Before Alistar knew it, dinner had come and gone. Thereafter, the party only persisted for an hour more, at which point Caedmon requested that the workers and servants begin to clean up. The adults had drunk a lot of wine today, a drink that Alistar would never have guessed had the effect of dulling one’s senses and changing their behavior. Take Alder for instance, a man who was always light on his feet. He had drunk more wine than anyone else, and by the evening’s end his movements were sluggish and dull, his short hair in complete disarray. The grease that normally added to his dignified look now held his dark strands in the silliest of positions, though the happy-faced man didn’t seem to notice.
Alder had been quite entertaining in the hours leading up to dinner. At one point, upon seeing the kids having so much fun with their wrestling, he had convinced Stason to enter into a match of their own. The former had excitedly proclaimed that if he won, his prize would be a kiss from Madeline, while the latter—who was in a similar state of inebriation—sought a kiss from Patricia. The ladies had been quick to point out that they had never agreed to such a thing, though the chamberlain and the stable master had ignored their protests and engaged in a very intense struggle to throw the other to the ground.
After an exciting two rounds Alder ended up winning the best of the three, his face lighting up as Madeline rolled her eyes and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. He’d gloated about the reward to the envious Stason with a bright smile on his flushed face. Patricia had furthered the stable master’s frown after telling him not to hope for a consolation prize, which gave Alistar the sense that she enjoyed teasing him. This had surprised him, since Patricia wasn’t one to tease others, though confusing as it was he hadn’t sensed any malice behind her words.
Caedmon made sure to have some of the gardeners walk his friends home, but only after everything had been tidied up and brought back inside. Once things had settled down and everyone on the estate had either gathered together in the dining hall or retreated to the privacy of their rooms, Caedmon asked Alistar to accompany him to his study for a chat.
When they arrived at the room, his uncle lit the surrounding lanterns with a thought before leading him inside, pausing to close the doors behind them. The room had been quite messy the last time that Alistar had been here and it was in an even sorrier state this time around. The pile of books on the floor had more than doubled in size, and even the spare desk was littered with disorganized parchments that depicted strange, incomprehensible schematics, let alone the desk that his uncle preferred. The smell of parchment was still quite strong, though it was accented by the distinct scent of recently-dried ink, a telltale sign that the room had overseen a significant amount of work from its owner in recent days.
Alistar wanted to ask his uncle about the interesting drawings that filled many of the pages that sat discarded on his desks, but he was aware that Caedmon had brought him here for a reason, so he decided to put a rein on his curiosity for the time being.
“As I’m sure you’ve figured out by now, there’s something I wanted to discuss with you.” Caedmon grabbed two of the extra chairs and dragged them to the centre of the room where he arranged them so that they were facing one another. “Go on and take a seat.”
Alistar sat on the chair nearest to him.
“What did you want to talk about, Uncle?” He had a feeling that he already knew, but he had learned early in life that it was best to keep quiet and listen when somebody had something of importance to say.
This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it
“It’s about your third name.”
“My third? I thought I didn’t get one.”
“I never said that you wouldn’t get one.”
Thinking about this, Caedmon’s words were true. His uncle had mentioned in the morning that he’d come up with some sort of solution in regards to the barriers around bestowing Alistar with a third name.
“What is it, then?” Sitting up straight in his chair, he leaned forward with excitement. Just what sort of name was he about to receive? His eyes were wide as he awaited a response from the edge of his seat.
“We’ll get to that. First, I feel that I should explain a few things.”
Alistar nodded, waiting quietly as light and shadow danced a duet amidst a backdrop of tiny, flickering flames.
“Traditionally, there are two ways that members of the noble classes select their new names. For those that inherit lands and titles, the name of the region that they rule over becomes their third name, which is placed in the middle of your official title as it is less important than your clan name.”
Reminded of one of the first books that he had read upon arriving in Distan—Regions of Mais and Its Noble Inhabitants—Alistar recalled that many of the most significant people had third names that were the same as the regions that they resided in. For instance, his grandfather was the king of Civus, and thus his full name was Glenden Civus Silverkin. Likewise, his uncle’s was Caedmon Distan Silverkin.
“I see. That option’s impossible for me, since I can’t inherit land.”
“Correct, but you’re not alone there. It’s common for nobles to sire many children, so not all of them will receive lands or titles. For those that don’t, it’s customary for their third name to be a marriage of their parents’ first names. For instance, my father’s name is Glenden and my mother’s name was Elaine, so had I been named following this tradition then my third name would be something along the lines of ‘Eladen’ or ‘Glenel.’” Putting on a playful smile, he said, “In my case, I’m glad my parents didn’t go that route.”
“So my third name will come from my parents’ names?” A sad sort of warmth suddenly filled his stomach, a mixture of melancholy over his memories and pride at his parentage.
“I’ve already picked a name for you, but you can change it if you’d like.”
“What is it?”
Caedmon rested a hand on Alistar’s shoulder and gave him a reassuring squeeze, a sense of gravity to their silver gazes. “We’ll take ‘Lai,’ from Laisha, and ‘Ro’ from Rodei, and have you take on the third name of ‘Lairo.’ How does that sound?”
Lairo… Images of his parents’ smiling faces suddenly came to mind, looking over at him with those golden and silver stares that he missed so dearly. Lairo… He was immediately taken with the name, his heart warm with emotion as he continued to repeat it in his mind.
“I like it very much, Uncle.”
“Good lad,” smiled Caedmon, who released his grip on Alistar’s shoulder. “Then I hereby bestow upon you the name ‘Lairo,’ in honour of your parents. From this day forth, your full name will be Alistar Lairo Silverkin, though you mustn’t tell this to anyone lest they look into the circumstances of your namesake. That is, we must be absolutely sure that nobody finds out who your parents were, for the same reasons that I’ve already explained to you in the past.”
“Because of Grandfather and my other uncles.”
“Yes, among others. I need you to promise me that you won’t tell anyone without my permission.”
Although he wanted to share his third name with anyone who would listen, he reluctantly agreed. “I promise, I won’t tell anyone.”
“Perfect. Should you decide to change your second or third name in the future, you’ll get the chance on your next Name Day. After that, your names will be permanent, so think on it carefully.”
“Okay, Uncle.”
“Now, I’m curious as to how you enjoyed the day. Was it as nerve-wracking as you’d initially thought?”
“It wasn’t. I actually had a lot of fun.” The games, the people, the attention and affection; just as his uncle had said at the onset of the day, Name Days were indeed occasions for smiles and laughter. “Um, Uncle Caedmon? Thank you for everything you’ve done for me. Today, and since I’ve come here. I don’t know how I’ll ever be able to repay you.”
Caedmon stood up and pulled Alistar into a loving hug. “You can repay me by living the calm and peaceful life that your mother wanted you to live. This is your home now, and you’re as much a part of this family as Anice or myself.”