#aisley

“Jayroe, are you sure about this?” Sidae asked quietly as they all stared up at the hill where his family lay in wait. “I know they’re your family, but what if they don’t like us?”

“There’s nothin’ to worry about when it comes to my family. They’ve been caught up with the recent events in my life, so they know about y’all and they’re not ones to judge you by your pasts.” He smiled and hoped he sounded more confident than he felt as he gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. “Besides, both of my siblings have non-human counterparts to their lives. They’re all really looking forward to meeting y’all.”

“I’m so excited to meet them!” Kai’s little feet shuffled excitedly, her bow bouncing atop her head while she clapped her hands. Kai’s excited energy gave him more of a confidence boost and filled him with a warmth he could only hope to share with her brother and mother.

“They’re going to love y’all.” He smiled warmly at Sidae and held she continues to hold his hand. She surprised him by t giving it a ferocious and nervous squeeze and nearly lit a fire down his back as she laced their fingers together into a firmer and more intimate grip. “They’re not going to judge you for what you are, who you are, or where you came from. I promise.”

“O-Of course.” Sidae tried to smile, but Jayroe caught the nerves in her voice and gave her hand a reassuring squeeze and a gentle press of a kiss to the back of her hand.

“Everything’s goin’ to be fine.” He looked up in those vibrant shaking eyes and spoke softly to her. “Nothin’ bad is goin’ to happen to you or your kids.”

Sidae let out a shaky breath and gave a quick nod before glancing over to Lycas with a worried look. Jayroe couldn’t help but follow her gaze to see Lycas still remained in the shadows of the trees with the wagon handles clenched tightly between his hands. The wood creaked and crattled as his hands nervously shook, the hairs on his body kept rising and falling with his nervousness and Jayroe knew he needed to talk to him. Releasing Sidae’s hand, Jayroe slowly approached the stone-faced Lycas. His green eyes were focused forward to the farm atop the hill, full of distrust and refusing to move further from the safety of the shadows until Jayroe’s hand touched his.

“You okay, Lycas?” Jayroe asked softly so that only he could hear.

His whole body went rigid with the building tension within him, and Jayroe could see that the hair on his body was arching and bending and getting ready to rise before very slowly settling down. “I-I’m fine, human.” He gruffed and flexed his fingers under Jayroe’s hand. “Just ready to get this over with.”

“That’s a shame, ‘cause I know my family is goin’ to really like you.” He spoke honestly and held the young Drider’s gaze.

Lycas shook his head with a scowl. “You can’t know that.”

“I do, actually.” He said pointedly. “They are the ones that raised me, and if I like you, I know they’re going to like you.”

“You don’t really like me, I’m just my mother’s son.” His voice clipped, sharp and painful and full of fear as his mouth formed a tight line.

“I don’t just like you cause your Sidae’s son. Believe it or not, you’ve got many good qualities about you that I respect.” Jayroe bit the inside of his cheek. “I know we got off on the wrong foot when we met, but I thought we overcame that with everythin’ with the monster hunters.”

“Would you have saved me if you never knew my mother?” Lycas snapped, all the hair on his body trembling as it stood at attention.

“Yes.” Jayroe answered without hesitation. “I saved Kai without knowin’ your mother, I sure as hell would have saved you too, Lycas. I did, in fact.” He dared a smile and did not receive one in return. “I don’t like seein’ others in trouble or in pain. I wish I could have met you sooner to have prevented all the pain you’ve suffered from now.”

Lycas’s brow furrowed, and his frown only deepened as he looked away. “Why are you trying so damn hard to be a father? It won’t gain you any favor with my mother and it sure won’t gain any favor with me.”

Jayroe’s eyes widened. “I’m not. I don’t think I’ll ever be someone you see as a father. I would never force that idea onto either. I’m a human, which seems to be pretty detestable to you after everythin’ you’ve been through, and all I really wanna do it help y’all. Yes, I feel something strongly for your mother, but that does not mean I’ll force myself onto you as a father. I know you’ve already had two that you really look up to, and I would never ask that you call me father or dad or whatever. Callin’ me Jayroe instead of human might be nice, but I’ll take what I can get, and I won’t ask anythin’ more from you than what you’re comfortable with, Lycas.” He nervously licked his lips and let out a sigh. “If that never happens, that’s okay. I’ll always be here if you need me.”

Those green eyes seemed to cling to every word that came from Jayroe’s mouth and the hairs on his body finally went flax again. Just when Jayroe thought he’d finally reached him, the light in his eyes dimmed and he tore his gaze away from Jayroe. “If they take one look at me, they’ll be terrified of me. Everyone is.”

“No, they won’t.” Jayroe insisted and felt a pang of guilt for his words.

“They will.” His hands trembled furiously under his hold. It was as if he were trying to keep this distance between not only Jayroe, but also the population of humans as well. Jayroe firmly but gently grabbed Lycas by both of his wrists and forced Lycas’s attention on himself.

Any other time before his run in with monster hunters would have left Jayroe shaking in his boots with the look angry Lycas gave him now, but he knew that this sort of reaction was just his quick line of defense to push and wall up before he could get hurt and he could see the genuine concern and a hint if fear buried under the layers of anger. Lycas’s hand slipped from Jayroe’s grasp to cover the left side of his face lined with scars.

“If they see me, they’ll fear me.” He repeated, his voice trembling with a plea that he was somehow wrong, but a terrible confidence that he was right. It had never occurred to Jayroe that Lycas would be self-conscious about his scars, not after he used it as an intimidation tactic for so long, but it was slowly making sense to Jayroe why Lycas was growing more hesitant the closer they got to the farm.

“They won’t.” Jayroe repeated, urgency and finality in his voice as he tried to calmly think of how to convince Lycas that all would be well. “If, for whatever reason you feel otherwise, we’ll leave immediately. No questions asked. All I ask is that you at least wait until you eat the food.”

Lycas’s brow pinched, his green eyes wavering in disbelief as he stared down at the human before looking up to his mother as she placed her hand on Jayroe’s shoulder as she came to stand behind him. “Jayroe is right, son. If you don’t feel safe for whatever reason, we’ll leave immediately.”

Lycas didn’t say anything and quickly cast his gaze to the ground before Kai came to dance around his feet with a hug to encourage him as well. There was nothing said aloud, but they all knew that this would be a family effort and they would all go, or none would. If Lycas wanted to turn and leave this very moment, Jayroe would explain things to his family and simply go with the Driders. With a shaky breath, Lycas stood straight and pulled the wagon forward and towards the farm.

After everyone had received careful reassurance and urging, Jayroe led the family of Driders out past the tree line, up the hill, and onto his father’s farm. The cows were lying in the pasture ready to lull themselves to sleep for the evening, there were lanterns all aglow leading to the main barn where all the cows were kept, and gentle signs of welcome with food on the wind.

The first few things Jayroe did the moment he woke that morning was help Fralick muck out the stalls in the barn to create a safe contained and sanitary space for the baby driders to rest and possibly play in. Jayroe knew their sleep schedule well and he also knew they weren’t going to be able to handle much human food besides milk just yet and wanted a safe place for them to play in so both he and Sidae didn’t have to worry about their wellbeing. Aisley was all too excited to pull out their old toys and blankets and trinkets for the baby driders and was even more excited to pull out a few dresses for Kai. Though his father hadn’t outrightly told them, Jayroe knew his father was excited to meet the driders. He was so glad to see all their hard work being paid off.

There had only ever been a handful of tales where people from Drusilla had seen the driders that protected their small village and lived to tell the tale, Sister Lidwina and Mother Agnes being two of the few who had and were a thing of myth and legend to behold. Jayroe had been blessed to see so much more and learn more about them than anyone in their entire village had before. Now that a whole family was about to wine and dine with them, Jayroe had left careful instructions to his father about having a wide-open space for the driders for the evening meal and to not make them feel trapped; it was the last thing any of them needed after everything they’d been through.

His family were bringing out different plates and dishes out to the barn when they finally rolled up. Aisley nearly tripped over her feet when she ran to put the dish down to run out to meet them with their father and brother slow in tow. Though the driders stood composed behind him, he could feel the nervous look in their eyes.

“Aisley, not so fast.” Jayroe grunted as he patted her back and quickly glanced over his shoulder. “We don’t want to go scaring the guests, do we?”

“No, never!” She gasped and took a step back to look at the beautiful driders. “My if I haven’t seen the prettiest eyes in all the land.”

“T-Thank you.” Sidae nervously laughed and smiled at her.

“I think your eyes are prettier.” Kai said as she tiptoed out from behind Jayroe to peek at Aisley. “They’re green and brown.”

The moment Aisley laid eyes on Kai Jayroe was sure he was going to have to throw a leash on her to keep her from squealing in excitement. She had that same excited sparkling look in her eye whenever she saw an adorable baby or calf. Aisley ducked down and kneeled to a smaller level to be closer with Kai and held her hand out.

“Your eyes are by far the prettiest.” She beamed and held her hand out to Kai. “I’m Aisley and I’d very much like to be your friend. I like your dress too.”

Kai’s eyes sparkled nearly as much as Aisley’s before she cast a quick glance to her mother, received a quick nod of approval, and accepted Aisley’s hand. The two were nearly vibrating with squealing energy and immediately darted off towards the barn talking a mile a minute about things Jayroe couldn’t quite understand in their excitement.

“Well, that was my sister.” Jayroe cleared his throat roughly as he smiled back at Sidae. “This here is my father and my brother Fralick.”

“Pleasure to meet you ma’am.” His father beamed up at Sidae with Fralick offering a nervous smile behind him.

“The pleasure is ours.” Sidae’s cheeks tinted pink with embarrassment as she rested a hand on Jayroe’s shoulder as well as Lycas’s. “Your son has done so much for us. Though we did our best to get by on our own, he certainly helped us out when we needed it most.”

“Come on, let’s get these little ones into the barn where they can nap to their little hearts’ content.” His father flicked his head in the direction of the barn and led the way.

Once they were all on the farm everyone’s nerves seemed to finally settle down. Jayroe’s family was just as welcoming and loving as he anticipated and so much more. With Aisley making fast friends with Kai and even teaching each other a few stitch knots there was little to worry about from them. Fralick was relatively shy but was able to loop Lycas in light and casual conversation off to the side while his father thoroughly enjoyed talking to Sidae about literally everything. He had heard Sidae laugh before, but his father told some sort of joke that made her snort and Lycas laugh out loud.

Conversations were light and playful all through dinner and even after some of the drider babies woke and started crawling around. Sidae had been worried that the twelve of them would be a lot to handle all at once, but after running a dairy farm for so long, his human family was able to prove to his drider family that they weren’t anything to be worried about at all. With books to read, toys to be played with, and new things to see, the baby driders were easily entertained and easily tuckered out again. As Jayroe stood off to the side watching the best of both worlds co-exist with one another, a part of him hoped that he could somehow keep them all together like this, that he and the driders wouldn’t have to leave and they could all be one big happy family. He knew it would be too good to be true and even if his human family loved the driders as much as he did, there was too much conflict in the village and too many dangers seeking them out for them to stay here for much longer. Even if it was just for a single night, Jayroe would cherish this moment in time forever.

He’d been so caught up in his thoughts that he hadn’t heard Sidae come to stand next to him and only just barely felt her presence as the wind blew. He stood on the porch while she stood on the ground, standing like this he was finally level with her, taller even.

“They are as loving and wonderful as you said.” She beamed as she rested her elbow on the porch beam. “I almost feel silly for being so worried.”

“Don’t be.” He shook his head with a smile. “They were as new to you as y’all were to them. They were terrified they were going to offend or scare y’all away.”

“Never!”

“That’s what I told ‘em.” He chuckled and laced his fingers together. “Still, it’s nice to see everyone getting along so great. Especially Lycas. . .”

His eyes slowly moved in the direction where Lycas and Fralick stood discussing things with their hands. Sidae hummed happily and leaned a little closer to him until their arms were touching.

“I couldn’t agree more. After Lycas was betrayed by a human when he was young, I never expected him take to any of them again.” Her hand slowly came to rest on his wrist and Jayroe felt his heart jump all the way down to his boots. “I can’t thank you enough for everything you’ve done.”

Those green eyes turned in his direction and he tried to keep his heart in check and his mind from wandering with how close they were. “I’d do it all again in a heartbeat.”

“You’re far too kind.” Her hand slowly trailed to his, her fingertips resting on his knuckles and making his heart bounce and the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. “I know it hasn’t been easy, Lycas has arguably suffered more betrayal than I have and doesn’t trust easily because of it. The fact he trusted you and your words speaks more volumes than you could ever know.”

That helped keep his heart in check real quick. He had to release a slow steady breath to keep himself calm and his voice even. “It means more to me than you’ll ever know to hear you say that.”

“I mean it.” She squeezed his hand, and he easily relaxed his hold for her to slip her fingers into his palm. “I can’t remember the last time I’ve seen him this relaxed in the presence of humans.”

“I take it a human is what gave him most of his scars?” He wetted his lips to hide his nervousness and the clench of his heart when Sidae nodded.

“Some were due to the scramble of escaping the egg.” Sidae’s smile faltered and her hold on his hand stiffened. “The ones on his face and throat were due to a human boy he had befriended and then was betrayed by whenever we were making our escape. . . His friend had been the one to alarm the others that we were escaping.”

No words could properly convey the empathy and sympathy Jayroe felt as all the pieces suddenly fell into place. But Jayroe didn’t have to say anything or convey anything. He’d been with the driders long enough by now that there wasn’t really a reason to. Sidae smile and slowly laced their fingers together all the same.

“He’s come so far in such a short time; I really can’t thank you enough.” Her finger trailed tiny circles against his thumb as she looked at him. “If there’s anything at all that I can do to repay you. . . please, don’t hesitate to ask.”

Staring into those vibrant green eyes with his heart pumping so loud he couldn’t think, Jayroe was nearly tempted to ask for a kiss, but a single kiss wouldn’t be enough for him in this moment, and if he were more honest, he wanted to be more greedy with this reward. With more strength than he knew he possessed Jayroe held himself back long enough for the thoughts of reason to come flooding back to him.

“I’ll hold off on that reward for a little while.” His heart nearly dove into his stomach at his own words as the playfulness in Sidae’s eyes slowly slipped away.

“Are you sure?” Temptress that she was and knew how to weave her words into his heart, Jayroe had to be strong for what was to come next.

“Y-Yes.” His voice cracked out of spite of him trying to be strong and confident. “I can’t accept anything from you yet until you’ve heard a few things I need to say.”

She blinked curiously at him; her head tilted to the side in interest as she waited patiently for him to continue. With a shaky breath Jayroe told Sidae of the news in the town, of the monster hunters that had tracked them, how the driders from the castle were posted outside this village, and of the city of Dyrk and the place of opportunity it was becoming. He had left his hand relaxed so if she wanted to pull away from him in disgust, she could; but instead of releasing his hand she clung to it tighter. Sidae didn’t say a word save for an occasional question here and there of how this information came about as she absorbed his words. It was the longest conversation they had and the longer it went on the deeper his nerves buried themselves in his gut.

“So as much as I hate to say it, the Violet Oaks may not be safe for y’all for much longer.” He released another heavy breath to steady himself under those unwavering green eyes, but it did nothing to take the weight in his heart away as he chose to be bold. “With all that said, I think we should move to Dyrk.”

“We?” Not missing a beat her head tilted to the side, her hand flinching tighter to hold his hand with a soft gasp.  “Is your family wishing to move to Dyrk”

“No.” He shook his head and felt like he’d swallowed cotton. “No, my father said he plans to spend the rest of his days here. My sister will probably get married to her Orc come spring, and Fralick won’t leave his partner any time soon. . .” He hoped she couldn’t feel how badly his nerves shook but knowing her she probably could. “I was thinkin’ I could go with y’all if you wanted. If you were plannin’ on goin’ to Dyrk, that is.”

“It is the wiser decision to make, especially with how young the babies are, it’ll be easier to travel with them while their sleeping rather than having them run all over the place. . .” The corner of her mouth curled into a sly smile, but there was something that shook with fervor in her eyes. “But why would you come with us, Jayroe?”

He tried not to let the question hurt his heart. It was an honest and genuine question that deserved both an honest and genuine answer, even at the risk of breaking his own heart. He wanted to play it off that it was fine either way, if she wanted him to go or to stay, he would do either, but as he stared into those vibrant green eyes prettier than any precious jewels, he knew he couldn’t stay here in Drusilla anymore. Not if she weren’t here too.

“Because I want to go with y’all,” his voice was quiet even to his own ears as he spoke. “I want to do with you, Sidae, if you’ll have me, anyways.”

“I will always accept your company, Jayroe.” Her voice was just as faint and just as soft as his own as she carefully reached out with her hand to tuck a strand of his hair behind his ear. “However, a journey north will be difficult and unrelenting, there’s no telling when you’ll be able to return.”

Her hand came to rest at his cheek, and he held it there, trying to hold onto this moment for a little longer. Not looking away, unmoving and wrapped in this moment, Jayroe dared to let his heart speak. “That’s fine. My place isn’t here in this village anymore.”

“Why not?” She somehow felt closer in such a tight and close space.

“Because my heart no longer resides here. . .” He carefully squeezed her hand that rested on his cheek as he felt the flames rising up his neck as his heart grew bolder. Her eyes shimmered and it look like she was fighting back a smile as she stood so impossibly close. “If you do not want me, I will stay here, however, a piece of me will always be missin’ because you will always carry my heart, Sidae.”

The smile she’d been fighting back had somehow twisted and the shimmer in her eyes dimmed as she pursed her lips. “I would love nothing more than to have you come with us, Jayroe, but I cannot feel that if you come with us, you may never come back.”

“That’s fine.” No hesitation as his whole focus was on her.

“You always talked of starting a family of your own.” He could feel her withdrawing and that boldness in his chest began to squeeze in desperation. “I cannot give you that.”

He squeezed her hand, holding it tightly to keep her from pulling away, and carefully placed it over his chest where his heart thudded loudly in his chest.

“Sidae, you have already given me a family, even if they’re not my own I love them already as if they were. The babies, Kai, Lycas – and you Sidae. The greatest reward I could ever hope to have would be to spend the rest of my life with you.” She gasped and he dared to stand on his toes to be that closer to her, their noses touching, and their eyes locked on one another. “Whether you wish to stay here or go to Dyrk, it doesn’t matter to me, I will do whatever it is that you need so that you and your family is safe.” Her eyes glimmered with building tears and with a shaky hand Jayroe caressed her cheek. “I love you, Sidae, and I will follow you to the ends of the earth if you’ll have me.”

His heart raced faster than a horse in his chest, but he dare not move, dare not do anything to deter her from him. Sidae’s green eyes bounced back and forth with so many emotions he was sure he had overwhelmed her. Just as he was going to pull away from her, she leaned forward with a whisper, “I will have you, if you will have me, Jayroe.”

Sidae pressed those smooth lips to his own and the rest of the world somehow disappeared. Slow, steady, and even a little nervous their lips moved against one another in a strange harmony that finally brought a peace to his nervous heart. Their hands held one another closer, keeping them still in their kiss. When she slowly pulled back it was the railing of the porch that prevented him from chasing after her and made her laugh so warmly.

Fralick let out a whooping holler while Kai and Aisley gasped. His father smiled with pride all the while Lycas looked both unsurprised and unhappy at witnessing their kiss. Jayroe knew that he and Lycas were eventually going to discuss their relationship moving forward, but it was something that he could worry about much later. Like a ripple in a pond to start a change in an unmoving surface, Jayroe felt that his world was quickly changing, and he couldn’t wait to be a part of it.

If it hadn’t been made obvious to his family the night of the kiss, it was confirmed that Jayroe would be leaving with Sidae and the kids when two drider knights arrived to escort him from the farm the following Thursday in the dead of night. He wasn’t entirely sure how the driders knew so quickly. He’d assumed he’d have to write a letter to the drider prince, but they had somehow been informed by someone or they had been spying on them Jayroe did his best not to question as they were not forthcoming with their answers. There was a guarantee of good weather for the following two weeks and the drider knights wanted to quickly escort them to Dyrk before the winter chill set in.

with two dairy cows pulling the wagon, a bundle of knitted things for the driders, food for the road, and many tears and hugs, Jayroe and the drider knights departed from the farm and trudged through the Violet Oaks. It was a bit of a shock to Jayroe when he found Sidae and the kids all packed up and ready to go. Woven baskets from tree branches carried their canned food, carefully woven leaf and silk sacks carried water, and each baby drider were carefully swaddled in silk and sleeping. Jayroe was greeted with a glare from Lycas, a kiss from Sidae and a quick hug from Kai before she hid behind him as the knights carefully placed the babies into the wagon. It was obvious that his family was considerably on edge with the drider knights assisting and escorting them with how the hair on their body stood on end, but the knights were nothing but professional and handled the situation with great care.

For better or for worse the knights kept to themselves as they led the way while Sidae and the kids were tight lipped with raging anxiety it made him doubt his decision was the correct one. It was going to be a week’s journey and he knew he would have to do something to break the ice, for Lycas’s sake more than anyone. Lycas’s hackles never relaxed, and he followed behind the wagon to keep his green eyes on his family, but his gaze never strayed from the two knights leading them to Dyrk. They only took a short break at daybreak for the cows’ sake and so the little driders could stretch their restless legs and run out of energy in time to nap again.

Kai was able to relax and get most of her nervous energy through playing with her siblings, but Lycas refused to relax in the presence of the knights. Sidae stayed close to Jayroe, casually holding his hand, giving it a squeeze to remind him she was there, and snuck in a few kisses when she thought the kids weren’t looking. They were sweet and full of hunger and left a craving lingering beneath his skin, however, Jayroe didn’t want to do too much too soon. Between this big move and the knights escorting them, Jayroe didn’t want to overwhelm Lycas too much too soon.

“What have you told Lycas and Kai?” He asked as she ran a hand down one of the cows back.

“What do you mean?” She hummed as she held her hand out for the cow to smell her hand. If it weren’t for Jayroe rubbing down the animal’s back, she would have turned tail and ran by now.

“Well, about us.” He glanced up at her and could see her keeping an eye on her children.

“Partnerships are very different between our species.” She started slowly. “It is especially different for a breeder like me; however, I have told them that you are to be my mate; however uncommon that may be.”

He almost hated the way his face burned at the term mate, but it strangely felt comforting and somehow deeper than just marriage. “How did they take it?”

“Kai, of course, is excited for us.” She smiled weakly as the cow finally touched its not to her palm. “Lycas, though. . .”

“Didn’t take it well?” Despite the encouraging conversation he’d tried to have with Lycas that night before they met his family, he knew that Lycas was not ready to fully accept him as a leading adult in his life. That was more or less all right, he’d anticipated this sort of response and knew better than to push it.

“He did not seem surprised by the news, but he also did not seem to be disappointed either.” Her mouth formed a tight line as she stroked the long bridge of the cow’s nose. “I think he is happy for us, for me specifically, but I also believe that he is. . . frustrated.”

Jayroe could only nod in understanding. Their relationship with one another wasn’t on good terms, but it was far from being on the worst terms. Between fending for his family and saving his own life, Lycas had somewhat gotten over his grudge against humans, though that did not mean he would give Jayroe a warm welcome into his family either. Throw in a sudden move after getting somewhat settled into a routine and Jayroe would be frustrated too.

“I need to talk to him.” His eyes rolled over to Lycas as he helped scoop up his younger siblings and began to swaddle them in their silk blankets.

Sidae reached for his hand and gave it a squeeze and ignited his heart all aflame. “He respects you for what you have done for us and him, he just needs a little time. After so much change in such a small amount of time, he needs a little time to himself.”

Jayroe understood that, and though he would wait, his impatience of explaining himself to Lycas kept gnawing on the back of his mind. He by no means planned to replace either of his fathers or father figures, had not planned on lording over him, and wanted to be at least friends with one another before they got to Dyrk. He just wanted to somehow let the young drider know that, but he was also aware of the pressing presence the drider knights seemed to have over his nerves and knew he would have to wait until the time was right to talk things out.

I hope you’re enjoying this so far!

TO BE CONTINUED. . .

Here is Part 7

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