Siblings of Snow
Chapter 1: Family and Bloodline
"Oh how time flies, Coryn." Liana says as she is decorating the living room with streamers "Our littlest granddaughter is growing up so fast. When Amethyst came home and announced that she is expecting, I never knew a year on that Plum would be that bubbly baby whose chubby cheeks and fluffy down we'd come to love."
"She's a little one, Liana. You say that about all babies." Coryn chuckles as he finishes wrapping a present "Hagsmire, you say that about all the babies you know. Even about Bryony's kids."
Liana finishes and hops down off the platform she has been standing on "So? All of the babies I knew are pretty much grown up now. Elysia's a GTA student and Amethyst is a mum and still in the GTA. Sylvia and Ash Arin are apprentices in Tyto Resistance, Maria married Caspian and might be having babies sooner or later, Elysa Kin, Autumn and Ezylryb's grandniece, is a senator, Sina Schana leads the choir and is a ryb, and Barran Schana is a full-grown princess and diplomat in training. Winter's studying to be an excellent Guardian someday and Javier…"
Upon hearing his wife's pause and sigh, Coryn turns and wraps Liana in a hug. The past months since Javier became the High Tyto of the Pure Ones and the fight… It has been hard letting go of the memories of him. They do expect them to be enemies of the traitor, but at the same time, Javier is their one and only grandson to their equally evil son, Coryn-Zayin 'Nyroc' Canner. Until someone takes Amethyst, their daughter, (accepting that she has an owlet already) as a wife and then has owlets with her, thus possibly brining more grandsons and granddaughters into the equation, he remains the one and only.
"Oh how I miss Javier… Sure, he was a pain, but he was our pain." Liana sighs
"Indeed, love." Coryn says, feeling downcast as well
Upon hearing the crying of their little granddaughter, Plum, they immediately perk up as tonight is her birthday and the first birthday is the most important. They hear the owlet, who knows only one word and has been learning to speak that word, rapidly say 'mum', they hear the voice of their 17 year old daughter, Amethyst getting up to get her. Liana hears a knock at the door and it is the extended family. Soren and Pellimore's triplet daughters and Coryn's cousins who are in their mid-twenties, Blythe, Bell and Sebastina as well as Eglantine and Dylan, Coryn's aunt and uncle, and also, their daughter and the last of his cousins, Anne. They all then come in and are whispering as they want to surprise the little owlet and her mother. The last to join the group is Plum's first cousin (because her uncle is Zayin/Nyroc), Elysia.
"Plum, granddad planned a special surprise for you." Amethyst says to her little girl as she leads her out of the bedroom/nursery
Plum comes into the living room, babbling and saying 'mum' a few times. They then yell surprise and say a happy birthday. Plum cowers her head into her mother and they all swoon at the adorable sight. Anne grabs her third cousin by the wing (as Amethyst is her second cousin and that is the mother of the owlet), prompting Eglantine to tell her daughter to be gentle as she leads her out and places her in front of the presents.
"Look at the presents, Plum." Anne says to the owlet, prompting a one sound answer from the owlet, a slight cheer "She looks happy, Aunty Amethyst."
"Oh I bet she is, Anne." Amethyst replies as she picks up a present and places it in front of her owlet "Look, Plummy, a present. And it is from your granddad and grandma."
The owlet makes cheering and cooing noises, besides saying "mum" a few times. Amethyst opens the present and it is a beautiful emerald necklace, as the owlet is a born Middle Kingdom and they say approving cheers and Plum is playing with it, especially as she was about to put the gem in the centre in her mouth.
"Thanks, mum and dad." Amethyst says as she hugs her parents "But isn't it a little too much for a baby?"
"Amie, it's nothing. Besides, she's a Cyorts, no matter what last name." Liana says to her daughter
"I guess Plum likes it, eh, Amie?" Dylan quips as he hands his little great-grandniece a present and helps her open it, revelling a little doll and Amethyst smiles, as her daughter immediately likes it.
A knock comes to the door and Liana goes to answer it and a messenger has a little box and hands it to her, after a bow, and the box has 'to Plum', written on the little piece of paper on it. Liana thanks the messenger and closes the door to join the party. By now, the little tyke has opened her presents and Anne is playing with her as they are playing with their little dolls with a porcelain-like face.
"Who was that?" Coryn asks
"Just a messenger dear, it seems Plum has another present." Liana answers as she then takes a seat by the rest of the family unit in which have come to celebrate Plum's birthday
"Who's it from?" Eglantine asks with sudden curiosity as to who else would have sent a gift "Is it from the monarchs?"
Liana opens the box to find a small charm "No, Eg, it wasn't Josh and Lyd." She says before she picks up a small piece of paper "It was Javier…"
Over in St. Aegolius, nearly a year since after their gruelling defeat to the Guardians, especially as Javier had his hide handed to him by an owl goddess descendant, the forces have been recuperating as well as they can. Sadly, due to a slight problem with recruitment and the UKO embargo upon them when it comes to owlet snatching, they have gotten weaker in numbers. Morin, the Pure One General and also the one who had run St. Aeggies since their High Tyto and their Queen, who are Javier's (and Elysia's) parents, until Javier took the reins, has been trying his hardest to overlook the UKO and their rules. He has successfully gotten new recruits from the few loyalists who were children of the loyalists to rebellious tyrant leader and two sided traitor of Tyto Resistance, Ramaxon Pettit.
Javier, since being defeated (by a girl no less), has been listening to the scrooms. Over this half of a year, he has been training, improving on his politics and strategy. If anything, he is learning more practical things than being in the Guardian Training Academy. When he left, he dropped out of it, leaving behind his textbooks and other things with the emblem of his class on it and also his training claws which he was been given at the beginning of that GTA year and it ended and another has come.
Javier is the envy of the others in the newly reformed aristocracy like Pure One Inner Circle, especially his surrogate brother and best friend, Zekal. Morin took note that he is improving in his leadership role, but he remains an arrogant teenager, as it is mid-February, the end of summer is near and things may be still warm, but it remains that the weather is changing at an eventual pace.
Since that fight, his blood bond with his sister has deteriorated, making them forever apart as being enemies. The Owl Gods, especially the power-sighted ones, Amara and Sao having starsight, Cynder having firesight and Nya, having snowsight (helpful, though it only sees into the past to events that link to the future), foretold it, that this were to happen. They knew that one of the owlets was to someday return to their rightful home and to lead the bastard brethren of owls called Pure Ones. That owlet turned out to be the eldest twin, Javier.
As of Late, Javier has been in some thought as to what he shall do next. His army is not strong enough to rage a war against the Guardians, but… he has been having some thought into the future of the throne. As he sits upon his throne, after having sent his young cousin a birthday present, as he does care about some members of the family, but not others, he has the same thought again. While deep in thought, a scroom appears as she stands beside Javier.
"What is on your mind, Javier?" Nyra asks as she sits beside her great-grandson
Javier turns his head "Oh, I didn't expect anyone, not even a scroom to bother me right now."
Nyra chuckles "I ask to know what it is you are thinking of. You have the same face your great-grandfather pulls when you're thinking."
"Well… I have been thinking a lot lately and… I may be still 16, but… I am thinking long-term of my options for both the kingdom and family." He says as he continues to stare out over the base
"And that means what, owlet?" She asks with a raised bow of fascination as to what a mere boy can think of
"I have been thinking of getting a wife. One like Lord Mordecai had, a woman of purity and who is the fairest in the lands." He says before a moment to clarify "I know it is illegal to be wed at such an age really, but who gives a damn when this is my kingdom and no one tells me what I can and can't do, not even the UKO can and they're a bunch of peace-loving meddlers."
"Well… Don't that beat all, shall it not?" Nyra replies as she has some thought, "I don't know the right female to be the fairest… besides that daughter of Josh and Lydea's, but she is a non-Tyto so…"
Javier interrupts "So I wouldn't care less. Sure, I mayn't ever have children with her but, that is what you have a consort for."
"Um… Javier?" Nyra questions with worry
"Irregardless of what you may say, Barran Schana remains unwed and she is the purest princess I know. Besides, It'll give me more of a hostage situation, especially if I have the army and I'd make them surrender by holding their princess hostage." Javier says, his mind made up as he begins to leave the room
"Javier…" Nyra says
Javier turns his head "Shut up."
He then leaves the room and Nyra rolls her eyes as she accepts defeat. Javier gets a group of owls together to help pull this off. Though it is clearly against their Tyto only policy, Javier seems to be more confident with this as he may think to marry her, but he can hold Barran Schana hostage against her will for until the Guardians surrender and he gets what he wants. Therefore, if anything, his plan is both a win-win though it clearly involves some things in which his own faction would not approve of…