Relaxation settled into Vakhanor's muscles as he lay back against the comfort of his bedroll strewn across his living room in front of the fire. Meanwhile Bjorn happily played with the sticks he'd gathered and tried building them into a dragon cave.
"Vakh, why can't I call you dad?" the little boy suddenly asked trying to methodically place his sticks with his tiny hands, seemingly happy with the wonky outcome.
" 'Cause I'm your brother," Vakhanor answered, turning to meet the boy's confused hazel eyes.
"But Cyrl was describing his dad today and he said that his dad did the same things you do for me for him. So... you are like my dad right?" he asked, his face like light bulb, bright with innocent excitement.
A frown entered Vakhanor's expression, it was a hard question to answer. Sitting up, his tired eyes settled onto his little brother. He signalled the boy to come to him "Sit with me Bjorn."
Miffed the child obeyed and sat in his brother's lap waiting for an answer. "Your father is the person who created you, brought you into this world. I'm not him, our mother had you at an age I didn't think possible for a woman to still have a baby and died having you. He left long before you were born," explained Vakhanor, in an attempt to get through to the child that he was not his true parent.
"But you look after me," Bjorn objected.
"Course I do! you're my little champ," Vakhanor laughed, ruffling the kid's hair "but I'm not the guy who put you in mother's belly."
"I was in her belly?" the child asked, excited by the information "did I eat her like a dragon? Is that why she died?"
Amused laughter escaped Vakhanor's lips, oh to be young "No Bjorn, when you are old enough I will tell you more about what happened but until then we'll search for your dad."
Bjorn blinked "I don't wanna search for my dad, I'm happy with you."
The burden raising Bjorn had on Vakhanor had been great and it still was. Unable to live his life how he wanted to, the smith was bound by his responsibility of looking after his little brother when he should have been thinking of finding a woman, adventuring or even having children of his own. He did it because of love, because of necessity to keep the last good living remnant of his family in his life; the kid might have been a pain in the neck sometimes, yet no matter how much Vakhanor wanted to deny it, Bjorn was practically a son to him.
"I'm not gonna leave you buddy," Vakh muttered, wrapping his arms around the boy's tiny body. Sorrow drifted over him like a rainstorm as teardrops fell from his eyes, he remembered how alone he had felt under the cool reception of his father and the hurt of his mother's death. Unable blame anybody but his father and the man who left this beautiful little kid on its own, anger festered within his lonely heart, "We have gotta look out for each other."
"Vakh, why can't I call you dad?" the little boy suddenly asked trying to methodically place his sticks with his tiny hands, seemingly happy with the wonky outcome.
" 'Cause I'm your brother," Vakhanor answered, turning to meet the boy's confused hazel eyes.
"But Cyrl was describing his dad today and he said that his dad did the same things you do for me for him. So... you are like my dad right?" he asked, his face like light bulb, bright with innocent excitement.
A frown entered Vakhanor's expression, it was a hard question to answer. Sitting up, his tired eyes settled onto his little brother. He signalled the boy to come to him "Sit with me Bjorn."
Miffed the child obeyed and sat in his brother's lap waiting for an answer. "Your father is the person who created you, brought you into this world. I'm not him, our mother had you at an age I didn't think possible for a woman to still have a baby and died having you. He left long before you were born," explained Vakhanor, in an attempt to get through to the child that he was not his true parent.
"But you look after me," Bjorn objected.
"Course I do! you're my little champ," Vakhanor laughed, ruffling the kid's hair "but I'm not the guy who put you in mother's belly."
"I was in her belly?" the child asked, excited by the information "did I eat her like a dragon? Is that why she died?"
Amused laughter escaped Vakhanor's lips, oh to be young "No Bjorn, when you are old enough I will tell you more about what happened but until then we'll search for your dad."
Bjorn blinked "I don't wanna search for my dad, I'm happy with you."
The burden raising Bjorn had on Vakhanor had been great and it still was. Unable to live his life how he wanted to, the smith was bound by his responsibility of looking after his little brother when he should have been thinking of finding a woman, adventuring or even having children of his own. He did it because of love, because of necessity to keep the last good living remnant of his family in his life; the kid might have been a pain in the neck sometimes, yet no matter how much Vakhanor wanted to deny it, Bjorn was practically a son to him.
"I'm not gonna leave you buddy," Vakh muttered, wrapping his arms around the boy's tiny body. Sorrow drifted over him like a rainstorm as teardrops fell from his eyes, he remembered how alone he had felt under the cool reception of his father and the hurt of his mother's death. Unable blame anybody but his father and the man who left this beautiful little kid on its own, anger festered within his lonely heart, "We have gotta look out for each other."
