Heir of the Forgotten

~Broken Heart~

Laughing

The sound of laughing filled a small room.

Two children, a girl and a boy, sat across from each other curled up next to a fireplace, crackling and spitting embers, with drinks in their hands. They reeked of alcohol.

"Did you have parents?" The boy asked, followed by a small hiccup.

"Mhm, I did." Her eyes gleamed with fondness as she rolled on her side to stare at the boy next to her.

"What were they like?" The boy asked excitedly, sounding like he'd die if he didn't hear.

The girl smiled with a shrug, too intoxicated to think properly. This was a topic she did not discuss. "Well, where do I start? My Dad was protective and strong. He knew how to fight and came from some distant part of a court. He was so careful with us since we were so much smaller than him! He read us stories and taught us words from all sorts of languages. I don't think I ever went a night without him reading a story. He would laugh when we hid behind him while guests were over. I was the clingy one though, so I was either around him or Mama."

With a soft smile and a giggle, the girl continued, "Papa was a gentle giant to those he cared about. However, if you ever saw him angry, you knew to run like the gods were bringing their wrath onta ya! He'd get this look and bear his canines." The girl paused to giggle again and mimic the face he used to make

"If anybody ever got too close to us or threatened our safety, it took my Mama distracting him with a kiss so there wasn't any harm to our guests or boys hoping to get our hands in marriage." She looks so free talking about her past.

"Then Mama... she was so pretty. Like the moon! Pappa was the night, and Mama was the moon lighting him up to be all gentle and soft! She had a soft melodic voice. She wore these long gowns and would always pick me and sis up. Oh! Oh! She was stunning too! Did I say that already? She would never yell. She'd sing to us every night and make sure we knew how much she adored us! She taught me the piano-"

"You play?" The boy hummed as he shifted to sitting up, pulling the girl close so he could mess with her hair.

"Oh I dunno if I could remember. It's been years." She pauses with a small smile. "Mama was so kind and gentle. She always forgives people even when they offended her. She also gave to those who needed it. Mama only ever got angry once. Some old friend of hers came along and she looked hurt. With her was my... uncle." The way she must despise that man echoed off her lips as she narrowed her eyes.

"You don't like your uncle?" The boy hummed as he brushed through the girl's hair.

The girl spat at the floor. "He's why our benefactor had to take me in." A topic she would never discuss in full. "I was in her arms and he told her I was a runt, a failure, that I didn't deserve the blessing in my blood. He started saying that she should have let him run the family line and broken tradition. He said she never should have married my father because he tainted our line." She scoffs, spitting at the floor again. "My mother's eyes burned as if the gold in them was melting in the flames of her anger. Still, she never raised her voice, but she lowered it to a growl. Her canines showed as she cursed them out, holding me close."

The boy hums as he leans to kiss the girl on the cheek. "I wish I had such nice things to say about my parents. My dad was never in the picture. Well, at least not for the first six years. He came back to just be a drunk, giving my bitch of a mother money. She regularly cursed me and I was usually hungry. Our benefactor saved me from that home."

"That's so terrible!" The girl turns around to cup his face in her hands as she frowns. "Is that why you're so loyal to the master? Would you be sent back if you failed?"