AN: So, here is the first chapter of Part 2: War. Once again, there are two poems here. The first is about war, and the reason why it's here is obvious, so I'm not going to explain it. The second poem is about secrets and lies, which I think is important because of what happened in Part 1, and also what happens in this book. So, enjoy this chapter, and I will be updating same time next week.
Kiara Pride-Lander
and the Deathly Hand of Holiness
By K.J. Amethyst
Book 2: War
A War Song to Englishmen by William Blake
Prepare, prepare for the iron helm of War,
Bring forth the lots, cast in the spacious orb;
The Angel of Fate turns them with mighty hands,
And casts them out upon the darkened earth!
Prepare, prepare!
Prepare your hearts for Death's cold hand!
Prepare your souls for flight, you bodies for the earth;
Prepare your arms for glorious victory;
Prepare your eyes to meet a holy God!
Prepare, prepare!
Whose fatal scroll is that? Methinks 'tis mine!
Why sinks my heart, why faltereth my tongue?
Had I three lives, I'd die in such a cause,
And rise, with ghosts, over the well-thought field.
Prepare, prepare!
The arrows of Almighty God are drawn!
Angels of Death stand in the lowering heavens!
Thousands of souls must seek the realms of light,
And walk together on the clouds of heaven!
Prepare, prepare!
Soldiers, prepare! Our cause is Heaven's cause;
Soldiers, prepare! Be worthy of our cause:
Prepare to meet our fathers in the sky:
Prepare, O-troops, that are to fall today!
Prepare, prepare!
Alfred shall smile, and make his harp rejoice;
The Normal William, and the learned Clerk,
And Lion Heart, and black-browed Edward,
With his loyal Queen, shall rise, and welcome us!
Prepare, prepare!
0000
Secrets and Lies by Dave Alan Walker
Turn a blind eye to this
Lies breed lies
Satan breeds the devil
But justice will one day breed the truth.
How can you keep a secret
How can you keep a lie
How can you live with yourselves
knowing what they did.
Are you all in a cult
or are you turning a blind eye
You know the secrets
That could save peoples lives
But instead you choose
to live a lie.
I've seen good things
I've seen bad things
But I've never seen
a lie like this.
0000
Chapter 1
A Broken Family
MATTHEW DAWSON
It had only been a week since Matthew Dawson, most of his children, his nieces Tanya and Geri, his faithful butler and his family, and Simba, Nala and their baby, Kion Pride-Lander, had all been forced to move out of Dawson Manor, and so much had changed in the past week. He was grateful to Sam to come and warn him and get himself and the others safely to Elizabeth's place, but he did not need to wake his children, oh no, for they, Joey, his wife and child, along with Simba, Nala and Kion had all been awake for most of the night, seeing as they had all been called into the drawing room by the Oracle.
None of them knew why or for what purpose they had been summoned, but they all went there without any arguments, knowing that this was important, but none of them were prepared for what they were about to see …
As soon as the drawing room door had closed, a bright white light filled the air, making everyone cover their eyes. When the light had faded slightly, and everyone had recovered their sight, they saw that it was a screen of sorts, blurry around the edges but clear in the middle.
"What's going on, Dad?" Matthew heard Max say, but he shook his head, having no answer himself. Then, quite suddenly, a picture came into view of a girl who looked like a corpse lying on the ground: her face was gaunt, her skin was tight and waxen, and her hair was lank and lifeless. Matthew stared at the girl, feeling sorry for her, wondering what was going on, even as his heart twisted in pain. It was only when Merida exclaimed, "Oh my God, that's Sian!" that Matthew understood who the girl was and just what was going on.
He heard gasps of shock from his children and friends, watched as his offspring and Tanya and Geri huddled even closer together on the floor, but Matthew could not speak. The poor man was in shock, and understandably so. How could this have happened to her, his Siany, who was always so brave, so strong, so full of life? Matthew knew that she had suffered after losing her mother, but never in his wildest dreams could he have imagined that this would happen. He kept thinking to himself, that can't be my Siany … it can't be … But when he saw Chris, Kiara and Chrissie's faces, he knew then that it had to be true, and as the pain became tighter in his chest, he wanted to run from the room and see no more, feel no more … but he knew that he had to stay: he had to understand why this had happened to her, and besides that, his children needed him, too. What kind of father would he be if he abandoned his children when they needed him most? What kind of example would he be setting for them?
Then Matthew heard his wife's voice, far off and distant, singing the lullaby that meant so much to her and Sian, and as the singing grew louder, he watched as Chris, Kiara and Chrissie moved out of the way so that Susan could land in front of them, her Animal Spirit phoenix body turning into her human one, apart from her head, as she cried healing tears on to Sian's face.
Everyone watched closely as the song ended, and the phoenix's head transformed into Susan's. No one spoke, no one dared to breathe. Surely, Matthew thought, surely this has got to work. But it did not; Sian's body still remained dead-looking.
Matthew looked at his children who, instead of being upset, were just as confused as he was as they spoke over each other.
"What's going on? Why didn't that work?"
"Why isn't Sian all right?"
"D'you think this has got something to do with the Oracle?"
"I thought phoenix tears had healing powers, so why haven't they saved Sian?"
Matthew could not answer his children, mainly because he was thinking the exact same things as they were. He had no answer, and apparently, neither did Susan. It was only when Kiara spoke that they all began to understand what had caused Sian to become … well, dead.
"Ma'am, the reason this hasn't worked is because you hurt Sian so deeply that healing her is not enough, and right now she deserves more than that. After all, you're the reason she's like this, ma'am, and Sian deserves a decent apology from you, now more than ever! You need to make this right, ma'am, and what better time than now to do so."
At that, his children erupted in words of shock, hurt and outrage. Matthew could not blame them; he was having trouble restraining himself from saying all that he wanted, but some of what he had to say was not appropriate for his children's ears, no matter how old they were. How dare Susan hurt Sian that way! What right had she, a mother, hurt their daughter like that? Matthew looked at Joey and his family: both mother and daughter were crying, the daughter loudest of all, and Joey himself looked to be struggling at keeping his own emotions in check.
Matthew then looked at Simba and Nala. Kion, who was awake in his mother's arms, was blissfully unaware of what was going on, but his keen eyes were alight with curiosity and confusion as to what was going on around him. Simba and Nala, however, were looking at each other with equal looks of shock. At that moment, Simba caught Matthew's eye and the two men shared a look of understanding before turning back to the screen.
Matthew and the others then watched as Susan apologised for hurting Sian, wishing for her to come back as there were so many people relying on her, before she broke down, crying over her daughter's lifeless body. By this point, everyone in the drawing room had a tear in their eye, all except Kion, who was yanking on his mother's hair, demanding her attention, but she was not giving it to him, as she was fixed on the screen as everyone else was.
Then, when Susan told Sian that she loved her, they all watched as a red and gold tear ran down her cheek, landing on Sian's face. Everyone watched in amazement as that tear glowed red and gold again, but brighter than before, making the other tears glow red and gold too, before seeping into Sian's skin, running through her entire body, healing her, so it seemed, from within.
Then everyone gasped and watched on in awe as Sian's body glowed bright and golden for several seconds. When the light faded, they could all see that Sian's body was normal and healthy-looking: her skin was a natural cream and her hair, no longer lifeless and tied back, was full of volume and looked like it always did: straight but curled inwards at the tips.
Matthew could not believe what he was seeing. His Siany, who had looked like a skeleton only moments before, now looked like a vision of health. There was just one small problem …
"Why isn't she waking up?" Beth asked.
As though in answer to her question, a few seconds later three figures appeared on the screen, coming down from the heavens, landing not five feet from the others: the bald man in the middle was, Matthew knew, the Oracle; the man on the Oracle's right was Tibur, and the woman on his left was Luba, half woman, half cat, as his daughters had informed him.
They were there to save Sian, that much was clear, even to Matthew, and he was not at all surprised to hear that Susan was going to be punished for the pain she had caused Sian. Matthew watched as Susan began to protest, thinking there's nothing that she can say that will defend her actions, and was glad when the Oracle put her in her place, stating loudly, "Silence, Susan! Your daughter's words … shall decide the course of your fate!"
Beth, Kestrel and Merida all gasped loudly at that. Matthew looked at the three of them, as did everyone else, confused by their reaction. Surely the Oracle's punishment was not that bad?
"Why are you three shocked by that?" Max asked them. "What the Oracle said can't be that bad."
"But it is that bad, Max," said Merida.
"Why?"
"Because the Oracle more or less told Ma that she could lose her place on his Council, depending on what Sian does," Kestrel explained in her quiet, soft manner.
"What?"
Beth, Kestrel and Merida just nodded, and a stunned silence filled the room. Matthew knew that his wife had done Sian a great injustice, and he did not deny that she deserved to be punished, but he knew how much being on the Oracle's Council meant to Susan, and just how devastated she would be if she were forced to leave it. He only hoped that Sian would not be too hard on Susan.
On the screen, the company could all see the Oracle turning to Luba, who passed him ingredients out of a sack. He described each one before throwing a few sprigs or petals of each herb or flower on to her body, before pouring a jug of bright blue sparkling water over every inch of Sian's body, which Matt knew to be the Healing Waters of Kandrakar.
Then Sian's mouth opened, and out of it floated a tiny orb, Sian's soul, which looked dull, cracked and black, almost dead, not clear at all; only a few small dots of white were visible. Matthew was shocked and saddened at how his daughter's soul looked, and looking around the room, his feelings were clearly echoed.
Gasps from his children drew his attention back to the screen, and Matthew could see why, for the Healing Water, along with the herbs and flowers that were shredded, soared upwards to meet the soul, as the Council of Kandrakar sang to help the healing process, along with Susan, Chrissie, Beth, Kestrel and Merida, and, slowly but surely, Sian's soul became healed and whole again, as her soul was transported back into her body, with the Oracle's help, of course.
The moment Sian's soul had fully disappeared back inside her body, the singing stopped. Both on the screen and in the drawing room, no one moved, no one spoke; even Kion had stopped trying to get Nala's attention. All eyes were on Sian, watching and waiting. Matthew hoped and prayed that it had worked, that the Oracle had indeed managed to save her …
And then, quite suddenly, Sian shot up, gasping for air, making everyone jump. They all watched in wonderment, amazement and relief, as Sian explored herself, healthy for the first time in God knows how long.
But the most beautiful moment that brought tears of joy to all eyes was when Sian discovered the movement of her legs: "I can walk again!" she exclaimed joyfully, giggling like a child. She looked up at Chris, Sian and Chrissie then, and said happily, Well … I'm back!" And that was all it took for Chris, Kiara and Chrissie to run to Sian, kneel down next to her and hold her tight.
"I'm glad Sian's all right now, Dad," said Merida, who was closest to him.
Matthew smiled at his youngest daughter and said, "We all are, love. I'm sure I'm not the only one who has wanted the old Sian back, now, am I?"
Many shakes of the head answered his question, and he laughed softly as they all looked back at the screen.
After a while, Chris, Sian, Kiara and Chrissie stood up, and as they turned to face the other people around them, as soon as Matthew saw Sam and Ferdinand, he immediately knew where they were: Sandwaves Cottage, Sam and Ferdinand's new home. He inwardly breathed a sigh of relief, knowing Chris, Sian, Kiara and Chrissie were all safe.
The company in the drawing room all watched as Sian saw her mother, and immediately, her expression turned hard and cold. Everyone watched nervously as Sian told her mother how disappointed she was in her and how let down she felt, not to mention how hurt and angry she was with her.
Matthew looked around and could see his children and friends looking at each other nervously. He put his head in his hands, thinking, Susan's going to lose her place on the Council …
But, that was not the case, for Sian said, "However," making Matthew raise his head, and he was surprised and relieved by what she said next, for she told Susan that she understood why her mother did what she did, and that she felt every word her mother said, which only made it easy for her to forgive her mother, and tell her that she loved her.
As Susan and Sian embraced, everyone watching breathed sighs of relief as the screen vanished, and immediately his children started talking over one another excitedly, which Matthew took great interest listening in.
"I'm glad Sian's back to her old self again."
"Me too. It's been too long since we last saw her smile."
"Or saw her at all, for that matter."
"You're not wrong there, brother."
"It's good that Sian forgave Ma, isn't it?"
"Yeah. It's just a shame about her punishment."
"Well, the Oracle did say he was going to punish Ma."
"But to take away her Animal Spirit privileges from her?"
"Hey, it could have been worse. She could have lost her place on the Oracle's Council."
"True …"
As his children talked, Joey and his family cuddled and Simba and Nala gave Kion their attention, Matthew sent up a silent prayer of thanks to the Oracle for saving Sian. All he wanted to do now was to see her again, but he would have to wait for that day to come, hoping that it would not be too long.
No one slept that night. Matthew knew that he should have sent his children to bed the moment the screen vanished, but seeing how happy his children were, he knew that sleep would be impossible for them. Besides, their happiness made him happy, the happiest he had been in a long time, in fact.
But it was fortunate that Matthew had allowed his children to stay up, for later that morning, some time before dawn, there came a knock on the front door. Telling the others to stay where they were, he went to see who it was. After doing the usual checks, Matthew opened the door to admit Sam.
"Sam, what are you doing here at this time of night?" he asked his niece, after he closed the door.
"I've come to warn you, Uncle Matt," Sam said quickly, "but first I should tell you about Sian, Chris, Kiara and Chrissie - "
"No need, Sam. We already know," Matthew reassured her.
Sam's eyes widened in surprise.
"You do? How?"
"The Oracle called us all to the drawing room to watch what was happening. We know they're safe with you and Ferdinand."
"Oh, OK. Good. That saves me some time explaining." There was a short pause, then Sam said, "I'm here to help get you and the others in this house out of here safely. Tonight."
That got Matthew's attention. "Why, Sam? What's happened?"
"Before Sian, Chris, Kiara and Chrissie arrived, a boy called Lincoln Lovedream, a girl called Dena Wright and Madam Wandwick had Apparated to us, by the means of a house-elf named Dokey," Sam explained. "The elf told us that she had rescued them from the Maltys' cellar, and that she was going back there to rescue Chris, Sian, Kiara, Chrissie and a faun by the name of Grimzhan. We learned from her that Sian had been tortured - "
"What?" Matthew exclaimed; above everything else that had happened to Sian tonight, she had been tortured? And at Malty Manor, no less! "Tortured? By who?"
Sam looked at Matthew nervously as she answered, "Katalina Outsider, Uncle."
At the name of that mad woman, Matthew's blood began to boil as he began to pace furiously. The thought of that woman hurting Sian again …
"That foul woman! Hasn't she caused Sian enough grief?"
"I know, Uncle," said Sam, "but that's not why I'm here."
Matthew stopped pacing, looked at his niece and said calmly, "You're right, Sam. Sorry, you just caught me off guard when you said that Sian had been tortured, that's all."
"That's all right, Uncle. But remember what I said about Chrissie being captured, too? The Love Destroyers will know that Chrissie isn't really sick from Spattergroit any more, won't they?"
"The A.I. …" Matthew muttered, cottoning on at last. He sighed deeply, thinking. He wasn't surprised; he had known that this would happen sooner or later. But a problem quickly struck him …
"Where are we to go?" Matthew asked, turning to face Sam again. "I honestly have no idea where we can go, or who will accept so many of us - "
"Don't worry, Uncle, I've sorted it all out for you," Sam reassured him. "You see, before coming here, I went to Great-Aunt Lizzie's place. It took a while to wake her, and she wasn't best pleased at being woken at such an hour, but once she had some tea and I explained the situation to her, she agreed to let all of you stay with her. She's already getting rooms ready and will wait to see you."
Matt did not know what to say. This kind of thinking and generosity he would have expected Sian to come up with. Eventually, though, he stepped forward to embrace Sam, saying, "Thank you, Sam, for all of this."
"Well, family helps out family in times like these, you know that," said Sam.
"That they do, Sam." Matthew then kissed Sam's temple, released her and shouted, "Joey?"
The long, lanky man quickly came running to him at once.
"Yes, Mr D?"
"The Love Destroyers know that Chrissie's with Kiara now, seeing as they, Sian and Chris were captured and taken to the Maltys'. We need to get everyone out of here quickly."
"Where to, sir?"
"Great-Aunt Lizzie's. She's agreed to keep us. Sam's doing," Matthew explained. "But what worries me is getting Simba and Nala there. You know full well that they can't Apparate, not with a baby, anyway."
Joey nodded his head thoughtfully, then he said, "Well, why don't I take them and my family in the car to Elizabeth's, being it back 'ere, then Apparate back there? With the car in flight, I can 'ave them over there within five minutes, if that! What choo say, Mr D?"
Matthew did not need to think twice. "Do it. Oh, and Joey?" he added, as the man began to head back to the drawing room.
Joey stopped and turned round.
"Yes, Mr D, sir?"
"Tell my children of the plan and ask them to prepare for me, will you? I've got a bit of last-minute packing to do myself, as well as a few things that need to be taken care of before we leave."
"Of course I will, sir."
Matthew nodded at Joey, who nodded back, then turned on his heel and walked back to the drawing room. Matthew then turned to Sam.
"Wait here for us, will you?"
"Of course, Uncle," was all Sam said. Matthew kissed Sam's temple once more before heading upstairs to the master bedroom, which was directly above his study and Susan's old one.
Unbeknownst to Sam or anyone else outside of Dawson Manor, the moment he got his children home for the Easter holidays, Matthew had told them, Simba, Nala and Joey and his family to start packing up their belongings in suitcases and boxes, just in case. Because of the serious tone he used, no one questioned him about this decision, though he did get a few questioning looks from his children.
The truth was, Matthew had been worried that he was going to get rumbled because of the AI, a worry that had begun when the idea was first put in place, but one that had grown stronger with each passing month, particularly in these past couple of weeks. In that moment, Matthew praised himself on his actions as he finished his packing, and as the distant rumbling of a car engine started up, Matthew simply waved his wand, sending his luggage straight to Elizabeth's.
Making his way back downstairs, Matthew heard his children talking and laughing, a sound that had been sorely missed for many months that brought a smile to his face. Arriving downstairs, he saw that Tanya, Geri, Kestrel, Merida, Joe, Jack, Max and Dave were all ready, the eight of them in travelling cloaks, their luggage all around them. Turning to Sam, Matthew laughed at the look of surprise on her face.
"Well, you all certainly have been busy, haven't you?" said Sam.
"It was Dad's idea, really," said Max.
"Yeah, he told us to pack a few things every day since we came home for Easter, so that we could be prepared in case we had to go," said Merida. "Clothes were left last, obviously."
Sam nodded, clearly impressed by her uncle's way of thinking. Then she said, "Well, I never thought I'd see the day when Uncle Matt would be the master planner around here."
Tanya, Geri, Kestrel, Merida, Joe, Jack, Max and Dave all laughed, both at their cousin's cheek, and at their father's expression of mock offence.
"Yeah, we know. It's usually … Sian who gets that title," Merida finished sadly, which made the other five stop laughing and look sad, too. Sam turned to Matthew, surprised, but he did not say anything. It broke his heart to see his children like this; even knowing that she was going to be all right, Matthew was once again struck by how much they missed Sian, and he was almost glad for the distraction that was Beth and Ben, carrying the rest of their luggage downstairs.
"Good, you're ready," he said, as Beth and Ben put their stuff down. "Now, we'll wait here a few moments until Joey comes back with the car, and once he Disapparates, we'll set off, too."
"How will we get to Great-Aunt Lizzie's, Dad?" Merida asked.
"Side-along Apparition," Matthew explained. "Sam and I will take two of you at a time. But first, we need to wait for Joey …"
Fortunately, they did not have long to wait: within minutes, the car could be heard coming back along the driveway. Walking to the window, Matthew watched as the car disappeared from view. Then, about a minute later, Joey could be seen walking down the driveway. Once he was out of the gates, Matthew turned back to his children.
"All right, it's time. No, no, leave your luggage," he added hastily, as his children reached for their belongings. "I'll send those on ahead now, they'll slow us down otherwise."
And just like he had done in his room, Matthew waved his wand and trunks, suitcases and boxes vanished.
"Come on, then." Sam started to open the door, but Matthew stopped her, quickly thinking of another way out. Sam looked at him, surprised. "Why did you do that, Uncle? I thought you wanted us to be leaving this way?"
"I did, but I've just thought of another, better way," said Matthew, and leaving Sam's side, he walked quickly to the rug in the middle of the floor, unrolled it and opened the trapdoor that was hidden underneath. Looking around at his children, he stood back and quickly told them, "Down you go, kids, and wait for me at the bottom. Quickly, now!"
One by one, Tanya, Geri, Beth, Kestrel, Merida, Joe, Jack, Max, Ben and Dave climbed down the ladder to the very bottom. Once Dave was a few feet down, Matt turned to Sam and nudged his head twice towards the ladder. Getting the idea, Sam nodded and went down. Matthew followed behind, but before his head disappeared from view, he took one last, lingering look around Dawson Manor, quietly saying goodbye to the old place he had called home for so long, then sighed heavily and quickly waved his wand, minding his fingers and head as the trapdoor closed over his head and the rug moved over the trapdoor, obscuring the Dawsons' escape route from view.
Once Matthew reached the bottom, he led his children and Sam, Tanya and Geri along the earthy passageway that was lit with oil lamps at odd intervals, not stopping once to get any food or supplies from the storage bunker, and ignoring the bedrooms that were situated in other tunnels leading off from the main path, each hole covered by an old, dirty blanket for privacy uses. Now was not the time to explore the place, Matthew reasoned with himself, now was the time to move quickly and get to Elizabeth's safely so as to avoid the Love Destroyers, who would be at Dawson Manor in no time.
On and on the Dawsons walked, no one talking or complaining, until they reached a ladder that led upwards. Going first, Matthew climbed until he reached the trapdoor to the old mill, that had not been used for so long that it was stuck from rust. So he drew out his wand and, hoping that the Love Destroyers would not hear him, he raised his wand and said, "Bombarda!" He ducked his head as the trapdoor was flung off its hinges high into the air, landing a short way away quite heavily on the hard stone floor, as dust rained down on his head. Coughing and shaking his head to remove the dust from it, Matthew climbed out on to the hard stone floor of an old mill, then turned to help his children and Sam out of there.
Once Sam, Tanya, Geri, Beth, Kestrel, Merida, Joe, Jack, Max, Ben and Dave were all out of the tunnel, they quickly moved outside the run down old mill, the old rusted wooden door creaking loudly, but did nothing to cover up the distant sounds of the Love Destroyers tearing through Dawson Manor, which only increased Matthew's unease.
"We have to move quickly, Uncle, before they find us here!" Sam said urgently.
Matthew nodded, and he quickly grabbed Merida and Dave by the other arm, as Sam grabbed Beth and Kestrel, and they Disapparated to Elizabeth's manor, just outside of the gates, Tanya and Geri moving independently with them. Once Sam and Matthew had watched them cross safely over the barrier, they both Disapparated back to the old mill and moved the other four together, Sam taking Joe and Jack, and Matthew moving Max and Ben. And so the Dawsons were moved to Great-Aunt Lizzie's, which none of them were really happy about, but what choice did they have?
And so, here they were, in Elizabeth's drawing room, with Matthew sat in a chair by the fire, his children close by, playing chess or Exploding Snap, or else drawing or chatting comfortably. Despite being safely out of harm's way, Matt was worried. Not about Elizabeth, no, he and his children had learned long ago that any room without Elizabeth's presence was by far a happier one. Nor was he worried about not having a job to go to, for he had been seeing it coming for months now, and besides, he had plenty of money to be getting by on. No, what worried Matthew more than anything else were the attitudes of his children.
It had started when he and Sam had gone to collect them from the Sub House the Christmas just gone. He could see at once that they were scared, thin and shaken, which did not surprise him: he had been hearing things from his colleagues at the Ministry about how the children had been treated at the school, things that inwardly made him cringe as he had to force out a laugh or two to appease his co-workers, but his heart went out to his children, and seeing them come off the subs, eyes cast down, severely shaken, some of them even bearing marks of the new punishment system, Matthew's heart bled for his children all over again, and it had been awful saying goodbye to them when he had had to in the new year, for neither father nor children wanted to leave the other, the children all crying, yet they had to go back, for they had no choice. And they looked even worse when he had seen them again for the Easter holidays.
But in the past couple of weeks, Matthew realised that it was more than just the school's new regime that was keeping his children's spirits down, but a constant presence that was missing, one who made the rest of his children lost without her, one whose spirit they all missed, one who could make them all a family again, but it was impossible, for Sian was with Chris, Kiara and Chrissie, but they all missed her, and despite knowing that Sian was all right again, Matt could see that his children still looked lost without her: even now, talking as his children were in their various activities, they were quiet. Far too quiet.
But it wasn't just this that troubled Matthew, for over the Christmas and Easter holidays he had seen how … not independent, precisely, they were from him, but how shut out he was from their lives. Not once, over the Christmas period, had any of his children come to him with their problems. They all stuck together, consoling each other. Even as they watched Sian dying they had not come to him, and Matthew was surprised by how hurt he felt, but then again, it was his own fault, as well as Susan's, for not focusing on them more.
Of course Matthew knew that his children had gone to Sian with their problems, ran to her as they would a mother - but with Sian out of the picture, who had they to turn to? Of course the answer was him, their father, but seeing as he had either been focusing on work or Sian when they were growing up, he could see why his children had not come to him, but that did not stop the pain from hurting any less.
Hadn't both Sian and Susan told him that he should spend time with the rest of them? Well, Sian more than Susan, who, truth be told, spent no more time with the rest of their darling children than he had, but in her own way, Susan did know their children. Her letters to each of them said as much.
Matthew realised that they had been right, as always, and he hated himself for not being more invested in Chrissie, Beth, Kestrel, Merida, Joe, Jack, Max, Ben and Dave's lives, not just Sian's. He thought that it was too late to know them, but even as he thought it, a second, more powerful voice, sounding a lot like Susan's, said, "No. There is still time. Use it now, use it well, and use it wisely."
And he had done just that: Matthew had gone straight to where his children were in Dawson Manor before the night before they went back to Dragon Mort at the end of the Christmas holidays, which happened to be Sian's room. He knocked on the door and entered, and was greeted by surprise on each of his children's faces. Some, he noticed, were even nervous by his presence. Matthew quickly reassured his children that they were not in trouble, before moving on to say how sorry he was for having abandoned them for so many years, for not giving them the love he could have and for not being the father they deserved.
"Don't worry about it, Dad. It's OK. We've always had Sian," said Beth.
As the others all nodded their heads at Beth's statement, Matthew had to smile at the naivete of the innocence of it, even as his heart broke for not doing a better job as a father, and it was at that moment that Matthew understood how much he had taken Sian for granted, and he knew that he was not the only one. But no more.
Knowing what he had to tell his children, he said, "Listen, I know you've all been used to going to Sian in the past, and I'm glad that you have whenever I haven't been here, but did you ever stop to consider that Sian might have had things to do, or wanted a few moments to herself every once in a while?"
Matthew watched as Beth, Kestrel, Merida, Joe, Jack, Max, Ben and Dave thought carefully about his words, and he watched them all exchange guilty looks, and he knew he had hit his mark.
After a while, Beth said, "We never meant to overexert her, Dad."
"It's true," said Kestrel quietly. "It's just that Sian never complained, and we found it easier to go to her instead of you. We never realised we were - "
"I know, love," said Matthew quickly, putting an arm around Kestrel. "You're not the only ones who have taken Sian for granted. I have too - but that stops now, do you hear me?"
"Yes, Dad," the eight of them answered at once.
"Good. Now I want you all to promise me something."
"Promise what, Dad?" said Max.
"That you will come to me with your problems from now on. I'm meant to be your father, after all, not a stranger."
His voice sounded harsh, even to his own ears. Ever the comforting one, Kestrel said, "Dad, we're sorry, we never meant to - "
"I know, love, I know," Matthew reassured them, "but I suppose that's my fault for not spending enough time with you all when you were little. But that changes now. Sian may not be here right now, but I am, and we're going to be spending a lot more time together from now on."
The eight siblings looked at each other. Then Joe said, "But Dad, what about our homework? And school?"
Matthew looked at his children carefully and said, "I'm afraid you won't be going back to school."
"Why not, Dad?" Max asked.
"Many reasons," Matthew explained. "Not just because of the rumours I've heard about some of the new punishments Dragon Mort have put in place, and how you all looked when I saw you get off the subs, but mainly because of the Love Destroyers in general. Already I've been hearing rumours that they've taken your friend, Lincoln Lovedream, and I'm certain that if Sam, Joey and I hadn't got you when we did, that the Love Destroyers would've got you, too."
"Has this got to do with Kiara, Dad?" said Ben.
"Ben, by this point, I think everything has to do with Kiara," said Dave.
"He's right, Ben," said Matthew. "Look, I'm sorry to pull you kids out of school like this, but do you see now that it's too dangerous for you all to go back? And if I did allow you to go back, and the Love Destroyers caught you, do you have any idea of what that would do to me - what that would do to Sian if she ever found out?"
Matthew knew that he had got his children's understanding as soon as he mentioned Sian. It was Max who spoke first.
"So what happens now, Dad?"
"Well, I hate to have to do this to you all, but I'm putting in some new rules to ensure your safety. Yes, I know, I know," Matthew added at the annoyed grumbles his children were making. "Look, I don't want to do this either, but I have to in order to ensure your safety, all right?"
"Yes, Dad," his children muttered glumly.
"Good. So, from now on, we all stay mostly indoors. If you want to go outside when the weather's fine, you may do so, but ask an adult to go with you; I know we have protective enchantments around this place, but who knows what could happen. And above all, if you do go outside, make sure that you're back inside before it gets dark. Does that sound fair to all of you?"
Matthew watched his children closely as they all looked at each other, and after about a minute they all nodded. Matthew sighed in relief.
"Good, and now that's out of the way - "
"Dad?" said a small voice suddenly. Turning to see who it was, he found that it was Merida, who was looking right at him.
"Yes, Merida?"
"I miss Sian."
Just those three simple words were enough to break Matthew's heart. He nodded for Merida to come to him, which she did, hugging him fiercely. He was surprised at how fast his children had taken his words into account, but he was no less grateful for it, because it was exactly what he had wanted.
Gulping hard, Matthew said, "I know. I miss Sian too - well, we all do, really." Matthew watched his children nod at those words before continuing, "And I bet that, wherever she is, Sian's missing you just as much as we miss her."
"Even you, Dad?" said Merida cheekily.
"Well of course she misses me, even if I do annoy her sometimes," said Matthew playfully, making his children laugh. "But you know, if we think about her every day, I'm sure a part of her will know that we love her and that she's not alone."
"And just because Sian's not here right now, does not mean that she isn't with us in spirit," said Kestrel.
"Precisely," said Matthew. Looking around at his children, he asked them, "What has Sian done for you over the years?"
The eight of them answered for him all at once.
"She's protected us from harm."
"She's taught us many valuable lessons, and not just school ones."
"She read to us when we were little."
"She gives us advice and help when we don't know what to do."
"She took care of our injuries, whether big or small."
"She'd play with us if she wasn't too busy."
"We could go to her with anything and not once would she laugh."
"She's done so much for us, Dad," said Dave. "We'd all be nothing without Sian."
Hearing those words about Sian that night surprised Matthew and brought a tear to his eye. Even now, a few months later at Elizabeth's, he was still amazed at all the good Sian had done for their family; he remembered calling her on many occasions the "Guardian Angel of the Household", and what an angel she was.
Thinking back to that night, Matthew knew that that was the night that they had become closer as a family. They spent the rest of that night playing and talking together, and the letters that his children sent him from Dragon Mort became more open and honest too, for no longer did they write the words "we're all fine" whenever they would write, telling their father of all their problems, and he would reply as best he could under the circumstances. And when they came home for the Easter holidays, the meals at the dinner table were no longer spent in silence, but full of laughter and life. Of course, Sian's presence was missed, but his children found it easier to talk about her as time went on, as though she were dead and gone, which only made him more grateful that he had done the right thing by talking to his children when he did that night.
And now, seeing as Sian had nearly died had put things into perspective. He wanted to do something for his firstborn, something that would make Sian see just how much he and the rest of his children appreciated and valued her in their lives. It had to be something special, something creative, something -
"Kids!" Matthew said loudly, suddenly excited, sitting up straighter in his chair, making his children jump, as cards exploded, chess pieces scattered everywhere and Kestrel and Merida banged their heads together.
"What is it, Dad?" asked Max wearily.
"I've got an idea to show Sian just how much we all appreciate and value her, which shall be given to her one day."
He was pleased to see his children immediately perking up at the idea of doing something for Sian, and he knew that they would like it.
"What do you have in mind, Dad?" asked Merida.
"Well, I was thinking that we make Sian a scrapbook! We can fill it with photographs, letters and drawings, you know, stuff from when you were all younger, and tell her how much we love her! Although I don't know how I'm going to put photographs in there, seeing as they're all from photo albums I bought with me and I'd like to keep the original copies - "
"Don't worry, Dad, Joe and I can help you there," said Jack. "You see, a couple of years ago, we invented a machine that allows you to copy photographs."
"Haven't Muggles already invented a photocopier, though?" asked Beth.
"Yes, they have," said Joe, "but we made a handheld version, where you simply lay the photograph on the copying part, where it gets scanned by the machine, which you put directly over the photograph. Once scanned, the machine asks you how many copies you want and prints them, and the great thing is that the photographs all come out the same size as the original. The only thing is, because they're copies, the photographs don't move like the original picture, but apart from that they come out top quality."
"Well that's one thing I don't have to worry about," said Matthew, happy that he wouldn't have to part with those memories any time soon. "So, what do you say? Are you all in?"
His children easily agreed, and Kestrel found the perfect book to use: an A4, ring-bound, leather covered book that was purple, that could be fastened by two pieces of string.
"I've had this for years and have had no idea what to do with it until now," she said.
Matthew thought that it was perfect, and the family started work on the scrapbook at once. They each decided what photographs they wanted, and all of them agreed that they should have three photos per person: one of which sibling and Sian, and two different group shots. Matthew put four pictures in: one of him holding Sian after she was born; one of him and Susan on a couch together with Sian in between them, their arms around each other, the three of them smiling widely for the camera; one of Susan holding Sian when she was a baby, laughing in Sian's face; and the final photograph Matthew was going to add to the scrapbook was going to be placed at the back of it: a picture of the whole family together down by the river, all of them wet and muddy, but undeniably happy, accompanied by a letter of his own.
Looking at the photographs as they were printed, Matthew was amazed at the quality of them: true they were not moving, but they looked like new photographs, which Mathew was both pleased and impressed by.
After the photographs were completed, the family then got to choose which pages in the scrapbook they wanted, Kestrel making note of it. The family all agreed that they would all decorate the first page, and Matthew only wanted the pages near the back. After much deliberating and arguing, the order was finally agreed on, and they all set to writing letters of appreciation and love to Sian to be stuck in; Kestrel, Merida and Max decided to draw some new pictures to be stuck in, which Matthew smiled at. As he watched his children talk, squabble, laugh and work together, he could not help but think how much he had missed the noise, even if it had been a week, and he never wanted to go another day without it, he realised. So he promised, in that moment, that he would not abandon them for anything and that he would always try his best to be the father they wanted him to be.
Looking around at his family, he could see that they were a broken one, but by making this scrapbook for Sian he hoped that it would repair some of the damage. Just thinking about her, smiling and happy again, brought a smile to his face. Now Matthew longed for the day when he and the rest of his children would be reunited with Sian, for he knew, that when that day came, their broken family would be a whole one once more.