"Darkness is not heresy. It lies within us all." ~(Alune) Aphelios, Weapon of the Faithful
Okay ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, seatbelts on. We are going all in.
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"Can we play in the rain daddy? Mummy?" Daisy asked while shivering with excitement.
Leanna sternly refused, "No you will get sick."
"But it never rains here.... pleaseee?" Annie followed up.
"No. Definitely not. You will get sick. You don't want to be sick right?"
The girls let out grumbles and whined about not being allowed to frolic in the rain. After a couple minutes of thinking, they went to the higher power in the house.
Their daddy.
If even he didn't agree, then it was pretty doomed. But they could make him listen and even make him take them out.
The plan was made. And the only thing left was execution.
Both kids walked up fully clothed in whatever waterproof clothing that was available. Gregori, watching this felt like he was in front of Noxian high command. They might not have aimed for that effect but they radiated an aura of authority.Leanna, who was sitting next to him had her head in her hands. Her body shaking, trying to withhold the peals of laughter that threatened to come out.
She knew what the two wanted to ask for, considering she didn't let them they would naturally go to the next adult in the house.
Gregori got up and performed a military salute, "Gregori reporting for duty ma'am's."
Annie raised her chin at him and spoke haughtily, "At ease soldier."
"We require you to take us outside in the rain and ensure our safe return." Daisy followed up.
They wanted to play in the rain? That was it? He turned to Leanna who waved him off as if to tell him to do what he wanted.
Looking at the kids, he spoke, "Playing in the rain is allowed only if you come back and let me and your mother dry you off in front of the fire."
The girls looked at each other.
"OKAYY!" Annie yelled.
Daisy spoke, "We will do it!"
Bobbing with excitement they ran till the door.
"Wait for me, if you don't then you aren't going outside."
The sound of footsteps stopped.
"COME FAST!" Annie's yell carried through the house. She was whining now.
As Gregori got up, a hand held his. "Take care of them, don't keep them out too long okay?" Leanna spoke concerned.
Gregori reassured her, "Don't worry, I will bring them back safe and sound and didn't you see? Annie didn't deny it when I called you their mother."
Leanna smiled.
"I hope one day she calls me that herself."
"She will, she likes you too Leanna. I think she understands that she can have two mothers and that's fine."
"Whaat are you doiinnnggg?" Came another exasperated yelp. He couldn't figure out who though, whining children all sounded the same.
"I'll get going then."
Annie hadn't whined alone since before they brought Leanna and Daisy home. He hadn't missed this but it just went to show how much the presence of another child and a mother affected Annie.
It was almost fully all positive, the only downside being if both children wanted something they would whine together.
And it also seemed to bring changes to her, she didn't want to disappoint both him and Leanna and she wanted to be a good sister. Which seemed to be something awfully deep for a child at the age of five to be thinking about but that was good, maturity was a good thing to have in these lands.
The final thing was Tibbers. She has reduced her talks with the bear. By a lot. He didn't recall when the last time was that he heard her speak to the bear or act like it was speaking to her. That was good.
"I'm here. Lets go."
"Daddy can Tibbers come too?"
And there went that thought. He guessed that she might never grow out of having the stuffed toy with her considering it was her mother's only creation for her. At least she isn't talking to it.
"Tibbers says he wants to come.'
And there went that thought as well.
One day.
One... day...
"Yes firefly he can come." Gregori said relenting at the looks he was receiving from the two.
"Can Bell come too?"
"Yes flower. She can come too."
He did not show favoritism to any child.
Not to mention both dolls had runes water and dust proofing them, which made it so they could take the two toys outside without much worry.
He had personally inscribed the runes for Bell and Tibbers was already dust and water proof, Amoline had been quite thoughtful in that regard.
He held out one hand for each of the girls to hold and they held it with the free hand that wasn't holding a stuffed toy.
The three walked out into the rain. Leanna watched from the door as they made their way through the rain.
They followed him silently to the little bridge taking them across the creek and then immediately let go of his hand.
After losing sight of them in the rain, Leanna walked back into the house and started reading the recipe book Gregori had given her.
Both of them had their hands out catching falling raindrops with their open palms.
Daisy turned to Gregori questioningly, "Daddy?"
"Yes flower?"
"Where does rain come from? Is the sky crying?"
Annie turned toward him as well, intrigued by the conversation. Rain wasn't a common occurrence in these regions. It had been a few years seen the land had seen any and Annie was nowhere near old enough to remember it.
Gregori found that he liked this facet of his girls, unending curiosity about the happenings around them.
"You have seen me or you mother boil water haven't you?"
Nods.
"The steam that flies up become clouds in the sky, and when the clouds get heavy and cool, they come back down as rain."
A very rudimentary explanation but it would sate their curiosity. As good as curiosity was, they were children and they should be playing in the rain and not wonder about where the damn rain came from.
Seemingly happy with the answer the two started running around flicking the drops of water at each other and jumping into puddles on water to see who would make the biggest splash.
They had not covered a lot of distance, just following around the edge of the creek and were now getting to the point where it flowed into the nearby river. The normally calm river was now at a raging flow due to the rain.
He kept in close proximity to them, not letting the two out of sight.
Two lost children was bad enough without adding rain to the education. Children in general did not even have the most basic sense of self preservation. Unless they experience fear or pain they tend to not learn.
His own two girls were like that.
Daisy had once tried to grab a burning log of wood from the fire and he had intervened similarly Annie had tried to see if she could her hand with a knife and without Leanna's timely intervention he wouldn't have know what to do. Teaching Annie to not play with matches was a similar uphill battle.
The two were bawling by the time they had gotten to explaining why they shouldn't have done so but man, was it difficult rising kids.
"Look Butterfly!"
The squeal of excitement broke him out of his thoughts. He looked up to see both girls chase after something.
Butterfly?
In this weather?
It was a glowing yellow light.
He chased after them and yelled at them to stop. He was almost at grabbing range of both kids, until Daisy jumped to catch the yellow light.
His hands reached around Annie but missed Daisy by a hair.
She landed at the edge of the river. As she did, the wet soil gave way and she fell into the river.
"ANNIE GO HOME NOW!" Gregori yelled as he jumped into the river to pull Daisy out.
At the edge of his sight he saw Annie sprint back home and his heart eased a little. She had decided to listen when it mattered most.
Most of his attention was still on Daisy however it was getting difficult to spot her blond hair as the river washed her away.
He swam toward her and summoned innate magic and pushed his hand out in her direction. Gregori pushed himself harder than he had ever done before. The only thing running in his mind was how he would never be able to live after losing his daughter, Leanna wouldn't forgive him, he wouldn't forgive himself.
He didn't feel a reaction.
No reaction.
He had been pulled along the river a long way now.
And hope was slowly fading.
One last time he pushed his hand forward and pulled out everything. Every single ounce of innate magic, every little bit.
No reaction.
The water rushed around him as his head was dragged into the water.
Black spots started appearing around his vision. He was losing consciousness. He tried fighting but the force of the river was too strong.
The black spots had almost fully taken over his vision.
As he was slipping into unconsciousness he heard Amoline's voice, "Take care of our daughter for me okay?"
He then heard Leanna ask the same thing.
To take care of both their daughters. They didn't ask for him to stay safe. No. They asked for him to do the one thing he was capable of. Taking care of their daughters.
And he would do that. He would do that even in death.
At that instant he caught sight of a creature in white aiming its bow at a spot in the water. The arrow on its bow resembled a bolt of magic. Its hooves lay unmoving on the the water. It was poised to take its kill. Its mask, just as all the stories described it.
The Lamb.
It had come for a soul.
Daisy.
His flower.
SPUURRTTT
Gregori bit on his tongue hard. The pain eradicating the spots taking over his sight. One last time, with a guttural scream he pushed his hand toward her and willed.
No.
He COMMANDED his magic with all that he was.
And it obeyed.
The water around them stilled and then flowed toward him. Pulling the outstretched hand toward his own.
He held the hand and pulled his flower close to his chest.
" I got you... I got you..... daddy has you flower.... daddy has you."
He repeated with heavy breaths. More to reassure himself than his daughter. He placed a kiss on her head and held his lips there.
The Lamb turned its head at him.
Fully utilizing his new power over the innate magic, he pointed his hand to the closest edge of the river and commanded his magic again.
As he flexed his magic, Gregori felt a pull on his body. As the pull built, his body shot toward land, the river splitting as he cut through it.
His hand snaked around his daughter's head and as he rolled across the land after hitting it.
He shakily stood up to see the Lamb poised with another arrow ready to fire. He understood it at that moment. He hadn't saved his flower yet, merely delaying her death. The arrows of the Lamb weren't something he could stop, as it wasn't aimed at him.
He knew what it was trying to do.
It wanted to give his daughter a painless death. Its actions were done in good intent. But he didn't want his daughter to die this early in her life, not without putting up a fight. She needed to face the Wolf and come out victorious.
Against all of his instinct, he turned away from the Lamb. Holding Daisy, he used his magic as he ran his hand up her body, pulling the ingested water out of her.
Koff Coughhh Koff
Daisy let out small coughs after the water rushed out of her nose and mouth. The first thing she saw was her father. She clutched at his wet clothes.
"Daddy?"
But he wasn't looking at her. Tilting her head she saw what held his attention. A furry masked creature with hooves and a bow. The bow was aimed at them.
After it made eye contact with her, it put down its bow and faded away.
As it faded, her daddy turned to her, his eyes widened with shock as he looked at her.
"Flower?"
She smiled weakly and closed her eyes.