It was the first day home after the fatal carriage ride.
He arrived with a brand new family member wrapped in his arms.
And without the one that stood beside him for years.
It was the first day that he would lead this family alone.
He could barely hold it together as he relieved his twin brother of babysitting duties, rushing him away before he could make the dam overflow, and oversaw dinner for his children.
And he had to answer the question.
Every night it happened, he had to answer the question.
Valencia and Anselm were devastated.
Drake didn’t quite understand yet.
And the baby swaddled in his arms wouldn’t know for years.
And yet he still reeled with loss, looking at the child his wife would never know.
“Dad,” Valencia said, nudging him with her cane as they huddled together in the hideout malms away from Camp Broken Glass. The Thatchers’ little refuge as they escorted the people filtering in from Thavnair to where they were told to go.
The man awoke with a jolt, “Oh! Valencia, I’m sorry.”
“You were having a nightmare, weren’t you?”
Keiran waved it off, “It happens off and on.”
“Do you want to talk about it?”
Keiran shook his head, “No. I wouldn’t want to worry you about it.”
Valencia scooted a bit closer to her dad, shoulder to shoulder, “Are you sure?”
The commander nodded, “Absolutely sure. Rest up, kiddo. We’re going to need it.”