Raydan was sitting a wooden porch in the backyard of his palace.
His hair was tied up in a bun, since it was a hot summer evening, and he held Anthos in his hands - his third and youngest son - and played with the boy.
Adder made her way towards him. After asking Kenna, she knew exactly where to find him, and she watched as her younger brother, who once she had to take care of so badly, was now taking care of his own son. And not just son - a Prince.
Who would’ve thought two poor kids from the streets of Lykos would become the leaders of a few of the strongest kingdoms in the realm?
She leaned against the doorframe and waited for Raydan to notice her.
He was so mesmerized with his son that it took him, the great spymaster, awhile to catch up, but he finally shot a glance in her direction and hid a smile.
“You’re welcome to join us, sister.” He told her, and his son crawled in her direction.
He looked excited to see her, and Adder couldn’t fight the desire to take her nephew in her hands.
She took a few steps forward, joining Raydan and letting Anthos cuddle against her, comfortably.
“You know,” She started stroking the toddler’s hair. “I was rather shocked when you decided to name your son after mother.”
She wondered if Raydan had remembered anything, if he knew more than he’d told her.
Not that they’ve talked about it... since, well, forever.
The last time they talked about it... Adder repressed it deep enough for it to never come into surface again. It hurt to think about it, to remember...
“Adder?” a little, four year old Raydan pulled at her shirt.
“What is it, Raydan?” She tried to act like the responsible figure she had to be. She was only three years older than him, but had to take care of both of them, now.
“Why isn’t mommy and daddy with us anymore?” He asked, innocently.
“I...” She bit her lip.
“I don’t know.” She confessed. “It’s going to be just you and me buddy, for a while.” She told him. “Okay?” She asked, pinching at his cheek.
“Trust your older sister, will ya’?” He flinched away from the pinch, but nodded thoughtfully.
“Okay.” He said with a glad smile. “As long as I have you.” he added, hugging her hand.
“You’ll always have me.” She promised, continuing to carry him through the busy streets of the city of Lykos.
In their future, it turned out she didn’t keep her promise. But he found his way back to her, with the help of the woman who became his wife, Kenna Rys. So it seemed the world had a way with setting things the way it wanted them to be.
Raydan looked deep in thought. “I had a feeling you’d come asking about it.” He finally said. She tried to catch the look in his eyes, but he looked away, into the horizon.
From bits she caught in conversation with Kenna, she knew Raydan had been telling her about his past. Piece by piece, in a way he was comfortable with... he opened up and shared, even the parts he wanted to forget. The horrible things he did to survive. The difficulties of living in the streets. One day he’ll tell her everything.
Adder wondered if Raydan had told Kenna about their family, too. She wondered how much of it he remembered, anyway.
“I’m just curious, I guess.” Adder tried to lighten the mood, after all, in wasn’t an easy subject.
“I...” Raydan sighed, and suddenly looked a lot better. He looked back at her, in the eye, and even cracked a smile.
“I have this early memory... maybe it’s not even a memory, but rather something I made up when I was little, of mother.” He told her, Adder held her breath, eager to listen. She and Raydan had drifted so far apart, she never thought they’d ever talk about it.
She remembered little of her family, but far more than Raydan had.
A warm smile... A soft touch. This lovely woman stroking his hair, brushing it, and braiding it into a small braid. “That’s it, My love.” Voice mellow and kind, brown eyes looking down at him. “It wasn’t so bad, right?” She asked. Raydan remembered he didn’t like to brush his hair, but loved it when she did it.
“Nuh-uh.” Raydan shook his head, smiling proudly.
He remembered the sky beginning to get a purple-ish shade, and the last set of light rays shone through their windows. The sun was probably setting.
“Time to go to sleep, my little sunshine.” a boop on his nose.
“Good night, love.” a warm touch of lips on his forehead. “G’night, ma.”
“That is...” Adder stuttered, unsure how to react.
“Silly of me, right?” Raydan chuckled, a little bitterly. “But I couldn’t shake the feeling... of that it happened. Even if I just made that up to feel better-” Raydan started explaining, but Adder cut him off.
“It happened.” She blurted out.
He blinked at her, stunned. “You remember it too?” He asked her.
“I mean...” She took a deep breath. “I don’t know if it’s the same time you remember, but mom used to braid your hair every night before putting you to bed.” Adder swallowed.
“You never said anything...” Raydan trailed off.
“You never asked.” Adder replied.
Fair enough, he figured.
“So how... why...?” Raydan tried to put his question into words, but couldn’t find. He wasn’t sure if he was ready to hear the answer to them, too.
“How we ended up on the streets?” Adder completed it for him, and he simply nodded.
He was only four years old, after all, when it happened. It was entirely possible for him not to remember parts of his childhood. Especially the parts he didn’t want to.
“Mother passed away when we were young, even before we got thrown into the streets... And after that... Father didn’t act like himself anymore. He lost everything. Not just his wife... but somehow his job too, shortly after that. I always felt like he blamed us for that. One day, he got into a drunken fight in a tavern, and gambled on our house. He lost it, and got into a fist fight. He lost that one, too...” Adder told him the beginning of the story, leaving out the painful details. They weren’t necessary for the cause of the story.
“We had an uncle. He was suppose to take us in...” She continued.
“I think he was close with the Tartassis family, and had nothing to do with two brats running around and ruining his name.” She swallowed. “And that’s it.” She said.
“And how much of that was you embellishing the story?” Raydan asked her. After all, he remembered some parts, too.
“A lot. Don’t ask, please.” She said under her breath, and Raydan nodded.
She failed to mention the physical abuse and emotional neglection they received from their father and uncle.
She’s pretty sure that even if their father was still alive, they’d still end up in the streets. He wasn’t a great father, to say the least, especially after they mother passed away. Adder couldn’t remember everything about her family or childhood, but most of her memories wasn’t pleasant. So even thoughts of her mother she preferred to repress.
“Very well.” He looked over to Anthos, who was now safe and sound, asleep in Adder’s lap.
While the size proportions had changed, he’s pretty sure he got to fall asleep that way when he was a kid too, more than once. He remembers being sick, and Adder working twice as hard to afford his medicine.
A warm smile formed on Raydan’s lips. Adder looked between him and his son, in her lap, and smiled back. They’ve come a long way since childhood.
“I always thought I’ve just made up those memories. That That’s what I wanted to believe, and that mother was actually in on the whole thing.” Raydan confessed, after a while. “I was always too afraid to ask, and then... I pushed it so deep to the back of my mind, in hope i’d forget everything.” He continued.
“Well, if things turned out differently, I’d probably never tell you.” Adder admitted.
Raydan realized she was right. Things had to happen a certain way for them to come to place where it was safe to discuss those things. Especially with the crack that tore them apart in earlier years.
Anthos was Raydan’s way of remembering his mother, and paying her his respect. She was a good mother, after all. And she loved both him and Adder greatly.
“You know, I’ve studied about her name before.” Raydan told Adder, after they’ve put Anthos to bed. He kissed each of his children on their forehead goodnight, and kissed Kenna on her lips, before promising to come back to sleep soon. Kenna shot back an understanding look with a smile.
“You did?” Adder was surprised. Raydan has said he tried to ignore it, forget about it for so many years.
“Yes.” Raydan nodded. “Do you know what her name means?” He asked, as they made their way through the garden. It was decorated with many flowers, ranging in colorful beauty.
“Lady of flower?” Adder guessed. She knew it meant that, but wondered whether that was what Raydan meant.
“That, too.” He agreed, holding carefully one flower in his hand, cautious not to harm or pick it.
“That’s why I’ve studied many flowers and know how to analyze personality traits based on a certain flower you’d pick.” Raydan told her, think back to his first encounter with Kenna.
“That’s nonsense.” Adder snorted at him, but he kept a straight face.
“Okay. Try me.” She said, when she realized he was serious.
“Orchids or Lilies? Roses or Gladiolus? Tulips or Sunflowers?” Raydan shot at her.
“Orchids, Gladiolus, and Tulips.” Adder answered after thinking for a moment.
“You're sophisticated and mysterious, you have a strong will to success, and you are a strong, dominant and confident person.” Raydan told her. He was fairly accurate, and she shook her head. “I guess.” She shrugged, at his smile.
“So you studied it for mother?” She questioned.
“Among other things.” He shrugged, this time.
“Does her name have other meanings, too?” She was now interested. She repressed so many feelings and questions she had all those years, now letting it all go out.
“this name has a deep inner desire to inspire others in a higher cause. and to share their own strongly held views on spiritual matters.
People with this name are competent, practical, and often obtain great power and wealth.” Raydan told her. “I’ve read many so books about it.” He told her. “I’d like to believe that while she didn’t get the chance to have many of those things, she passed it on to us.”
Adder listened carefully, and then nodded. “It’s the name of a goddess.” She agreed, now remembering too, some things she’d read about her mother’s name.
He nodded thoughtfully. “Maybe she’s watching over us.” he said.
“I’d like to believe that.” Adder answered. It was a conclusion she’d come into just now, but it felt right.
Maybe that’s how they survived. Maybe that’s why they’ve found their way back to each other. Maybe that’s how they became the rulers that they were right now. Maybe their mother watched over them, even when she couldn’t be with them anymore. That’s the power of love, crossing the border between life and death.
“I was afraid you’d hate him, because of my choice of name.” Raydan told adder, referring to Anthos. He was glad they could have this kind of talk.
“I could never.” Adder protested. She loved her new family. “I love him.” She assured Raydan, before retiring for the night.
