In word and deed I follow my king

They took us from orphanages, poor families, and the streets, children in need of homes, shelter, food, and education. They took us to the southern Villude Mountains, to a place they called the Wind Dragon’s Hollow. It consisted of a forest and a gigantic cavern where we ate, slept, and lived. We knew that place like the backs of our hands, like each other’s faces, like our teachers’ voices.

They were called the Wind Lancers, and I was grateful to them but never happy to be there. Not until the day Richard came. I was fifteen and considered an ‘Elder Brother’. He was twelve and, though I did not know it at the time, the Prince of the Sovereign State of Sandora. He was placed into my care as one of my ‘Younger Brothers’. It was my job to reinforce lessons, take them through drills, and protect them.

It might seem strange, but we all slept in great piles over the floor of our dormitory. At least the boys did. I do not know what the girls did, but I gather it was much the same thing. It was not the first choice of the older boys. We had beds of our own, but the younger boys were easily scared and would cling to us, or sometimes they would just wrestle about until they toppled over and slept where they fell. Our teachers allowed us all to pile together believing that it created stronger bonds between us, like how a pack of dogs sleeps together, and I think it was true. I had never before trusted a group of people so implicitly as I do the men those boys grew up to be. I have never loved someone so absolutely as I do my king who was once my prince.

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Inspiration: muse_prompts Wednesday word prompt - "Togetherness"
Title: Brothers
Fandom: Legend of Dragoon
Characters: Belial, Richard (original characters)
Wordcount: 300