Nick strolled into the log cabin, his mother's little clinic, situated in their backyard. The warm glow of the setting sun seeped through the windows, casting a cozy ambiance over the room. His mother, Lady Alicia June, a skilled physician, looked up from the papers she was sorting and smiled.
"Hey, Nick! How was your day?" she asked, her eyes sparkling with interest.
Nick ambled over to her, a mischievous grin spreading across his face. "It was the usual, Mom. Just trying to survive the day without getting into too much trouble."
His mother chuckled, shaking her head. "You're such a jokester, Nick. I'm sure you've always been a perfect angel at the academy."
Nick laughed, his eyes twinkling with amusement, and at the same time, enjoying his mother's sarcasm. "Of course, Mom. I'm a model student."
As they bantered back and forth, the tension in the room dissipated, replaced by a warm, fuzzy feeling. Nick's mother had always been his rock, his confidante, and his best friend.
Just as they were about to leave the cabin, a small dagger came flying out of nowhere, hurtling towards Nick's mother. Nick's reflexes kicked in, and he swiftly grabbed the dagger, his fingers closing around it just as it was about to strike his mother's face.
Nick's heart racing, he slowly materialized a spear in his hand, his power as a weapon tamer surging to the forefront. "Show yourself!" he demanded, his voice firm and authoritative.
A moment later, two figures emerged from the trees, their faces familiar yet strange after a two-year absence. Nick's eyes widened as he took in the sight of his elder sister, Sophia, and his younger sister, Emma.
Sophia, her long, curly brown hair tied back in a ponytail, flashed Nick a mischievous grin. "Hey, little brother! Long time no see."
Emily, her blonde pigtails bouncing with each step, skipped towards Nick, her eyes shining with excitement. "Nick! Nick! I've missed you so much!"
Nick's face broke into a wide smile as the spear faded away and he opened his arms to his sisters. "I've missed you guys too! It's so great to see you."
As they exchanged warm hugs and greetings, Nick's mother watched with a happy smile, her eyes misty with tears. "It's wonderful to have you girls back home," she said, her voice trembling with emotion.
Sophia and Emma had spent the past two years living with their maternal grandparents in their hometown, where they had been forcefully trained in martial arts by their grandfather. Nick had missed them terribly, and it was clear that the feeling was mutual.
As they walked towards the house, Nick turned to Sophia, his expression a little serious. "Sophia, what were you thinking, throwing that dagger at Mom? What if it had hit her?"
Sophia's grin faltered, and she looked at Nick with a hint of defensiveness. "I was just testing you, Nick. I wanted to see if you could protect Mom."
Nick's eyes narrowed but his voice was softer. "That was careless and reckless, Sophia. You could have hurt Mom."
Sophia's expression turned mischievous, and she placed her hands on her hips. "You've become so disrespectful, Nick. I ought to teach you some manners these days."
Nick rolled his eyes good-naturedly. "Oh, please, Sophia. You're not my mother."
Sophia chuckled, her eyes sparkling with amusement. "Someone has to keep you in line, little brother."
As they bantered back and forth, Emma skipped ahead, her laughter echoing through the air. Nick watched her, a smile on his face.
"Hey, Emma, how's it going?" he asked, catching up to her.
Emma turned to him, her eyes shining with excitement. "I've gotten so much better at martial arts, Nick! Grandpa taught me some really cool moves."
Nick grinned with his voice nearly above s whisper.. "That's awesome, Emma! I knew you'd be better than that wide-eyed beast of a sister."
As they approached the house, Sophia fell into step beside Nick. "So, Nick, how's life at the academy?" she asked, her tone curious.
Nick shrugged. "It's the usual, Sophia. Just trying to survive."
Sophia's eyes sparkled with amusement. "I'm sure you're doing just fine, Nick. You've always been a bit of a wild card."
Nick chuckled. "Hey, that's not fair, Sophia. I'm a model student."
Sophia raised an eyebrow. "Save it, Nick. I know you too well."
As they entered the house, Nick's mother greeted them with a warm smile. "I'm so glad you girls are back home. Let's catch up over dinner."
After dinner, Emma and her mother stayed inside, energetically gisting about life in the hometown to their mother. Nick and Sophia sat on a wooden bench out in the front yard. Nick turned to Sophia, his expression serious. "So, Sophia, how's life been in the hometown?"
Sophia's expression turned wry. "It's been...interesting, Nick. Grandpa has been...keeping us really busy. And we're helping Grandma at the clinic."
Nick's eyes lit up with interest. "That's nice. I'm sure you're doing a fantastic job.
Sophia's eyes sparked as she smiled. "I always am. Enough about us. What about you? How's Stan...and that pretty clumsy girl...what's it again?...Yes! Jacqueline, right?"
"Well,Stanley is fine...but we got ourselves in a little mess and he's paying the price for us. You know...that's what friends do." Nick smiled brightly. Sophia looked at him and realized how long she waited to see that amazingly handsome smile of his.
Raising an eyebrow, Sophia's voice carried a little sarcasm, and she has started laughing even before saying what was on her mind. "And the girl? Last I remembered was you choking on your saliva 'cause you saw a pretty girl."
"That pretty girl...is my girlfriend." Some kind of unreasonable pride could be detected from the way Nick shrugged.
"Huh? Little brother! You're dangerous!" She laughed heartily. She wasn't expecting things to have changed in him as it as.
After their short laughter, strong silence fell on them. Only the sound of the little birds chirping could be heard in the bright night.
Sophia's voice cracked the silence open. "Dad? How's he?"
The last thing Nick wants to talk about that night was his Dad. He knew, just bringing up his name would change both of their moods. "Really? Do you really want to talk about Dad tonight?"
"Yeah! I'm gonna ask later anyways...so why not ask now and forget about it."
"Well...honestly, I don't know. He's probably out drinking 'cause his son is a failure!" Nick was staring at something only him could see.
"Don't say that!" Sophia's voice carried comfort.
"We had an argument this morning. He said..." Nick's voice was shaky out of frustration.
"No! Shhhh!" Sophia urged him to stop talking. "We'll all have out turns with Daddy. He always has some of his personal will to impose on us...a will that'll change our life's. We just have to stay strong and fight for what we want."
She paused waiting for a response—any response—but got none,so she continued. "He wanted to marry me off to Sir Gregor. You know about that, right? That was why Mom sent us to the town...she hoped that giving him time would change his mind and it did. So...just wait and give him time. I know he'd acknowledge you—one day—as a sorcerer."
Nick just sat there in silence. After some minutes, his sister stood up, patted him on the shoulder and went in. The thought the deal he made with his Dad that morning kept running on his mind. How would he tell his sister that he had to abandon his dream of becoming a Royal Sorcerer if he wanted to keep her happiness. And that if he decides otherwise, he'd have to lose her to some old mage who already has nine wives and twenty one children. And on top of that, he'd have to marry one of the man's daughters. So, there wasn't more of a choice than to let go of his magical dream. So, he thought the best thing was to keep the bargain within him and his father.