“Jarot, my boy,” the older Jarot called out, picking up his greatson to embrace him tight.
The boy continued to shake and cry, tears falling down his face, snot beginning to fall. “Mommy!” The boy continued to cry, calling out for a mother.
“Jarot…” The older Iyrman continued to hold him while the boy screeched and cried, causing his sister to cry too, followed closely by a cascade of other children beginning to cry in the distance, starting with Inakan, who was not used to all these noises.
“Jarot,” Vonda called, holding out a hand, and the boy reached out for her, his face still a mess. Vonda pulled him to her from his greatfather’s arms, the very Mad Dog who had slaughtered so many people that the Order of Life’s Rose had to involve themselves. She wiped the boy’s face clean, and pulled him close to her chest, gently rocking him from side to side.
Little Jarot continued to sniffle and sob, though he was no longer screeching and crying. He sucked on his thumb while the other children were soothed by their parents.
‘You really are your sister’s brother,’ Adam thought, wondering how his son had caused more trouble than his sister.
“I do not want mommy,” Jirot whimpered, her father having cleaned her face. “I want daddy.”
“Why not both?” Adam asked, kissing her cheek.
“I am daddy’s dohta.”
“You’ll always be my daughter, my Jirot…” Adam held her closer, gently brushing her cheek and her hair.
“Daddy is my daddy…”
“Always.”
“Vonda is mommy?”
“She can be,” Adam said. “Just like how kako Katool has a mommy and daddy, right?”
“Mmm.”
“I want you to have a mommy and daddy too because you’ll be even happier, and that’s all I want, my baby.” Adam kissed her neck all over.
“Daddy.” Jirot’s arms wrapped around Adam’s neck and she pressed her cheek against her father’s neck.
Adam rocked with her gently, glancing towards Vonda for a moment. He kissed his daughter’s forehead. “Ray Vonda…” Adam paused for a long moment. “She watched you as you grew up. She took care of you. She even fed you. She always played with you. She’s so nice, isn’t she?”
“Mnnn.” The girl pouted. “No?”
“Jirot, you smelly girl. You always play with Ray Vonda, I see you. How can you say that. Are you lying to daddy?”
“I not lying! I just joking, smelly boy!” Jirot stuck her thumb in her mouth, her arm still wrapped around her father’s strong neck.
“Can I hold you too, Jirot?” Vonda asked, still holding little Jarot close to her bosom. “Your brother is already here.”
Jirot pouted, glancing up towards her father, before she gave in and reached out to her brother. “Daddy is my daddy.”
“That’s right,” Vonda said, holding the girl to her bosom, beside her twin brother.
The older Jarot could feel the gaze of the other Iyrmen. He held onto the top of his knee, feeling the cool metal against his fingertips. ‘What else should I have done? How many years will you make me wait so the Ray can be my granddaughter?’
Konarot pouted, embracing her father, with Kirot and Karot doing the same. Their father brushed their hair and rubbed their heads tenderly.
“Ray Vonda is Life Puhreest, mommy?” Lanarot asked.
“That is right.”
Lanarot narrowed her eyes at the woman who was holding onto her niece and nephew. She bit into her bread as she thought. “Is good?”
“Yes.”
“Papa will marry?”
“Should I?” Adam asked, raising his brows.
“Ray Vonda is stuhrong?”
“I think so…”
“I am not as strong as your brother, but I know Fourth Gate spells,” Vonda stated.
Lanarot looked up towards her mother with a questioning look. The woman nodded, causing her daughter to nod her head, before she bit into another bit of bread.
“Do you think Ray Vonda is good?”
“Good.” Lanarot nodded once more, swallowing her bread.
“That means Ray Vonda will be your sister.”
Lanarot was midway through sticking bread into her mouth when she gasped, her head snapping to her mother for confirmation. “My kaka?”
“Yes.”
Lanarot’s head snapped back to her brother and apparently her new sister, her mouth forming a tiny circle. “You are my kaka?”
“If I marry your brother?”
Lanarot blinked. “You will marry now?”
“Well, we need to talk a little before that…”
“Papa always taking so long,” Lanarot said, sitting up, her incredulous eyes judging her brother harshly.
“This time I’ll be quick.”
“Hmmmm.” Lanarot narrowed her eyes further.
‘What’s with all the suspicion? You punk! I’ll forgive you just this once since you’re so cute!’
It was later in the evening when Sonarot poured the pair a cup of tea where Adam and Jurot had sat to discuss Pam. The woman held the cup, feeling its warmth.
“Vonda…” Adam stared at the woman, suddenly feeling his heartbeat quicken, his body flushing with warmth.
“Yes, Adam?” Vonda replied, waiting innocently.
‘Stop it, you idiot. This is important. Calm down.’ Adam inhaled deeply, taking in the scent of the tea, feeling the vapours fill his lungs before he placed the cup down. He could feel the warmth of the cup against his hands. “I want you to understand before we continue with this…”
Vonda waited patiently as Adam gathered his thoughts.
“You’ve been there with me since nearly the beginning. My first year within this land. You’ve… seen a lot. You’ve heard a lot. I trust you, a lot. You… you were there when my children found me. Konarot, Kirot, Karot. Jirot, Jarot. Larot. You’ve seen how much I adore them. You know, y’know, that if something were to happen to them, they’d better hope the Iyr is going to protect them from me, because even Mother Soza won’t be able to save them from me.”
Vonda raised her brows, muttering a prayer in front of Adam. “Mother, please send your warmth in this moment.”
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“Anyway, that’s not the point. The point is that… I’m their father. I would like… for you to be their mother.” Adam could feel his heart begin to beat quicker, and he inhaled again to try and calm himself. “Not their… you know, I’m not sure if that’s a concept in this land, but…” Adam tapped the table with a finger gently, staring into her eyes. “You’re not adopting them. They’re going to be yours, just like they’re mine. They won’t be your half children or whatever they call it, they’re going to be your children. If we, hopefully when we, have children, they’ll be exactly the same as the rest of our children in your mind and heart.”
“I know, Adam.”
“Are you sure?”
“I understood that was the case before I asked.”
Adam exhaled, sipping his tea lightly, feeling it fill his heart. “Alright, cool. Cool, cool, cool.” Suddenly the embarrassment rushed deep within his soul. “So… how do you want to marry? Do you want to do it in East Port? Here?”
“The Iyr is fine.”
“Great.” Adam glanced towards his Aunt. “Can we even marry in the Iyr?”
“If not the Iyr, the fort will be fine,” Sonarot assured.
“Do, uh… Vonda. Do you want to… you know.” Adam cleared his throat. “You see how many children we will already have. Do you…” Adam could feel his Aunt’s presence nearby, like a looming shadow. “I think my Aunt would like more grandchildren, you know?”
Vonda flushed. “I would like some.”
“Great, because six isn’t enough for me!”
“You are a man of Death, and I am a woman of Life. I hope the children will accept Mother Soza within their heart as I have.”
“They’ll worship Mother Soza, and Baktu too. They can worship whoever they want, as long as I like them.”
“I would like our children to have the birthing rites of Mother Soza.”
“I don’t know what that means, but okay. I’ll, we can have the rites of Mother Soza before we consider the rites of Baktu. I’d like both rites, as long as Baktu’s rites don’t harm children, or aim for them to die young, or whatever.”
Vonda smiled. “I cannot complain against your offer.”
“Will you marry soon?” Sonarot asked.
“When can we marry?” Adam asked.
“Will you marry alongside Jurot?”
“That’s a good idea.” Adam raised his brows, a small smile appearing on his face. “That’s cute as hell.”
“You may marry in the Front Iyr, so that you may invite outsiders.”
Adam shrugged his shoulders towards Vonda. “Sounds good to me.”
“It sounds fine to me too.”
“Who do you want to invite?”
“I would like to invite the Mother who raised me. Mother Florence. She… I consider her more of a mother than the Baroness.”
“Sounds great. Want me to send word to her?”
“I have sent word.”
Adam raised his brows. “You work quick.”
“I have informed her the shields were complete, but that she should come swiftly before the year’s end, due to some important matters.”
“Does she know?”
“She does not.”
“You might want to tell her so she can prepare the proper gifts for you, and she can prepare to speak with me.”
“Speak with you?”
“She’s got to meet your groom, right?”
Vonda smiled, flushing slightly redder.
“Speaking of the wedding, we need to figure out how much it’ll cost. We’ve got plenty of coin, but I need to know how much I need to contribute for the wedding.”
“Weddings in the Iyr do not cost coin,” Sonarot said.
“Yeah, but, I’m not an Iyrman.”
Sonarot remained quiet for a moment. “It will not cost you anything, Adam.”
“I’m not stupid enough to argue against an Iyrman.”
“Do you have any more special requests for the wedding?” Adam asked, glancing back towards Vonda.
“I would like Mother Soza’s marriage rites.”
Adam glanced over to Sonarot, who nodded. “Anything else?”
“No.”
“I should order some rings for us. Do you want gold or silver?”
“I do not mind.”
“I’m not very good with the style, I pass by with my handsome looks. Aunt? What do you think?”
“Gold will suit her well.”
“Nice.” Adam slowly nodded. ‘I could have Konarot bring it to us. Perhaps Jirot can? No, no, it has to be Konarot… Larot?’ “Oh. Uh…” Adam’s eyes slowly drew towards Vonda’s as his face began to heat up. “What… are we going to name our children?”
“They may take the Rot family name,” Vonda said cautiously, still feeling Sonarot’s gaze against her, “but I would like to assist in naming them too.”
Adam glanced towards Sonarot, who nodded. Adam sighed. “Well, it’s not like…” Adam paused, furrowing his brows. “Didn’t you give up your name?”
“I did.”
“So what’s your last name?”
“I do not have one.”
“Oh. I guess, technically I don’t have one either. I call myself Fateson because…” Adam exchanged a look with Sonarot. ‘I shouldn’t mention that before we’re married, just in case…’ “Anyway, it’s not my real second name.”
“What of Fate?” Vonda asked, far too eagerly. Within her heart, she had always felt there was something out there which had forced them together.
“Adam Fate and Vonda Fate?” Adam felt a sudden rush of pride fill his heart, as well as the want to kill a hydra. “Yeah. Sounds good to me.” Adam’s lips twitched into a smile. “Konarot Fate? Kona Fate Rot? Sounds fine either way, honestly. I’ve always liked three names.”
Vonda smiled, sipping her tea slowly.
“Do you want the children to grow up at Priests?”
“It would be nice.”
“I won’t stop them from becoming Priests, but if they want to be something else, that’s fine too. Are you fine with Jirot becoming a Demon Lord?”
“What?”
“She wants to be a Demon Lord. Are you fine with that?”
“…” Vonda furrowed her brows. ‘What?’
“I’m sure she doesn’t mean it literally, I’m sure she just means it… y’know, in the sense that she wants to be strong and be in charge of a bunch of people.”
“What if she truly becomes a Demon Lord?”
“If she hurts people that don’t deserve it, I’ll step in.”
“How will you discipline the children?”
“All manner of ways. Naughty step. Stern talking to. They’ll need to write essays. That sort of thing.”
“No hitting?”
“No one is going to hit my kid without losing their hand, me included.”
“Will you discipline them? I fear I may not be suitable.”
“You’ll have to cuddle them the most.”
“Of course.”
Sonarot watched as the pair flirted together over her grandchildren. She remained still and silent, not wanting them to notice her as she ate this delicious dessert for her heart.
“They’ll end up loving you the most,” Adam said.
“Will they?”
“They have to. If they end up loving me the most, they’ll end up as stupid as me.”
“Jirot loves you the most.”
“And she wants to be the Demon Lord!”
“Ah.” Vonda smiled wider.
Adam chuckled, sipping the tea. “Oh, yeah. Money.”
“Money?”
“Finances. We need to figure that out. How much we’ll save, and for who and why, as well as how much of a dowry I need to give you, and the amount I’ll need to pay if we ever divorce.”
“You have to think of such things?”
“I don’t want you to ever feel trapped with me. If you don't want to be married to me one day, I want you to know you can leave.”
“Marriage is eternal,” Vonda replied, pulling back slightly, her voice low.
“Nothing is eternal.” Adam crossed his arms, swallowing his nerves. “I will be the best husband I can, but that may not be good enough, or, it may be that is was not fated.”
“…” Vonda’s eyes fell to the tea. “I understand.”
“So, how much do you want?”
“One gold.”
Adam raised his brow. “One gold?”
“One gold for the dowry and one gold in times of a divorce.”
“I'll give you a thousand gold both times.”
“It does not matter.”
“Good, then let’s make it ten thousand for the divorce, if you're that confident?”
“One thousand for each. It doesn’t matter to me, Adam. My gold is your gold.”
“And mine is yours. Though… I’m your boss and I have a business, so that’s pretty awkward.”
“The business is not something I will consider as our gold.”
“It’s not like I’ll skimp paying for anything. If you want something, just say it. I'll try to get it for you. You won't need to spend a penny.”
“I can spend my own gold.”
“Yeah, but I'll feel manly if you spend my money.” Adam covered his mouth with his fist, feeling a deep red wash across his face. ‘Damn.’
Vonda smiled, and Sonarot continued to breathe silently, wanting to eat up as much dessert as she could.
Meanwhile, Jarot held onto the twins he adored so deeply.
“Daddy is marry, but you ah still babo, okay?” Jirot said, pouting as she held her finger threateningly towards her greatfather.
“I will always be your greatfather.”
“I always your greatson, babo,” little Jarot said, cuddling his greatfather tight.
“Yes, my boy.”
While Konarot’s younger siblings were bullying their greatfather, she pouted towards her uncle.
“Your father will return soon,” Jurot assured, brushing his nephew’s hair gently.
“Daddy?”
“Yes.”
“No mommy?”
“Vonda will be your mother soon.”
“…” Konarot pouted, glancing off to the side. ‘No.’
As the stars shone down to guide the way for many travellers within the night, a pair of stargazing lovers stared up towards them.
“Mara, the star is fainter than before,” Lucy said, pointing to the star.
“It is,” Mara confirmed.
“What does that mean?”
“I do not know.”
“Must not be important.”
Mara inhaled deeply. ‘So Fate has been tempted.’
Another pair of stargazing lovers stared up towards the stars at the same time.
“The Lamp is bright today,” Amira said, pointing up towards the sky.
“Enduring love,” Dunes said, glancing off to the side towards the young devilkin woman.
“What are you trying to say, Dunes? We have to wait until marriage.”
“I wasn’t saying that!” Dunes inhaled deeply. “Should you be so lucky!”
Amira smiled, glancing up towards the sky again. “The Dragon is rising.”
“I can control my dragon just fine.”
Amira reached over and punch Dunes’ arm. “Stop it.”
“If you cannot handle the horns, do not kick the goat,” Dunes joked.
Amira clicked her teeth, her eyes remaining glued to the sky.
“How can you two flirt so openly under the eyes of the Divine?” Korin asked as he trekked through the snow towards them.
“Are you jealous you are still-,” Dunes raised his arms to defend himself from the snowball, chuckling as he wiped it off his arm.
“Stargazing?”
“Hah. Today feels like a good day.”
“I can feel that too,” Korin said, sticking his hands in his pockets, staring up at the stars. “Dunes, Amira.”
“Yes?” Dunes replied.
“Mnn?” Amira grunted.
“The Order is looking faint.”
“The Order has looked faint for a few years now.”
“No, no, look.” Korin pointed up. “The top of it, it’s fainter.”
Dunes and Amira both squinted towards the stars. The pair could see the first star within the sequence was fainter than previous.
“It is fainter…” Dunes whispered.
“What does that mean?” Korin asked, with Amira throwing a look towards Dunes too.
“What else could it mean?” Dunes threw back.
Korin sighed. ‘It just had to be the day I thought about proposing.’