The Brothers' Plight.

Once upon a... No that isn't right. It was a dark and stormy... No that's not right either. The beginning of any story is always the hardest part. So many tales to tell that never get told just because I don't know how to start it off. Still I will give it a shot.
Once there were two brothers that loved each other very much. When the younger one got married, the older brother celebrated at his side. When the older brother became a student of the King's advisor the younger threw a party in his honor.
One day the King died and the Prince took over the kingdom. He replaced his father's court with his own people, and the older brother was named the new King's personal advisor. The older brother went to visit his younger brother to inform him of the news.
Arriving at the village he found it seemed neglected and run down. He went to his brother's home and knocked on the door. His sister-in-law answered the door and she was in tears at the sight of the older brother, hugging him.
After getting settled in and hugging his nephew, the older brother sat with his sister-in-law and asked where his brother was and what had happened to the village. She explained that over the last few years the old King had been increasing taxes while removing more of the guards. Because of this a group of thieves and criminals began targeting the village and just last night they had taken his brother as a slave because he was strong and had tried to protect her from them.
The older brother listened to the story and said that as the personal advisor to the new King he was sent with guards and he would find his brother. With that he left the home and went to his guards. He explained what had happened to them and they agreed to help him find his brother, if only because they were charged with protecting the advisor. And soon they set out to find the criminals and his brother.
They set out through the woods and after a while of walking, they found the camp. After surveying the camp the advisor came up with a plan. When the guards agreed the plan was sound they began it.
The advisor walked into the camp and called for the attention of the criminals. He informed them who he was and that if they did not release their captives and leave the village alone that they would regret it. They laughed at him until he drew his sword. One stepped forward to attack the advisor and a bolt from a crossbow pierced went through his head.
The advisor smirk as another in the crowd dropped. Then his one guard appeared behind the them and before they saw him he dropped three more. The one who appeared as the leader asked how could a couple of royal guards could work so efficiently. The advisor looked at the leader and frowned before explaining that he didn't use royal guards, but hired his guards from trained spies and mercenaries as they were a little more versatile with their the defense abilities.
The leader looked at his people and then agreed to the terms. The captives were released and the advisor looked for his brother among them. He soon found his brother, being carried by others, alive but badly beaten and injured. The advisor lead the villagers out of the woods while his guards made sure they weren't followed.
Arriving back at the village, the advisor ordered the entire populace to pack up and follow them back to the King's castle. They didn't like it but agreed out of fear. Before nightfall they headed out.
A few days later they arrived at the castle and the advisor called for the best healers for his brother and the others that had been hurt. As soon as the advisor knew his brother was in their good care he went to the King. He needed answers and action.
The advisor explained to the King all that he had seen, what had happened to his brother and concluded that this must have happened to many different villages as well. The King was horrified by what his father had done. The advisor however explained that he believed his father was unaware that it had gotten so bad and had been mislead. The King nodded, glad to hear it was possible that his father hadn't been a bad ruler.
The advisor suggested that the King send the guards back to the villages and lower the taxes. The King called for the head of the guard and his head of his counters. The counter was confused as the kingdom's coffers weren't accepting increased tax funds.
The advisor frowned and excused himself. He left the keep and headed to the home of his old mentor, the advisor to the previous king. He didn't knock, he just burst in and glared at his former teacher. He told him he knew that he had taken the extra tax money, that he had removed the guards.
The mentor denied it. But the advisor said he recognized the criminal leader as his mentor's nephew. The mentor laughed and said he had no proof, and as a former court official with his wealth no one could touch him. The advisor pulled out a dagger and stabbed his former mentor and whispered to him that he may have been right if his brother hadn't been hurt. He then left his mentor to die alone from the wound.
The advisor then went to his brother. The healer was talking with his sister-in-law so before he went in picked up his nephew and gave a big hug. The healer then left and he went to his brother's side. She explained that the healers have done all they can and it was now up to him if he would be alright or not. The older brother then leaned into his brother's ear and whispered in it. The younger brother opened his eyes and smiled at his brother before weakly punching him.
The King then entered and looked at his advisor and the wounded brother and frowned. He apologized that this had happened and said that the tax money had been found in the previous advisor's home and that the old man had been killed. The King looked at the current advisor and knew instantly knew what had happened but said nothing more on that. The money was going to be returned to the villages and they were going to be rebuilt and the guards returned.
The older brother had one last request for the King, that his brother and family be allowed to stay at the castle as he couldn't bare to be away from his brother any longer. The younger brother said that wasn't necessary and it would be improper to put the King out like that. The King laughed and said that if the younger brother wouldn't accept his older brother's offer, he would make it a royal decree. In addition, the King made the older brother his new Regent Minister, the Lord of his Court and second only to the Royal Family.
So the criminals were rounded up and thrown into the deepest dungeons at the new Regent Minister's order. The younger brother and his family moved to the castle and the younger brother became an advisor to the King and Court on the affairs of the common man and the villages. The Regent Minister, with the King's approval, made an elite squad dedicated to making sure no member of the Court could do what the previous advisor had done.
Brotherhood is a powerful bond. They don't even have to be by blood for that bond to exist, brothers in arms, frat brothers, best friends that call each other's parents mom and dad. My brothers mean the world to me and would do anything for them. I dedicate this tale for them and love them with all my heart.
On behalf of one of my brothers, check out his writing at Somecollege.