[980] – Y04.080 – Fathers II

[980] – Y04.080 – Fathers II

Morkarai let out a sigh of relief beyond the estate, leaning back in his chair. He reached up to his eyes, rubbing around them gently, massaging away the stress. ‘Kazadin will poke fun at me if I return with so many wrinkles.’

‘Is he that relieved for someone else’s child?’ Jasmine thought, eyeing up the Prince. ‘He said he felt guilty about a mistake he had made, but even so...’

In the estate, Vonda offered Adam to hold his daughter.

“How can I?” Adam said, though his hands had already betrayed him, and he held the girl, supporting her neck with a hand. Just like Jirot and Jarot had been, she was so tiny. So light. So fragile.

The girl squirmed slightly, hacking lightly. He held her as though she were made of the most brittle clay in the world. He almost shook, feeling the sudden swirl of emotions, the burning within his eyes, the rush within his heart, the flashes of warmth and joy within his body.

“Oh,” Adam whispered. “My girl. Look at you. Oh how cute you are. Why do you have to be born so cute? This is all your mother’s fault, how can she do this to me?” Adam wanted to crush her in his affection, but he restrained himself. His eyes fell to Jurot, who stared at his little boy.

‘Small. Ugly.’ Jurot remained silent, lost within his thoughts, the boy within his mother’s arms. ‘...’

“What an adorable little boy,” Adam said. “What’s his name?”

“Damrot.”

“Dam, son of Pam,” Adam joked. “How cute.”

“Virot is a good name,” Jurot said. “Virot, who fought back...” Jurot thought deeply, but he could barely recall the story. ‘Virot...’

“Virot, because her mother is Vonda, and her sisters are similar,” Adam said, before pausing. “Hold on, Vonarot is pretty good too.”

Vonda smiled. “Virot is a good name.”

“Yeah, Virot is the best name.” Adam stared down at his tiny girl again, whose eyes were shut tight, refusing to even acknowledge the world. “They were both born on the same day. Tenth of the tenth.”

“Yes...” Jurot remained staring at his boy.

“Doesn’t that mean they’re twins? How cute. How cute, these little children of ours. How can they do this? I love them so much already. How can they do this?”

Jurot understood that Adam was holding himself back, but his thoughts remained focused on the babies. ‘They look just like Lanarot.’ He remembered when Lanarot was born, she was so small, so fragile, so ugly too. “Cutest In The Whole World.”

“That’s right!” Adam almost exclaimed.

“Cirot, Sirot, watch over them,” Sonarot said, the young Iyrmen standing proudly, at the ready to assist watching over them that day. “You should rest tonight, my daughters.”

Pam raised her brows in surprise at the woman’s words, glancing aside to Jurot, who didn’t seem to react. ‘It’s an Iyrman thing, but...’

Vonda remained silent, her eyes flashing with surprise for a moment, having not expected the woman to call her daughter so outright. That was when her eyes snapped aside to Adam, who seemed to be ignoring the embarrassing phrase, but also lamenting on the fact he had to give up his daughter so soon.

“Thank you,” Pam said, still unable to call the woman mother.

“Yes. Thank you.” Vonda let out a sigh.

Adam held his wife’s hand, brushing it gently, while hearing Jirot threaten her aunts.

“Is my kaka and my kaza!” Jirot said, holding out her finger. “You are looking after good, okay?”

“Okay,” the twins replied.

“Okay,” Jirot said, leaving it at that, though she followed the women.

“You must stay behind.”

“No! I am kaka!”

“You must stay behind because you are the kaka.”

Jirot blinked. “I stay behind. I am kaka.” The girl stepped after them for a moment, but she stopped. ‘I stay behind. I am kaka.’ The girl looked aside. ‘Hmph. I am kaka.’ She crossed her hands behind her back and walked, deep in thought. ‘I am kaka.’

‘Eh?’ Adam thought. ‘Isn’t this bad? Aren’t my kids too cute? What am I saying? They have to be this cute, since I’m so stupid.’

As Adam made the joke for the umpteenth time that year, the old one armed Iyrman remained sitting outside, having seen the children as they had left the estate. ‘They were born healthy. Good.’

The children gathered around Adam, even Jirot, who had long forgotten what she was contemplating so deeply.

“You! You all understand, right? You cannot bully them, since they’re so young, your little sister and cousin. You have to love them as much as you can, you understand?”

“Yes!” the children replied excitedly.

“No bully!” Jirot confirmed.

“Jirot, do you understand?”

“I understand,” the girl replied, puffing out her chest.

“Konarot...” Adam brushed the girl’s hair. “You’re the eldest.” Adam picked her up and kissed her cheek. “You need to watch over her too.”

“Okay...” The girl’s tail swayed gently.

“No, what am I saying? They’ll stay small and cute forever.”

Though Adam’s cringe was heavy upon the air, they forgave him, just this once.

‘Seven children,’ Adam thought. ‘Seven...’ Adam remained beside Vonda, who put their youngest to sleep, and allowed Cirot to watch over her. “You need to take the month off, same with Pam. It’s required by the business, the same as Amira, and the others. Understand?”

“I understand,” Vonda replied, holding his hand. “I will need to train once I am rested. I feel I have grown weaker.” ‘And...’ Vonda didn’t want to admit it, but the heaviness that had taken her body, which had once been rather lean, had worn her spirits down.

Adam continued to hold her hand, rubbing her knuckles. “What do you want for our baby girl? What do you want her to become?”

“I wish for her to become a Priest.”

“If she wants to, she can. If she doesn’t?”

“I will not restrict her.”

Adam leaned in, nuzzling against her neck, before wrapped an arm around his wife. “If there’s anything you need, don’t be afraid to ask, alright?”

“I know.”

Adam smiled. “Damrot is so cute too, isn’t he?”

“He is.”

“Ranya. Merry...” Adam tutted. “These kids, they think because they’re so cute, I’ll spoil them. They’re right, but still, they should show me mercy, shouldn’t they?”

Vonda smiled, squeezing his hand, allowing Adam to rant to her, while she rested against her husband.

Lord Morkarai met with Adam, pouring him a drink. “Congratulations.”

“Thank you.”

“I’m glad she is born with such great health,” Morkarai said, smiling, the guilt a shadow upon his face.

“Yeah,” Adam replied. The half elf smiled, reaching over to pat the Prince’s knee, before the pair drank together. “Are you heading back soon?”

“Soon,” Morkarai confirmed. “I should begin my journey before the month passes.”

“Stay until the end of the month at least! You need to see how adorable my kids are, and I know you guys take a while to gather information!”

Morkarai smiled, letting out a soft sigh. “I will do just that. I will journey home, and within a few years, I shall send an appropriate gift for your daughter. For...” For a moment, Morkarai wondered if he was allowed to say her name. “For Virot.”

“A gift?” Adam asked, also noting how he hesitated for saying Virot’s name, but he poured the giant another drink.

Morkarai smirked, not allowing his guilt to slip him up in that regard, since they were different matters.

“Are you keeping me in suspense?” Adam asked, glaring at the Prince playfully.

“I am certain it will not displease you.”

“I’m sure,” Adam replied, chuckling. He sipped his wine, narrowing his eyes. “It can’t be too good, though. You can’t outshine me, since I’m her father.”

“How can I outshine you? It will be great, but it will be just one gift, when you will spoil her many times, and certainly with greater gifts.”

“What slick words... you really are a Prince!” Adam poured the fire giant another drink, laughing.

Morkarai chuckled, the pair conversing for some time, before Morkarai finally asked. “Will you watch over Jasmine?”

“Are you asking me to do it?”

“Yes.”

“Alright.”

“Do you wish to know more?”

“Is it dangerous?”

“Yes.”

“Then don’t tell me. I want the plausible deniability, just in case.”

“I will inform her of the good news.”

While the Prince and Adam chat away, Jaygak lay on the wall, staring up at the sky. ‘She has such lovely ears, but shouldn’t she have horns?’

“Jaygak...” Kitool said from the shadows.

“I’m allowed to, since my niece was just born!”

Kitool allowed her to think her stupid thoughts.

Double chapter today courtesy of a new patron!