City of Santa Carlotta
New World Colonies, Antillean Archipelago
Late Spring, Year 1621 A.A (Anno Aeternus)
"Ow! Fuck!" Gerard howled in pain as his wife Winifred dabbed at his fresh cuts with a wet towel.
"Hold still, darling, if you haven't got in that fight, I wouldn't have to be doing this right now!" Winifred said as she continued dabbing at the wound. "I care about you too much, Gee."
"I know, I know, Winny, but now everyone's going to know I'm hiding here with you because of my brother." Gerard leaned his head back against the rickety wooden rocking chair, a heavy sigh escaping his lips.
Winifred simply stayed silent. A few minutes later, Winifred said "All done."
"Finally," Gerard sighed out of relief. "...You know I love you, Winny."
"I love you too, Gee," Winifred said softly, with a smile on her lips. "Now, you should go to bed, I'll bandage your wounds until then."
"Goodnight, then," Gerard said as he trailed up the stairs to their shared bedroom, each step creaking under his foot. If only he learned enough carpentry to build he and his Winny a better enough house than this one in the middle of some woodland.
Winifred looked up at Gerard as he shut the door to their bedroom behind him, how could she have gotten a man as handsome and as loving as him? She shook her head as she washed their remaining bed linens, the lavender scent perfuming the room as she did so, she went outside to hang them on their clothing line as she held an oil lamps.
"Well, hello there..."
"Gerard, I told you that you should get some-" Winifred's words stopped once she saw the very man that Gerard feared - his brother Benedict.
"Oh, I'm not Gerard. But I came for him, because a little birdie told me that he's after me to stop me, isn't that right?" Benedict said threateningly, tapping something long and sharp and dripping against his leg, out of sight where Winifred couldn't see.
"I'm not telling you where he is. Leave us alone." Winifred said, trying to keep the tremor out of her voice.
But Benedict just smirked, "You think I'm going to be scared of some tiny whore like you? You can have a go at me, but just know it'll end with both you and your husband's throats slit. Now tell me. Where. The fuck. Is. He?"
"Leave us alone." Winifred repeated.
"Okay, don't say I didn't warn you." Benedict said cockily as he brought out the thing tapping against his leg earlier, it was a sword, covered in blood.
Winifred was trembling in fear at this point, she didn't want to be murdered despite her sadistic nature. "Okay, fine, he's in the house. Just please, don't do anything to him."
"I can't promise you that, princess," Benedict said with a Cheshire grin as he put the sword back in it's sheath.
"No, you are not going to hurt him." Winifred said with a determination that surprised even herself. If her husband was going to die, she would rather die with him.
Benedict brought the sword back out, his grin faltering into anger, "Stay back, you bitch. I just want to talk with him." he growled.
Winifred did stay back, but with wariness in her eyes.
Benedict slid into the front door with an easiness that belied his hulking frame, and he called out, "Gerard... come out, come out, wherever you are..." he said menacingly low. He tapped his bloody sword against the wooden floor, staining the floor with the blood of the person he killed just earlier - he and Gerard's sister Zephoria.
"Gerard!" Benedict called out, louder this time.
Then, Benedict was knocked to the ground with something heavy hitting his head, his eyes open immediately to see Gerard standing over him, with broken chair pieces scattered around. "Stay down!" Gerard barked as he put his foot on Benedict's back, the heel of his boot digging into Benedict's spine, enough to make him whimper in pain.
"Jesus, Gerard! I just wanted to talk!" Benedict managed to groan out.
"Yeah, you wanted to 'talk' just so you can try to kill me!" Gerard yelled back as he dug his heel further into Benedict's back, which made his breath hitch in pain.
"No! I don't want to kill you!" the lie sounded unbelievable even to Benedict's ears.
"Fine, you can talk to me while you stay here. On the ground." Gerard surrendered with his foot still on Benedict's back, pressing a little less hard now.
"I killed our sister, Zephoria."
Those five words made Gerard's heart drop. He knew he didn't care much for Zephoria growing up, but she was still his sister. He and Benedict's sister to be exact. Then rage, white and hot, burned in Gerard's mind, how could he do this? To his own sister?
"You fucker!" Gerard screamed as he punched Benedict several times, each blow hitting almost perfectly despite his inability to fight good, then he felt his hands punching wood, he opened his eyes to see Benedict gone. Gerard knows he shouldn't be surprised, but he still was every-time he got his hands on Benedict. Now, he was left to wallow in the grief of losing Zephoria.
