Brotherly Love -

As dawn began to bleed through the gray clouds, Elias shoulder his pack. He didn't wake Leo. He knew he couldn't handle the goodbye. But as he reached the gate at the end of the lane, he heard a frantic patter of boots on the gravel. "Elias! Wait!"

Elias looked at his brother, really looked at him, and realized that the "little" brother he had been trying to protect had grown into the strength he himself needed. He closed his hand over the compass, nodded once, and started down the road. He didn't look back, but for the first time in weeks, the weight on his shoulders felt a little lighter. Brotherly Love

"No, Leo, that's for you. To find your way," Elias said softly. As dawn began to bleed through the gray

His younger brother, Leo, was fast asleep, his chest rising and falling with the effortless peace of someone who didn't yet know they were leaving. Tomorrow, Elias would head to the coast to find work, a journey that meant leaving Leo behind with their aunt in the valley. It was the only way to keep them both fed, but the guilt felt like a physical weight. But as he reached the gate at the

Quietly, Elias took the compass and tucked it under Leo’s pillow. It was more than a gift; it was a promise.