Falcon's Flight

Twenty-Nine

While Fen had no idea what the Huns had been like before she had joined them, she knew it would never be the same.

But, slowly, the group expanded. While some left, others joined, more children were born. No one had dared to initiate fights or wars despite the devastating loss from the attempt to invade China, though Fen had a feeling that was due to his demon heritage.

Even though there was little fighting, Shan Yu continued practising and training. He stayed true to his word and taught Fen how to fight. As expected, she did poorly at first, barely able to make accurate swings or blocks most of the time. But with time and practice, she improved, enough so that most dared not to challenge her, and not because of her husband.

And while it seemed inevitable that they would have children together, nothing prepared them for actually having a baby keeping them awake at night. More than ever, Fen was thankful for Odsar’s help and advice. They named the baby boy Ankhbayar meaning first joy.

When Ankhbayar hit two years old, he quickly bonded with a young horse he learnt to ride on. While Shan Yu taught his son how to deal with his demon heritage and all that came with it, including seeing through the eyes of the beautiful bay coloured horse he had bonded with, Fen dealt with the newest addition to their family: a baby girl. She named her after her mother, hoping her mother would be glad she had found happiness.

As Fen looked at her children and the baby in her arms, she decided that she would avoid wars as much as possible, and that they wouldn’t be raised like she had. Ankhbayar would respect whomever he married and Shui would not be expected to marry for the family name, nor would she only be expected to have children. She could learn archery or how to use a sword if she chose to. They could be who they wanted to be, just like she could be.