Now that the ice was broken, Becca and Rob were slowly having a pleasant chat about what they had been up to since the last time they saw each other.
While they were busy chatting, I noticed that little Ron was hiding behind his father's leg. I could tell he was shy. He had one eye peaking out from behind his father's leg, so he could see them talking. What surprised me was the look of admiration on his face when he looked at Becca. Becca had told me in the past that she had very little interaction with her nephew, so I wonder what could have triggered him to look up to his Aunt. Maybe Rob had told him good stories about Becca? That would be a nice way to help bring the siblings closer together.
While the two were continuing to be lost in their conversation with each other, I sneaky to the side to catch Ron's attention. Unfortunately, when he saw me waving at him, his eyes of admiration quickly changed to eyes of fear. I'm sure Rob told him that the guest that was visiting today was a bad guy who he needed to be extra careful with.
I knelt down to his eye level. "Hey Buddy, how are you? My name is Nick."
He cowered a little further behind his father's leg, but he still was able to give me a rehearsed line. "I'm ok…"
I tried my best to smile warmly. "You know, now you are my nephew. We are family. You don't have to be scared of me…"
Ron quickly shook his head, "no! I'm only Aunt Becky's nephew!"
"You really like Aunt Becky, huh kiddo?"
Ron's eyes started to shine, "Aunt Becky is like a fairy! Mommy and Daddy don't believe me, but I saw it! Do you believe me, Mr. Nick?"
"Of course I believe you! Aunt Becky is really a fairy! What did you see to make you know she is a fairy?"
Ron reached out and grabbed my arm with his tiny little hands as he was excited to tell a fellow believer his story. "One time, I was going to the kitchen to get a cookie and I saw Aunt Becky standing outside. Then, ice started flying around her! She could make big shapes! I tried to run and bring my mommy, but Aunt Becky was already gone when my mommy come!"
Now it made sense why he admired Becca so much. Any kid would be in awe of someone being able to use ice magic.
"Yes, Aunt Becky likes to play with magic ice. Sometimes she uses it to skate and glide around really fast!"
"You saw her before too, Mr. Nick? My mommy and daddy never believe me…they said it's impossible. That I saw it wrong…"
Ron looked sad to not be believed by his parents for the first time. I didn't want Ron to be misunderstood any longer, so I called over Becca. "Hey Becca, sorry to bother your conversation, but can you come over here for a second?"
Becca quickly walked over. "What's up, Nick?"
I waved at her to come closer, so I could whisper in her ear. "Becca, make an ice sculpture of something cute like a dog for Ron. I'm sure he will love it."
Becca tilted her head slightly because of my sudden request, but she wasn't against it. "Whatever you say…"
Instantly, a sculpture of a dog with it's tail about to wage appeared in Becca's hands. She then hunched down next to Ron and smiled, "I hope you like my present, Nephew."
Ron was jumping up and down in excitement. "THANK YOU SO MUCH, AUNT BECKY!!!!!"
Rob was the most shocked at this scene. "Rebecca, you can use ice magic?!"
Becca put her hand on the back of her head and gave an apologetic smile. "Sorry I never told the family…I have been training my water magic for the last 10 years. Within the last year, I have become an intermediate water magic, so I now also have control over ice."
"You must have spent all your free time training…so you didn't lock yourself in your room all these years because you hated us for not standing up for you?"
"Well…I did definitely hate father at the time for not standing up for me when I felt hopeless, but I know mother and you didn't have any power to help me, so I don't blame you."
Rob's face was full of sorrow. "I still feel bad for being so powerless back then. Now that I am older, and have created a strong network for when I become heir, I will help you get a position as a mage for the county. This time I will help you make your dream come true no matter what anyone says!"
Rob was obviously glaring daggers at me. I chuckled lightly at the misunderstanding. "Haha, I think it's already too late for that."
Rob was not happy about my light heartedness. "What do you mean by that?!"
Becca stepped forward to explain. "Brother, Nick has already agreed to let me join the Royal mages. I just need to pass the official test through my own merit and then I will officially start working as a Royal mage. I have been training every morning, so now that we have settled in, I'll probably go train at our training ground tomorrow morning if you want to come take a look."
Rob was in disbelief, "really?"
Becca chuckled, "yes, Nick has turned over a new leaf. He has earned back my trust with his actions, so you should give him a chance."
Rob muttered, "I wish you would give me a chance to redeem myself too…"
However, Becca didn't hear what he was muttering, "Hmm?"
Rob waved his hand, "it's nothing. I'll try to have a better relationship with him if you say so. Now, let's get seated, our parents should be here any second."
As we were heading to our seats, Ron had a big smile on his face and was screaming with excitement at his mother and father. "Mommy, Daddy! See, I was right! Aunt Becky really is a fairy!!"