisteria like? Micah blinked as he thought about this question and tried to remember any details from his fiance’s letters. He still had not read them all… Even if he was being charitable, he was not nearly halfway through. He did remember something about her mother purchasing new dogs… something about how grand the libraries in Phronese were… she did sometimes tell him what book she was reading, but well… he was surely very behind by now. Oh! But he did remember one thing she liked for certain!

”She does like to drink tea. She has mentioned tea in several letters. More than she realizes, I think… I have never cared much for it, as you know, but I suppose it is not undrinkable. Perhaps we should have tea together. Or I wonder if she has tried coffee… I’m not sure how anyone could have coffee and prefer tea. Right, right, you were asking about a present. Definitely tea, then. Just don’t offer anything to doctor it; my little dove is surprisingly adamant about the proper way to enjoy a cuppa. Did I say that right? I think I did.”

But about this wild woman of Uriel’s! This small, feisty, and loud black haired woman. Micah grinned again but made his best effort not to laugh. Ah, he did not mean to find it funny, but to picture his brother being chased by such a girl! Though he supposed if she really would bite on a whim, it might be best to avoid that! ”What an interesting person. I must have seen her. One would think I would remem- oh! Oh, yes, I do remember that one.” Micah left it at that as he knew full well that the only reason he remembered the dark haired stranger was because he was daydreaming about spiriting her away to a dark corner. He really was a sucker for a raven haired beauty.

”Chiwawa. What an interesting name.” Micah mused under his breath, but he did not dwell on it. He was too distracted by the way Uriel looked away as if to hide whatever feelings showed on his face. Micah was not that talented and his expression clearly showed his concern for his brother. But what could he say? He could do nothing to fill the hole left by a man unknown to him. If it was as simple as finding a substitute, he thought he might do it himself and damn the consequences.

The thought niggled in the back of his mind, but he ignored it as best he could for the moment. He really did want to hear about Uriel’s story! ”Ah, that does sound like a marvelous adventure. What were the brother and sister escaping from? No wait, don’t tell me; I want to read it when you are ready. I want to see what the edge of the world is like… I think I would be like the prince in your story. I wonder what I would pay if I could see such a place, even if I was forbidden to go there.”

Micah thought for a moment quietly before adding, ”But what of your own forbidden adventure, my brother? You still think of it. Can you be happy, do you think, if things remain as they are?” He paused for a moment before asking quietly. ”What can I do? There must be something.”

Uriel seemed as uncertain of whether cuppa was the correct word as he was, but that was alright. He supposed he would only need to know when he made political visits to Phronese and he was sure his little dove would remind him before then. She was bursting with information about her home and how well things were going there and how happy her people were and how important and wealthy her family was. Micah was admittedly not as interested in that last bit; he too was from an important and wealthy family, so there was nothing new and exciting to explore there. But telling him all about it seemed to make Wisteria happy, so he would find a way to be interested.

”As soon as possible!” Micah responded excitedly to the idea of Uriel and Wisteria meeting. His first wife would be a very important part of his life, so of course she needed to meet his brother who already was. And his sister, if she proved willing. Seraphina was difficult to predict, but she was still important to him. ”I shall arrange something with her. But try not to steal her away with that handsome face of yours!” Micah grinned to show he was teasing. Not about the handsome face, of course, but he knew that his little brother would never try to steal his happiness. It was one more reason that Uriel deserved happiness of his own!

Just neither with a feisty girl who chased him away from her training dummies nor a prim little Phronesian miss who loved tea and dogs, nor even the sweet and bubbly but strangely named Chiwawa. Uriel deserved happiness as much as anyone and perhaps more than many. But happiness was not something that he could find in a market stall and wrap in pretty paper for his little brother. Or his little sister, for that matter. It was far more difficult to grasp than that and looked so different from person to person. But it was worth pursuing; their happiness would only add to his own, after all.

At least Uriel was finally able to write his stories in peace. There was no one to snatch the pages away and toss them into the fire here at Utopia. At least no one had better try it; they would have Micah to answer to if they did! This was not Funkazan and his father’s jurisdiction did not extend to the halls of Utopia. Micah did not doubt that he would answer for any choices he made based on that very small loophole, but it could be years before those consequences came nipping at his heels. In short, that was future Micah’s problem. The Micah of today would protect every ink smudge of his brother’s story as best he could. And what a wonderful story it was shaping up to be! He couldn’t wait to read it.

What would it be like to embark on a journey from which he could never return? Micah imagined it for a moment. The sense of foreboding balanced against the thrill of the unknown. Would he still do it? Would he go to the end of the world just to see it, even knowing that he could never return? Money would be no object; why not spend every last coin in his possession when he would never have another opportunity to spend them? But no, he could not do such a thing. He had too much to lose. There was no wonder of the world, known or unknown, that could ever mean more to him than his siblings. No experience was worth losing them.

His question left a pregnant pause in its wake and that made the answer obvious, at least to Micah’s mind. Uriel could not be happy in a loveless marriage to Chiwawa, no matter how pleasant a girl she might be. It had always been so simple for Micah who had always known his first wife would be arranged for him. Whoever she might be, he would learn to love her and it was as simple as that. He had made that choice years ago, long before he ever received Wisteria’s first letter. He chose to believe that he could love anyone who met his parents’ stringent criteria. But of course it was easy for him, his heart had never belonged to any one person as Uriel’s did. His heart fluttered and drifted like a butterfly, sampling from every flower it passed and never settling upon just one.

Uriel did not want to marry her. Micah nodded once. ”I will see what I can do.” he replied simply; he would not trouble Uriel with the how of it. He was not yet entirely certain, but he did have options. The easiest was perhaps to marry Chiwawa himself. Wisteria would be his first wife, of course; he would not deprive her of the position her family had bargained for her. But for Chiwawa, surely a place as the second wife of the crown prince was more appealing even than becoming the first wife of the second prince. Uriel was perhaps the better man, but he could not love her. Micah could not love only her, but he was certain that he could love her. Perhaps that would be enough.

It was kinder than the second best option. If he had to, Micah was willing to create a scandal. A woman with a ruined reputation would simply not meet his parents’ standards any longer; they would have no choice but to nullify any contract with her family. It was a dirtier option, he had no reason to treat Chiwawa so badly except… He would do even that for his brother. He would go that far if it was the only way. But it would be a last resort.

So Uriel had seen his man again but it had not gone as well as he could have hoped. Micah frowned softly, feeling a moment of irrational anger at the stranger who had touched his brother’s heart only to put it down again and walk away. How did anyone walk away from Uriel? How did anyone fail to see how warm, compassionate, and kind he was? How very worthy he was of love? It was maddening and Micah had no outlet for the surge of anger that overtook him at the thought of it.

Micah’s jaw clenched but he closed his eyes to just breathe. He focused only on his breath, the sound of his drawing it in, the feel of it stretching his lungs, the slow release, and that brief moment of feeling completely deflated and in need of the next breath. It helped to calm him, though for a moment he may have almost seemed to be asleep. He finally opened his eyes again. ”That is… unfortunate. I would have wished better for you.”

”I will take care of this other problem, but we do need a plan for the future, my brother. Chiwawa will only be the first. Your marriage is too fine a bargaining chip for our father to let collect dust. I do not know how, and I can only imagine anything we try will have unpleasant consequences… but I think our only choice is to make that prospect far less appealing.” His first thought was, of course, making Uriel’s proclivities more public but he could not bring himself to suggest such a thing. His brother was a private person and there would be many who would not understand and might treat him poorly as a result. No, they could not have that. He just needed to find a better idea.

”Ah, listen to me, ruining this fine moment with my brother. And it has been so long since we have spent time together! We do not need to speak of this now if you do not wish to.”

Watching his brother absorb his words, Micah knew that he fully understood the gravity of the situation. It would not surprise him if his brother understood better than he did, honestly. It was an unpleasant topic, but they both knew it would have to be addressed. The alternative was too depressing; Micah did not wish to see his brother married to a woman that could not make him happy. And if no woman could make him happy, then Uriel should find a man that could. It was still a strange thought for Micah, but he brushed off that feeling. It did not really matter whether it made sense to him, Uriel was who he was. And Micah dearly loved his brother, no matter who his brother loved. Ah, but it was a shame that he could not appreciate a busty beauty with raven hair and fire in her eyes! Ah, well.

Micah was just as glad to be done with the heavy topic for now; he would give it all more thought later. There were letters to write and things to do and he felt tired just thinking about it! Uriel draped over him in a hug and Micah beamed as he returned the affection. His brother was more than worth the effort; he was not too tired to do this favor for his brother. He would never be too tired to do his part in making his siblings happy. They deserved that much from him; after all, he had already been given everything he needed to be happy. Good food, wine, women, two wonderful siblings to dote on… What more could he ask for?

”How right you are! The night is still young indeed.” Was it? He really could not remember; he was hardly paying attention. He had wanted to see his brother and he had given no thought to what time it actually was. It was never a bad time to see his brother! Though he supposed it might have been a bit of a problem if Uriel was already asleep. It would have been a shame to have to wake his brother only to invade half of his bed for the night.

Micah laughed merrily at the memory of poor Seraphina rushing down the halls and riling up the guards. ”Phron! Phron! Ahahaha! They were all so confused when they realized what had actually happened! No sense of humor at all! Maybe if they could have seen their own faces, standing there with weapons drawn on a bed full of frogs!” Micah dissolved once more into a fit of merriment, one arm clutched over his stomach. His legs even kicked a little, he was so terribly amused.

”Sometimes it is hard to believe we were ever all so young. It is just a shame that our sister undoubtedly has a less fond memory of that night.”