The first thing Willow noticed when he’d awoken was the sweaty breeze of the afternoon winds pouring in through his windows. His head still tingled slightly as he assessed his surroundings.

Looking around him, he saw that he’d been transported to his bedroom, shared with his sister - that same person was sitting on a chair beside him, holding his hands as she rested her head on his thighs, merrily sleeping into the afternoon. A warmth spread across his chest as he felt nostalgic, having a younger sister who also dearly looked after him in his previous life as well. He laid his hands on her head, stroking her hair gently as a mother would do her children.

He felt his tongue dry, so he grabbed the jug of water beside him and drank it, all the while smiling at how their bedroom had grown up alongside them.

Their bedroom looked as if it’d been modeled after a cabin in the woods, with thick dark planks that had grown old but sturdy enough to still support the ceiling and it’s walls. A window and a chest separated his bed from Elm’s - both around the same size but he could see the modifications their father worked on Elm’s bed so as to accommodate her growing height.

There were traces of cave-like painting on the wooden walls, depicting warriors on chariots and knights saving princess drawn by the infant hands of the young talent of the family. It was one of the many indications that told Willow of his sister’s predestined future and with it, his as well. Beside Elm’s bed was her wardrobe, and an assortment of awards all in the weapons handling and hunting category that told of her prodigious talent in the battlefield but Willow knew this was barely an ice-cap compared to the many achievements she would achieve in the near future.

The near future. Those words brought dread and an uncomfortable anxiety mixed with a hint of excitement to Willow.

He knew that tomorrow, everything would change and there was nothing he could do about it. But as tomorrow would be the end, it would also be a new beginning for Willow. That was if his plan worked.

He made sure to eliminate as many ifs in the plan as he could but then again, this was a world of magic and swords. A dragon could pass by tonight and lay raze to the entire town. Anything could happen.

All he could do was pray and hope nothing bad happened.

He was brought out of his musings as he felt Elm stir in her sleep. She woke up soon enough and saw that her brother had been awake. Her expression was stone-cold but Willow could see the million questions that swam in her eyes.

Also, she was biting her lips - a habit that she only did when she wanted to say something but held back for unknown reasons.

“It’s okay.” Willow said with understanding in his eyes. It may be just two words but to Elm, she felt a wave of relief.

They were both spared from the awkward silence as someone knocked on the door. Elm quickly separated herself from Willow as she went to open the door, closing it behind him as she talked to them.

“Is he alright?”

“That’s why I didn’t want him. . .”

“Well, let’s just. . .”

“Leave it. Is he awake now? Yes?”

Willow heard an assortment of murmurs and chatters as he sighed, knowing that despite Elm trying her best to provide an explanation to his parents, his mother would use this as a chance to try and put him on house arrest.

It wasn’t long before he heard Elm tossed aside and the door open, revealing his worried mother and boisterous father. Sometimes, he always wondered how these polar opposites met and married each other.

His mother, Olivia was a beautiful woman in her 40s, with long red hair that had been tied up in a side-braid with a flower pin gifted to her by his father. With a pale, white complexion and a curvy body, it wasn’t hard to see where Willow had inherited his traits from. She looked short beside her husband but she was actually fairly tall for a woman, standing at around 5’7 as she had an expression of worry when her eyes fell onto Willow’s form - her baby boy.

His father, Leonard, on the other hand was a giant of a man, standing at around 6’5 with his iconic wide smile and cheerful nature but you could still see traces of his playboy past, a mischievous twinkle in his blue eyes. Elm took after him, both his blue eyes and blonde hair but Leonard’s fiery blonde hair had mellowed down with age, changing into a dirty blonde that managed to make him appear rugged. . .if it weren’t for that dumb smile on his face.

Behind them, Elm also entered the room with an apologetic expression on her face as she’d failed to deter their parents from coming in.

“My boy!” Olivia yelled, rushing over to him as she quickly embraced him in a tight bear hug.

“Mom!” Willow tried to get out of the embarrassing hug but couldn’t. His mother would definitely win the world hugging contest. “Let me go. I’m not a kid anymore.”

“Oh, don’t be stupid. You are and will always be my baby boy.” His mother said as she moved from hugging him to checking his body for any injuries. “I heard that you collapsed again this morning. That’s the 5th time this week! I told you not to move around so much, you know that you have a weak condition!”

“I’ll be fine, mother.” Willow said, trying to stop his fussy mother. “You worry too much.”

That was when his father entered the conversation, his annoyingly loud laughter ringing around the room. “Oh come on, son. We both know why she’s so worried. If you keep going on like this, how will you be able to learn to hold a bow? Or swing a sword?”

“Oh? When did I say he could do things like that, Leonard?” His mother glared at Leonard, making him cringe in fear. “Besides, none of this would happen if you looked after him instead of hunting game with your daughter all the time!”

His father then raised his hands in surrender as it never amazed Willow to see how wives were able to control their husbands like that. Both here or his previous life.

“Now, now. You know that I’m only training Elm to protect her older brother, isn’t that right, my daughter?” Leonard said, winking at Elm to help him from his current predicament.

Elm just looked at him with the same expression she always showed to everyone. “. . .Right. You don’t have to worry, mother. I’ve sworn to protect my brother until he grows old.”

“I don’t need to be protected for that long.” Willow said, feeling incredulous.

“Did you even take your medicine this morning, sweetie?” Olivia asked her son but knew the answer from how his eyes started to swim. She pinched his cheeks as an angry tick formed on her head. “Mwomm! Stawpp!” Willow pouted and caressed his hurting cheeks as his mother released her hold on them. “Anyways, I thought the both of you were supposed to be in the council meeting right now? You know, for tomorrow’s event? And, tonight’s festival?”

His father was the one to answer. “We finished early. Your mother and I’ve been tasked with helping out the old folks for now.”

His mother sighed. “We wouldn’t have to do that if this big oaf didn’t buy into that guilt-tripping story of how it was good to help out the town and religious whatnot. I love and respect Father John in what he does but sometimes, I feel the old man may be using Hum’s divine words to make us labor for him.”

Willow, as a modern man, decided to keep quiet on matters of religion and especially so for what just came out of his mother’s lips. His mother turned back to him, hugging the boy again as she sighed. “If it weren’t for your father’s needlessly helpful character, I would have been enjoying the festival with my baby boy.”

“Getting back to the topic at hand, you really should take care of your body, son.” His father started. “Tomorrow’s the big day after all. We wouldn’t want you collapsing again on the podium.”

“Anything that you’re hoping for?” His mother asked, separating herself from him.