Home is where the Heart is (By Hain)

William woke with a start, a cold sweat covering his body. His mind was a blur. He gripped the bedsheets tightly, sitting up with his back to the headboard. Slowly, things came back into focus. He was in his home, light just coming in through the window of his modest room, the straw mattress crackling comfortably underneath him. That's right, he thought to himself. The Crusades are over. They've been over. I suppose I'd best begin the day, before she wakes up.

Hauling his tall, slightly muscular frame out of the simple wood-and-straw bed, William stretched out, grabbing his clothing and quickly getting dressed. It had been two years since the Crusades organized by the Church had ended, and William had been given a handsome sum of money for his part in driving back the evil. With the money, he bought a small, but sturdy house for him and his little sister, Angela, to live in. With his parents gone, taken by the Fever shortly after he arrived home from the war, and enough money to live out their days comfortably, William spent his time doting over little Angela, the one family member he had left. To him, she was the world, and he spared no effort when it came to making her happy.

Heading out of the small room and into the common area, where the two shared meals and spent the winter days next to the fire, William couldn't help but smile when he thought about how kindly fortune had been to him. Though his parents were taken away, he had survived the Crusade, and had all the time he needed to raise his little sister. Maybe, if he could sell off the excess firewood he chopped, he would have enough to send Angelica to School, where she would learn to become a great teacher, or a shrewd merchant. She was a very clever girl, and would easily become a big name in the field.

He stopped next to the door of Angela's room, knocking gently on the wooden frame. "Come on, little sister, it's time to wake up." A cute yawn answered him, as a small, petite figure rose out of the small bed, stretching her arms over her head. Angela turned to face William, hair in a ruffle, and smiled sleepily, sky blue eyes squinting as she looked at him. "Good morning, Big Brother," she said in a soft, light voice. "I'll be there shortly." William nodded, heading into the kitchen to prepare breakfast for the two.

As William placed two rolls of dough into the small clay stove to bake, he wondered if it was time to give Angela the surprise he had been saving. Meat was rather easy to come by, but was usually very ill-preserved, the local butchers being miserly, and salt was a rare commodity. However, William had the good luck to come across a traveling merchant, buying a generous portion of salted pork for a special occasion. Seeing as how Spring was turning into summer, the days growing warmer and more pleasant, William figured that this might be such an occasion. Pulling out two thick chops of the salted pork, he placed them on the flat of the lower level of the clay stove, just under the bread, and let it sizzle over the fire.

Angela walked into the room, dressed in a beautiful, petite white dress William had bought for her, sniffing the air. "Is that roasted pork I smell?" Her eyes widened slightly, and she grinned, running into Williams leg and hugging him tightly, arms just barely around his waist. "Big Brother, I didn't know you bought pork! It's my favorite!" William chuckled slightly, patting Angela on the head and smiling. "Well, little sister, I thought you might enjoy a little surprise. I ran into a merchant that gave me quite the deal on it."

"Thank you!" Angela buried her face into her brother's leg, clinging to him tightly. The feeling of her warmth on his leg made William smile, and he knelt down to hug her properly. She was small and soft, the feeling of her hair against the side of his face was strange, like rubbing a sheet of silk against his skin. The light, mild scent of wildflowers hung about her, making it's way to Williams nose.

Standing up, with Angela standing back, William put on a pair of thick leather gloves. The bread was finished baking, and he pulled it out first, setting the two loafs of fluffy white bread onto the counter. Angela went to pick one of the loafs up, but quickly pulled her hand away, burning herself. A quiet "ow" made it's way to Williams ears, and he turned around, a look of worry in his eye. "Angela, are you ok?"

"I-I'm fine, Big Brother..." Angela whispered, small tears in her eyes as she cradled her burnt fingers. "The bread was warm, and I was a little greedy..."

Without another word, William began shuffling through the cupboards until he found what he was looking for. Pulling out a small clay jar filled with burn ointment, he gently took her burnt hand, smearing some of the cooling substance onto the burns. Wincing slightly but smiling, Angela looked up at William. "Thank you, Big Brother. You're always so nice to me~" He smiled, leaning in and kissing her hand gently, earning a slight giggle from Angela, and turned around, pulling out the now thoroughly done pork.

As the two ate, William began get a slight headache. Everything seemed a little darker than before, and he closed his eyes, holding his head with one hand. He heard Angela's voice. "Big Brother, does your head hurt again? Hold on..." He felt the soft sensation of her lips on his forehead, and almost instantly, the pain went away. William opened his eyes again, and everything was back to normal, Angela smiling sweetly with a slight bit of pork fat on the side of her face. William burst out into laughter, pulling a handkerchief from his pocket and wiping the grease off of Angela's face. "You need to slow down slightly, you're getting food all over you."

Angela's small, cute face turned a bright red as William wiped it clean, and her eyes sank to the table by the time he finished, her voice timid and quiet. "T-thank you...Big Brother..you're always so nice to me...I want to return the favor one day."

William's heart skipped a beat as he stared at his little sister. What exactly was she getting at, he wondered as they finished their meal in awkward silence. Once the two had finished, he quietly gathered the dishes, hauling them into the kitchen to be washed. Once he was away from her, his head start to hurt again, and he set the dishes down, closing his eyes once more.

This time, when William opened them, the room was darker. Much darker. The countertops were made of a smooth, black stone. The warm brown clay mugs and plates were replaced by finely crafted, cold ceramic dishes, and the fire bounced eerie shadows off of the rest of the kitchen. Granite floors, ebony cupboards, the entire room seemed to come in varying shades of black, and he looked around, confused and frightened.

Slowly, his memories came back to him. The war, it wasn't over. It had hardly begun when he, a ranking Captain of the First Crusading army, was ambushed and captured by a group of spell-casters. They had the appearance of small children, but the Church marked them as heretics of the highest ranking, the spell-casting forces of the Demon's army. He had managed to take down two, when the leader of the ambush stepped forward.

"Big Brother?" Angela's voice sounded from the other room, but it was different; Calm. Calculating. Sinister. More memories came back to William. His parents had not died. His father was abducted by the Demon's army when he was little. His mother raised him sternly and by the Churches' teachings.

Most importantly, he was an only child.

"Big Brother, are you in here?" A figure William recognized stepped into the room. She was small, seemingly delicate, like a child, but the appearance was betrayed by the pair of long, wickedly curved goat horns adorning her head. Her hands were fuzzy paws, sharp claws just barely peeking out, and her feet were a pair of hooves that clicked as she walked into the kitchen on the cold stone floor.

William panicked, pure, raw terror in his eyes as he picked up the plates, hurling them at the small figure, backing into a corner of the kitchen. "Get away!" he screamed, "You aren't my sister! You aren't my family! Get away!!"

The Baphomet's expression shifted as she avoided the plates, from a hurt, innocent look, to a sinister smile. "You've broken it again? You have an impressive will, Big brother. Almost beat me in combat, but didn't account for the others in the area....it seems I chose well."

"Monster! Heathen!! Stay back!!" William's eyes darted from side to side, like a cornered rat as his 'sister' slowly walked over to him, arms spread out. "Now now, Big Brother," she cooed, voice soft and enticing as she approached. "Don't worry. You just have a headache. You'll be back to normal shortly..."

With a shout, William threw himself at the little girl, hoping to overwhelm her in an attempt to escape from the nightmare. Effortlessly, she caught him and pushed William to the ground, jumping onto his body and straddling him. "Come, now," she said, a sadistic grin on her face as she stroked the side of his face with a soft paw, "don't be like that. It'll all be over soon."

Quicker than William could react, the Baphomet leaned in, pressing her soft, plush lips against his. Everything went white, and his head throbbed with a dull ache. Desperately, he clung to the memories of his mother, of his father, of the ambush, but one by one, they slipped from his mind, like sand through his fingers.

When William woke up, he was back in the kitchen of his small house. Bright blue eyes stared into his, a look of worry in them as he sat back up. "Big Brother, are you OK?" Angela's soft, sweet voice made it's way to Williams ears, and he smiled, pulling his little sister into a hug. He could see the broken dishes on the floor near the entrance of the kitchen; he must have tripped and hit his head again.

"Yes, little sister. I'm perfectly fine."