Adventure

“Let’s do that then, my dove. We will write my mother and I will take some distance from him.” He smiled gently at the woman he simply adored. A chuckle escaped his lips. “I think she gets it from both of us. I mean I just wanted to protect the most precious thing in the world.”

Ben watched the twins. Glad that Emery was there next to him, her hand on his shoulder. Watching Robby was heartbreaking for him. He regretted everything, and felt tears in his eyes, his heart pounding in his chest. Ben kept his arm around Amy, holding her close to his torso while he knelt in front of his son. Hearing those words come from Robby hurt more than he thought it would. He took his sons hand and looked between the two twins. “A dark elf has one concern. Pride. Both of you have part of this and the potential to snap like me. Amy you have in the past. I am better at controlling it but like everything you can be pushed over the edge. Mommy and I are going to find ways for me to remain calm.” He looked up at Em. “Mommy wears a necklace for when I snap, it reminds the dark elf who she is. We will make something for both of you and something for me, if you two snap.”

“Sounds like a plan, love. I’m sure Diana will understand completely.” Emery smiled back at her husband, mirroring his own expression as they walked. “Nope, I am definitely going to go with her getting it from you. I have never done anything reckless in my life.” Emery joked, knowing it was far from the truth, but she would never pass up an opportunity to tease her husband, even if they were dealing with issues all around them. It caused her to worry less, being able to joke with him, to make them both smile. 

As the twins reacted to their father, Emery squeezed his shoulder, attempting to comfort him. It broke her heart to hear her son’s words, but she knew it was even harder on Ben, so she kept her smile up, wanting to comfort all of them as best she could. In her mind, she was pleading for the twins to understand, for the two to not hold this against their father, even if it hurt when he snapped at them. She let Ben explain, nodding along with his words before meeting his gaze. “Your dad has been fighting to control this for even longer than I’ve known him. He’s come extremely far, I barely even have a need for my necklace, but it’s just in case something bad happens. We’ll make something for you both, but I don’t think that it will ever come to the point where you will need them. It’s not often that this happens anymore.” She explained, her free hand reaching up to play with the blue stone around her neck. “You both might have to deal with this part of you, I don’t think it’ll be as intense of a fight, you don’t have much dark elf blood. But it’s a possibility that we know to be true.” Em went on as she looked between the twins. They seemed to understand, but she could tell they were still anxious after the fight. “Everything is back to normal now, Dad is back to himself, the two of us are not fighting anymore. There’s nothing to worry about now.” She reassured them with a smile, her head turning to Robby as she heard him start to speak. 

“So, if we get these necklaces or whatever, Dad isn’t gonna yell at us anymore? We don’t have to see him snapped again?” He asked, his eyes darting between his parents, trying to understand all of the information put in front of him. “’Cause I didn’t like being yelled at.” He added, his voice quieter with the admittance. 

“I won’t yell at you anymore. No you don’t. “ He said simply, holding his hand out to his son. “You both know I didn’t mean what I said. Both of you are my world. I love you so very much. If anything were to happen to you I’d be lost.” He looked down at Amy. She was quiet for the first time in a while but nodded. Holding onto his arm. “I love you too, Dad.”

Ben smiled at her. “We just need patience with them. That’s what my mother would say and that’s how she dealt with me. They’ll get there.” He interlocked his fingers with hers. “Sounds like a plan to me.”

“I am only asking for one day with you. We spend most of our time with family but we need us time as well. We don’t know what tomorrow brings that is true but we also can’t not do things because we don’t know what’ll happen.” He sat down next to her again once he was fully dressed and placed his hand on her cheek. He knew she was worried about things. He worried to after being held in a cell and tortured but he couldn’t let that hold him back from spending time with her. When he had been in that cell all he wanted to do was be with her but they were torn apart. Before he could reply she was up and walking towards the door. He got up and followed her.

“I have patience, they just wear it thin most days. But I guess I can’t argue with your mother, she seems to know best.” Emery smiled a little, squeezing his hand as he held hers. 

“One day. We’ll send the twins and Tabby over to Merlin’s tomorrow, okay?” Emery sighed, agreeing to it even though the worries in her brain were making it extremely difficult to do so. She hated that her past had so much power over her, that it was able to knock all the wind out of her with just one thought. That she could barely go out alone anymore because of some fear that she would be taken again. It was a constant struggle that she wasn’t sure how to win some days. Ben helped, he definitely made it easier, made life seem happier and safer. She didn’t respond to the rest of what he said, not because she was ignoring him but because she couldn’t. She couldn’t let those fears control her and so she refused to think about it (which in hindsight was probably not the best plan, but it made sense to her.) Emery stayed silent but grabbed Ben’s hand again when they went outside into the rest of their house, moving towards the front door where Robby was sitting. His head was leaning against the wall and he was muttering something under his breath. 

“Hey, no magic in time out, you know the rule,” Emery said, finally speaking again, but her tone wasn’t angry. She moved to sit down next to Robby, refusing to yell at the twins so she always tried to be their friends after they got in trouble. 

“I really didn’t do it, Mama, Dad. Amy was the one who got the arrow stuck in the wall. She kept saying it she could fire a bow just like you and I told her it wasn’t a good idea. Please don’t be mad.”

“Sounds good to me. I can’t wait to have a day with my little dove, just us.” He knew how hard her past was and how it loomed over her making it hard for her to feel safe. He could tell by the way she didn’t go most places without someone. He would ride with her to work and often back to make sure she felt safe. It did make him feel better as well because he didn’t know what he’d do without her. She was his everything and she made his life happy, something to live for. He walked next to her, holding her hand as they went back to have a chat with their troublemakers. When they arrived he saw how agitated Robbie looked and went over to their son. He sat down next to Em watching Robbie. 

“We’re not mad. We just want to get to the bottom of this. We both know how reckless your sister can be.”

“I know, I know Ben. Things are peaceful, we’re finally safe for the time being and we should go out but I think it’s also important to spend this time with our family too.. Who knows what tomorrow will bring? What if, what if one of our enemies rears their heads tomorrow?” She said, having not brought that anxiety of hers up a while, constantly worried of her master showing up even though she knew he was dead and gone. It was just a thought constantly in the back of her mind, thanks to the years of abuse, and she couldn’t relax happily alone without it coming to the front of her thoughts again. But she needed to not think about it now, she couldn’t afford a panic attack at this moment so she just shook her head, running a hand through her hair. “Nevermind, it’s a silly fear to have.. Let’s go get the twins,” She said, standing up and going towards the door, wanting to leave those thoughts behind her.

“I am only asking for one day with you. We spend most of our time with family but we need us time as well. We don’t know what tomorrow brings that is true but we also can’t not do things because we don’t know what’ll happen.” He sat down next to her again once he was fully dressed and placed his hand on her cheek. He knew she was worried about things. He worried to after being held in a cell and tortured but he couldn’t let that hold him back from spending time with her. When he had been in that cell all he wanted to do was be with her but they were torn apart. Before he could reply she was up and walking towards the door. He got up and followed her.

Ben watched the twins leave and looked over at his wife. He sat on the edge of the bed and helped her with her dress. Lacing her up while he watched her with a soft smile. “Apparently, though they are at that age. I was like that when I was a kid, drove my parents insane with it. I’ll get the arrow out later. He tried to make her feel a little better because he could tell by her tone she was annoyed. 

“I miss just waking up slowly with my wife in my arms.” He placed his hands on her hips and looked up at her. “Maybe we should talk to them together. Otherwise we are getting two completely different stories. I am working today unfortunately. The guards need to me to train the horses today. I don’t think having the kids there would be a good idea. I think Anna is the best option because I agree if we leave them here it will be a disaster.” He looked over at her and placed a kiss on her forehead.

Emery smiled a little as he helped her with the rest of her laces, continuing to run her fingers through her hair as she let him help. “Well then you get to hand out punishments. It’s your karma coming back to kick our asses.” Emery joked, looking down at Ben as he finished. “I just really hope it’s not too stuck.. I hate that I have to now lock up my arrows like they’re toddlers again. Especially if I need to get to them quickly..” 

“We haven’t been able to do that in years Ben, not with the little monsters running around at all hours of the day. I do miss it too.” Em said, smiling as he rested his hands on her hips, leaning down to kiss his head. “We should start with Robby, he seems to be calmer than she was. Well tell the guards to shove it…” Emery said, joking just a little. “Kidding, we need to money. Especially with our anniversary coming up. And me not working as much. I do have a long shift tomorrow night, so you are on your own with them.” She told him as she sat down, leaning her head against his shoulder. “I’ll walk over to their house with Tabby before her lessons, ask if they can watch them. Probably not a smart idea to bring them out in public today..”

“Maybe they can spend a weekend with Merlin? That would give us time together a whole weekend. You and me.” He smiled at her. Enjoying the kiss she placed on his head. “That should be interesting. Sure you want to leave me alone with them tomorrow.” Placing a kiss on her head when she leaned against him. “Okay. I can walk with you.”

“I’m already awake.” She sighed, before going to the wardrobe to change into one of her dresses. “Do you want to take Amy or Robby? Or should we both go talk to each of them together?” Em asked as she pulled her nightgown off, replacing it with her dress easily. Her fingers worked expertly at the laces on the front, moving back towards the bed. “Are you working today? Cause I have to head to the market and I don’t know if I should bring the twins or leave them here with Tabby.. But she also has training today so she probably won’t want to watch them..” She rambled, trying to plan out her day and keep her mind off of the twins fighting too much. It helped keep her anger down so she wouldn’t go out and yell at them. “Maybe Anna will watch them if she’s not busy.. It could be good for them to get out of the house but not be able to completely run wild..” Em sighed, combing her fingers through her hair after finishing with her dress, sitting back down on the bed next to Ben.

“I miss just waking up slowly with my wife in my arms.” He placed his hands on her hips and looked up at her. “Maybe we should talk to them together. Otherwise we are getting two completely different stories. I am working today unfortunately. The guards need to me to train the horses today. I don’t think having the kids there would be a good idea. I think Anna is the best option because I agree if we leave them here it will be a disaster.” He looked over at her and placed a kiss on her forehead.

“But mom, Amy kept saying she was big enough to do it. She told me she could and I said she couldn’t and she got angry and said she had to prove me wrong.” Robby explained, trying to defend himself even more so he wasn’t going to get in trouble. But Emery had already made up her mind, especially since they both knew they weren’t supposed to play with their weapons. 

Em looked back at Ben for a moment, hoping he was on the same page as her with the twins before looking at Amy. Her daughter met her mother’s face with an expression somewhere between trying to be innocent and still pouting. “Amy, go sit in the washroom and Robby go sit by the front door. We’ll come get you in a few minutes.” She told them, getting slight protests in return but ultimately the twins climbed off the bed and sulked away to their respective spots. “I guess I have to lock up my bow again..” Em sighed once they were gone, before getting out of bed to get ready. “We should talk to them when they’re both calmer and separated.”

When Em looked at him he nodded. What ever she had planned was probably the best idea to keep them calm. “Do as your mother says, go on. We’ll come talk to you in a moment.” He watched the two bicker as they left their room and Ben buried his face in the pillow next to Em, his arm over her hips. “We really shouldn’t have to. They should know better. But if they are going to keep being idiots we may have to.” He mumbled, watching her has she got out of bed. “It’ll take Amy a few minutes to calm down so come here and we can wake up properly.”