Far From Home Two: The Monster's Heir-- a M/M/M fantasy romance

12-- The Healing Power of Music

*****Alone by I Prevail. Go listen ;) *****

SAGE—

It took but a moment to edit the letter I had already written to send to Queen Hestiel. I hadn't ever planned on going back to Veil, since my family's farm was only a day's ride north, just near the Akar border. So I only had to add that I was travelling to Akar for a few weeks before returning to my family farm.

When I left Ember behind, stewing in his anger and deep hypocrisy, — gods the man had a temper— I easily caught up to the cart where the children huddled together. My irritated, frustrated mood lifted immediately at the sight that met my eyes.

Llyric sat with his legs crossed beneath him, Ember's cloak wrapped around him like a large blanket. The youngest children— the twins— sat in his lap, held to his chest as he hummed a joyful, lilting tune. The other boy, Kye, had his thumb in his mouth as he curled up against Llyric's thigh, his other hand fisted against Llyric's leg. The sound of Llyric's humming was beautiful and danced against my skin like lightning, making the little hairs in my arms and the back of my neck stand on end.

When he caught sight of me his eyes lit up, but he didn't pause in his singing. Then he was flinching heavily when Brin moved forward, taking the young Jude, deeply asleep, from his arms. Her hands brushed against Llyric in pulling the boy up out of his arms, and I could nearly see the battle he had with himself not to jump up and throw the children off his lap to get away from her touch. She made a soft-throated shushing noise, and I couldn't tell if it was towards Llyric or the children who stirred a bit when she pulled them away to sleep in the makeshift bed they had set up on the side of the cart.

When Brin had brought the sleeping twins to the little pallet of furs, Llyric pulled Kye up and into his arms gently, so careful of him it made something in my chest tighten. He held and rocked him, his humming turning soft, sleepy, and before long the boy was also asleep in his arms. When Brin came back to get him, Llyric shook his head and smiled up at her. She nodded and moved back to Bek, whom she pulled tightly to her chest. He sleepily reached out to her and wrapped his arms around her as she sat.

By noon, we had travelled half the distance we should have. I felt as if we stopped every hour for one of the children to pee, and when Ember finally gave Brin and Al'iya a bowl and demanded they use that instead, he was met with an angry glare and harsh Akari words from both women. I couldn't understand the words, but I could take a guess at their contents.

I stayed out of the argument, simply smiling in amusement and sharing a look with Llyric as Ember raised his palms in surrender and backed away from the women. Needless to say, we sped up not at all; though Ember did send a few of his men ahead back home, keeping only enough to keep the children safe.

The twins slept often, but when they were awake, they were joyful, loud bundles of energy. Al'iya watched them with eyes like a hawk, assessing, studying them. They moved from talking gibberish to each other, to chattering the ears off of both women in Akari, before moving to crawl all over Llyric. He endured their little feet digging into tender places with a few grimaces, their tiny fingers tracing his various scars and bandages, but his gentle smile never wavered. Each time they grew tired again, he would hold them tight, sway back and forth, and sing them to sleep with the voice of an angel.

Gods I wanted to hear his voice. Hear him say my name.

Kye stayed near Llyric through the entire day until we stopped for lunch. Even while he slept, Llyric held the boy to him, comforting him, rubbing his hands up and down his back. He too fingered and petted Llyric's scars, as if testing the feel of them, but Llyric never complained and even moved his arm so the child could follow a scar he had traced from his shoulder.