Here is Part III of the four part series.

Releasing it today because it's Father's Day in Brazil/Samoa (or so Wikipedia tells me) :P

PART III = ADRIAN

This is the best party ever!

Ok, on the surface it's like any other party I've attended in the past – lots of music, laughter, chatter and noise. But there are a few key differences…

There isn't any alcohol or drugs

I'm not strutting around in designer clothes

There is a plastic tiara on my head

And a giant birthday cake that needs cutting!

It's Tanya's first birthday party and the theme is 'Princesses'. Everyone is aware she is too young to even remember this birthday, let alone care what the featured theme was, but I think Sydney is living vicariously through our little angel and had been adamant on having a specific theme to help flesh out the essentials that are needed to have a successful birthday party such as decorations, cake, clothes and games. Which is why I'm walking around with a tiara on my head, much to the amusement of my friends and family.

But that's what you do when you are a dad – you willingly do ANYTHING, even humiliate yourself, if it means you can bring a smile on your child's face.

And anyway, I'm no stranger to humiliation…

An addict

Man-whore

Spoilt royal

Queen's crazy nephew

I've been called these names and many more behind my back and some even to my face. I'd acted aloof and carefree about such titles but that doesn't mean I was naïve on I how was perceived in our society nor was I unaffected by such hurtful assumptions.

But I was Adrian FUCKING Ivashkov and even before I learned to walk, I was taught how to hide my true emotions from the world – after all my Aunt Tati always said "…Showing your emotions is akin to displaying your weakness…"

Plus I had somewhat convinced myself that my vices were a 'necessary evil' that were needed as a coping mechanism to the side-effects of Spirit. Yet I always wondered if my life would have been a constant supply of booze, drugs and women if I hadn't been born an Ivashkov. I certainly wouldn't have gotten away with as much as I had if it wasn't for the fact I was the Queen's 'beloved great-nephew'.

It sounds a bit cliché to say that my issues can all be traced back to my parents, who with their lack of proper parental love and support, pushed me down the dark rabbit hole in which my soul resided for the better part of 10 years.

The strange thing is that it wasn't always like this or at least that's what Aunt Tati told me.

When I was born, the Ivashkov clan had a big celebration because I was the first 'Moroi son' of the next generation. Even though he was the eldest, uncle Randall had never settled with a Moroi woman and preferred to keep company with Dhampir ladies, so naturally none of his children, including sons, would ever be acknowledged as 'Ivashkovs' – something I don't think Dimitri would ever lose sleep over.

Why did it take so long for the first 'Ivashkov son' of the new generation to be born? The harsh reality of our world was that most Moroi couples struggle to have children and when they do they usually only have the one – not sure if it's because of fertility issues or if Moroi women refuse to go through the 'pain' and 'disfigurement' of pregnancy a second time. There are a few exceptions and I'm not surprised that Eric Dragomir falls in that category – clearly he had excellent 'swimmers' and/or willing/fertile Moroi partners! The point is that Moroi families tend to be on the small side, at least nowadays, but my parents had other plans.

Theirs was a marriage of convenience and opportunity – as tends to be the case for most Royal Moroi but they had aspirations for a large family. So when I was born they had hoped I would be the first in a long line of progeny.

But that wasn't to be the case.

They tried and tried and tried, even resorting to IVF, but they couldn't fall pregnant again. It finally dawned on my parents that I was it, that there would be no more beyond me for them. This lead to my mother increasing her coddling ten-fold and spoiling me rotten while my father grew distant and bitter. He somehow blamed me for their lack of conception and when I first started showcasing signs of Spirit, was convinced I was a 'defect' progeny, something that shouldn't have even been born.

I think I was around 11 when my father finally shifted his focus to worrying about making more money and fucking his mistresses, while my mother's 'love' continued to be misguided to the point where she seemed to almost encourage my vices thinking that by doing so she was keeping me happy. A part of me desperately wanted some semblance of discipline and stability – instead I got a free ticket to do whatever the hell I wanted.

It wasn't until I met Rose and Lissa when I finally found the courage to face the harsh truth – my life so far had been shallow & meaningless; and came to an enlightened epiphany – I was actually worth something beyond the Ivashkov name.

The final and most important person who graced my life, to transform me from a playboy royal to a working family man, was my beloved little sorceress and notorious, badass ex-Alchemist, Sydney. She bought the stability and love I had craved all my life and I consider myself beyond blessed & lucky that I get to spend the rest of my life with her, raising our children together.

Ah yes – children. When I was younger and finally understood that I was an only child, I craved the company of others my age or younger for playmates. I had quite a few Moroi cousins (and of course an untold number of Dhampir ones but who kept tab on those?) but they kept their distance because of my close relationship with Great Aunt Tati – they didn't want to do something which could upset her, and of course my weird 'elemental abilities' & the subsequent side-effects.

When I started fooling around with the opposite sex, the concept of children struck fear in my heart. The last thing I wanted to do was spawn untold number of Ivashkov bastards – I had no aspirations to follow in the footsteps of my father or my uncles. So you can imagine the kind of internal shock I went through when Declan was thrown into our lives.

If 'having' Declan wasn't crazy enough, discovering his amazing parentage and realising it would need to be hidden from the rest of the world – since it was such a game-changer – just complicated things further. We only told a few to avoid unnecessary attention and give Declan the chance to have a 'normal' childhood.

It's strange, the first person I even remotely imagined myself having kids with was Rose – though I know now my love and attraction was misguided. But embarking on parenthood with Syd just felt natural since we complemented each other – she was the serious, cautious, responsible parent and I the total opposite. Together we created a safe and fun world for Declan.

The first six months weren't easy – neither one of us had experience with babies or children and really felt out of our element, no matter how much research Syd did or the countless books I read. After about the nine month mark, we realised we should use our resources as 'go to guides' and not as the hard and fast rule. We discovered it was all about trial & error and in the end listening to your intuition. Having my mum live with us also helped a lot!

It's strange how it took an orphaned Dhampir child to bring out the true maternal side of my mum or maybe it was the fact she was no longer married to Nathaniel Ivashkov. Either way mum became one of our most valued and trusted resources. There were times Sydney would reach out to her own mum, but since Declan wasn't human it made sense to refer to the vampire-based information.

When Syd fell pregnant with our baby girl we were much better prepared and it helped that Declan was no longer a baby. By then we understood that every child was unique and what may have worked on one wouldn't on another – this and many other 'pearls of wisdom' were bestowed upon us thanks to so many of our friends and family having babies. A plethora of stories and advice were traded especially how to cope with the pregnancy and the affect it would have on our family and us as a couple – some even coming from my mum, who having recently given birth to my half-sister, was more than willing to share on how to keep the 'romance' alive – both in and out of the bedroom – cue internal shudder!

One person who didn't seem too keen on the baby was Declan. Even though he was only 6, Declan was a very smart kid. Our little warrior showed great aptitude in both combat and studies and seemed to grasp complex concepts about the world with relative ease. Which is why, when he turned 5, we told him the truth about his parents and how Uncle Neil – who he only saw on his birthday – was actually his dad. Some, including my mum, thought he was too young to be told the truth, but Syd and I had observed the old soul he possessed and the amazing wisdom he seemed to have regarding social situations, and knew he could handle it.

He took the news remarkably well and understood that Uncle Neil would always be Uncle Neil and that we were his parents – no matter what. But when he discovered he was having a baby sister, one that was actually 'born from us', he became withdrawn. He fell into a strange melancholy and would refuse to be in the same room as Syd if anyone bought up the baby. We naturally became worried – surely this wasn't normal sibling behaviour? And then one day, when Syd was about 3 weeks from her due date, Declan ran away.

Thankfully by then we were living in Court so at least we knew he was somewhere within – no way the gate Guardians would have allowed a 6 year old to venture off alone. Naturally we roped in all our friends and family to help us in the search. It was the scariest four hours of our lives, with Syd going out of her mind because she was on bed rest – it had been a while since a human gave birth to a Dhampir and the Court doctors wanted to keep a close eye on Syd and not have her stress or over-exert herself.

We had searched every corner of Court and were about to mobilise the Guardians when something told me to check Aunt Tati's memorial garden – a place Declan and I frequented during our father/son time. The sense of relief I felt when I saw his hunched body sitting under Aunt Tati's statue was liberating – I wanted to scream, cry and shout in joy all at the same time. Rushing over, I didn't waste any time to take him into my arms and hold him tight. After letting Syd and the others know that he was safe, the two of us spent a long time talking.

He finally confessed why he wasn't thrilled about his sister's birth – he was worried that we would forget about him because we were finally having a child that we had 'made together'. I could see where his fears were coming from but they were unfounded. I spent a long time explaining how it didn't matter to us that we hadn't 'made him' – we raised him and loved him with all our heart. He was our son, plain and simple. My reassuring words and the warmth of Syd's hug finally settled the matter and Declan no longer dreaded the impending arrival of his sibling.

To this day I have a hard time remembering the actual labour – I vaguely recall a slightly fractured hand, a nurse 'accidently' catching fire and that the whole ordeal lasted for over 24 hours. What I do remember is the surreal experience of holding Tanya in my hands – she was half of me and half of Syd and completely perfect. I recollect the tears that were streaming down my face as I had watched the little angel in my arms – so vulnerable, so trusting. When she opened her eyes I could see her mother's wisdom and my great aunt's fierceness. It was why we named her Tanya – as an homage to the first woman who had truly loved and understood me.

My eyes find Declan, sitting in a circle with his little aunt Anna, Catalina and Darin while all four dote on Tanya who looks beyond adorable in a little princess tutu dress. I feel a little pang of guilt when I think back to Declan's first birthday. Since we were still hiding his origins, the party was small and simple – just us, my mum, Eddie and Jill.

And yet, here he is, the perfect brother – loving & attentive. I'm not sure if we will have any more children or what the future holds for our family, but what I do know is that Syd and I will always be there for our kids – helping them, guiding them and loving them.

Who knew a screw-up like me could turn out to be a fun & respectable dad, with a natural talent to pull-off a pink tiara – Aunt Tati would have been so proud!