"I don't think I can wait any longer." Rhys grinned, holding the crate in careful hands. "I imagine she will be soon if she isn't up yet."
Dawn hadn't yet approached and Rhys stood with Feyre at the bottom of the stairs. He shifted from one foot to the other, holding the Nova's last Solstice gift. This one was unlike the others. They'd kept it secret at Edith's for some time, wanting to give her a day where her attention wouldn't have to be pulled.
Grinning, Feyre nodded giddily. "Let's go wake her."
Ascending the stairs, their footsteps roused Nova. She blinked her eyes open and rubbed the sleep away. Sitting up, she looked around her bedroom with a widening grin. The gifts she'd acquired the day before were still here and she had every intention to stay in her room the whole day and explore. Aside from the dagger, which her mother put away in a safe place, much like she did the diamond necklace.
"Nova?" Feyre asked as she slowly opened the door to make sure she was decent before letting it open all the way. Smiling, she crossed the room and sat on the edge of the bed. "Good morning."
Happily, Nova shoved the comforter off her body, eager to grab her lute and strum the delicate strings.
"We have one more gift, Nova." Feyre smiled as she glanced at Rhys, who stood halfway out the door, hiding the crate behind the frame.
"Gift?" Nova asked before grinning. "Oh, a gift!" She repeated with more excitement.
On cue, Rhys nudged his way in and kneeled down next to the bed, eyes sparkling with excitement. "Alright, Nova. Ready?" When she eagerly nodded, he grinned and placed the small wood crate on her bed.
To Nova, it looked more like a box with holes. Tilting her head to the side, she stared at it in confusion before glancing up at her parents with a skeptical raised eyebrow. Patting the box, she nodded thoughtfully, thinking about what she might do with it. However, a soft sound came from within as she patted the top. Blinking with confused curiosity, Nova leaned down and pressed her eye against one of the holes at the top of the box. Inside was dark, as Nova was blocking out much of the light with her hair and body, but she could make out a small ball of something…and it moved.
"Squirrel?" She asked, looking up.
Feyre smiled and shook her head, "Not a squirrel." With a twist of the lock, Feyre lowered the little door and reached in. When her hand emerged again, she held in her palm a small, cream-colored kitten with gray-blue eyes peered up at the time with the tiniest 'mew.'
Eyes wide, Nova leaned back, placing her hands over her mouth, staring in wonder at the little animal curled up in her mother's palm.
"It's a kitten, Nova," Rhysand said with a smile. "We can help you take care of her, of course. The squirrels might have to stay in the trees, but this kitten can stay with you."
Feyre offered Nova the little bundle of fur. "Use gentle hands," she said softly, "No squeezing."
Though, it wasn't something Nova needed to be told as she was already reaching for it and carefully held the little thing to her chest and stroked the top of her head. "Wow…" Nova whispered, gazing down at her kitten as if she consisted of the entire universe.
Rhys chuckled. "What would you like to name her?" He asked, watching his daughter coddle the creature with delight.
Barely able to take her eyes away from her newest treasure, Nova smiled and said, "Is my Potato."
Unable to hide her reaction, Feyre put her hands over her mouth to muffle her snort. "That's…a very nice name." When held in Nova's hands, she indeed could be mistaken for a potato from Elain's garden.
"Thank you," Nova said, looking up at her parents again.
Rhys grinned as he softly breathed, "You're welcome…"
"Let's go have some breakfast. You can bring Potato with you." Feyre bit her lip at the name, fighting a smile.
Nova refused to do anything without Potato. She got dressed with Potato and brushed her teeth. When she was told Potato couldn't sit at the table for breakfast, Nova sat on the floor with her so they could eat together. Nova at her eggs while Potato lapped chicken breast, shredded to a wet paste.
Most of the morning, Nova followed Potato as she waddled about, exploring the townhouse. Always alert and fixated on her safety, Nova kept Potato out of dangerous situations, like getting too close to the fireplace and keeping her little legs off the stairs. By the time lunch rolled around, Nova was busy dragging a bit of yarn back and forth in front of Potato, watching her lunge for the piece, roll to her back, and kick her legs while tangling them in the process.
Az, Cas, and Mor smiled from the table as they ate their pasta with Rhys and Feyre, who grinned in amusement. "She's been protecting her nonstop," Feyre said. "It's been an all-day event keeping her out of trouble."
Cassian grinned before barking a laugh, "Sounds like someone else we know."
Laughing, Rhys nodded. "Hm, I think our mother hen might be realizing just how daunting it is to keep something precious out of danger." As he said this, they watched Nova stop Potato from running into the corner of the table by putting her hand up as a shield.
"How will you ever get her attention again?" Mor asked with a curious smile.
With a shrug, Feyre smiled. "We were worried about that too, but Ana mentioned that it's good practice to give her something we have to take her attention from occasionally. Not to mention learning to be responsible for something other than herself and teaching her empathy."
Cassian mauled that over. "Won't she just…throw a fit?"
"Possibly," Rhys responded casually and sipped his wine.
"And that's…a good thing?" Cassian asked, arching a brow.
Feyre and Rhys exchanged a worried glance before Feyre answered. "Ana explained it this way. There will always be obstacles to face. Placing small barriers in her path allows her to interact safely while learning from them."
"But the world isn't safe." Cassian frowned.
Feyre swallowed the bile that rose in her throat. "We know that," she took a shaky breath, "One day, she'll be riddled with scars too. The idea isn't to always protect her from unexpected dangers and decisions, but rather prepare her to confront it when it inevitably does."
Adopting a thoughtful expression, Cassian glanced at Nova, who happily played with her kitten. "I suppose a war of worlds to us is equivalent to telling her she has to wait to play," he furrowed his brow. "Strange, isn't it? To think they could be compared like that. In our eyes, one is drastically worse, but to her, they're of the same devastating magnitude."
"I believe," Azriel said in a soft voice. "That's what they refer to as innocence." His smile did not match the weight of sorrow behind his gaze.
One day, that innocence will be gone. As with most children, there will come a time when the world's wonder takes a dark turn, and the things that seemed so simple suddenly bite back. How Nova's spirit hadn't succumbed to the pressures of survival, they would never know. A heavy silence settled over their conversation, like quiet snow.
It was Rhys who finally spoke. "When she first arrived, I said we need to cherish the next few months, and I meant that. All too soon, she'll shoulder the burdens we carry."
Reaching across the table, Feyre squeezed his hand with a small smile. What more could she say? It was true- everyone knew it, but Feyre couldn't let herself dwell on the thoughts of tomorrow when there was so much to live for today.
Having spent most of her day catering to her newest love, Nova yawned and sighed as she cuddled into the couch's soft cushions. The little fur-ball named Potato had thoroughly exhausted her, and Feyre couldn't help but smile as she watched her new little friend curl up on her belly and fall asleep to the rhythm of Nova's breathing.
"This was a wonderful idea," Feyre murmured to Rhys as she took his hand, smiled, and accepted his tender kiss on her cheek.
Nova blinked her eyes open as something warm and wet soaked through her shirt. Raising her brows, she wrinkled her nose at the scent of urine and looked at her parents for justification. She didn't seem entirely disgusted, but she was undoubtedly bothered.
"Oh," Rhys chuckled, "Remember, Nova. She's not litter-trained yet. Come on, let's bring her to the box."
With careful hands, Nova picked up Potato and carried her with a dripping tail to the box Rhys had set up not far away. "We'll get you a new shirt," Rhys said as he took out his dagger and cut off the piece that had been soiled before placing it into the box. "There," he smiled, "She'll smell where she's gone before, and it will help her learn. Everyone deserves a bit of patience."
Nova giggled, making Rhys smile as he stood to his feet again. "Let's go clean her up, hm?" He offered her his hand, which she took without hesitation to the bathing room just down the hall. Instead of using the tub, Rhys plugged the sink and filled it with warm water, but Nova took a step back when he reached for Potato.
Protectively holding her kitten to her chest as if it were her infant, she scowled at Rhys. With a frown, Rhys studied Nova for a moment. He believed there was always a reason behind the behavior, but what was Nova's reasoning?
"Nova," he said calmly, "Potato is dirty, and she needs a bath."
"No!" Nova turned so her back faced him as Potato let out a little 'mew.'
Footsteps grew louder as Feyre entered the hall, frowning as she neared the bathroom. "Everything alright?" She asked Rhys, not wanting to make things worse but hoping she might be able to help.
"I'm not sure," Rhys said through pursed lips, "I don't think she likes the idea of Potato having a bath."
Furrowing her brow, Feyre remembered the interactions today, but nothing came to mind. "Nova, you won't be allowed to have her if you don't care for her…" But tears were already welling in her eyes and streaming down her cheeks as a sob rattled through her chest.
Feyre glanced at Rhys with worry before taking a shot in the dark. "Nova, she has to have a bath. Would you like to give it to her, or do you want us to?"
"No!" Nova turned from her again.
"That wasn't a choice," Feyre countered, trying to keep the frustration from her tone.
"The fox…" Rhys suddenly said, and Feyre met his gaze, which clicked at that moment. "Her fox drowned in the flood," he rubbed the ache between his eyes and shook his head, "We can't let her not be taken care of. I hate the idea of making her, but it's not fair to the cat."
"Okay, she's scared to put her in, so what if we bring the water to her?" Feyre asked. She moved to the sink, where she picked up a rag and drank it in the soapy water. "We'll just have to ease Nova into the idea. In that time," Feyre said as she returned to Nova, who still faced the wall, and knelt, "We take it slow. There's no reason to force her into a state of panic when she can meet her where her fears are."
Nova glanced sideways at her mother, who held the wet cloth and clutched Potato safely against her chest.
"Look, Nova," Feyre said gently, "We can clean her like this. Do you want to clean her, or do you want me to?"
Looking down at the offering, she looked over her shoulder at Rhys unplugging the drain and letting the water escape. With a relieved sigh, she slowly turned and reached for the cloth and began cleaning Potato, making sure her tail was no longer drenched in urine and scrubbing behind her ears for good measure. Kissing her nose, Nova cuddled her to her neck so she could absorb the heat there.
Feyre puffed a soft sigh and glanced at Rhys, who grinned from ear to ear.
"What?" She asked with a light laugh.
"I'm just happy," Rhys smiled, biting his lower lip before he continued, "My father would never have done that. My mother, certainly, but…" He trailed off, swallowing as he cast his eyes to the floor as if words could form between the tiles. "I'm happy we have the chance to raise her with kindness."
Feyre straightened and stood to her feet before crossing the distance in the tiny bathroom and crushing her lips against his. She pulled away with a grin, opening her mouth to say something when Nova made a eughk sound.
Turning their heads to look at her, Nova, with a wrinkled nose, raised a hand and said, "Stop."
With that, she turned on her heels and skipped out of the bathroom with Potato in her grasp, leaving her parents behind to surrender to fits of laughter.