BACK TO BACK (THE STORMCASTLE TWINS)

Richard Stormcastle walked the night road home

From a tavern’s smoky light

Boot heels ringing on cobbled stone

Under lanterns burning bright

His coat still smelled of fire and ale

From songs and laughing girls

When five big shadows blocked the street

From the edge of the darkened world.

They stepped out slow with angry eyes

And fists like iron bars

“Stormcastle boy,” the biggest growled

“You think you’re some tavern star

Using that name to steal our girl—

You think we wouldn’t see?

Tonight we’re gonna teach you plain

What five men do to three.”

Steel nerves run in the Stormcastle line

But steel runs stronger in two

One might stand through a storm of fists

But the twins will see it through

When trouble comes and the odds look grim

And the night runs hard and black

You’ll find two brothers in the lantern light

Standing back to back.

Richard squared up in the lantern glow

Like a man who’d seen worse days

“Five on one ain’t much of a fight—

But I’ll take what comes my way.”

Then from the dark a second voice

Came easy, smooth and dry

“Well if they want my brother first

They’ll have to make me try.”

Mark stepped in with that crooked grin

That made the tavern girls sigh

Same dark coat and Stormcastle stride

But laughter in his eye

The five men stared from one to two

Like they’d seen the night split black

Then without a word the brothers turned

And stood there back to back.

Steel nerves run in the Stormcastle line

But steel runs stronger in two

When one gets caught in the crashing tide

The other breaks him through

When fists fly hard and boots come fast

And the night turns cold and black

There’s no breaking the Stormcastle twins

Standing back to back.

The fists came down like hammer blows

Boots scraped hard on stone

Richard ducked a swinging arm

And dropped a man alone

Mark went down beneath two more

But Richard crashed them free

And soon the fight rolled wild and loud

Through the lanterned street.

When one was trapped the other struck

When one fell low he rose

Two storm winds in a narrow street

Breaking every blow

Till the night grew quiet once again

And five men kissed the ground

While the Stormcastle twins stood breathing hard

With no one else around.

Richard punched Mark’s shoulder hard

With a tired but knowing grin

“Told you stealing girls’ hearts, brother

Was gonna get us in.”

Mark just laughed in the lantern light

Like trouble was a game—

And somewhere in that tavern door

More hearts would fall the same.