Rebel Children

Charlie had been missing for an entire week. Eli was used to his younger brother spending a night at a friend’s house, but a week? Eli was starting to fear the worst. It didn’t help that his brother’s disappearance came just after an explosive argument between the two, when Eli told him he was way too be young to be risking his life as a part of the rebellion.

Eli was reluctant to be a part of it himself, but he was devoted to the cause. After the change in monarchy left him and Charlie orphaned and living in the slums, he felt compelled to fight for change. Unfortunately, that fight was risky. Eli was often used as a spy or a thief, since he was good at lurking in the shadows. He had a dark vibe around him that helped him blend in, and occasionally, that meant he had to cut some throats. The throats deserved it, but it didn’t make him feel any better about it. It was a life he wouldn’t wish upon anyone, especially his brother.

He had been raised Charlie since he was a baby, after the plague hit and took both their parents. A plague than Queen Lorena did nothing to stop or control. It died out on its own, but not without taking thousands of people. Then she killed off the rest of the royal family, and the disgruntled civilians became enraged. They had numbers, but still no power or authority.

Had Charlie joined, there was no doubt they would send him to do spy work and squeeze into tight spots. If he was caught, the Queen’s guard wouldn’t hesitate to kill him. And that’s why Eli didn’t think he was being terribly out of line when he refused to let Charlie join. Never did he imagine the boy would run away from home.

Eli hadn’t slept a wink since he realized Charlie had disappeared, which made it difficult to work. He couldn’t afford to lose the only job he could find as a grave digger, because there really wasn’t any lower position in society. Even there, he’d ask around to see if anyone had any news of Charlie. There was no luck, until he heard some familiar voices in the graveyard at night. They must not have realized Eli was there, because the oil in his lantern had run out while he was filling a grave with dirt. He stuck the shovel in the dirt and slowly approached, staying hidden in the darkness as he snuck up on them.

He knew the two boys were Charlie’s friends. Nico and Henry. Both dumb shits, much like Charlie. It looked like they were arguing over who was going to climb into an open grave and take the valuables inside a casket that hadn’t been closed yet. Neither one of them was brave enough to get near the corpse, though.

“You boys lost?” Eli finally asked.

Nico let out a high pitched screech and Henry nearly fell into the grave when he lost his balance. Eli caught him, but rather than putting him back on his feet, he let Henry hover precariously over the edge. If Eli let go of the back of his cloak, Henry would go toppling in and land right on top of the corpse.

“W-we’re sorry!” he stammered. “We weren’t doing anything!”

“Really?” Eli asked. “Because it sounded to me like you were about to desecrate a corpse. Don’t you two have any respect for the dead?”

“We’re sorry!” Nico said. “Are you going to drop him in there?”

“I dunno,” Eli said. “Are you going to go home and never do disrespectful shit like this again?”

“Yes we promise!” Henry said. “Charlie said you wouldn’t care!”

“Charlie doesn’t- wait, Charlie?” Eli frowned. “Do you know where he is? Where he’s been the past week?”

“Um, no?”

Eli pretended to let his fingers slip from Henry’s cloak and the boy screeched when he dropped an inch.

“I think you want to kiss that corpse, Henry,” Eli said. “Am I wrong?”

“He went to the woods!” Henry blurted. “He said he was joining the rebellion and he heard about some secret branch in the Alden Wood so he went there. Please don’t drop me in with a dead guy.”

Eli pursed his lips into a tight line and pulled Henry back. The boy was relieved to be back on his feet.

“I’ll have you two know that the ‘dead guy’ you two were about to violate was Herman Grott,” he told them. “The same Herman Grott who was fighting to make sure you kids get funding for education, and was hanged for it. So you two idiots can go home and think about that. If I catch you around here again, I’ll tell your parents.”

They nodded and scurried off before Eli changed his mind. He was never going to drop Henry in there, but he had a reputation of being a merciless, intimidating person. It was easy to believe at first glance. He was taller than average and muscular from all the graves he dug, and he was covered in scars from years of life eating away at him.

He quickly finished up his job and took off running to the local pub. He knew the man who owned it, and he knew the man had a horse. Leon was cleaning up the bar and seemed surprised to see Eli there.

“You look a mess,” he noted. “When was the last time you slept? You need a drink?”

“I need a horse before my brother dies.”

“Fuck, warm a man up a little first,” he grunted. “Why, what happened to the kid? Did you find him?”

“I found out he went into the Alden Wood,” he said. “Talk of some secret rebel community there. I think that’s where he went.”

“I’ve heard of em,” Leon nodded. “Some branch they are. They don’t do anything. It’s just a label. Let me copy a map down for you.”

Eli eagerly waited as Leon sketched a map out for him and circled the location he heard the community was staying in. Eli thanked him and took off running to get the horse ready. If he was lucky, he’d find Charlie before something bad did.