Happily Ever After

Chapter 2

Mother's POV

My eyes fluttered open at the crack of dawn. Sunlight barely peeked through the curtains, but I could already hear the busy chatter of merchants and farmers outside. A burst of yellow, blue, and orange greeted me as I opened the curtains, reminding me that a new day has come, while the melodious songs of the early birds provided sweet music to my ears. 

I gently patted my husband's arm as he snoozed quietly. "Good morning, dear. I know that you are still in dreamland, but it is time to go back to reality. Let's get dressed up and head downstairs for breakfast with (Y/N)."

He groaned, covering himself with a thick white blanket. "Five more minutes, darling."

"Dear, we still have a long way ahead of us. We need to leave as soon as possible if we want to be home before dark," I reminded him. 

"Alright, alright. I'm getting up." He tossed and turned as if he were finding a better sleeping position. Unbeknownst to me, he was trying to get more comfortable in bed.

"You sure about that?" I raised an eyebrow, impatiently tapping my foot on the hard, wooden floor. Crossing my arms, I waited for him to get out of bed.

"Mhm..." The next thing I knew, he was fast asleep.

"Oh for heaven's sake, (Y/F/N)! (Y/N) and I will simply leave you here if you do not wish to get up." I stormed into the bathroom and prepared a bath for one. I won't force him to come home if he does not want to. It's too early for me to deal with this man-child.

After taking a warm bath, I immediately dressed up and headed straight towards (Y/N)'s room. "(Y/N), it's me, Mother. Are you awake?"

Silence...

I sighed. Like Father like daughter, I guess. 

"Maybe she is still asleep. Let's enter quietly and wake her up, alright?" A voice said.

I jumped in surprise. A shiver ran down my spine, feeling a presence behind me. 

"Good morning, darling. What got you so-" Oh, I know that voice!

"(Y/F/N)! You little-"

"Hush now, darling." He placed a finger between my lips. "We don't want to wake up our angel in an... unpleasant way, now do we?" He dared to wink as a playful smirk danced on his lips. Unbelievable!

I couldn't argue with him. He did make a good point. So instead, I inserted the key into the keyhole and unlocked the door. Placing my hand on the silver doorknob, I slowly twisted it to the side. We entered quietly and approached the bedside, expecting to see (Y/N). 

She was gone.

I stood frozen in shock... (Y/N), my one and only daughter, was nowhere to be found. "(Y/N)? (Y/N), where are you, my child?" My hands trembled, flipping the covers and searching the wardrobe. 

"(Y/N), come out if you're still here. It's not the time to play hide and seek." 

No response...

"Dear, where is she? I- I remembered that I tucked her in. I kissed her goodnight before I left a-and I..."

(Y/F/N) pulled me into a tight hug as he gently stroked my hair. "Shh... it's alright. It's alright." Soon my ragged breaths began to fade away. Calm and composure slowly came back to me. (Y/F/N) pulled away. He looked at me in the eyes and held my cheeks between the palms of his hands. "It is alright, my dear." He gently caressed my tear-stained face. "We will find her, I promise. Now let's go and bring our daughter back."

We rushed to the entrance and opened the front door. To our surprise, our sweet (Y/N) was waiting for us outside. "Mother! Father!" she shouted happily as she made her way back into our arms.

"We were so worried about you, (Y/N). I thought we lost you." I sighed in relief, glad to finally have my daughter back in my arms. "You almost gave me a heart attack! Please, do not do that again." I looked into her eyes as I held her hands.

"My precious angel..." (Y/F/N) hoisted her up and spun her around. He peppered her face with lots of kisses, holding her close. "Never leave us again, alright?"

"Yes, Mother. Yes, Father. I apologise for sneaking out. I will never do that again," (Y/N) replied.

I was too focused on my own daughter that I failed to notice the two young boys behind her. "(Y/N), who are these young lads? Have you made new friends?" I asked.

"Oh, I almost forgot! Mother, Father, meet Jim and Luka Macken. They saved me last night. They are the ones who helped me find my way back to the inn. They're my heroes!" She exclaimed and flashed a bright smile.

Jim, the taller boy, stepped forward and spoke. "Good day, Sir and Madam (Y/L/N). " Luka, the smaller one, also greeted us with a cheerful 'hello'.