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I finally managed some more Four Kingdomās AU, this time little Olwynās first real meeting with Kel..
Kel, Ireth, Haninan, June, Arethfal, and Glory belong to @feynites. Kass belongs to @scurvgirl. Selene (mention) belongs to @selenelavellan.
---
Olwynās betrothed is named Kel. Kel is the daughter of the Keeper Ireth and her husband Haninan. She has a brother named June who is A MILLION YEARS older than her, and a big clan family. Kelās mom can turn into a dragon. No, that isnāt right. Sheās a dragon that can turn into an elf, thatās what makes her a Keeper and not an Evanuris, like her grandmothers and uncle Dirthamen. It is hard to keep track of it all, but she has been studying very hard about the Council of Clans, so that she can make a good first impression.
Olwyn knows it is very important to make a good first impression. And also that betrothals are serious business. Her grandnanae has been trying to make friends with the Council of Clans for a very long time, and this betrothal is really important for that. It could mean that there wouldnāt be any more fighting.
Thatās a good thing. Olwyn doesnāt like it when thereās fighting, because that means her parents might have to go off to war and they could get hurt. There hasnāt been a war since Olwynās grandnanae defeated Mythal and divided the empire into four kingdoms, long before Olwyn was born, but she knows that all of her parents fought in it, and so did her Aunt Selene and Uncle Dirthamen and grandparents. Sometimes she has nightmares that thereās a war again and her parents have to leave, but her parents always tell her itās ok, because there isnāt any war and theyāre all trying very hard to make sure there wonāt be any more wars either.
Olwyn believes them, and sheās glad that she gets to help make sure there isnāt any more fighting by getting betrothed. Sheās trying her hardest to be good at it, and be as responsible as all the adults. They donāt let children do responsible things very often, so Olwyn has to show them that sheās ready for it.
Itās hard to be serious though, when sheās so excited.
āI wonder how many pets Kel has,ā Olwyn swings her legs back and forth, and stares at her reflection in the big dressing room mirror. āNemmy do you think sheās got a dog as big as Haurshos? I donāt think anybodyās got a dog as big as Haurshos. Do you think the Council of Free Clans have dogs at all? Are dogs only for empire elves?ā
āKeep your head straight, little princess,ā Nemael chuckles, continuing to braid her hair. Nemael is Olwynās nanny. He was a spirit once, one of the kinds that doesnāt really have a name. He came with her father Arethfal when he married her papae Aelynthi. He smells like the forest, and heās almost as tall as an aspen tree. He always makes sure she stays out of trouble when her parents are doing important things or adult things or important adult things which are the worst. āIām not certain if Kel has a dog or not. That is something you can ask her tonight at dinner.ā
Olwyn begins to nod, and feels the soft tug of her hair as Nemael continues to braid, and sits up a little straighter for him. āKeeper Ireth was a really pretty dragon, have you ever seen another dragon? Are they all as pretty as her?ā
āI have seen other dragons, but not another Keeper.ā Nemael answers, āYour grandmothers Princess Andruil and the Lady Ghilanain can both turn into dragons, but their forms were very different.ā
āKinda like how all elves look different?ā
āJust so,ā Nemael agrees, and gives one final, playful tug. āThere you are, all set.ā Olwyn looks at herself in the mirror with a pleased grin. Sheās wearing an all new dress; itās gold and teal with a white fur trim, and sheās got a yellow jade hairpin nestled in her braids.
āDo you think Kel will like my hairpin?ā
āI am sure sheāll love it.ā
Normally Olwyn doesnāt like big dinners. It means sitting at the high table and having to eat all her vegetables because she has to be well-behaved. She canāt even sneak some to Haurshos because he isnāt allowed to come.
But papa Thenvunin has assured her that there will be lots of wonderful foods to eat and that she gets to sit with Kel and also stay up late like adults do! She hasnāt been able to talk with Kel yet, not after seeing her at the big meeting place when her papae Aelynthi was greeting Keeper Ireth and she hadnāt been able to really talk because the adults were talking.
Adults really like talking.
But sheād waved at Kel, and smiled at her, and tried to make her feel welcome. It is her job as a good hostess and betrothed to make Kel feel safe and happy. She thinks Kel is very pretty. She doesnāt wear her hair in the intricate court styles, but keeps it cut short, and her eyes are warm and her ears are straight rather than sloping up at the tip.
Papa and nanae Glory come get her from her rooms, to take her to dinner. Olwyn knows papae is in talks with Keeper Ireth and Grandnanae, and babae is helping show the clan members around with uncle Morwen.Ā Ā
They donāt go to the imperial dining room, where Olwyn is used to her more formal meals. Instead papa carries her out into the large, open-aired courtyard that is usually used for the large festivals. There are already musicians playing, and a group of dancers at the center, surrounded by smaller tables that each sit four (two imperial officials and two clan members to each). On a raised dais are two longer tables, and on the highest dais is where Olwynās Grandnanae will sit, with Keeper Ireth beside them to show a level as equals. Grandpapae Nithroel, grandma Faunalyn, and grandnanaeās wife Kassaran are already seated. Olwyn waves, and is rewarded with smiles and a wave in return from all three.
On the dais just below Grandnanae Melarue is where Olwyn will sit with her parents and Kel and the rest of Kelās family. Olwynās father, Prince Arethfal, isnāt here yet, which makes her a little sad. Her papae had explained that father was talking with her grandmamae and grandmemae back in their kingdom because they were angry that they hadnāt been invited to Olwynās betrothal meeting.
He was supposed to be back before the meeting itself, but he sent a message ahead saying heād be a day or two late. Nanae says that Olwyn doesnāt need to worry, but she still does. Sometimes she finds her grandmamae Andruil to be scary. Grandmemae Ghilanānain is a little nicer, she thinks. She made Haurshos after all.
Her worry is overshadowed by her excitement, of course. She has so many things she wants to show Kel, and so many questions to ask her!
Papa sits her down on his left, on a large blue cushion. It reminds her of eating meals with her parents around her low table, and not the high-backed imperial dining chairs. She likes it even more now. The only thing that would make this perfect would be Haurshos. Heād whined the whole time theyād gone down the hallway from her rooms; he doesnāt like it when he canāt see her.
Nanae sits beside papa, and Olwyn knows that babae will sit beside them. Papae will sit with Grandnanae, for more talks with Keeper Ireth. Olwyn can see lots of officials and clan members settling into their own seats, and recognizes several of grandnanaeās top officials, including uncle Morwen and nabae Treachery and gran gran Mirena.
The air is pleasantly cool, like a spring evening, despite the snow on the tiled roofs. Lanterns line the courtyard, still unlit, though Olwyn knows they will activate once the sky darkens. She learned all about that kind of light magic in her lessons, and she even spelled the one in her own room!
A gong sounds, and a herald announces the arrival of Grandnanae and Keeper Ireth. Papa picks up Olwyn and stands, as everyone else gets to their feet and Grandnanae walks to their seat with papae. Both of them are dressed in even prettier dresses than Olwynās. Keeper Ireth is in her elf form, but she has her horns still. Theyāre different than the horns Grandmama Kass has, they go up and out and theyāre gold.
Babae leads Kel and her papae and brother to the table next to Olwyn, and Olwyn has to keep herself from talking until Grandnanae addresses everyone and welcomes them to the meal and talks for a little bit about peace and alliances and new beginnings while Olwyn twists in papaās arms to get a better look at Kel.
Sheās dressed in a deep emerald dress with silver embroidered trees on the hem and collar, and there are silver cuffs on her ears, and sheās trying to get a good look at Olwyn too.
When Grandnanae and Keeper Ireth sit down, the rest of them follow suit and Olwyn nearly jumps out of papaās arms to settle on her cushion beside Kel. āHi!ā She chirps, āIām Olwyn.ā
Kel smiles back, āIām Kel.ā
āDo you have any favorite foods?ā Olwyn leans over and grabs a small bowl of sliced mango. āThis is my favorite fruit, do you wanna try some?ā
Kel takes a bit and nods, āItās good.ā She doesnāt finish it though, Olwyn notices. Oh no, is she being a bad hostess already? Olwyn pauses, and tries to think about what she did wrong. Well, sheād asked Kel if she had any favorite foods...but she hadnāt given her time to answer. Sheād just given Kel the things she liked. That wasnāt very nice of her. Olwyn tries again. āWhat kind of foods do you like, Kel?ā
āI like spicy things,ā Kel replies, as Olwyn waits and tries REALLY hard not to start talking until Kel finishes.
āOh!ā Olwyn nearly knocks over her glass of water as she reaches across the tableānanae grabs it and keeps it from spilling just in timeāand grabs another bowl. āWanna try these peppers? My babae really likes them. Theyāre too spicy for me though.ā
Kel takes the offered pepper and goes for a second before her papa tells her that she has to eat the other foods on her plate too. Olwyn steals a glance at him as she nibbles another piece of mango. His name is Haninan, she knows, and heās got his hair in braids like her, with little gold and glass beads in it. Itās pretty. Sitting beside him is Kelās big brother June. June is dressed really fancy, like the empire elves, and heās watching the room like heās not sure who heās supposed to talk to.
Papa keeps putting foods on Olwynās plate andāOlwyn grimacesāthere it is, vegetables. She sighs. Sheād really hoped that since it was a special night she would just get to eat good food, but nanae gives her a look that says ānoā.
Babae and Haninan are talking about something over Olwynās head, as Olwyn leans over conspiratorially. āDo you like vegetables?ā
āSome,ā Kel nods, āWhy?ā
āAny of these?ā Olwyn points to her own plate. When Kel points to a few Olwyn hurriedly transfers them over.
āDaālen,ā Nanae pats the top of her head, āWhat are you doing?ā
āIām being a good betrothed!ā Olwyn defends, āKel likes these vegetables it would be remiss of me not to let her have them.ā Remiss is one of the new words her tutor had taught her the other day.
Haninan laughs, and Nanae makes a face like they want to laugh but know that they shouldnāt. Instead they pat Olwynās head again, āAlright.ā
āTomorrow do you wanna play with my toys?ā Olwyn turns back to Kel. āThe adults are going to do boring stuff, but we can play in my rooms! You can choose all of the games, since youāre the guest.ā
āThat is very nice of you, Princess Olwyn.ā Haninan smiles down at her.
The rest of the evening continues much the same. Olwyn and Kel both get distracted from talking about their favorite games by the new dancers in the middle of the courtyard, before Olwynās uncle Morwen walks forward and makes a speech about two groups coming together for peace, and about the wonders of music connecting peopleāuncle Morwen is very good with wordsāand then plays a piece of his own, inspired by traditional clan music, and the whole courtyard goes silent to listen.Ā
Olwyn barely notices sheās getting sleepy, until she finds herself being carried down the hall in papaeās arms. She doesnāt need to open her eyes to recognize himāhe smells like his favorite jasmine perfume and paint. She doesnāt hear his words, not awake enough to make them out, but heās talking with her other parents.
āCan I play with Kel tomorrow?ā Olwyn murmurs, as papa Thenvunin pulls the blanket up to her chin. She feels the bed shift as Haurshos leaps onto it and settles against her back.
āOf course you can, daālen.ā Babae answers, and then each of her parents gives her a kiss on the forehead. By the last, sheās fallen asleep.
---
Olwyn wakes the next morning before Nemael arrives to help her get ready for the day, too excited to stay in bed a moment longer. The sooner she gets dressed the sooner she can see Kel, after all. She is halfway through putting on her clothes when he walks in and pauses in the doorway to survey the chaos.
He laughs softly as he begins picking up the clothes scattered across the ground, āEager to play with your new friend?ā
āKelās never seen a big dog so babae says I can bring Haurshos to play and weāre gonna go to the big garden and the menagerie and weāre gonna have a picnic next to the koi pond because itās romantic.ā
Haurshos gives a soft woof of agreement from where heās curled up on the bed.
āFirst we need to be properly dressed.ā Nemael nods. āItās going to be too cold for that dress today.ā
Olwyn looks down at the dress sheād chosen. Itās one of her favorites, with golden bamboo and cranes on it. It makes her feel very grown up, like Grandnanae; all silk, with a red and gold sash with a beaded pendant in the shape of her formal seal. She frowns, āBut this oneās my favorite.ā Just in case Nemael forgot.
āWhat about the dress is your favorite part?ā Nemael asks as he sits her down on the ottoman next to her closet.
āThe sash,ā Olwyn decides, āand the colors.ā
āWell,ā her nanny stands and heads for her closet. āWhat if we find some warmer clothes that are the same color and wear them with the sash?ā
Olwyn thinks about it for a bit. She really wanted to show Kel her favorite dress. It makes her look important and royal. But...she also doesnāt want to be cold. She doesnāt like the cold very much. āOk.ā
In the end Olwyn finds herself in a pair of warm leggings and a long-sleeved tunicāNemmy reminds her sheāll be running around, and leggings will make it easier to moveāwith a pretty navy blue coat with gold swans sewn into the collar that match her sash. Her hair is still in braids, so Nemael leaves them loose. The braids reminds her of babaeās hair, which has her in an even happier mood by the time nanae and papa come to take her to breakfast.
Haurshos whines, but stays with Nemael as they head out. Heās not allowed to come to the formal dining hall and has to stay until they go to the gardens. Olwyn hates it just as much as Haurshos, maybe even more. āHaurshos is really sad papa.ā Olwyn pouts, tugging on Thenvuninās hand. āCanāt he come to breakfast? He didnāt get to come to dinner and he waited so good. Please?ā
Her papa wavers, but nanae simply wraps a fur-lined scarf around Olwynās neck and boops her nose. āYou know better than to ask papa with that sad face. Haurshos will be fine for a little longer.ā
Nanae always catches her when she tries to ask papa or babae for something she knows her other parents will say no to. Olwyn sighs, āBut what if he forgets what I look like because Iām gone so much? Or he tries to eat the ducks because heās so sad, like Screecher?ā
Nanae snorts. āScreecher did not eat the ducks because they were sad, daālen.ā
āWell it made Uncle Morwen sad,ā Olwyn asserts, while papa sputters and begins telling her that Screecher was just doing what Screecher does and wasnāt trying to make anyone sad. Papa tells that story every time Screecher attacks an animal or personāwhich is often.
āWhere is my little puppy?ā
Olwyn recognizes the voice instantly, and tears away from papaās hand as she careens down the hallway toward the tall figure at the end. āFather!ā
Her father grabs her up and lifts her into the air as she giggles, before pressing a kiss to her forehead. Heās still wearing his traveling clothes, and smells like his hunting leathers and the snake hounds. āI missed you.ā
āI missed you too,ā Olwyn wraps her arms around his neck, and breaths in the smell of the woods from his coat, before she leans back to look him in the eyes again. āHave you met my betrothed, Kel? Sheās really pretty and sheās never seen a dog before!ā
āDid your talk go well?ā Nanae asks her father, as they continue down the hall. Nanae doesnāt like Olwynās grandmamae and grandmemae at all, Olwyn heard her talking with papa Thenvunin about it before, when Olwyn had gone to visit them for the first time. nanae Glory had said āNO! Itās too dangerous.ā and papa had stayed behind with them so they wouldnāt be lonely when she had gone with father and papae and babae. She remembers how scared nanae had sounded, and how hard theyād hugged her when sheād come back.
āOf course,ā Olwynās father answers, but even Olwyn knows heās only saying it because they canāt talk about adult stuff when sheās there. Instead he turns to her again and smiles, āYour grandmothers sent you some presents to congratulate you on your betrothal. Would you like to see them?ā
Olwyn loves presents. Even if sometimes her parents tell her sheās too young to play with some of the gifts that Grandmamae Andruil sends her. Last time Grandmemae Ghilanānain sent her a gift it was Sunset, her very own moose-lion. She lives in the stables, and usually Olwyn has to sit in fatherās lap to ride, but sheās old enough now to start riding lessons on her own because sheās practically all grown up. Sheās about to say yes when she remembers something, āDid they get Kel any presents?ā
Her father blinks, āWell, no.ā
āThen Iāll wait till later,ā Olwyn decides, and tries not to seem too disappointed. āI donāt wanna make her feel left out.ā
She is such a good betrothed.
Her father sets her down, and holds her hand while they walk to the dining hall and listens to her describe the night before. The herald at the door announces them, before they walk inside. The imperial dining hall is full of five long tables made of dark wood, embedded with tops made of clear crystal. This is where the nobles of the court sit, those that wish to eat their meals in attendance of Grandnanae and the rest of the royal family.
This morning the tables are full to bursting, with imperial elves and members of Kelās clan. Grandnanae Melarue is sitting at the sixth, final table with Keeper Ireth and her family. The table is longer than Olwyn remembers it being before, to accommodate the new arrivals, curving at both ends rather than straight across.
This time Olwyn doesnāt get to sit beside Kel because theyāre seated at opposite sides of the table. She hears Kel ask her papa why, and Olwyn turns to her own parents with the same query, before she canāt stand it any longer and tries to get down from her seat so she can go talk with her. The debacle ends when she finds herself firmly seated in Grandnanaeās lap, with Kel in Keeper Irethās, so the two can talk.
Olwyn isnāt a baby, she doesnāt need to sit in someoneās lap, but she knows the adults like to think she does.
And she doesnāt get to sit in Grandnanaeās lap as much anymore, and she knows Grandnanae misses it and she doesnāt want their feelings to get hurt.
āMy papa says that when we finish eating we can go and play and donāt have to wait for the adults to be done,ā Olwyn tells Kel, āWe get to spend the whole day together! And all of tomorrow too. And the day after that, to make sure we like each other. I think I already like you, cuz you like dogs and eat the vegetables that I donāt like so I donāt have to. But we can spend more time together too just to make sure. And because being betrothed means spending time together.ā
Kel nods, āWe need to play games so we can see if we like the same ones.ā
āThereās a tree in the big garden that has lots of good branches for climbing and itās the tallest tree ever,ā Olwyn leans back in Grandnanaeās arms, āWe can race to the top!ā
Kel bounces in her motherās arms, āI wanna see it.ā
āAfter you eat,ā Grandnanae reminds them.
Olwyn has never eaten her breakfast so fast. She slows down only when her grandmama and grandpapae tell her that sheāll get a stomach ache if she doesnāt stop, and pouts for a bit while she waits for her tummy to settle before babae comes to take her and Kel to go play, along with Kelās papae Haninan.
By the time they get out of the dining hall both girls are giggling with excitement, ready to run off and play.
The most important thing, of course, is meeting Haurshos. Olwyn reminds her babae several times as they leave the dining hall that they need to go back to her rooms and get him. She refuses to be carried; she wants to walk with Kel.
She knows betrothed hold hands, but she doesnāt want to go too fast. Betrothals are long and she needs to be patient and understanding. She and Kel agree that waiting is important, so theyāve agreed on the end of the week for hand holding.
Olwyn can hear Haurshos whining as they near her roomsāheās smelled her coming. When babae opens the door Haurshos tumbles through and nearly knocks her down. He doesnāt of course, because heās the smartest dog in the world and he knows better than to knock her over when she could get hurt. Instead he covers her face with kisses.
Nemael walks out of Olwynās rooms behind Haurshos with a sigh, and begins wiping the slober off Olwynās cheeks, tutting. Olwyn is so preoccupied with scratching Haurshosā chin that she almost forgets that sheās supposed to be showing Kel around. She turns to see her betrothed standing a few feet away, eyes wide, looking excited. Olwyn grins, āThis is Haurshos!ā
At the sound of his name, Haurshos looks over Olwynās head and turns to welcome Kel. He leans forward, tail wagging furiously as he sniffs Kelās outstretched hands. When Kel lets out a giggle his tail wags even harder and he ventures a lick on her palm.
āHe loves getting his ears scratched,ā Olwyn shows her how, and Haurshos grunts and leans into Kelās hand as she does so.
āHeās so soft!ā Kel exclaims, and looks more than a little wonderstruck. She canāt seem to stop petting Haurshos, and Olwynās faithful hound shows no sign of moving.
Olwyn knows the concept of sharing, but is not something sheās ever had to do before. There were never any other children to share with. And while a part of her feels some odd tinge of worry, that maybe Haurshos might like Kel more now, she realizes that more than that worry she likes the idea of Haurshos and Kel getting along, the idea of all three of them there, having fun.
*sneaks some Haninan fic for @scurvgirlās new Miss Honey AU onto the pile and flees*
Haninan is thinking about Kassaranās recent venting on the subject of bad fathers, when one of his students - Venavismi - accidentally spills a carton of pencil crayons across the classroom floor during the middle of art time.
Ā Haninan heads over, of course, as Vena drops to the floor and starts picking up scattered pencils.
Ā āIām sorry!ā the boy says. āI didnāt mean to, Iām sorry!ā
Ā Something about the way Vena apologizes always makes Haninan worry. Most of the time, Venavismi is the sort of child who would prefer to joke and lighten the mood. But every once in a while, when he gets tired, he starts apologizing, and thereās always a frantic edge to it that makes it clear he expects some kind of disproportionate retribution to rain down on him. An edge that lends itself very readily to tears, which only seem to provoke more apologies.
Ā Venaās parents are the wealthiest that Haninan regularly deals with, apart from his own wife, of course. Ireth doesnāt know much about them, herself, except that they run in different circles. The last conference, Haninan talked to them about Venaās extra curricular activities, because heās been worried for a while now that the poor child has too many. He has the same piano teacher as June, and heās in gymnastics, and one of the elven language classes, and beginnerās fencing. Haninanās pretty sure heās in more, too, given some things heās overheard, but Venaās parents are very⦠adamant that heās only āmeeting his potentialā and not being over-extended.
Ā Bad parents come in all shapes and sizes, Haninan has learned. Violence and neglect are by no means easy to deal with, but at least they have answers - even when those answers are difficult to actual reach. Thereās very little anyone can do about parents who veer too strongly in the opposite direction, though.
Ā āItās alright, Vena,ā he assures the boy, reaching down to ruffle his hair and, when that gets a little sigh of relief, plucking him up to put him back in his seat. āThis isnāt too big of a mess, really. Iāll take care of it while you get back to your drawing.ā
Ā He glances at the paper and sees that Vena was in the middle of filling in a blue sky, and picks up the blue pencil crayon, first, to give to him. Vena clutches it with a look of concern on his face for a moment, before he calms down enough to manage a smile.
Ā āOkay,ā he agrees. āSorry, Mister Haninan!ā
Ā āApology accepted. It was an accident, after all,ā Haninan assures him, before easily scooping up the rest of the pencil crayons. Fitting them back into their box is only slightly more challenging, but he manages it. Heās had a lot of practice; June enjoys drawing, but cleaning up after himself is an entirely different matter.
Ā Class manages to get all the way to the end of the drawing period without anything more dramatic than Venaās spilled pencil crayons, which Haninan counts as an overall win. Thereās a bit of a struggle during Quiet Reading Time, when Ash gets impatient with her book and starts whispering with her seatmate, but Haninan is expecting it and comes over to help her go through a few passages and get her to settle down again. To her credit, Ash doesnāt try and get out of her seat this time, or ask to go to the bathroom again.
Ā When the day ends, Haninan gives his students their preferred high-fives or hugs, as the parents come to get them. Vena gives him his drawing from art time as a present, which Haninan enthuses over before he puts it in the special folder in his desk. Ash and June hang out with him and help clean up the classroom - when theyāre arenāt busy chasing one another around the desks - until Kassaran arrives, with her usual bevy of thanks and apologies. It doesnāt seem to matter how many times Haninan has assured her itās no trouble. His post-class wrap-up always takes longer than hers, if only because he has June for it, too.
Ā When Ash and her mother are gone, though, itās time for Haninan and June to head home as well.
Ā āPapae?ā June asks him, halfway back to the house.
Ā āHm?ā Haninan replies.
Ā āAre fathers different from papaes?ā
Ā Haninan blinks, and wonders if heās been neglecting his sonās word comprehension lately.
Ā āNo,ā he says. āFather and papae are different words for the same thing. What makes you ask?ā
Ā He glances at his son in the rearview mirror. June shifts in his safety seat, and shrugs.
Ā āIt just seems different,ā he says. āAsh says her father wasnāt like you, but she didnāt want to talk about it. And I overheard her mama saying something about bad fathers. And Vena calls his papae āfatherā and I remember he said his father doesnāt play puzzles with him, so I was just wondering if there was a difference.ā
Ā Haninan sighs.
Ā āNot really,ā he admits. āTheir fathers are just different people from me, June-bug. So they treat their children differently, too.ā
Ā June nods, and seems satisfied with that explanation. Haninan supposes the discussion is done with, and when they pull into the driveway itās right after Ireth seems to have just done the same. So June hurries out of the car and goes racing off to her, giggling as she beams at him and scoops him up, and spins him around.
Ā āDid you have a good day, sweetheart?ā she asks him.
Ā āWellll, yes and no,ā June tells her, and then heās off, listing the āgoodā (got to read out loud to the class at the end of Quiet Reading Time today) and the ābadā (didnāt get to use the monkey bars at recess because some of the other kids were playing Fortress on them). Haninan scoops up his bag from the backseat and wanders over a more leisurely pace, feeling the familiar swell of affection in his breast at the sight of his wife and son. He moves in to interrupt June so that he can steal a kiss, though. Which his son huffs at, until Haninan turns and starts peppering kisses on his own cheeks, too.
Ā āEw, Papae, no!ā he protests, laughing and squirming. āGo back to kissing Mamae.ā So saying, he plants a hand on Haninanās cheek, and pointedly turns his face back towards Ireth.
Ā āWell, if you insist,ā Haninan jokes, before leaning in and doing just that. June makes more protests and squirms until Ireth puts him down. She smiles against Haninanās lips, and, with her arms free, settles them over his shoulders, before giving him a proper full-on kiss.
Ā āWe probably shouldnāt make-out in the driveway,ā she tells him.
Ā āAs if our neighbours havenāt seen it all by now,ā he scoffs, which gets an amused snort from her, before she finally lets him go. June is at the front door, rolling his eyes and looking so exaggeratedly impatient that Haninan wishes he could take a picture. His phoneās in his bag, though, and by the time heās got it unzipped, Ireth has taken pity on their poor child and is letting him into the house.
Ā āI want peanut butter cups for my snack!ā June announces, dashing inside.
Ā āOh woe is me,ā Haninan gripes, lurching his own way through the door and making a show of lugging Juneās bag as if it carries a hundred pounds. āI guess Iāll just make my own way, here, carrying everything. If only I had a son who could help me. Alas, alasā¦ā
Ā His theatrics earn an aggravated sigh, as June reluctantly turns and heads back towards him, and gives him a very Ireth-esque look before taking his bag.
Ā āMy hero,ā Haninan praises.
Ā June gives his mother a beseeching look. She just shrugs at him, though.
Ā āGo put your bag away, and Iāll see if we have any peanut butter cups,ā she instructs.
Ā āItās not even heavy,ā June says, but does as told, kicking off his shoes and then rolling his eyes again when Haninan reminds him to put them where they go, please and thank you. He settles his own bag by the door, while Ireth kicks off her shoes in a near-perfect imitation of their son. Haninan raises his eyebrows at her, and she sheepishly puts them on the rack, too.
Ā āI still canāt believe Iām the tidy one in this family,ā he muses, ruefully.
Ā āOrganized, not tidy. Iāve seen you cook,ā Ireth reminds him. āAnd dress. And who still has a fifty-billion piece puzzle taking up the better part of the dining room, hm?ā
Ā āJune does,ā Haninan shamelessly insists. Which is half true, considering that theyāve been assembling it together. Itās been slower going than he expected, though, since June keeps getting frustrated, and then they have to stop. Not that he minds it - June seems to mind it more than he does - but⦠well, anyway. Theyāll get it done, and then they can seal it and put it on Juneās wall, just as Haninan promised.
Ā āMY BAG IS AWAY!ā June announces, before pelting into the living room to turn on the television.
Ā āTwo shows, then you have to start homework!ā Haninan reminds him.
Ā āChoose wisely, my son! Iāll get your snack,ā Ireth adds.
Ā āAre you sure? I can get it for him,ā Haninan offers, eyeing the work clothes that he knows his wife hates. Ireth just waves it off, though.
Ā āI want to,ā she assures him.
Ā With a nod of acceptance, Haninan veers his way up to their bedroom, and sets about changing his own clothes. He pulls on a comfortable sweater and exchanges his trousers for leggings, letting out a breath as he gets his socks off, and then wriggling his toes in the carpet a little. He heads for the bathroom to wash up, and hears the distinctive theme song of one of Juneās favourite shows drift up from the floor below.
Ā As he runs the water, though, his thoughts sink a little as they drift towards the subject of Ashokaraās father.
Ā Haninan knows the patterns that can often lead people to become monsters. Parenting can be stressful, and thankless, and demands endless patience, and heās intimately aware of that even as he loves it beyond measure. But for people who donāt have that drive? That love for being a parent, for looking after their child? He can see where it brings out the worst of them. Especially when they have no tools to cope well with even adult relationships.
Ā Most of the time, heās noticed, itās about control. Abused children are often well-behaved children - until they arenāt. Theyāre frightened into obedience, neglected into maturity, starved into desperation for approval and dreadfully aware of their own vulnerability. And when they no longer have to be afraid, itās always an adjustment for them to figure out where the boundaries of their world should even be. Heād noticed the signs with Ashokara, when she first came to his class. The way she would always hesitate when he asked her a question, as if she was trying to figure out what he wanted her to answer with. How she would watch his hands whenever he was close by, as if she was nervous that he might suddenly try and grab her. The way she froze up the first time he clapped to get the classā attention.
Ā Kassaran had talked to him after class on that first day. Which was difficult for her, Haninan knew. She was ashamed - not of her daughter, not at all, but of the fact that her daughter had come to harm. And of having to explain some of what she herself had gone through, in order to explain what Ash was struggling with.
Ā Haninan hadnāt pried any more than was strictly required.
Ā They were getting away from it. And now, itās rearing up again. A pattern that threatens to become a cycle, if it isnāt adequately broken. Haninan has every faith in Kass and Ashās ability to push through a lot of hard things, but that doesnāt mean he wants to see them do it. Or stand idly by while it happens, either.
Ā He might understand the patterns, but heāll never excuse someone who mistreats their child.
Ā The tap is still running when Ireth comes into the room. He watches through the mirror, and the open crack of the door, as she changes into a loose green dress, and then flops onto the end of the bed.
Ā āIām on call,ā she informs him, raising her voice a little until he turns off the tap. She pats her phone demonstrably, and then shoves it into one of her dress pockets.
Ā Haninan shuffles his way back out of the bathroom, and then slumps onto the bed beside her.
Ā āIāll keep my fingers crossed that there are no emergencies, then,ā he says.
Ā Ireth reaches over, flailing a bit until she finds his cheek, and pats it.
Ā āHelluva a day,ā she says, letting out a gusty breath. āThere was another chicken pox outbreak. Poor things.ā
Ā Haninan makes a sound of sympathetic agreement.
Ā āWhat about you?ā she asks him.
Ā He hesitates, for a moment. But then, heās never really been good at keeping anything for her, especially when heās not even certain he should try.
Ā āAshokaraās father is suing for joint custody,ā he says.
Ā Ireth sits up.
Ā āNo,ā she objects.
Ā āAfraid so. Kassaran came in and told me the other day.ā They probably would have talked about it then, but thereād been a ten car pile-up some time around three pm, and Ireth had been out late helping with the sudden emergency rush. So Haninan and June had made toasties and worked on the puzzle together, and by the time sheād managed to get home, sheād had her own work woes to spill and had been in sore need of a shoulder to cry on.
Ā Which Haninan was more than happy to provide. On that thought he gives her another look-over now. But she seems to be bouncing back, and isntā giving the usual indications that she needs him to help. Her concern - verging on anger - looks like the normal kind, for this sort of situation.
Ā āYou tell Kassaran that if worse comes to worse and he actually gets it, I will personally help her hide the body,ā she announces.
Ā āIāll be sure to pass that along, darling,ā Haninan replies. āBut the main concern for right now is that Ash is going to have to explain to a judge why she doesnāt want to live with her father.ā
Ā Ireth frowns, and glares at the ceiling for a good long moment.
Ā ā...Well what if we kill him before that?ā she suggests.
Ā He sighs.
Ā āIreth, beloved, light of my life, you donāt even kill spiders when they get in through the bathroom drain,ā he points out. Not that Haninan kills them, either. But still. They are not exactly murderous folk. He still remembers the first time June went over to a friendās sleepover and called for Ireth to come get him, because one of the parents had killed a moth that came in through the window, and June was convinced that the man had to be some kind of secret killer ālike on televisionā.
Ā āSpiders donāt abuse people,ā Ireth retorts, folding her arms.
Ā But after a moment, she gives in, and just slumps back down against him.
Ā āPoor Ash and Kass,ā she murmurs.
Ā āI know,ā he agrees, with a sigh of his own.
Ā āWe should do something.ā
Ā āWe should.ā
Ā "...Do you think theyād like a fruit basket?ā she ventures, tentatively. āOr maybe one of those fresh farm hampers? I canāt imagine Kass will feel like preparing a lot of meals while sheās dealing with all of this.ā
Ā āCouldnāt hurt,ā Haninan reasons. He plans on doing his best to help Ash in her classes, to give some extra attention and support. But still. Sometimes itās good to have a friendās spouse who absolutely insists on sending fancy gift baskets, which she has no idea of the actual material worth of, except that they be āgoodā. He still remembers the look on Kassaranās face the first time Ireth gave her a bottle of wine for the school districtās Feast Day party.
Ā āIām going to send them something,ā Ireth decides. āItāll be a good distraction anyway. Should I put who itās from on the card? Yes, I should, I wouldnāt want them thinking itās from Quarth or whatever his name is.ā
Ā āQal, I think.ā
Ā āDo you still have that card catalogue with everyoneās food allergies in it?ā Ireth asks him, barely listening now as she gets up with a mission in mind.
Ā āIn the study,ā he confirms.
Ā She pads off towards it, while Haninan decides to remain on the bed, and chase the patterns in the ceiling with his eyes. They form a pleasant latticework that makes him think of beehives, and the strength of hexagonal structures. The children are going to do a unit on bees later in the year. Itāll be fun, and it will give him the chance to include some information about architectural shapes. June is into pyramids right now, but Haninanās fairly sure it wonāt take much to get him interested in hexagons, too.
Ā Heās chasing his thoughts down into matters of magical geometry when he hears soft feet pad into the bedroom. Lighter than Irethās. Haninan turns his head, and watches June climb up onto the bed. He slings his arm around his son as he settles in beside him.
Ā āWhatcha doing?ā June asks.
Ā āNothing much,ā Haninan assures him. āYou need something? I thought you were watching cartoons.ā
Ā June shrugs.
Ā āI finished my snack, and then it was the clown show,ā he explains. With the world-weariness of someone several times his age, he looks thoughtfully up at the ceiling. āI hate that show.ā
Ā Haninan snorts.
Ā āItās supposed to teach you math,ā he says.
Ā June makes a face.
Ā āThatās what school is for,ā he objects. āThey moved my Superman show to dinner time instead. Can I still watch it if I do homework in between?ā
Ā He thinks about it.
Ā āSure,ā he agrees.
Ā June fist pumps, and then leans in and smooshes his face against Haninanās side. The ominous sounds of the dreaded Clown Show drift up from downstairs. Haninan can admit, despite knowing what theyāre angling for - it is kind of an awful show. Most of the other parents arenāt big fans, either, and he thinks one of Kassā students had a round of nightmares about one of the clowns climbing out of the television and trying to strangle them.
Ā āPapae?ā June asks him, after a minute.
Ā āHm?ā
Ā āParents donāt just⦠suddenly stop loving their kids, right? Like⦠that doesnāt happen, does it? Even if the kids are really bad or mess up a lot of stuff?ā
Ā Haninan shifts around a little to look down at his son, and feels his heart crack at the worried look on his face. He leans down and kisses his head. It doesnāt take a genius to see his line of reasoning. Learning about bad parents, about parents who mistreat their kids, also tends to come hand-in-hand with thinking that there might be something that kids could do, to make their parents become hateful or resentful of them.
Ā āNo,ā he assures him, firmly. āThat doesnāt happen. And it especially wouldnāt happen to you, June-o. Your mamae and I will love you forever, no matter what you do.ā
Ā June wrinkles his nose, but he also looks relieved.
Ā āI wasnāt asking that,ā he insists, at a mumble. āI was just checking in general.ā
Ā āOh, okay,ā Haninan allows. āBut still. For the record. Iāll love you forever.ā
Ā June grumbles a bit about āmushy stuffā, but he also rests his head on Haninanās chest, and relaxes a bit more as Haninan rubs at his back.
Ā Thereās no difference between being a father and being a papae. Haninanās not always sure heās doing the right thing, that heās being a good parent, that heās done enough to look after June or that heās pushing things in the right direction. But heās pretty sure that if he was messing it up too badly, Ireth would tell him. Heās not alone in this grand scheme.
Ā Kassaran is.
Ā That canāt be easy. With all of everything thatās gone on, he knows for a fact that itās hard.
Ā He makes a mental note to invite Kass over to dinner sometime soon, at least, and hugs his son a little tighter.
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