Brothers, Pt IV

When Sthenie and Eurie returned, they found no trace of their sister’s murderer. To make matters worse, he had taken her beautiful head. Only a single, sad snake remained, wriggling feebly in the gore around her severed neck.

Weeping bitterly, the twins gathered up what was left of Meddie (including the little mutilated golden snake) and bore it down to the sea, where Benthie had appeared just moments before. When the nymph saw the remains of her friend, a terrible storm rose up about her, and she screamed her grief and rage to the skies.

Suddenly she stopped, a wild look in her eyes.

“Give her to me!” Benthie said, surging as far out of the water as she could. The twins, confused by her urgency, hesitated. “Give her to me!” she shrieked. “I might still save the children!” Quickly, but with as much gentleness as they could, they placed the still-warm body in the water- trying not to notice the way the blood swirled out from the neck. Benthie immediately slashed the abdomen open, ignoring the cries of distress from the twins. There in the exposed womb, curled snugly around one another, were two little forms, neither of which moved.

“Oh little cousins,” the nymph moaned, and pulled them out, still entwined. Sthenie and Eurie could see that one was a perfectly formed little boy, with hair as golden as his mother’s had been- the other was a delicate foal, blood-smeared wing-stumps folded tightly to its gray flanks. They watched, dumbfounded, as Benthie cleared out the children’s mouths, and then slapped each one firmly on its back. Infant wails soon filled the air.

“You shall be called Chrys,” she crooned through her tears to the boy. “And you,” she turned to the foal, whom she’d placed on the sand. He was struggling up onto his spindly little legs, wing-stumps trembling with effort. “You we shall call Pegs.”

And they did.

***

After long discussion, the three women decided that the safest thing for the children was to separate them, the better to hide them from the war goddess’s continued wrath (for it was well known that gods had a tendency to visit punishment unto many generations of whoever they felt had trespassed against them). Chrys they could easily foster out to a mortal couple, but Pegs presented more of a problem.

“I’ve never seen his like before,” Benthie murmured, watching the little colt run and kick about his human brother. His tiny sharp hooves came close to the baby’s head, but never once did they touch him- it was obviously a game to Pegs, meant to entertain Chrys, who laughed delightedly the whole while. Unfortunately, whenever Pegs stamped too hard, a tiny spring would form, resulting in his twin spending much of his time half-soaked. The wings looked less stubby and pathetic now that they’d dried, and the gray down on them suggested that one day they would be covered in feathers.

“A winged horse,” Benthie continued. “Truly he is marvelous and unique, and likely to draw attention. He’ll need protection more powerful than I alone can give him.”

In the end they decided he must be taken to a far-off mountain, where the muses dwelt.

“They are kin to me, and can pass him off as one of their idle creations,” Benthie had explained. “They are greatly favored by the king of gods, and none would dare offend them. Also, they take a certain delight in pulling a fast one over on those they deem too serious.” And certainly few were more serious than the gray-eyed goddess.

The only problem was Pegs. He, being a foal (and of divine parentage, at that), was shockingly mature for his few days of age; he understood perfectly well they were going to separate him from his brother- and he did not like it. He hunkered down over the baby and bared his teeth when they came close, daring them to bring a finger within striking distance. Chrys, for his part, babbled contentedly and patted at his brother’s legs.

“Oh Benthie,” wept Sthenie, stroking the little golden snake that was all they had left of Meddie. “It breakth my heart to give them away! And tho much worthe that they mutht be divided! When our parenth gave uth up, at leatht we had each other!” Eurie, who was re-wrapping the snake’s stump of a tail, shook her head to keep tears at bay.

“It’th the only way to keep you thafe, Pegth! Jutht becauthe your mother ith dead won’t keep thothe horrible heroeth from coming back around- ath far ath they’re contherned, there are thtill two monsterth to thlay. And the moment they thet eyeth on you, they’ll take you by forthe! And then you’ll be theparated from Chryth with no hope of ever theeing him again! At leatht thith way we’ll know where both of you are, and thomeday, when you’re grown, you can be together again.”

Pegs snorted at this, but relaxed his stance ever so slightly.

“Little one,” Benthie coaxed, “Sometimes we must sacrifice our own momentary happiness for a deeper, harder to perceive happiness- the happiness of knowing one you love is safe. Can you not do that for Chrys?”

Pegs drooped, and stepped aside. Benthie reached up a transparent hand and ran it over his muzzle.

“It will be alright, Pegs. You’ll find him again someday. Or he will find you. He won’t remember, so you must remember for him.” The colt whinnied sadly as Benthie took his brother into her arms, and lipped at the baby’s fat arm. Chrys gurgled in reply.

“Sthenie, Eurie- look after Pegs for a few days more. Once I’ve delivered Chrys to his new parents, I’ll return for him. Try to stay out of trouble.”

“Oh, we’ll thtay away from trouble,” Eurie said grimly, flexing her talons, “Ath long ath it thtays away from uth.” Sthenie nodded her agreement.

“Yeth- we aren’t the innothent maidenth we onthe were.”