One more side story coming next Monday, then on to Vol.8.
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This chapter takes place in the earlier parts of Vol.7, before the crew leaves for Flumare, just a few days after the birth of Johnathan Taurus, and when Bowen gets dragged away by a frustrated new mother.
Kaladin Shadowheart's POV.
"Welcome, and good afternoon to the Shadowheart family," JD said with a short bow as he swung the door open for us.
"Thank you for letting us in, JD," Sylvia said with a smile.
"Of course. The Shadowheart family is always welcome at the Taurus family home," he said as we walked in.
It was my first time visiting Bowen's personal home. He and his family lived in a secluded part of the campus grounds toward the back, away from all the hustle and bustle of the university. His home was a well-built mansion that didn't seem overly ostentatious like some others. The Taurus family had chosen mostly wood for their home instead of the dark marble many favored in the capital. The brown wood gave the home a very warm feeling, and that extended to the interior.
Paintings depicting various battles or breathtaking scenes of the Keldrag mountain range and even a complete set of Luminar knight armor stood in the entryway. It was all simple, and I felt that it embodied the Taurus family well. It was also surprising to see such a vast home only maintained by what seemed like a handful of servants.
"Have you all come here today to see the lady and young Johnathan?" JD questioned as we walked through the building.
"If that's possible, yes. We hope we aren't causing any issues," I said politely.
JD shook his head. "Not at all. Lady Taurus should have just finished eating her lunch and feeding young Johnathan. I'm sure she would welcome some company."
JD was usually Bowen's right-hand man and personal assistant. Not only that, but he was also running the Dragonheart Foundation for the time being. For someone so busy, it was surprising to see him acting as a butler as well. I felt that the poor man was being dragged in too many directions, but he didn't show a hint of fatigue or anything.
Regardless, the walk was short as we made our way up a single floor and to the middle of the mansion, guided by JD. The man gave a quick nod and announced our presence, followed by Ms. Taurus's welcoming voice telling us to come inside.
We walked in and gave our greetings. Ms. Taurus was lying propped up in a large bed, her newborn child cradled in her arms. '
She smiled warmly at us and said, "Thank you all for coming."
"Thank you for seeing us," I said back. "Are you feeling well?"
Ms. Taurus chuckled softly. "I'm a little tired still, but nothing I'm not used to." She smiled at Mila, who suddenly seemed very interested as her tail swayed side to side.
"Would you like to meet Rosemary's little brother, Mila?" she asked.
Mila excitedly stepped forward as Ms. Taurus patted the bed for her to climb up on. Mila scuddled up and nestled herself right up next to Ms. Taurus.
"Speaking of Rosemary, where is she? I'm surprised she wasn't the one that greeted us," Sylvia mentioned.
"She's out with her father," Ms. Taurus answered as she brought the baby closer so Mila could see his face.
"Hi, baby," Mila cooed.
"This is Johnathan," Ms. Taurus said softly.
"Hi, Johnathan," Mila said in a baby voice.
Ms. Taurus had an ear-to-ear smile as she suggested, "Do you want to hold him?"
Mila looked at us with wide, nervous eyes, and I nodded. I would warn her to be gentle, but Mila already knew that, as we had a conversation before we reached the Taurus's home.
Little Johnathan stirred slightly as Mila cradled him in her arms. She had a mixture of surprise and nervousness on her features, and, with help from Ms. Taurus, she positioned the baby in a comfortable spot.
"So tiny…" Mila muttered as she looked down.
"Here, look, you can touch him. Just use a finger and be gentle," Ms. Taurus said softly as she guided Mila's finger across the baby's arm.
"Why is he so soft?" Mila blurted out in excitement.
Ms. Taurus giggled and told her, "Because he is a baby, Sweety."
Mila looked over at me with a serious look. "Are all babies so soft, Daddy? I don't think I was soft as a baby…"
Her seriousness almost made me chuckle, but I shook my head. "I'm sure you were a very soft baby, Mila. But yes, I'm sure most babies are soft…maybe besides Dragonkin babies…or Dagin babies."
Mila smiled at that and giggled to herself as she mumbled "soft" to herself in the Beastmen language. Ms. Taurus started guiding Mila's finger up and to the baby's smooth head. Mila giggled to herself as she rolled over the wrinkles, muttering "soft" some more, but that vanished quickly.
Mila's eyes went wide with panic as she looked around the room and right at us. Her face screamed that she was sorry, as if she had done something wrong. It was pretty apparent why, but the reaction was adorable nonetheless. It just showed how gentle and caring Mila was.
Thankfully, Ms. Taurus, after a quick laugh, was quick to explain things to Mila, "That's his soft spot. All babies have it when they are very little, but it will go away with time."
Relief washed over Mila as she touched the top of her and sighed. However, that commotion and sudden movement seemed to have awoken young Johanthon from his milk-induced sleep as he started to wail.
Mila started to panic again, and before anything else happened, I quickly swooped up the child, and within seconds, he stopped crying. Now that I got a closer look at him, I—well, he was a newborn, so he didn't really look like any one of his parents. I also couldn't see his eyes as they were shut tight. But one thing was for sure: what Johnathon lacked for hair on the top of his head was what he made up for on his body. Well, it wasn't hair as much as it was, just a light amount of fuzz around his neck, shoulders, and the tops of his ears.
But…he really is so tiny…and fragile. What an amazing thing, honestly. It's hard to imagine that I was once this small…and, at one point, was never this tiny ever yet got so big.
Also, curiosity got the better of me. I had to wonder…what were the odds? So I fed mana into my eye and used Soulsight to peer into the baby's very existence. Naturally, there was no cause for concern, just a tiny blip of light in the center of his chest, no chains, no darkness—nothing to be worried about.
I mean, what would I do if Johanthon were a reincarnation? Tell his mother? Wait for him to grow old and speak to him? Get rid of him? I still didn't have the foggiest idea what to do, considering the last person I almost killed for being a reincarnation ended up being a close friend.
Actually, thinking about killing a freshly born child is rather dark…I shouldn't entertain that kind of thought, regardless.
I felt the stares of everyone around me and looked up. "Is something the matter?" I asked them.
Ms. Taurus gave me a wry smile and said, "It's surprising to see you holding a child for some reason. And it's even more of a surprise that Johanthon calmed down so quickly. He's usually very fussy when he first wakes up."
Sylvia snorted to herself and put her hands on her hips. "That's just how Kaladin has always been. Even babies can sense his greatness and how warm and gentle he is," she said proudly.
I felt a tinge of embarrassment as I handed the young child back to its mother. I wasn't sure if a baby could "sense" anything. Actually, I was pretty certain it couldn't sense a damn thing since I still have vague memories, even as an infant. Not only that, but I also briefly considered how to "deal" with it.
And the only thing I sensed as an infant was confusion, hunger, and the constant need to sleep and defecate.
Oh, along with the existential dread of being alive again, but that's probably just my issue.
I just smiled awkwardly at the praise, and from there, we spent some time chatting amongst ourselves. It wasn't long until Bowen and Rosemary came home, and we ended up spending the entire evening with the Taurus family.
It was a peaceful end to another day.