The Winds of the Past [Rune Factory 4]

Chapter 53

One day near the end of fall, Barrett brought his children to Selphia. His divorce had been finalized some time ago, and sadly, he saw his children only infrequently. However, his ex-wife apparently had just remarried, and so their children had come to stay with him while she and her new husband went on their honeymoon trip, which was to last several days. His son looked to be about ten years of age, give or take a little, and was a solemn, steady fellow—much like his father. His daughter, however, looked like she was about three, and she was an adorable little bundle of mischief.

I had long since recovered from my previous envy of the scholar. In fact, the three of us were all good friends by this time, and we often spent an evening of dining and discussion together. We usually gathered at our home in the castle, although Barrett had purchased a small but cozy house on Melody Street, and he occasionally invited us to join him there.

The first evening that he had his children with him, Avani invited them to come to supper. While the three adults sat and talked, Leonel quietly read, quite the budding young scholar. But his little sister swarmed all over the place, running through the rooms and up and down the stairs with a reckless abandon, shrieking with glee as she explored every nook and cranny. Even though she'd only been with him for the day, Barrett already appeared at his wit's end.

Seeing his bemusement, Avani proposed that he, Leonel, and I walk over and have a leisurely dinner at Porcoline's restaurant, while she stayed home with Yuri. Barrett seemed concerned, but she laughingly assured him that seeing she'd conquered dragons, demons, and even one powerful madman with aspirations of godhood, she could surely amuse a three-year old girl for a few hours. Besides, she said, cutting short his protest, she could see that he needed a break. He looked at me, but I just shrugged, then grabbed our coats and tossed his to him. "If she says go, you go. You don't argue with Avani," I said, looking at her with a grin. She just rolled her eyes and shooed us out the door with a laugh, closing it quickly behind us to keep the warmth inside.

Hesitating, Barrett looked worriedly at the door. "Will she be okay, do you think?"

I thumped him on the back with a grin. "Buck up, old man. She'll be fine. Avani won't let any harm come to her—you can depend on that."

He turned a startled face to me. "I meant, will Avani be okay," he said in surprise. I just stared at him, nonplussed.

We lingered over our meal and coffee afterwards, then I ordered two slices of chocolate cake to take back to Avani and Yuri. The sun had set, and twilight had all but given way to the darkness of night as we left the restaurant. When we reached the back door, the house was dark and still. I opened the door uneasily, and took a look around as Barrett anxiously pushed his way past me. I lit the lamp on the bedside table, illuminating the main chamber with a golden glow.

There in one of the big, comfortable chairs next to the unlit fireplace sat Avani, with little Yuri cuddled up on her lap. Both were sound asleep, and a storybook lay open on the floor, apparently having slipped from her grasp. As the three of us stood quietly watching them, Yuri stirred in her sleep, then turned and flung her arms around Avani, nestling her cheek against her chest as she settled back into a sound sleep. It was such a charming sight, I was loathe to disturb them.

But Barrett was fatigued from his unusually busy day and wanted to get the children settled down for the night, so he carefully lifted his small daughter into his arms. She reached her arms sleepily around his neck, resting her cheek on his shoulder without fully waking. Avani's eyes flew open, startled by the sudden absence of her small companion. Seeing us standing there, she rose with a yawn and a stretch. She smiled a beautiful, tender smile at the sleeping child, saying quietly, "Did you guys have a good time? Yuri was no trouble at all. Soon after you left, I fed her some creamy noodles, carrots, and a fruit smoothie. After dinner, we played for a little bit, then she asked for a story. She fell asleep while I was reading to her, and I guess I must have dozed off soon after."