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The water surrounded him as he plunged, drowning out the surprised gasps of the crowd. Freminet enjoyed diving because he could leave the loud, busy world behind and just be alone. Safe. But this time was different. This time, someone was after him.
He felt a hand grab his arm, and he gasped, his eyes flying open, before quickly realizing his mistake as water filled his lungs. The young diver struggled against his attacker, but their grip only tightened. He tried to draw in air, panic seizing him when he found only water. He kicked and squirmed, attempting to free himself. He could feel his consciousness fading as he choked on the mass of water in his lungs. His attacker grabbed his other arm, dragging him further down. Freminet had been taught to handle many of the dangers that came with diving. An assassination attempt was not one of them.
Suddenly, his captor let out a garbled scream, muffled by the water, and released him. He then felt another pair of arms wrap themselves around him, pulling him up towards the surface.
Lyney pulled his brother onto the docks where Lynette was fending off a hoard of curious onlookers. He was conscious, thank the Archons, but the small boy was trembling violently in Lyney's grasp as he leaned on his older brother's shoulder. Lyney wrapped the diver's jacket around him, and the shivering eased slightly.
This only lasted a moment before Freminet sat up, gagging and clamped a hand over his mouth. The magician grabbed his brother's shoulders to hold the younger boy up as an alarming amount of water spilled out of his mouth. Lynette turned to join her brothers, looking back to hiss at the crowd of spectators once more before kneeling down in front of Freminet, facing him. She placed a hand on the top of his head, rubbing it reassuringly as he continued to vomit. It felt endless as Lyney and Lynette helplessly watched their brother trying to breathe, only to be cut off by more gagging and coughing and more water spilling onto the ground.
Eventually, Freminet managed to expell all of the water in his lungs and was left coughing harshly. Lynette shifted her position slightly so she could pat him on the back.
Freminet was mortified. He always tried to avoid the spotlight, and now, here he was; making a huge scene in front of everyone. He felt the world fading to black and closing in on him at the same time. The eyes of everyone in Fontaine were focused on him. Judging him. He couldn't seem to get enough air, as if he were drowning again. He began hyperventilating, tears streaming down his face, and his brother pulled him into a hug, rocking him back and forth gently, his sister's hand still resting on his back. The three siblings sat there until Freminet calmed down and slumped against Lyney's shoulder, asleep.
"Let's go home," the eldest whispered to his sister, scooping their brother into his arms. Lynette nodded and followed behind him.
When they returned to the house, Lyney brought Freminet to his room to rest. Just as he was tucking his little brother into his bed, the young diver awoke.
" 'M sorry about that, and... thank you for saving me," he mumbled. Lyney smiled gently at him.
"Don't worry about it. Just get some rest." He walked out into the hallway and closed the door behind him, but not before he saw his brother let out the tiniest yawn. His heart clenched. The moment he was alone, the magician broke down. He wrapped his arms around himself, shivering as he tried to hold himself together. His little brother had almost died. Someone had tried to kill him. Tears started dripping down his cheeks.
Lyney stood there for a while before he felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to see his sister looking at him with a silent understanding as she wordlessly pulled him into a hug. Lynette didn't talk much, that was Lyney's job, but she always seemed to know exactly what her brothers needed when one of them had a bad day. Maybe she could read their minds, or maybe this skill had come from years of silent observation.
"When I find out who did that to him, I'll make them regret it," she promised. Lyney looked up when he noticed a slight tremor in her voice. He wrapped his arms around her, and they stood, holding each other. They didn't need words to express how concerned they both were for their brother, but Lyney found something to say anyway.
"It's going to be okay."