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Glancing around, Areanel tried to engrave the image of her family into her mind. Her quiet and shy daughter Lilith sat by Rymedur’s side at the piano as he played a soft melody with Aurora, their youngest, bouncing on his knee. The eldest two—twins, James and Jessika—sat at a round table before the fireplace playing a mortal game of strategy that Rymedur had taught them. Edmund, their second-youngest boy, lounged on a plush sofa, one ankle kicked over the other, his curious green eyes devouring the book clutched in his hands. Lukas, Lilith’s older twin and their third-eldest child, and Sivan, their youngest son, were sprawled on the rug by their father’s feet, playing with wooden figurines.

Well… Sivan was playing with them. Lukas seemed to have taken to hacking at one with a dull blade, sending splinters of wood flying over the rug.

A dark cloud loomed as Areanel looked at the empty spot by Rymedur’s feet. The rug there was worn and discoloured from the times Resmundur had picked at it as he’d listened to his father sing and play. A sob climbed up her throat as the vivid memory speared her thoughts. The boy had been attached to Rymedur, constantly finding excuses to cling to his father.

Leaning heavily against the wooden doorframe as her grief had become a physical weight, Areanel watched her family behind silver-lined eyes. Reaching for the dainty pendant dangling from her neck, she grabbed the delicate silver chain as if it were a lifeline, steadying her quickened breaths and blinking back the tears brought forth.

Areanel waited until she’d regained her composure, not wanting her children to see her endless sorrow, before gently kicking the door a little wider. She could not dwell in the past for too long, so, with a shake of her head, Areanel forced away her heartache.

Slowly, that small, melancholic smile turned into a wide grin. Her eyes softened once more. ‘You know, Ryyen will be upset to know you’ve destroyed their creation,’ Areanel directed a playfully stern look at Lukas, who continued to hack away at the wooden figurine. Heads whipped in her direction, and the sound of Rymedur’s singing abruptly stopped. ‘They took quite a while to carve those details into that toy, intended for your brother to play with.’ She crossed her arms, and a brow arched as she tried to suppress her wide smile.

‘Mama!’ Aurora exclaimed. The girl climbed down from Rymedur’s lap, scurrying over to Areanel, arms already stretched wide.

Areanel met her halfway. Taking two large strides into the room, she crouched and gathered the small girl in her arms. Picking her up, she placed an excited Aurora on her hip and left a loud smacking kiss against her chubby, ruddy cheeks.

‘Have you been good for your da today?’ Areanel asked, but her eyes met Rymedur’s over Aurora’s head. Aurora’s wet hair shook wildly, sticking in all directions and splashing droplets of water onto Areanel as her youngest nodded her head vigorously.

The booming, boisterous laugh that came from Rymedur reverberated around the intimate lounge area. ‘Aurora has been anything but!’ he chuckled, shaking his head.

His wide smile was contagious, and Areanel could not help grinning back at him as he retold their daughter’s mischief. ‘The little devil ransacked her room in search of a specific soft toy my mother gifted her that she insisted she needed. Then, she decided to play with said toy for a whole two minutes before growing bored and running into the gardens to uproot all the newly planted violets and gypsophila, which she then tossed onto her freshly-made bed to make the room look… what was it you said?’

He had directed the question at Aurora, but it was their eldest son James who replied with a laugh as he greeted Areanel with a quick kiss on her cheek. ‘She said it would make the room look pretty-lier. And then made Da chase her around the suites because she didn’t want to have a bath. She trekked mud and dirt through the halls, and the aides only just managed to finish cleaning up after the little riot.’ James reached over her shoulder and ruffled Aurora’s already wild silver hair.

Rymedur moved closer, coming to stand in front of her. He crossed his arms over his chest, and Areanel’s eyes were drawn to how his muscles almost bulged out of the lighter shirt he had changed into—no doubt because the menace currently hiding her face in Areanel’s arms had gotten dirt and water all over the one he’d been wearing before.

Areanel had to bite her lip to stop the laugh that threatened to spill from her at the image of Aurora’s muddied self, leaving chaos in her wake as she refused to bathe. And by the shining look in Rymedur’s gaze and the way the corners of his lips twitched, he was trying to do the same.

‘Aurora.’ Areanel tried to force a stern tone but failed. She hated reprimanding her children, and luckily, she didn’t often need to—but Aurora had proven difficult.

She was nothing like her siblings.

Areanel had found her other children had been more docile than the little girl currently nuzzling into her neck. They all listened to instruction and learned from their mistakes.

But not Aurora. No. She had been different from the start.

She hated following instructions, no matter how hard Areanel tried to get her to do so. The girl was easily bored, often forgot things or lost them, was constantly fidgeting or restless and rarely sat in one place. Once she’d learned how to talk, she rarely stopped. She moved far too quickly, was never patient and always felt the need to interrupt conversations. She had difficulty resisting temptation, and worst of all… she was a risk-taker.

The young elf had no sense of danger—something which put Areanel constantly on edge. It was difficult and exhausting, so much so that it had her and Rymedur pulling their hair.

But with time, they both learned how to adjust to their daughter’s overactive personality and worked out a system that helped them raise their impulsive little elf.

‘I no do that,’ Aurora argued. Turning to Rymedur and James, she reprimanded him. ‘Da! Jam—’ Areanel swallowed a laugh at the way Aurora still struggled to say James’s name. ‘No tell mama I do that.’

‘Aurora.’ Areanel set her daughter down so as not to give away how her body shook with laughter. She crouched so that they could be at eye level.

‘Ada had to tell me what you did today because it was wrong.’ With her hands placed gently on the girl’s shoulders to ground and help her pay attention, Areanel stared into her eyes—a replica of Rymedur’s, emerald and bright. ‘You were being naughty and not listening. We have told you many times to tidy up your things before you move on to something else. Look how Ina and Ada put their things away.’

Areanel subtly corrected Aurora: Ina, not mama. It was a decision she and Rymedur made when James and Jessika were born—to have their children address them in the old Selcirith language. A way for them to learn about their father’s culture, and a way for Rymedur to keep a piece of his mother with him, even if she was in a different kingdom.

‘Even your brothers and sisters do so. You see, if we tidy up, we know where everything is, and we don’t lose our things. Now, are you going to be a good girl and tidy your mess in the future?’

Aurora’s head dropped, hanging low. She looked up through her long lashes and nodded.

Areanel gave her a gentle smile and kissed her cheek to chase away the sad pout on her daughter’s lips.

A cough interrupted the small moment, and looking up, Rymedur gestured to himself with a raised brow, as if to explain why he had interrupted them.

Oh, right! The gardens. Areanel chuckled under her breath at the incredulous look he gave her. Moving back slightly, she placed her hands on Aurora’s shoulders and gently turned her to face Rymedur. Glancing between them, Areanel asked their daughter, ‘And will you promise not to make your ada chase after you when it is time for a bath?’