Part 1
The silence in the home was deafening. Nothing could be heard but the sound of mothers teeth grinding together. Even the insects that are normally active at night were silent. Fathers head was lowered and his face was pale and sullen. He sat there silently not even stealing a glance of the situation. Elxie was standing at the other side of the table from mother standing next to father with her head also hanging in shame. Mother bit the tip of her thumb as she thought to herself her blood dripping from the wound she inflicted onto herself. Though it hasn't been confirmed by Torren or Elxie the father of her child seemed obvious. Samu who was sitting to the right of his mother cleared his throat before speaking.
"So then Torren is the father?" Elxie lightly nods in reply.
"Is that bad?"
"Its horrible! He promised me he would devote his life to me and me only!" Though she was responding to Samu she was looking at and yelling at Torren.
"Then what about Elxie? Is she in trouble as well?"
"That will depend on who seduced who."
"Is that so? Wouldn't they equally be at fault in this case?"
"To me it matters more who the aggressor was" Samu seems to think to himself for a moment.
"What would happen if it was Elxie? Will she be forced to leave? Can she even survive the journey in search for new employment? She might not be family to you but to me she's special!"
"Dont put the guilt onto me! If it was her then she will have to live w-"
"She will have to live with it? What about my brother or sister? The child might not be your child or your family but she is my family. And what about father? What if its his fault? Will he also be forced to leave?"
"If it was your father then his punishment would be here at home..." Rubyanna's voice distorts with hits of anger.
"So what is the plan then if its fathers fault? Does Elxie get to stay?"
"why do you-" Torren tries to speak but Rubyanna glares at him causing him to fall silent. She walks over to Torren and lifts him up out of his seat with one arm as he's lifted off of the ground.
"Say something else and I'll break you." Torren doesn't even struggle in her grip.
"P-Please honey at least let me ex-" Without hesitation Rubyanna turns around and slams Torren into the table completely destroying it.
"W-Wait honey please!" Rubyanna jumps onto father her knees digging into his arms preventing him from moving as she begins to beat into him, the impact of her fist could be felt even where Samu is now standing.
"W-Wait mother you shouldn't-" Samu tried reaching for Rubyanna but was launched back into the wall from the simple movement of her elbow hitting him as she pulled her arm back to strike Torren again.
"How could you do it Torren?! How could you betray me like this?!" She continues beating on Torren with her relentless assault as he continues to lay there not even attempting to stop her. Elxie rushes over to Samu to try and help him after seeing him struggle to get up but he just brushes her off. Elxie tries rushing over to Rubyanna.
"Madam Rubyanna please calm down! You've already hurt the young master!" She places her hand on the attackers shoulder.
"Don't touch me you slut!" She throws a devastating punch at Elxie, the sheer force of the attack creating a 'thuum' sound. Before anyone else could react Samu had moved in-between the two of them taking the full force of the attack.
"P-please...I just don't want my family...to fall...apart.." Samu falls to his knees before falling forward his mother holding him in her arms.
Part 2
>Elxie's Pov<
(Why? Why did Samu go so far for me? Going so far as to call me family. What a strange boy. First he doesn't cry even when he was a baby. He always seemed off, like life didn't mean anything to him. Then he saves a child on his own almost dying in the process, even befriended the child. He's nothing like I thought he was. I don't think this is a cursed child at all.
What a silly child. He took the full force of Rubyanna's punch, even using earth magic to lock down his feet so the force of the blow wouldn't reach me. Now he's laying in his mothers lap as she's forced to heal him to keep him alive.) Elxie smiles as she rests both of her hands on her stomach
(Brave.
This child has now showed his heroic qualities three times. Three times he's shown his worth. Three times he's proven his greatness. This child..)
Rubyanna quickly finishes healing Samu and leaves to carry him up stairs to his bed leaving Elxie alone with Torren who was completely unconscious.
(That last attack was much more powerful than the ones she threw at Torren. I wonder what will happen now that master Samu is gone?.. What will be the fate of my child..)
"So what will you do?" Rubyanna says as she walks into the room.
"I can leave and return home now or after I help deliver your baby, depending on your preference."
"No you wont be taking Samu's sibling anywhere." Rubyanna says firmly.
"Then I'll help you deliver your baby and depart after-"
"Look at me Elxie." Elxie looks up letting her now see Rubyanna's serious expression.
"You aren't going anywhere. My son made me promise not to hate you or make you leave. There's no way I'm letting you run away now."
Elxie falls to her knees and begins to break down crying uncontrollably. Rubyanna grabs Torren by the ancle and starts dragging him away up stairs back to their room ending the conflict. It takes a short while before Elxie is able to compose herself enough to stand. Suddenly a small rough hand grabs onto hers making her jump slightly.
"Are you alright Elxie? Mother didn't say anything mean to you did she? Blast that woman! If she wasn't also pregnant I would have laid her out for that!"
"Young master why did you protect me? I'm nothing more than a servant. There is no need to injure yourself on my account." Samu gives her a confused look in response.
"Why? Why wouldn't I? You're pregnant with my new brother or sister. Even if you could survive which I doubt the child certainly wouldn't"
(I see... so hes already strong enough to know when an attack is lethal. Not only that but he also blocked the attack saving my child and I.) Elxie kneels before Samu with her head lowered with her right hand gently placed over her heart.
"O Lord Samu I Elxie Civetha here by pledge to you my life. No not just my life but also my child's life if they are born healthy enough."
Samu remained silent for a moment before laughing to himself.
"So you want to pledge your life to me? Are you sure? I'm young so I might be unreasonable with my demands."
"I will serve you till my last breath my Lord." Samuel chuckles to himself.
"I'm not sure I like the idea of family swearing themselves to me but....I suppose it would be rude to deny you." Samu places his hand on Elxie's and gently pets the top of her head. Her tail flicks around and her ears wiggle around in response. Samu walks past Elxie to return to his room stopping close enough so she's able to hear his whispers.
"The next time mating season comes along please try not to seduce father again. He's trying very hard for mother. I'll always be here to help you but I'd rather not take another one of moms punches." Samu gave her one last pat on the shoulder before making his way up stairs.
"You sleep tight now. Ill see you tomorrow." Soon Elxie could hear Samu enter his room and climb into bed for the night.
Her body is still stiff from the final words spoken by Samu.
(He knows I was the one to seduce him? Not only that but also knows when it happened and why. That means he helped me earlier despite this?) She lets out a small laugh.
(This child will be destined for great things. Forget my life and my child's, my bloodline shall serve his and his alone.) Elxie stood back up and made her way to bed after she finished cleaning up the aftermath of Rubyanna's wrath.
Part 3
>Samu's Pov<
I wake up and let out a loud yawn as I rub my eyes as they struggle to adjust to the sunlight. As I climb out of bed I start to reflect on the recent events.
(I hope everything's ok now. I mean i know father's probably going to be in trouble still. I just hope mother and Elxie are ok.)
I finish getting dressed and head down stairs to find Eyara, mother, and Elxie sitting together at the fireplace laughing as they spoke softly to one another. I didn't want to sound like a creep so I decided to announce myself.
"Eyara what are you doing here so early?"
"Its not early Samu, it's already time for lunch." Eyara said still giggling from her earlier conversation.
"I heard what happened from your mother and the servant. You must have needed the extra sleep to recover." For a moment I try to remember what happened until it flashes in my mind. Mom's angry eyes and her fist. That fist. I tried blocking with both my arms using earth magic to both hold me in place and to bock the attack. Even though I used stone like armor to block her attack she just blew right threw it and my guard. Hell if it wasn't for locking my feet down with earth magic the force of me being blown away alone probably would have killed Elxie.
"Mom are you some kind of monster?" Mother let out a dramatic gasp.
"I'm not sure I know what you mean!~"
"I meant your monstrous strength and temper." I state bluntly
"Ill have you know everyone in our family is like that. If I'm not mistaken you're even like that." Rubyanna waves her finger at Samu.
"I would never attack the mother of my siblings while she's pregnant!" She shrugs in response.
"That's just the way the girls are in the Wolfang family. Red hair and a hot temper."
(Huh? She's not going to apologize to me or to Elxie? All she's going to say is that it's normal?)
"Is that so?"
"It is how things are. The men in our family don't typically have as hot of a temper however."
"Will I ever be able to meet the other members of our family?"
"One day you'll be able to meet my brother and father who oversee the city of Gufaross. Maybe sooner rather than later? Your 10th birthday is coming up in about two years. Maybe you'll get to see them then."
"They must be very wealthy from being part of the main family. Would they even welcome us into their home with us being exiled and all?"
"Its my mother who exiled me and shes long since passed on. My father, sister, and brother have zero issues with me. Though they might have some reservations with you."
"Why have an issue with Samu?" Eyara asks while rolling around on our couch.
"Our family has a tradition for whenever someone is to rise to power for the throne. Everyone who runs the race risks losing their sons if they lose. Unfortunately my brother lost so his two sons were taken from him."
"I see...so they might resent that I'm alive whenever their sons aren't." Mother nods.
A silence falls over the room as everyone processes what Rubyanna said.
"So what were you girls talking about before I came down here?"
"Its not the kind of talk we can share with a boy as young as you." Mother says as she waves her finger at me.
I look over at Eyara and before I could make eye contact with her she adverts her gaze.
(So she wont tell me either. Its time to test Elxie's fealty towards me.)
"Elxie tell me, what were you three talking about before I entered the room?"
Without hesitation she turns to face me and bows.
"We were catching Eyara up on our situation. How we are both pregnant and how the father is Torren. Eyara expressed her disdain towards your father and how upset she'd be if you were to-"
"That'll be all thank you. We should spare Eyara the embarrassment of such a personal subject being exposed like this." I hold up my hand in an attempt to let Elxie know she could stop.
Eyara was groaning to herself as she rolled round on the couch with her face hidden inside her hands.
(So then Elxie was serious. How far is she willing to go?)
"Elxie come here" Without skipping a beat she walks over to me and kneels before me the same way she did before.
I pet her on the head letting my hands move around her ears and the top of her head. A smile forms on my face.
"Is this degrading for you in any way?"
"Not at all my Lord. Though treating Beastfolk in this manner has a special meaning so to avoid rumors I don't recommend doing this in front of others."
"What kind of implications does it have?"
"Typically its something parents do to their kids or what lovers would do." Mother says as she sighs.
"So you swore yourself to my son then?"
"Yes mam. Shortly after you left for bed."
"Thank you Elxie you're free to return to whatever it was you were doing. If I'm being honest I wanted to see the depths of your pledge. I see now the validity of your pledge to me so ill do my best not to have my commands conflict with your duties to my parents."
"Thank you my Lord." Elxie stands up and walks back over near the couch where she was standing before. Suddenly Samu claps his hands together startling everyone and shifting the mood.
"So what's for lunch? I haven't eaten all day and I'm starving!" I look to mother and Elxie for a response but they both turned and looked at Eyara making her fidget nervously.
"I brought food I made at home to share with you during lunch..." She quickly digs around on the couch and lifts up a basket she's clearly made herself.
"I made sure to pack you plenty of meat as well-" Suddenly Samu's in front of Eyara holding onto the basket with her.
"Then what are we waiting for? I'm starving!" I drag Eyara with me as she struggles to stand to follow me.
"Wait Samu! Give me time to stand!" I stop for a moment after realizing I've dragged her to the front door. She dusts herself off as she stands drawing attention to her new dress. It was a light blue color and had some frills at the end of the dress.
"Is that a new dress?" I asked as we made our way outside and through the gate.
"Y-Yes it is...I told my mom about how you thought I was a boy. So she started making me this dress, she thinks she designed it in a way that 'no boy could ever confuse you with a boy'" She must have become anxious because she started to avoid eye contact and fiddle with her fingers.
"I think you look cute. And you dont have to wear girly things you can just wear what you want. Whatever you're comfortable with wearing should be the only thing that matters."
"You think im cute?"
"Of course I do. I told you before that I always thought you were too pretty for a boy. Honestly its quite relieving that you're a girl. For a second there I thought something new was awakening in me."
"Awakening in you?" I let out a cough as I clear my throat.
"Its irrelevant now so don't worry about it." I look back at Eyara and see her twirling around in her dress with a sweet smile on her face.
"I'll be sure to wear more dresses!"
"I told you that you dont have to-" Suddenly I feel Eyara running into me as she wraps her arms around mine.
"You think its cute! I have to wear things like this now!" She smiles as she nuzzles into my shoulder humming a happy tune.
(Is this ok? Am I ok with this? It doesn't feel terrible... Shouldn't I wait to date a girl until after I develop feelings for her? Maybe this isn't even her being romantic. After all I'm pretty physical with my personal relationships as well. Yea she's probably similar to me and that's why we get along so well. Yea... that would be simpler-)
"Is something wrong?" Eyara asks with a concerned look on her face.
"No nothings wrong. I was just thinking about something." I shake my head and held her closer to reassure her.
We continued walking together with her holding onto my arm until she nearly fell over from tripping on my foot. She gave me a nervous laugh and decided that holding my hand was fine. She got so nervous for some reason and her face was bright red so I tried to deflect her attention away from the situation.
"This baskets pretty heavy even for two people, why'd you pack so much food?"
"Well your mother told me that your favorite food is meat without giving me any specifics so I asked my mother about it and she said 'The fastest way to a mans heart is to give him his favorite foods every day. Bring him the weight of your love in food.' I don't really fully understand what she meant so I made sure to bring a lot."
(What? What the hell am I suppose to say to that? Do I just laugh? Say thank you? Is that even enough? Deflect)
"What kind of-"
"Cow." She quickly responds before I could even ask.
"Your servant said your favorite meal she prepares for you is steak."
"Well she wasn't wrong. She gave you some good advice."
"My mother or your servant?" Her words come out a little cold.
(So she wont let me deflect.)
"Both. Using food to get closer to people is a very smart idea. One of the first things to bring people together was food. Oh and steak is definitely my favorite food." I'm not sure if that's a satisfactory answer and I also didn't want to look at her face to find out so I just kept looking forward as we started to approach the lake.
"I'll be sure to bring steak as often as possible." she says as we take our seats at the waters edge with our feet relaxing in the cool water. She opens the basket revealing the six stacked layer of steaks along with thick slices of cheese and freshly baked bread stacked on one side and an assortment of leaf's and fruits piled in on the other side.
"Woah look at all of that food!" I yell out as I grab a slice of steak and a thick slice of cheese. The meat seemed to be roasted over a fire and cut into three inch thick slices with the cheese being about half as thick. I take such a large bite out of the steak and nearly choke having to chew quickly to create more space for the bite of cheese that I was holding in my other hand. In no time at all I finish the steak and cheese that I was holding in my hands and let out a loud cheer.
"This is so perfect! We should do this more often!" At this point the only thing on my mind is food and the comforting area around us.
"How does every day sound?"
"That sounds awesome!" I respond without much thought.
After a while I notice that Eyara has only been eating the leafs and fruits.
"Are you not going to try any of the meat or cheese?"
"No that's alright, I prefer fruits and plants."
I hold out my food for Eyara to try.
"Come one try it. If its still a no then I wont bother asking again."
I use wind magic to slice off a thin piece of steak and fold it inside of a large lettuce looking leaf and hold it out to her. She takes it into her hands taking a small bite out of the wrapped beef.
"Its good. Though I wouldn't be able to eat much. Elves don't eat meat very often. It takes a while for our bodies to digest. So typically we enjoy it on special occasions."
"Oh alright ill try not to offer you meat too often then."
We sat there happily eating together laughing at the random things each other says as we finished the last of the food she prepared.
"So how much better have you gotten with your magic since I last saw you? Are you able to cast the advanced spell Hurricane Beam?"
"No not yet. Ive been focused on perfecting the basic spells first."
"And what's the progress with that?"
"I can use two separate spells at the same time but I cant combine any of the elements quite yet."
"That's a smart plan. Mastery of the basics will carry you through most situations."
"How about you? Do you think I can watch you train with your father today?"
(Oh right father. I somehow have forgotten to check up on that man. Wait did mom kill him?)
"Yea we can go to my place now if you want."
Eyara nodded and grabbed her basket taking my hand as we made our way back home. Unfortunately though my father wasn't around so Eyara just watched me as I practice perfecting my new technique until the time came for her to return home for the night. I stretched out the soreness from the days training as I made my way to my room. As I walked up to my door I saw Elxie standing there waiting for me.
"Is there something wrong? Was there something you needed to discuss with me?"
"Yes my Lord. There was a letter that came in while you were out. It appears to be from your former master Hikari." She says as she bows her head and holds out the letter for me to take.
"From master? Thank you for taking the time to hand this to me." I reach up and pet Elxie.
"You did good. Thank you." Her tail flicked around in response as she struggled to keep a strait face.
"Thank you my Lord."
"You have a good night Elxie. Ill have no further need for you tonight. Rest well." I giver her a few more pats on the head before returning to my room.