A Farmer hummed as he rode his cart back to his home. The farm was doing well, he wouldn’t need to worry about money even with his newest daughter. The baron kept the woods clear of goblins and wargs; nobody had been bothered by Fae in the area in years.
The only thing to break up his joyful tune was a sound he was quite familiar with, a baby crying.
So he looked around, he couldn’t see anything just yet and he hoped it was simply another farmer on his way home with their child.
But as he kept on the road he was sure it was somewhere in the woods, he stopped his cart, he couldn’t leave without knowing or he would never sleep again.
On the one hand he felt like this was the start to any number of horror stories his own father told him, yet it didn’t take more than a moment to push those thoughts away, he was not a brave man, but he couldn’t be heartless enough to do nothing.
Shortly off the well trodden muddy road, wrapped in a blanket of leaves yet mostly clean, a young boy.
He was not newborn but not more than a year old, his hair still blonde but showing signs of darkening.
He sat and soothed him for nearly an hour, no mother came for him.
He couldn’t wait any longer, he would have to take the boy into the local healer to give him a once over tomorrow.
The farmer placed him in an empty box labeled odd vegetables, those who grew strangely in shape.
Some said it was a little Fae prank, to make a blue tomato or a potato that's red, only the destitute or those who don't believe would buy such strange things, the boy took well to it and quieted down.
The farmer went back towards his little farm, with a nearly empty cart and a nearly full coin pouch.
Near to dusk he finally reached his home, his own little kingdom as he saw it.
"Aida, honey, I'm home and I bought meat for tomorrow; the baron had the local deer culled before they could get too old, good price for it today."
He felt richer for not having to hunt his own game today, more time for his wife and children,
"Oh, and I picked up a stray."
"Unless it's to help around here we don't have room or food for another pet, and you better not think it's getting any of that meat."
She said, sighing at the softhearted man she loves.
"Honey, Look at him.”
"What?"
She stepped out of the kitchen to see her husband with a little boy, pale blue eyes that almost seemed to shift like smoke as the light caught them, paler than any child should be and shaking like a leaf.
"GIVE HIM TO ME NOW, CAN'T YOU SEE HIM SHAKING, GET A SPARE BLANKET FROM THE CHEST," She said fuming at him, a soft hearted and well trying father... but the raising was left to her for a reason.
He reached into a wooden box less than a foot tall and pulled a blanket that seemed impossible to have fit in such a space, he never did understand how she filled things so tightly.
Stolen novel; please report.
After 10 minutes tightly swaddled the boy settled into a much deeper calmer slumber.
"Now, where did you find him?"
"Side of the road."
He said knowing full well what she really wanted but a little annoyed at her yelling
"Harlow, dear..."
Eventually he relented and explained the whole story just in time for the boy to awake and perform the duty of all babies
"I'll get him cleaned, one of the girls spare tunics should do well enough for now at least."
She looked into those eyes of his and saw the son she never got, the one she lost, the cruelty of the gods who weren't there anymore to take him from her.
After a heavier than usual supper that still seemed to not last nearly as it should, the family and the new member were filled, the chores were done until the final check at night,
and the girls aged 7, 4, and 1 were looking over the little one sleeping on the floor and arguing over what to name him.
"Do you think he's a changeling? I heard they eat the youngest and then pretend to be them.” The eldest was only joking, she trusted her father to keep them safe.
"Autumn, stop that, you know it frightens Amber. Any more of that and I won't let you play with your Uncle Redmond's gifts tonight."
The two older girls piped down quickly, they hadn't known he would be coming, the great hero, the strongest mage they ever knew!
Also the only one, but they wouldn't let that dampen their thoughts on him.
"I'll ask if he knows how to spot a changeling, you'll be just fine.”
Finally, just before dusk Redmond showed up, first giving his brother-in-law a little jolt during their handshake, to keep him honest he says, but he never did think his sister should've settled for the farmboy.
then he gave each of the girls their gifts
"For the littlest Ava of mine, have this doll, its paint will never peel, and it cleans off easily."
"For Amber here is a locket, think really really hard and the image in the locket will show it, just make sure to give it an imprint every few days so it doesn't fade."
"And for you Autumn last but not least, a sewing needle, it will never rust or dull, and just a little magic will thread the needle for you, no more fiddling!"
"Why not a doll or a new dress this time? doesn't seem fair to me," she said with a quiet huff
"You are getting old enough that you can help your mom with sewing and you can make your own dolls some day."
"I've not forgotten you two, for my only brother-in-law, an amulet of sweat cleaning! it takes your magic but so long as you keep it going it will make sure you don't have to keep using your handkerchief all the time.
For my dear sister, a mana gem charged with a minor beauty spell, you really could use it"
Never far from a wooden spoon she gave him a hard whack.
"Wait, did you have another? I was at the frontier not the deeplands, you should've sent a letter telling me. And a boy no less..." he almost brought up the one she lost but found his better judgment.
"No, Harlow found him on the side of the road."
Before he could give his brother-in-law a stink eye for being so foolish as to fall for a Fae trick and once again proving that she should've got a better husband Aida asked him to check the child out.
after a few minutes of faint light from his hands and eyes he let out a sign
"Well, I'm pretty sure it's human"
"He"
Aida quickly corrected
"Yeah yeah yeah, but I'm a soldier, not a healer, he could just be a well-hidden one, I'll stay for the night and watch him at least, it gives me a bad feeling"
"He."
This time she corrected him with the wooden spoon.
After another indigent yelp and a few more hours of catching up between them, and a few stories from the frontier that would keep the girls up, they tucked in for a night's rest, hoping the home would still be there in the morning.
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Coronach watched the child closely, he didn’t understand her plans nor did he question them, he was meant for the farmer and the mother was no longer needed.
He shadowed them the way back home, the few beasts that lacked the instinct to run turned to dust before the shadow, few creatures were a threat to a thing like him.