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Asbel understood; he did. Hubert was…busy. He had a lot of things to do and his men to take care of. They’d just fought off Fendelian forces, after all. But it still didn’t make sense. How had they known about the attack, why had they come at all, and why was it that suddenly, after finally deciding to take up his place as lord, he felt more like a helpless bystander? Somehow, he was right back where he’d started from, unable to do anything.
That wasn’t what upset him most, though. It was the fact that Hubert was treating him like an absolute stranger. Somehow, coming from his little brother, it hurt even more than Cheria’s lukewarm reception had. Hubert was capable and controlled - a lieutenant! - and he’d all but made it clear that he didn’t need Asbel anymore. Or anyone.
Sure, their estrangement spanned seven years. In that time, Asbel had written to him almost immediately after enrolling at the Knight Academy. But Hubert never responded. He’d had no idea what had become of him until now, and Asbel had to admit that he had changed. A lot.
That didn’t really matter, though. It didn’t change all the years they’d spent together. The times they’d dug around for cryas shards in the stream or knocked down fruit from the apple trees, the times they took the kite out on the blustery hillside or watched boats glide silently into harbor. The times when Hubert would crawl shaking into his bed during loud summer storms or tag along on his misadventures while warning him how much trouble they’d get into when Mom and Dad found out. The times when they’d sneak Cheria in through the window and all gather around with pillows and leftover cookies while Hubert read from his books.
It’d been awful to wake up that first time and realize Hubert wasn’t there. Wasn’t going to be there ever again. Hubert had never been loud, had never gone out of his way to stand out, but somehow the silence without him had seemed deafening. So how could he possibly just hang back now, when they’d finally been brought back together again? Maybe Hubert didn’t need him. Maybe he didn’t want to talk to him or even have him around, but he’d be damned if he didn’t at least try. The adoption, the separation, even the changes… none of that mattered. They were still brothers. And Asbel was going to find a way to get through to him. Somehow.