Chapter Text
Katie stood in front of Nom’s grave, her eyes teary as she talked to her brother. The wind blew the willow tree’s leaves as she whispered in the dark, as if Nom was replying to her in his rest. It was a huge contrast to the chaos at the blue kingdom–let alone the knight academy. She appreciated her brother staying polite as she spoke (she refused to acknowledge he was gone).
It had been a long time since he’s departed, with Katie’s 24th birthday having passed. She hated the idea of her being older than Nom–she couldn’t help but reminisce about her brother. He had just turned 23 only a couple weeks before he died.
Despite the ache in her chest and the tears building up in her eyes, Katie continued talking.
She talked about 4C’s shenanigans with his merciless stealing of Owain’s things.
She talked about how Graecie got promoted to head professor at the academy and laughed about her ongoing theory of the reason just being to torment the squires.
She talked about how she missed Nom and wished he was here to witness both of the kingdoms rebuilding as well–assuring him that the blacksmith was being put to good use, still helping people long after his death.
Katie stayed like that for hours, just blabbering to her brother in the way she used to–only to realize the sun had sunk in the horizon. She sighed to herself, placing a torch she materialized from her inventory, and took out a dandelion. Scott had been supplying her with them, he had told her all about how they symbolized resilience, healing and hope–it helped that they were Nom’s favorite flowers too–and placing it down on her brother’s grave.
Her eyes started to feel heavy, both from exhaustion and grief, so she decided to settle there the for the night. Relying on the protection that she knew her brother would give–even in the afterlife, he would never stop watching after her–she laid her head down on one of the roots of the willow tree that stood above her brother’s grave.
It would be okay if she laid down for a little while, wouldn’t it?
*•~<≈:≈>~•*
A loud thud pulled Katie out of her peaceful slumber, followed by a sharp pain in her abdomen and the wind getting knocked out of her lungs. She gasped as she attempted to rise from the shaded grass, only to notice–a little too late–that there was something on top of her.
She tried her best to breathe in any amount of oxygen, but to no avail. She decided to use the last tactic she had and shoved her free arm into her pocket. Pulling out a handful of sand, she abruptly throws it towards–what she’s hoping is–the face of the perpetrator. It was then she heard an awfully familiar yelp…
“OW!! What the hell was that for?!” Yelled a man with a very clear accent prevalent in his voice.
Katie held herself back from assuming anything. Knowing her luck, she was probably having a really weird fever dream right now (She should’ve visited her ‘dead’ brother’s grave after the rain instead of falling asleep right before it).
Because there was no physical way Nominal–her brother–was not only alive but currently trying to get up from where he fell on top of her.
After remembering the fact that the doppelgänger was still trying–but failing–to escape, she made one last attempt at pulling them off. Finally succeeding as they–he–rolled off her. Katie took a moment to process what had happened, looking back to her brother’s Willow tree for guidance, only to find a large gaping hole centered in the middle of the trunk.
She glanced back at the panting man next to her, before quickly standing up and grabbing the handle of her sword, preparing to unsheathe it as the man continued to breathe heavily.
“Who are you?? Where did you come from?! HOW DID YOU FALL ON TOP OF ME?!” Katie demanded, voice rising, talking at rapid speeds she didn’t even know she was capable of (not after her brother’s death, anyway)..
It was then that she heard the one voice she had been secretly hoping to hear.
“Katie? Is that… you?” Asked the ma–no… Nom.
She could now tell it was Nom, and as soon as she heard him calling her name, she fell to her knees, tears welling up in her eyes. Quickly using a hand to cover her mouth in pure shock, –she looked back at Nom.
Her big brother’s face softened as he saw her tears, using every last bit of strength he had in order to scoot over to his crying sister and embrace her.
It’s been years since Katie was last held by him.
He tried his best to hide his own tears, ever the strong big brother. He couldn’t hold them down, however, and soon he was gasping for air as he held his sister tight.
They stayed like that for what felt like hours, but was truly only a few minutes. Nom whispered soft reassurance in her ear through his own tears, as she kept on struggling to find the right words. Nom didn’t mind, though. If anything, he’s just glad to have his sister in his arms. He didn’t want to think about how he was alive right now. The last thing he remembered was saying goodbye, let alone leaving Katie alone, so he let out a low rumble on instinct, trying to comfort Katie in a way he hadn’t done in years.
His wings–wings she hasn’t seen in way too long–wrapped around her tightly, refusing to let her go. It was practically impossible to move. Katie didn’t mind. How could she when the weight was a reminder that Nom was there?
Her brother was alive.
Alive and drained from when he pulled himself so weakly towards her in his weakened state. Carefully, she readjusted, propping him up against her side and wrapping her arms around him, wishing she could give him the same comfort of heavy, warm wings, and hoping this little bit could help with the fatigue he clearly felt.
She won’t let something bad happen to him again.
The solace was serene, almost unreal, as they both calmed down. It was only then that Katie pulled away to take a proper look at her brother.
The exhaustion was evident on his face, deep purple bags hanging from his eyes. Every time he blinked, she could see his growing desire to lie down, especially considering he was currently almost completely leaning into her.
His face also had a few scars from where the bark protruded through his skin, whilst his body was wilting from the creaking king, with small areas of slight discoloration surrounding each one. His hair also had very small streaks of grey, although it wasn’t too noticeable, only visible to her from how close they sat.
She was snatched from her thoughts as she felt all of Nom’s weight suddenly relax against her, his head dropping heavily onto her armored shoulder. Upon closer inspection, she saw Nom’s sleeping face, finally at rest. She wanted to be happy for him, but…his face looked awfully similar to the one he had when he died on that cliff.
Katie shook her head, finally having the ability to process everything that was happening to her at that moment.
Now that she thought about it… How was Nom even alive? Better question, was he okay? She saw his expression before he fell asleep. He seemed to have accepted something. But what? Was he going to die again?! Was this just a dream she was still having? No–it couldn’t be; the weight on her side was real.
Oh…
It’s all real.
Just as Katie finally affirmed it in her head, the tears began accumulating yet again. She turned her head towards the sleeping dragon next to her. The one who was supposed to be her dead brother.
She couldn't help but laugh to herself at the thought of her brother being so vulnerable at that moment. She was sure he would’ve laughed with her if he weren’t asleep.
The knight finally remembered there were other people who wanted to see Nom as well.
With years of experience, Katie swiftly took out a small piece of paper she always carries. Using a small writing set she kept with said paper, she wrote a short message on the parchment, making sure to be brief so she had enough room. She made sure to note that she had to stay profe—
“OH MY GOD NOM IS ALIVE YOU HAVE TO COME PLEASE”
She placed the paper down and used her only free hand to whistle for a Blackbird. It dove down from the sky from where it was circling above, and took the paper appreciatively, before heading off at speeds not many other birds can master.
As she saw it fly away, she sniffled once more–before she turned her focus back to her older–younger?–brother.
She will not let him leave.
Not again.