My Own Book 2 (Under The Oak Tree)

Novan's POV (Oneshot #2)

-Novan Reuniting With Riftan After Years-

Notes- Honestly, I am writing this instead of continuing the main story because it's so intriguing to me. Novan is Riftan's stepdad for context and it might be helpful to read Riftan's POV first. I seriously think this interaction is such a missed opportunity and I'm always thinking, "Okay Riftan, show him he was wrong!" Like WHAT A POWER MOVE TO BECOME A LORD!

For this POV, I am writing Novan's thoughts as he meets Riftan after a long decade has passed. What's it like seeing his stepson after so many years? How does Novan feel?

Novan had known of his stepson's success. In fact, he had once seen the sinewy boy participate in dueling contest when he was the mere age of sixteen, without Riftan's knowledge. His growth, strength, was beyond Novan's imagination. It was scary even. Before that, he'd overheard tales of the merchant who strangled 10 wyvrens himself whilst he resided in his nightly taverns drinking away the rest of his new family's savings. 

 Despite his stepson's feats, he had no intention of entering his life again. That was behind him. Now he had a wife who actually looked at him, and two kids who were actually his. Not being blood related to Riftan was never a concern or burden. In the past, Novan had considered him his full fledged son. Knowing the boy since he was two years of age, without really knowing him.

Then he left, dying in Novan's head. Only to come back 4 years later like a zombie. So when he had heard of the young merchant boy, Riftan Calypse, who was destroying competition in the Pope's latest sword competition he had bought himself and his younger son a ticket. A little birthday treat with his monthly pay. A pay that left a bronze coin or two at the end of the month. 

Perhaps it wasn't the biggest surplus compared to the riches his stepson was earning while he fought against the strongest monsters with his life on the line. 

In the stadium seats, he could see his stepson's dark eyes. His impeccable physic. It shook him head to toe. How? How could a peasant boy, who was once a skeleton, too skinny to function, now a outstanding merchant? The strength his- the boy held at sixteen was impeccable. He knocked knights to their feet in one attack.  Novan sat in horror as his biological son, Jonah, whooped and chanted with the crowd. 

"One Strike Killer Calypse!" ,he yelled.

Killer. 

His stepson was undoubtedly a killer.

Upon there way back to the little shack called home, he watched as his son joyfully boasted about how cool 'One Strike Calypse' was.  

Without hesitation, Novan's mind flickered back to the memory of his eyes. 

"Eyes don't lie son." He had told a weaker Riftan at the age of ten. 

The boy was once so innocent. Happy. And his. Novan had called him his son. And Riftan referred to himself as Novan's son. Fully aware that he wasn't Novan's real son. Just his step son.  Relatively, Novan was the closest thing he had to a father since Riftan's own wasn't present. Never there. 

"Father! Father! How do you think he got so big? And did you see his eyes? I wonder what kind of horrors they've witnessed to make his gaze so cold?!?" His son brought him back. 

Jonah almost taunted him with his words. Novan reminisced on the horrors he had experienced with a preteen Riftan. His son's rhetorical question could be truthfully answered by his father without him even knowing.