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JAYROE & SIDAE 5

JAYROE & SIDAE

Prev Part 4 here

Part 5

LOCATION: Village of Drusilla

TIME: Medieval Fantasy of sorts.

Male Human Reader x Female Drider (both cis).

It took nearly forty-eight hours for the fever to break, and by the time Jayroe could sit up in his bed the storm outside had gotten so severe there was little chance of him leaving the burrow any time soon. It had been the dead of night, at least it felt like the dead of night, as there were no candles lit in the room and he could hear the faint snoring of all the Driders within the burrow. He had some sort of fancy silken boxers as his only article of clothing with bandages nearly wrapping his entire torso. The muscles in his body felt extremely heavy and rather unforgiving as he simply tried to sit up. Though the fever had broken his body hadn’t quite forgiven him for what he had put it through and refused to cooperate with him and resulted in him falling out of the bed he had been lain upon.

He landed against the bare ground with a loud slap that echoed in the near empty room and a curse had slipped out of his mouth as he struggled to push himself off the floor. Once he got to a sitting position against the bed, Jayroe’s eyes locked onto a pair of not so happy green eyes.

“What are you doing?” Lycas had growled out, his arms crossed as he looked down at Jayroe, and shook his head. “You’re too weak to be getting out of bed this soon, human.”

“I need to get back.” His throat was dry and felt as though there was nothing but dirt in his mouth. “I don’t want my family to worry. Plus I to make sure there aren’t any more hunters or- .”

“You need to get back in bed.” Lycas grunted as he leaned down and helped Jayroe sit back on his bed. He kept a firm hand on his chest to keep him from sitting up. “Your father knows where you’re at, so stop worrying. Everything’s all right now. Just sleep.”

Between his aching body and being more fatigued than he realized, Jayroe obeyed the young Drider and was rewarded with a few sips of water before slowly slipping back into sleep. He could only hope and pray his father wouldn’t be too worried and that he’d have some sort of excuse for his absence should anyone ask. Despite his insistence of returning the following morning, it was Lycas that had told him he needed to stay and not to worry about word getting to his family of where he was. Though Lycas would not be friendly with Jayroe, the animosity that had previously been there was gone, and Jayroe willing allowed himself to trust and believe in Lycas’s words. Between the pain in his back and the muscle soreness from his fever, Jayroe didn’t complain much in the way of staying with them a little while longer. Sidae seemed relieved to learn that he had agreed on staying until the rain stopped and acted as the perfect hostess and bedside nurse, though it was hardly good for his constant racing heart whenever she smiled while working on him.

Kai was most excited to know that Jayroe would be staying with them while he recovered from his recent injuries and brought all her toys and her new brothers and sisters to play and tell him stories while he recovered to ensure the best quality entertainment. Lycas was always close at hand to help with the children and to keep Kai from being too rambunctious while Sidae nursed him back to health. Jayroe took both joy and pride in having the opportunity of reading to the little ones from the picture books he brought and telling them the same stories his father told him when he was young. Despite the twelve newborn Driders having plenty of little legs to run on, they moved in short jumping spurts and sprints before finding a place to curl up and go to sleep. Kai was most enthusiastic about nap time and was always quick to plead for a story before sleeping. He obliged each request and found that even Lycas and Sidae listened to the stories too. With a child and twelve small Driders always running around with hyper energy, story time before nap and bedtime became much appreciated by everyone: even Lycas.

It was during a nap where all the little Driders were asleep on his bed that Jayroe came to the knowledge that it was a little short of a miracle that all twelve Driders came into this world so healthy and strong. Sidae had explained that her last two eggs she had in the castle usually had two or three died in the scuffle of breaking free from the egg. Often there were what could be considered runts of the brood that were too weak to survive the first cold night in the stone cell she had been confined to and only had a handful of children in her arms alive and breathing. Lycas previously had been too young and too small to assist them in their escape from the egg, but she was relieved that he was able to assit them in their escape to prevent any of them from hurting one another with their spindly legs and arms to get to their mother first. The small Driders, specifically and especially wolf Driders, were particularly clingy and sought out warmth and clung to whatever heat they found, which resulted in Jayroe being forced to join them in nap time as they clung to him.

The little ones were numbered with a special shirt Sidae had made for them, mostly to keep track of them, since they still didn’t have names yet. They all looked just like Sidae with her green eyes and special freckles, and the only subtle differences that were given to them by their father were dark curls and darker skin on some of the children. There were twelve to name, five girls and seven boys, so he could understand how that would be quite the undertaking. When Jayroe asked about their potential names, Sidae had yet to come up with names for the children as they were still so young, and she wanted to see more of their individual personalities before choosing their names.

“Well, how long will that be?” He asked teasingly as he gently patted the head of one of the Drider’s in his lap. He didn’t like the idea of them being numbered like cattle, but he wasn’t sure if it was his place to truly offer up any names.

Sidae hummed softly to herself as her eyes looked over her children. “I don’t know, I’ve never really been given the opportunity to name my own children until now.”

His brow had furrowed and Sidae threw him a quick smile as she carefully swaddle the little ones in silken blankets and slowly hand them off to Lycas to take to their room. Sidae had waited until Lycas had left the room before turning to Jayroe and carefully scooping up a baby and swaddling it in the silken blanket. Her voice was soft and her eyes downcast as she swaddled another child.

“Driders are very different to humans in many regards, but perhaps one of the biggest is that humans are gifted with names whereas we have to earn them.”

“Earn them?”

“Yes, because so many of our ancestors were cursed to this form, many lost their names as well as their minds.” Sidae kept her eyes on her hands as she carefully wrapped her children, not daring to look Jayroe in the eye as she spoke. “When Driders are born, especially in the castle, we aren’t immediately given a name, often just numbered until we could prove ourselves worthy of a name if we survived long enough to adulthood or was sorted out early enough.”

She tucked her hair behind her shoulder as she released a heavy sigh and dared a small glance at Jayroe. “It’s survival of the fittest, the biggest, the strongest, even amongst the breeders like myself, and the king shows no mercy to anyone, not even his own son. . . Having a name is a gift that so few of us have since so few of us are allowed to live. . .”

This brought on many concerns and questions that Jayroe wanted to ask, the conflict evident on his face as he tried to figure out which to ask first, but Sidae either chose to ignore or could not address and instead explained the importance and value in the meaning behind the names they had and just how important they were to their lives as Driders. The primary reason that Sidae had never named any of her other children other than Lycas and Kai was the fact the honor of naming the child was given to the gladiator or father to name his offspring as it was his small chance of a legacy before he was to return to the battle and never see them again.

Sidae has been personally selected by the dreaded Drider king and had been given her name the moment she was bought. Sidae meant “era or time” as she was selected as a breeder when she was just barely older than Kai, only a few years ago, and was expected to carry on an era of legacies for the fighting gladiators in the coliseum. Though she was of simpler Driders in species, she had been selected from all the others because of her green eyes. It was only thanks to the ‘infirmities’ of her own children that Sidae was allowed to keep and name her own children. Despite his gruff demeanor, Lycas meant “bringer of light” he helped get Sidae through some of her darkest hours in the Drider castle and he was her constant light. Kai meant “sea” and she had been kindly named after her father who had come across the sea. It was fascinating to learn this, yet it somehow made Jayroe feel self-conscious whenever Sidae had asked him the meaning of his own name.

“Elder Spear Wolf.” His nose wrinkled as he answered her question and felt the back of his neck burn with embarrassment as he spoke the meaning aloud. Jayroe was the oldest and was named after his grandfather, it was a family name he’d been given, with little thought put behind it; not like the Driders who lived in this burrow. He’d tried to laugh it off and found that had somehow made his embarrassment worse.

“Though, I don’t think it suits me much.”

“Oh, no, I think it suits you!” Sidae shook her head with a smile. “You’re the oldest boy of your family, and the eldest one here amongst us. You’re a year older than me if I go by human years.”

Jayroe nearly broke out in a fever again from the heat of his flush as she continued regardless of how red his face had become.

“You’re bold enough to dare to stay in a Drider’s burrow and protect us from those that would dare to harm us,” she used her fingers to list all of the wonderful qualities, “Not to mention you’re incredibly strong to have survived your attack, you’re a leader, and just like a wolf you provide would for this pack of Driders!”

A sense of pride had blown up within him to know that she thought so well of him, yet it hurt to know that he could only ever have her respect and never her love. With each day he spent in the burrow, all fifteen of the Driders burrowed that much deeper into his heart. Not a day passed where there wasn’t a smile on his face in the company he was surrounded by and not a day passed that there wasn’t joy in his heart to be with them. He even managed to somehow get closer to Lycas, and though there was no more animosity and there was an underlaying level of trust between them, Lycas still kept him at arm’s length, and that was fine. Progress was made and Jayroe could live with the fact that even if Lycas didn’t like him for being a human, he at least liked him.

As the rains poured and his body took its time to recover, Lycas showed him no mercy in reconditioning him to walk and move his arms again. Though there was nothing broken, there were tears he had to be careful about else he would bleed out again. Where Lycas pushed him into his movements again, Sidae was quick to be at his side and help him recover either by rewrapping his bandages or rubbing a salve into his wounds. Her hands were smooth and a little chilly against his heated skin and he often had to hope and pray she couldn’t feel his racing heart at everything she did to him. It sometimes made his mind wander and imagine he felt a trail of kisses near his wounds. Jayroe was more spoiled and blessed than what he knew what to do with and as he got better each day, he found himself wanting to be sicker just to stay a little longer. He’d need to hurry home to carry out with his responsibilities there once the rain stopped, and he couldn’t help but wish and pray the rain would never stop. Jayroe had silently counted his blessings that all twelve came out healthy and strong and could only hope they would remain so even when he could no longer see them.

A whole week of rain and sleet and strange Drider dishes had passed before Jayroe was healthy enough and physically able to leave the Drider burrow. Lycas escorted him through the Violet Oaks, but his heart felt torn in two the farther he got from the burrow. Neither said a word as they travelled through the violet mists, Lycas was stoic as usual, but Jayroe could feel that his time with the Driders was somehow coming to an end, and he wanted nothing more than the heavens to open up and the sky to pour down more rain to buy him just a fraction more time with them. He wanted to be there when Sidae began naming the children, he wanted to be there to watch the children grow and become adults, it nearly broke his heart to come to terms with the fact that he couldn’t and that he more than likely wouldn’t. He would still provide them milk when things calmed down in the village, but he knew there would come a time that they would no longer need him and that they would probably have to leave soon.

With there still being high chances of monster hunters coming to find them, and the Violet Oaks was a dangerously safe place, it would not be safe for long with an entire family of Driders growing so close to a human village. As much as Jayroe hated to think about it, he knew that they would either have to go deeper into the forest for safety or would have to leave Drusilla entirely. He could handle them going deeper into the forest, he’d manage and find a way to get to them, leaving though. . . that was a different story. His heart clenched at the thought and despite clenching his hands into fists, there was little else to distract him. As if he could read his thoughts, Lycas suddenly spoke up and nearly startled Jayroe.

“We won’t leave any time soon, if that’s what you’re worried about, human.”

Jayroe glanced at the young Drider who already stood taller than he and somehow seemed to have matured in such a short time. His green eyes no longer held anger towards Jayroe, but instead mild respect and trust was there as he watched Jayroe solemnly walk.

“Mom won’t leave until the little ones have either been named or start talking.” Lycas huffed and crossed his arms. “Besides, we wouldn’t leave without telling you either, so stop moping, human.”

It wasn’t much in the way of encouragement, but it brought a small smile to Jayroe’s face and enough peace to his mind to stop thinking on the matter any further. Neither said a word after that, but it was a peaceful and comfortable silence they walked in as Lycas dropped him off at their meeting point. It was almost surreal to return to a life he’d known so well after living in a dream for a week to the point it made each step gradually slower than the last for Jayroe hesitant to rejoin his family. When Jayroe arrived at the farm, Fralick had been in the field with the cows and his father was about to mount his horse when he stopped and spotted him. Both his brother and his father ran out to him pulled him into a fierce hug that was enough to make him groan about his still healing wounds. Many things had happened in his one week of absence and he almost couldn’t believe his ears when his father told him about the news over a quick breakfast.

The Holy Knights had been witch hunters in disguise ready to take some of the sisters from the church who had been falsely accused of witchcraft while the blacksmith’s wife who was a witch had gone missing along with her daughter. Lord Colquett had been taken to prison by the few honorable Holy Knights that were in the company and there was soon to be a wedding for Sister Bethea of the church and Sir Theron. In addition to all this, Evreaux was to properly court Aisley upon his return from escorting Sister Lidwina and her feral Drider to a city of Dyrk in the North. Drusilla was more or less back to its peaceful and spiteful state again while the happenings of the Drider castle were still vastly unknown to the plebeians and humans of society.

However, in a strange series of events there seems to have been a change of rulers and the prince has overthrown the dark king and is going about fixing things. Starting with the Driders in the coliseum, the Drider Prince was in the process of creating a rehabilitation center in the city for the changed Fae and feral Driders to ease their way into society and was to be a haven for Driders everywhere. After all the terrible stories that Sidae told him about what happened in the Drider castle, it all sounded too good to be true and like a fabricated trap to bring the runaways back into their confinement and imprisonment. A part of him wanted to tell Sidae about this revelation and changes in rulers, yet at the same time he wanted to do everything he could to hold onto them; but he couldn’t be that selfish. He especially couldn’t be allowed to be selfish if it meant giving them a happier future.

“How are your Driders? Think they’d be interested in a place like that?” His father asked as he sipped his cup of coffee.

Jayroe raked his hand across the back of his neck and bit his lip at the thought and tried to ignore the pang of hurt in his chest at the idea. “I-I don’t know, pa. Maybe? But I’d have to talk to her about it. She was really hurt by what happened in the castle, I don’t know if it’d be better for her to stay in the burrow or uproot all the kids and take them to Dyrk.”

“Kids can easily adapt.” His father gave a casual shrug, his eyes not leaving Jayroe. “They’re young and though not always willing to accept change, they will if it’s a better future and opportunity for them.”

“Except that I don’t think moving twelve infants is goin’ to be easy.”

His father’s jaw went slack as Jayroe began to recount him of what happened to him in the past week. His father listened wordlessly with a nod of his head and waited until he finished before asking, “Why are you here?”

His brow pinched at the obvious reasons he’d just laid out but answered anyways. “Because I was healed, and it was time for me to leave.”

His father knocked his knuckle against the table. “No, son, why are you here and not there?”

He slumped and held his coffee cup between his hands. “Because I can’t do anything for them out there. . .”

“Really?” His father’s bushy brows rose in disbelief. “Fighting off four monster hunters that nearly killed you, taking a few arrows to your back, and practically providing for this family for the last few months now somehow makes you think you really can’t do nothin’ for them?”

Jayroe’s eyes went wide in surprise, and he almost couldn’t believe what he was saying. However, the piece of him that was left in the Violet Oaks deep in a burrow was practically singing at his father’s words while another piece was so full of conflict at the idea of leaving his childhood home. He always knew one day that he’d marry, move out, start a family, start his own farm, but he always thought he’d be close at hand if his father or siblings ever needed him. Thinking about possibly leaving to go with the Driders to a new place entirely hadn’t been something he’d planned for nor been prepared for. It was a lot to think about so suddenly and Jayroe wasn’t sure how to go about any of it. As if seeing his conflict, his father sighed and slung back the rest of his coffee before setting the empty mug on the table.

“It’s obvious your place isn’t here on the farm anymore, Jayroe, and that’s fine.”

Jayroe couldn’t help but look his father in the eye as he spoke and tried to help guide his wandering mind.

“Aisley’s got Evreaux, and Fralick’s been seeing the Yates’s boy – don’t think I don’t know about that –” His father pointed an accusing finger at him before chewing on the inside of his lip. “The way I see it, you kids have found the places you’re all meant to be but are too scared to go after it.” He sighed then scratched his cheek. “Aisley is probably the bravest for tellin’ me out front about Evreaux, and it ain’t easy to tell your father you want to court and marry an Orc.”

“Well, she’s got less to fear when she’s got that mountain of a man wanting to marry her and would stomp anyone who got in his way.” Jayroe laughed dryly then bit his lip. “I know Aisley will be fine, and Fralick will find his way, but what’ll happen to you?”

“I’ll be here.” He gestured to the whole house as he sat back and crossed his arms, tucking his hands under them. “Aisley and Evreaux will probably stick around, maybe even move in and take over the farm. Evreaux seemed to really like the place and already started askin’ me how to tend to all the duties that happen here. I don’t have a clue what Fralick will do, but when he’s ready to tell me he will.” His father stared him in the eye, eyes of wisdom and knowledge prodding him. “As for you, Jayroe, I reckon you got a family out there that will miss you if you’re stupid enough to leave them out there.”

His father didn’t give him a chance to speak up or argue or even ask a question before he stood from his chair and went back to work on the farm. Aisley was in town and Fralick was out somewhere, and this left Jayroe all alone in the house. Though it was his childhood home, it somehow felt smaller compared to the burrow, in a strange way he suddenly felt cramped even though he was the only one in the house. Wanting to ignore that feeling, Jayroe stood and wandered from room to room, memories flashing in his mind and making him feel both melancholy as well as suddenly much older. He hadn’t realized how much he had to stoop under some of the doorways, though it had to have been much worse for Evreaux, and he strangely felt as though he had somehow outgrown the only home he’d ever known.

There was so much he didn’t know, so much he wanted to ask his father about and get his help on; especially with how to handle a young Drider who didn’t seem to hate him anymore but just barely tolerated him and ask him what he needed to do to get Lycas to like him. Sitting on his bed, Jayroe tried to map out his future by just a few small choices here and there but no matter what choices he thought he’d make, his mind kept going back to Sidae and the kids. Even his own room had felt small compared to the burrow he’d lived in for a week and as much as he hated to admit it, it was probably time for him to leave the nest. He tried to ignore it as he reminisced about childhood memories in this house, but it somehow seemed to make the conflicting feeling that much worse. Though his body was here, his heart was in the burrow.

Even when Jayroe sat in the company of his loved ones at dinner, that feeling of being at home was not there with him and made him feel that more out of place. While Aisley and Fralick talked about their days and teased one another about her courting and Orc, Jayroe’s mind was far away. Like many times before, his father was right and deep down in his heart he knew that he couldn’t not be a part of his own family’s lives, they were flesh and blood and he’d always have a place here if things somehow didn’t go well. He knew that if he didn’t do something about this now, he’d likely not see Sidae or the kids in the future. He spent the day with his family and waited until after dinner to talk with his family about what he wanted to do.

He’d cleared his throat to get their attention and as their merriment slowly died down so they could listen to him, and his voice shook. “I - I think I’m going to move out.”

His siblings had dropped their silverware, but his father didn’t seem to be that surprised. “What?”

“I’m going to move out.” He spoke a little stronger and with more confidence.

Aisley shook her head in disbelief. “But you only just got back!”

“You aren’t well enough to travel.” Fralick scolded with a scowl. “You better not be sayin’ that just to give me more chores! So help me Jayroe - !”

“That’s not the reason.” He hissed out and groaned as he had to go into the details of explaining where he’d been and where his heart truly was. He’d explained everything, all the secrets he’d kept about the driders and the dangers he’d faced in the Violet Oaks. He explained how he saved Kai, saved Lycas, fought off the monster hunters and even all the babies that Sidae had to take care of. Aisley’s eyes sparkled at the mention of their being babies, Fralick paled and apologized for his comment about the chores, and his father who had been listening silently and intrigued finally spoke up.

“You can’t leave until you bring them here for us to meet.”

That was how a day later he was steering his horse out to the forest line before tying him off and hauling the wagon out to his usual meeting spot. Fresh milk, cheeses, and a few knitted things that Aisley made when she heard the word ‘babies’ rested in the bag as he moved forward to meet up with Lycas. He was quiet like always, but Jayroe had somehow sensed his presence and this time Lycas didn’t nearly scare him half to death when he loomed out of the mists. His face was wrinkled in confusion, but he shrugged and helped haul the wagon back to the burrow. The mists weren’t as dense now that the rain had fallen into a dry spell and were navigable again and Jayroe noticed more things that what he had before.

“You just couldn’t stay away, human.”

“Lycas!” He yelped with a jump. Lycas chortled as he vaporated from the mists. Jayroe had been so lost in his thoughts that he hadn’t been listening out for Lycas.

“I’ll be honest. I hadn’t expected you to be back so soon.” Lycas tilted his head to the side and squinted at the wagon. “Already dragging that wagon out here? That can’t be good for you.”

He roughly cleared his throat and Lycas cocked a brow at him. “I’ll be fine.”

“What’s wrong with you, human?” Concern coated his voice as he looked Jayroe from head to toe. “Why are you acting nervous?”

“I’m not.” He answered too quickly and laughed at himself for trying to pretend he wasn’t. Lycas scoffed and crossed his arms almost immediately as he looked down at Jayroe. Jayroe’s nose wrinkled in agitation at the sight. “Don’t look down at me.”

“I can’t help that I’m taller than you, human.” A smirk curled the right corner of his mouth. Jayroe tried not to scowl too deeply at the strange playfulness Lycas exposed to him and heaved a sigh.

He couldn’t get sidetracked here, if he did, he’d lose the focus and the willpower to bring everyone over for dinner. The time clock was so shallow as it was, he needed to move quickly. “Have the kids laid down for a nap yet?”

This caught him off guard and Lycas’s brow furrowed. “They will soon, you know that. Why?”

If there wasn’t any pressure before now, it all came to a boiling point in his chest now. “Well, my family wants to have you all over for dinner.”

All forms of playfulness disappeared from Lycas’s face as it tightened into a firm line and his arms uncrossed and fell to his sides. Before he could open his mouth and question Jayroe about it further, Sidae’s vibrant green eyes appeared close by.

“Lycas!” She sang as she called for him and a small sense of ease came to Jayroe as he heard her voice. All the hair on Lycas’s body stood on end as he didn’t dare look away from Jayroe as the tension built within him. “Lycas?”

“We’re out here, Sidae.” Jayroe called out before Lycas could hiss out something to deter him from his mission. The glare Lycas gave him was as deadly and dangerous as when they first met and there was an underlying fear that he’d somehow messed up their progress.

“Jayroe?” Her voice hitched a new melody as she waved her hands through the mists and stood beside Lycas. “You’re back!”

“I’m back.” His voice shook as he agreed, and he suddenly felt more nervous than a cricket in summer.

“What brings you here?” She smiled from ear to ear, and it eased some of his nerves as he looked up at her.

“Well, a lot has happened in a week of my absence and.. .” He exhaled out his nose and flexed and relaxed his fingers. “And my family would like to have you over for dinner.”

“What?” She blinked in surprise and cast a quick glance at the still glaring Lycas.

“I-It’s safe now.” He gulped and tried to think of how to explain this. “The Knights are gone, the rains are mostly done, and my family wants to meet you. You and the kids. All of them.”

“How nice.” She wet her lower lip and ran a hand through her hair. “This is such short notice. . .”

“I know.” He rushed, not ready to hear her rejection, and ran a hand through her hair. “B-But they’ve been curious about ya’ll since you took care of me, and I’ve been takin care of you.”

“You told others about us?” Lycas hissed out, his body shaking as the hairs on his body stood on end.

“Lycas do not scold him when you were the one to speak with his father about where he was so they would not miss him for a week.” Sidae chided softly, but Lycs still didn’t relax.

He desperately searched her green eyes, hoping he could somehow convey everything without having to say everything out loud. It was too soon to talk of the city of Dyrk, to talk about the possibility of them needing to leave, and all he wanted was for her to meet his family and have a nice dinner. He was almost to the point of begging.

“Everything’s already prepared.” He was reaching for whatever he could think of to somehow convince her to come. “Tables, chairs, food – all you and the kids have to do is come. I e-even brought the wagon to carry the kids in.”

Her sweet and kind smile bloomed on her face and for a brief moment he feared she’d reject him. “Of course, we’ll go.” She reached her hand out and rested it on Lycas’s shoulder. “Lycas, help him bring the gifts in and lefts go get your brothers and sisters.”

TO BE CONTINUED. . .

Here is Part 6

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