Inseparable

Caleb and William were inseparable as children, which was to be expected as they were twins. Not just born on the same day or moments apart, but they were identical in a village that had never seen such a thing. Beautiful blond boys, with bright and eager eyes. They were special, even more special than their parents had once thought, and this was found out around the age of five.

Mother and Father had gone to the market and left Caleb and William with a baby sitter, as normal, they were playing and laughing with one another when an interesting phenomenon occurred. "Watch, William! Watch!" Caleb said, jumping high into the air in a feat to impress his brother, whom was only moments younger than him. Instead of coming down as be had expected, the youth remained suspended in air, floating a couple of feet above his sibling.
"I wanna do that too!" William demanded with a smile, making a grabbing motion to his slightly older brother, the one that he looked up to and adored more than anyone else. It was at that moment, his feet lifted off of the ground as well and he remain with his brother, locked in the air and amazed at what had happened. The two boys giggled and floated toward the living quarters of their home, much to the amazement and fright of their babysitter.

The parents were told at once when they got home, they were delighted.

Many years passed and the king never tired of hearing about these special boys, "Bring me one of them." He ordered of his men. "I must know how this works." He was an evil and ghastly man that would likely hurt or kill the boys.
Caleb and William were out playing amongst the village children that day, showing off to the other teens. A soldier stayed off in the shadows, watching them with delight for what he had stumbled across, these were the boys that his king had wanted...If he could get just one, then he would always be favored by his highness. But he had to get one of them alone.

"We have to be going." Caleb told the others, tussling his brother's blond hair this way and that with a smile of adoration. "We had a good time." That said, he made his way off and waited for William to follow.
"Pst, lad." The soldier spoke, curling a finger toward William, who hadn't quite noticed how far ahead his brother was. "Yes?" William asked, making the mistake of coming closer - he lacked the foresight of course. "I have a surprise for you." Spoke the armored man, reaching a hand to William and resting it on the much smaller boy's shoulder with a wicked smile.
William was immediately uneasy, but allowed the man to touch him anyway. "What is it?" He asked with curiosity. "You're going to visit the king!" Was whispered with delight, his hand gripping William's shoulder in a harsh way and making its way to his mouth, which he soon clamped shut before a scream could be released.

"William?" Caleb spoke to the air, looking around the area for his beloved twin to no avail. "Where did you go?" He never should have taken his eyes off of the other boy, William was always so fragile and easily trusting - the opposite of his brother, the stronger of the two. "William!" He screamed, running down the street just in time to see a soldier hauling his brother into a carriage.
"Nooo!" He screamed, picking up a stick and running after the mechanism only to beat at the sides in a harsh way that didn't seem to help the situation. "Let my brother go!" He screamed and kicked.
"Go home, runt." The soldier smiled, holding open a small flap in the window. Caleb could hear his brother's muffled calls and it broke his heart.
"Off with us!" Said the soldier to the driver, who snapped the reins and had them nearly airborne with speed.

"William!" Caleb screamed again, so loud that his voice nearly cracked. The lad took flight, going after the carriage and beating it with the stick. If he could only get closer, then the bludgeoning device would be aimed for the driver's head. He got closer, raising the make-shift weapon with need to strike, only failing and leaving himself open to attack from behind. The soldier pulled out a crossbow, aiming it for Caleb and pulling the trigger.

Burning pain...That's all that he felt. He fell like a rock from the sky and tumbled against the cobblestone road, blood pooling around the bolt that had been fired into his flesh. He screamed, clawing at the ground in anger, agony and despair for his twin...William was his world and he had failed his everything. The pain didn't last as he saw a bright light behind his eyes that immediately flickered out, blackness taking its place.

When he awoke, Caleb was in a room, this one not being his own. The smell of alcohol teased his nostrils, bringing them to life as it lingered in the air, igniting a groan. He could hear the doctor bustling in the next room, the sound of his father's voice and footsteps thudding toward the door. Shadows beneath the crack foretold his father's arrival just before the knob was twisted and the door thrown open.
"You could have been killed!" His father yelled, taking Caleb by the collar. "Calm down, dear!" Mother spoke, easing his hands off and taking her son into that loving embrace. "Oh dear, I'm so happy that you're safe...But...William."
Caleb shook his head, pulling free from his mother's arms and resting his head against the wall, his fingers squeezed so tightly into a fist that his knuckles were white. "I failed him." The teen breathed, "William is gone and I failed him."
"Dear, that's...We'll get him back." His mother pleaded, her eyes showing nothing but heartbreak and despair for the youngest of her boys.
"He's gone." Caleb said, "His light faded...I no longer feel our bond." Tears welled in his eyes, releasing and sliding down his cheeks only to hit the crisp white sheets below. "They..." It was too hard to say. He'd seen it all through his brother's eyes, they shared that bond. The torture that he had endured, the king's need to figure out just how their flying power worked.

William whispered one last thing to his brother, knowing that he would hear it. "I love you, Caleb. I know you came for me, you tried your best and that's always been good enough for me...You're my hero because you tried."
Caleb cried harder, his mother and father hugging to him to share the despair of loss...