Fighting Giants
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Ace Ryn Knight
He awoke to a pair of merry blue eyes and a crooked smile. The eyes peered out at him from behind a curtain of dark brown curls and he reached out to ruffle the unruly mop affectionately. A candle flickered upon the small table beside the bed, illuminating the slight figure of his son. A glance toward the half-closed window confirmed the late hour. He eyed the boy and the short wooden practice sword that hung from one of his hands to scrape the ground.
"What are you doing out of bed?" He asked his voice suspicious.
"Fightin' giants, Da." The answer was brief and held a note of isn't-it-obvious condescension in its tone.
He rolled his eyes at the response. Even at the tender age of five years old it seemed his son was well on his way to mastering the subtle art of sarcasm.
"Really?" he asked, "Do you always wear your Ma's old tunics to battle? Or is this a onetime thing?"
"Just for now." His son answered. "Da? When's Ma coming home?"
The smile that had tugged at his mouth faded quickly. He wanted so badly to lie. The untrue answer was so familiar. He'd whispered the words to himself more times that he cared to count; simple, small words that did nothing to alleviate the ache in his heart.
She'll be home soon, he wanted to whisper. She's on the road right now and she can't wait to see you.
The words were honest but he could not call them truth. Lying to himself was one thing, lying to his son was another matter entirely.
"I don't know Ilian."
"Oh." The sound was small and unhappy. The wooden sword clattered against the floor as the boy's slim shoulders drooped. His son climbed onto the bed beside him to tuck himself into the circle of his arms. "I'm sorry Da."
He smiled and pressed a kiss to the soft brown curls. "Don't be."
He awoke the next morning with empty arms and warm weight against his back. He blinked dazedly and shifted to face his companion.
Her eyes were closed against the pre-dawn light that filtered into the room and now it was her turn to hold their sleeping child in her arms.
"When did you get in?" he whispered, grinning when she opened one eye to look at him.
"Just now." She whispered back, "Merry Midwinter, Dom."
He pressed a kiss to her lips. "Merry Midwinter, Kel."
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Please Note: I know I'm rubbish at naming things. Shut up about that already.