The grand manor on the mountainside came into view at last light. The cool kiss of the breeze wafting over Björn's wings as he neared his birth place. The scenery was no different than the last time he was here, and it made him feel very welcome.
Thick trees with all shades of green covered the ground beneath him. Herds of deer and elk running through them as his shadow past overhead. The sound of rushing water from the falls only a few hundred yards away. The smell of timber, of wildlife, of nature.
It soothed him more than any sound or sight or smell the city could offer. No matter what any of his men said about his time spent in Edinburgh or away from the mountains: this, this place was home. Practically centered in the mainland, no matter where he was in the land, he was no more than a three days flight from home.
The two story building he had been told was crafted by master carpenters imported by the Jarl of Edinburgh. It had taken several months to complete, but it was one of the ways that man had used to apologize to his parents. The red wood and oak held the structure up, with large stained glass windows and comfortable living spaces.
He remembered playing in the gardens as a child with Astrid. Tracking mud into the house through the large foyer, into the massive kitchen and dining hall, through the living area with a polished stone fireplace. The dark cellar was best for playing ghost games, and the spacious second level was perfect for hide and seek. With several rooms utilized for storage or sleeping, there was always somewhere to disappear to.
The manor doors opened wide, the double pane oak doors slamming against the two pillars at the entrance and Björn watched Astrid dart out of the house. A large smile on her face while his younger siblings Raynor and Gala followed after her.
He roared, bellowing out a cheerful hello that probably sounded like a death sentence to anyone other than his family. His glistening scales began to fade as he came closer to the lush grass beneath his approaching feet. Once his bare feet touched the soil the nine year old twins tackled him down to the ground.
"Björn!" They squealed. "You're back! You're back!"
He chuckled, trying to sit up and push them off himself yet they refused to move. Each one clinging to an arm even as he squirmed to sit upright.
"Hello to you two as well. Have you been behaving while I was away?"
Gala smiled at him, her pale blonde hair fluttering in the breeze. "Aye! I have been!"
Raynor scoffed at her, "No you haven't! You stole my pastry this morning!"
"Liar!" Gala squinted her eyes shut and stuck her tongue out at Raynor.
The twins began bickering with each other with Björn trapped between them. He looked up at Astrid with a sheepish look. It was a familiar spectacle.
"Remind you of anyone?"
Astrid smiled, remembering the days she and Björn would fight like cats and dogs. "Yes, it does."
They laughed, and Björn rose to his feet. Lifting the children with him as he did. Astrid held out a pair of muslin pants, a type of material he hated the most. However he couldn't walk around nude forever in the presence of his family.
He pulled on the pants and watched the two children leave him to play in the gardens. Excited to have him home, yet not enough to continue clinging to him.
The twins had matching skin, hair and eye colors. With twisted and comical personalities, they continually enjoyed toying with strangers. If the two wore a hat to cover their hair, they were near impossible to tell apart.
Gala's hair was long and wavy while Raynor seemed to like keeping his shorter. The shade was a pale blonde, almost ivory: several shades lighter than the rich golden blonde of their mothers. Their skin was pale in color, a shade not favoring great lengths in the sun.
Except, these two inherited their father's eyes where both Björn and Astrid did not. Their iris color was a deep shade of red, very similar to the color of oxygenated blood.
"Where is father and mother?" he asked.
Astrid pulled her lips tight. "In their bedroom."
"Ah," Björn nodded. "I suppose I will stay out here then."
"Good idea."
They both chuckled. "I noticed Theron isn't here, did you chase him off again?"
Astrid rolled her eyes with an annoyed look to her. "No, I didn't. Mother did."
"Mother did?"
She growled and waved her hands in the air. "Something about he and I needing to take some time apart before I turn twenty next year. You remember that stupid rule mom gave him?"
"Mhm, the one about you needing to be twenty before he's allowed to be… intimate with you."
Astrid slapped her hands on her hips. "Yes! That one! It is so stupid! I am nineteen years old, I am an adult! If I want to have an intimate moment with my future lifemate I should be allowed to!"
Björn chuckled, "Theron is probably having just as hard of a time with this as you are. Besides, it's only a few more months."
"Eight!" She hissed, pointing her finger at him. "Eight months!"
"You're counting now? I thought you didn't want to be with Theron? What happened to that huge incident in town?"
Astrid glared at him. "We are not talking about that."
He pouted his lower lip while pinching and raising his eyebrows together, nodding his head in mock agreement with her. "So where is he anyways?"
She growled again, huffing about like the big bad wolf in their child-hood fairy tales. "Off somewhere, I don't know where. He told me he has something he wants to prepare for us, and then left when mother caught us."
Björn began to wonder if his sister's eyes could fall from their sockets, the numerous times she's rolled them in their short conversation was astounding. "What did she catch you two doing?"
Astrid's cheeks turned a vibrant red and she averted her gaze.
"You didn't." Björn said excitedly, his jaw slowly dropping and his shoulders rising as he grew more thrilled to be home. Here he could relentlessly tease his little sister.
"No!" she snapped at him. "We didn't do that!"
Björn's excitement deflated. "Then why are you so embarrassed?"
"Because, he… I mean we…" she paused. "No it was most definitely him. The things he did, it was… oh my."
His sister's gaze went hot, the things she was thinking were incredibly indecent and it was all about Theron. Björn groaned this time, walking away and waving his hand at his sister.
"Here I thought I was glad to be home." he walked towards Raynor and Gala who were chasing some poor lizard in the grass. "Are you two at least happy to see me?"
They smiled wide, flashing a crooked grin and dimples before running after their scurrying toy. Björn sighed, "I guess not." He looked at the setting sun dip past the hills to the west. It would be dark soon, he and his family would dine together, and most would turn in for the evening.
His time at his home was quiet and peaceful. Something that always made him feel like he'd lost something precious while out on the battlefields. Some days he wished he had never left his home and joined the forces or Edinburgh, however it was a life he wouldn't trade for anything.
For anything.
"Björn? You're home?"