In a filthy and tight back-alley, two young siblings raced through the heaps of garbage and tattered garments draped on grimy ropes, weeping in crescent shapes, with their thick ends attached to the dilapidated buildings close to each other. The leaning buildings were very old and ragged which made the archway they formed look like it was on the verge of collapsing.
As the two boys jumped and slid through the obstructions in the alleyway a few guards dressed in a yellow uniform struggled to give chase.
"Get back here you brats!" Yelled the leading guard who attempted to lead the others through the sprawling mess in the alley.
The larger and older of the two boys didn't even look back to acknowledge the fuming guards, besides providing them his small raised hand with the middle finger extended as his only reply.
The smaller boy behind him, in contrast, turned slightly and stuck out his tongue in a belittling and childish manner to ridicule the sluggish guards.
Noticing the smaller boy had slowed his pace, the older sibling reached out and grabbed his shabby collar to drag him along at a faster rate.
"Let's go, we don't have time to get caught or deal with them." Sternly warned the older brother.
"Awww, come on Strom! It's not like they're gonna be able to catch up... Look at them, they're like big fish flopping around out of water." Whined and laughed the younger of the pair as he watched the guards fall over each other while they failed to catch up.
"It doesn't matter Aaron, or did you forget the reason why we stole the bread in the first place?" Rhetorically asked young Strom as he flashed a loaf of bread tucked beneath his ragged clothes.
"Yeah, yeah, I know... We gotta take care of the other kids too." Voiced Aaron in an exhausted voice.
"Right, so let's hurry up and lose these fat and annoying sacks of wine."
The two boys expertly made their way through a few more similarly rundown alleys to completely lose the guards, before sliding under a rugged draped cloth, hung over a crack in the lower foundation of one of the shabby buildings.
The space behind the cloth revealed a small camp of sorts, with small patched tents lining the cramped and damp space beneath the building, and a small fire up against one of the walls near another crack, which was much smaller than the one hidden at the entrance.
Small curious eyes sparkled grimly from within the patched makeshift tents and lit up immediately upon seeing the two boys enter.
"Strom!"
"Strom!"
A bunch of feeble yet excited voices filled the cramped space as the small frail kids quickly exited their tents and gathered before the two kids who had just arrived.
"Looks like you boys managed pretty well."
An elderly loving voice croaked from the back of the cramped space that was hidden by the multiple tents.
"Yeah, we got a hold of three loaves somehow, thankfully." Responded Strom with a relieved sigh as he and Aaron revealed the bread concealed against their thin bodies.
"Good, good... We should have enough for everyone here for about a few days." Rasped the old woman who revealed herself from behind the tents with difficulty.
"Mum, you shouldn't be moving! Come on, let's go back to your bed so you can conserve your energy." Voiced Strom with concern and worry as he quickly ran over to the hobbling old woman that was only supported by a dingy old cane.
"I'm not that old! You don't need to concern yourself with the likes of this old hag or else I'll curse you!" Complained the old woman with gratification and tough love glowing in her eyes.
"I know, I know mum... But I can take care of the others here. I've told you that you don't need to exert yourself like this before." Answered Strom with a sigh as he propped the old woman up with his shoulder and led her back to her tent.
"Here is far enough, go, go, don't bother with me and take care of the others. If it wasn't for those damn cutthroat taxes then we wouldn't have had to close down the shelter... Or let things come to this..." Complained the old woman as Strom pulled away from her and could hear here complaints begin to drown out as he made his way back to the excitedly chattering children.
"Alright everyone! You know the drill!" Aaron exclaimed while holding up one of the loaves of bread in the air like a treasure.
"We know!"
"Yeah, Yeah!"
"Come on Aaron!"
A bunch of the children chimed in while hungrily eyeing the loaf presented for all of them to see yet out of their reach. Strom caringly watched as the children all formed a line to receive their share of the spoils.
"Strom! Come over here and have some! Don't even think about skipping out this time too!" Chided Aaron as he carried over a piece of the bread for Strom.
After handing over the share, Aaron stubbornly stood and waited to make sure Strom didn't hand it off to one of the other children.
"Okay, okay, I'll eat." Answered Strom after seeing his younger brother watching over him with a stern expression unlike him.
"Happy now?" He asked after finishing the small portion.
"I wouldn't have to do this if you could just worry more about yourself for once!" Whined Aaron as he nudged Strom's arm with an elbow.
"Ha, well aren't you the doting little brother!" Strom replied with a cunning smirk before catching Aaron in surprise and rubbing his hair.
"Hey! Let go! Let go already!"
Strom released the brat and looked around at the other children gathered in the center of the room.
'If only this fucking war would end...' He thought as he noticed the frail bodies of the smiling orphans present.
The war that had engulfed their Zephyr Kingdom had rendered many of these kids parentless, including Strom and Aaron, but luckily they still had each other. Even after the orphanage of the old lady had been closed down and seized by the government due to money issues, the kids had all managed to survive here in the slums.
However, Storm was unsure for how much longer they could possibly survive in this hellhole. Currently, the only thing keeping the children alive was the food Strom and Aaron could manage to get their hands on.
Strom did not like stealing nor becoming a thief, but in order to survive, there was no other options. Well, at least not yet.
Strom made sure the other kids and Aaron were busy playing or eating before sneaking off towards his own tent.
He picked up a small bag comprised of different clothes sewn together from beneath the straw filling that made up his sleeping bag. Quietly opening the bag to gain access to its contents, Strom carefully retrieved a small paper form.
'Tomorrow will be the day...'
The form currently in his hands was a request and certification paper for the roman military. Strom knew that unfortunately this kingdom stood no chance against this massive force, and it was only a matter of time before their kingdom would be acquired like the many others under the Romans' rule.
It did not matter to Strom that he would be joining the opposing force. After all, this was the only salvation that he deemed to actually be possible.
Their kingdom's military barely had any funds left after this long war of attrition and could not even manage to properly pay their current soldiers and enlistment. Strom knew that what he and the children really needed was a stable and dependable income.
Even if he did not really like the Roman Empire, starvation was a strong incentive to still join.
Looking over towards the small figures dancing in the light of the fire made Strom further affirm his decision.
He could not just sit idly by and watch his brother or these children die due to poverty.
Taking out a small broken fragment of charcoal he had pulled from the small fire awhile ago, Strom resolutely signed the form.
'Tomorrow I will be sixteen years old and of the minimum age required for enlistment.'
Carefully folding the paper back up and stuffing it in his bag, Strom tightened his fists with determination.
'I cannot allow them to starve! This is the only option.'
With that thought, Strom was more or less trying to completely convince himself that this was the right decision. He truly did not like being branded as a thief nor did he wish this kind of life for the other kids, especially his brother who was only eleven.
The old lady that still tried her best to take care of the children was growing older and even now barely managed to take care of them. It wouldn't be surprising if she couldn't make it past this winter. Strom knew it was out of the question that she would be able to work and the responsibility of their care mostly rested on his shoulders as the eldest of the children.
'I'll work hard; Rise through the ranks as fast as possible; Increase my standing and pay; This is what I must do and soon.' He confirmed with himself.
With those last thoughts, he tucked the bag safely back under his bed and went to sleep. He would need to get up early in order to sneak out and not raise any of the others' suspicions of his enlistment.
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I've been busy due to exams that are coming up soon so I apologize for some late releases. I'll try to release more and possibly some extras if I have the time. But welcome to Strom's backstory! This section will finally shed some more light on the Roman Captain's situation and past, along with his brother's.