A Night in with the Family- SilasXReader

I walk through the camp, looking for my husband Silas. I find him with our son, Kana. Silas stands while Kana sits on a log. "Hm? Do you not want to spend time with your mother?" Silas asks our youngest. "No, that not it!" Kana exclaims. "It's just… I feel like that stuff is for babies." "No, Kana. It's not for babies. It's for children." Silas says, patting Kana's shoulder. "And your mother wants you to be a child for just a little while longer. We both do." I smile at my husband's kind words. "Papa…" Silas joins Kana on the log. "We know that you're growing up and that you want to be relied upon. You're going to be a great man someday. We both know it." Silas tells our son. "But for now… relax. Enjoy yourself. At least a little bit, here and there." "Okay. Thanks, Papa. I'll think real hard about everything you've said." Kana says. "Good." Silas responds.

"You know… I think it would be good it you spent some quality time with your mother tonight." Silas tells Kana. "Have a nice night in, just the two of you. I'll go talk to her about it now." Silas stands. "Wait!" Kana exclaims as he hops off the log. "Aren't you gonna stay with us?" "Huh?" Silas exclaims, clearly caught off guard. "No, I've got some plans with other people in ca-" "But Papa! Don't you need to take a break sometime too?" Kana asks his father. "I thought you wanted me and Mama to be happy!" "…Okay, sure." My husband says. "When you put it like that, I can't really say no, can I?" Kana cheers, a huge smile on his face.

Silas sighs, defeated once again by the pleading eyes of our son. "I'll never be able to say no to this boy." Silas mutters. "A night in with the family, huh? Maybe I could get used to this…" I sneak over and hug Silas from behind. Silas jumps a little. "I hope you can, because I would love to stay in with our family more often after the war is over." I say. "Mama!" Kana exclaims happily. He comes over and hugs me. I let go of Silas and turn to my son. "I think that a night in with the family will be great." I say, ruffling my Kana-bean's hair. "Kana, go tell your sister about the plan." Kana nods and then scampers off to find Sophie. Silas turns to me. "So how long were you there?" He asks. "Long enough that I can say with certainty you're a great father." I say. Silas blushes slightly. "All right, I'm going to go prepare our quarters for tonight. Could you arrange for some late night snacks?" I ask. "Of course, (name)." Silas responds.

-Later that night-

I lay on the pillow-covered floor with my husband Silas, my daughter Sophie, and my son Kana. "Hey, Mama." Kana calls. "Yes, Kana-bean?" "Will you tell us a story?" My son asks. "Pleaseeee!" My two children beg. "Alright." I say. I shift into a sitting position. Silas slides over to my side and wraps an arm around me. My two children gaze at me expectantly.

"Once upon a time, there was a princess. Now this princess had no memories because a terrible thing locked up her memories. The princess woke up with four people around her, her two brothers and two sisters. Her siblings went with her when the king had summoned her. The princess was sent to live in a foreboding fortress. The king had commanded that the princess was never to leave the fortress without his say-so." Kana's and Sophie's eyes widen with shock. "The princess did not mind too much. She had no memories at all and so she felt safe inside the walls. She read the books of the large library and visited the horses every day. The princess's siblings would come visit every so often. Her older brother came every other day to teach her how to use a sword."

"But as time went by, the princess began to desire to explore the world outside. But she did not dare disobey her father's command. Then one day, a noble boy was brought to the fortress." Silas's arm tightens around me. "The servants explained that the king hoped the boy could be her friend. The princess was delighted with the idea of having a friend. The first day, the princess talked and talked while the noble boy just listened. The next time, the boy started the conversation. The princess and the noble boy became closer every time the boy visited. Sometimes, the two would have mock battles with wooden swords."

"The noble boy noticed that the princess would sometimes gaze longingly out the window. He asked her about it one day. 'I have no memories of before I came to live here. No memories of the world outside these walls. I wish I could explore the world.' The princess said. A few days after, the noble boy told the princess he had a plan. The boy snuck the princess out of the fortress and took her to a nearby meadow. He had packed a lunch. The noble boy showed her beautiful flowers and trees. He showed her different bugs. But the two were caught sneaking back in."

"The guards of the fortress were going to kill the noble boy for disobeying the king's order. As a guard lifted his sword, the princess stepped in front of the boy and spread her arms. 'You will not kill this boy!' The princess shouted. The guards looked at each other and then one grabbed the princess and dragged her away to her room as the other dragged the boy elsewhere. 'We'll meet again someday!' The boy promised as he disappeared from the princess's sight. The princess was locked in her room. She cried every day, fearing that the noble boy, her first friend, was going to be killed after all. The servants forced the young princess to forget about the noble boy." I pause. "That's not the end, is it?" Sophie asks, her eyes glistening. I shake my head.

"Several years later, the princess was finally strong enough and adept enough with a sword that the king allowed her to leave the fortress. The princess's siblings brought her to the capital. The king gave the princess a special sword. The king wanted to see his daughter's strength and so he had four war prisoners brought into an arena. The princess and three of her closest retainers fought with the prisoners, but did not kill them."

"The king order that the princess strike the prisoners down, but she refused. The princess asked her father to show the prisoners mercy because they were defeated. The king killed two with a fireball. The king prepared to kill another, but the princess protected the prisoner. The king told his oldest son to dispatch the remaining prisoners and any who stood in his way. The princess would not allow her oldest sibling to kill the prisoners and they fought. Then the princess's younger brother cast a spell at the prisoners. The act temporarily placated the king's anger. Once the king left the room, the princess threw herself at her younger brother but was held back by her sisters. The princess calmed down once the younger prince explained he had used a trick and the prisoners still lived. With her older brother's help, the princess released the two prisoners."

"After a series of events, the princess ended up in the land against which her kingdom was warring. Here, the princess learned something of the past she had forgotten. The family she had been raised by were not her blood. She had been kidnapped as a very young girl by the man she called her father. The kind queen of the land, her mother, welcomed the princess home. But the princess was conflicted. Then a terrible incident caused the queen to die. The princess held the queen as she breathed her last. Then the princess was arrived at a place she had to choose. Would she stay with the family who raised her or would she come home to her blood family? She thought of all the cruelty that had occurred and made her resolve. She would return to her blood family. The crown prince who she had called brother all her life named her a traitor. A great battle was fought at the place the princess had made her decision."

"A few days after the great battle, the princess went to a fort to help. But troops from her old kingdom marched towards the fort. The princess went out with several of her allies to meet the enemies. The enemy leader called out to the princess. The man claimed to know the princess but the princess did not know the man. The man resigned himself to the fact that he would have to fight the princess. The princess and her allies were victorious. The enemy leader was left alive at the princess's request. The princess approached the enemy leader. The princess asked about why the man had hesitated in fighting. The man looked the princess in the eyes and simply said that there were some things more important than following orders. The princess asked the man to be more clear or she would strike him down. The man told the princess that he had an oath that he valued more than his life."

"The enemy leader then drooped his head, saddened by the fact the princess did not remember. The man recounted a story of taking the princess outside the walls of her fortress home, despite it being forbidden. As the man told his story, fragments of the princess's past surfaced. The princess repeated the man's name as she searched the fragments. Then her memories clicked and she remembered the boy she had played with when she was young, the boy who had taken her outside the binding walls of the fortress. The princess asked the man to join her side and to help her end the war. The man accepted after a moment and the princess cut his bindings. After some time, the princess and the noble boy who grown into a noble man were married, though the war still raged. They were blessed by the heavens with two wonderful children."

Kana climbs into my lap and Sophie sidles up next to Silas. "That was a great story, Mama." Kana tells me. I smile. "But what were the names of the princess and the noble boy?" Sophie asks. I glance at Silas, who has a smile on his face. "The princess was named (name) and the noble boy's name was Silas." I say. Kana's and Sophie's eyes widen. "You two were the noble boy and the princess?!" They exclaim. I nod. "That was our story." I tell my two children. "You two are amazing." Sophie says, her eyes full of a new wonder. "And you two are amazing also." Silas tells our children. Smiles spread on their faces. "I'm so blessed." I say quietly. "Me, too, my lovely (name)." Silas whispers.

The four of us settle into lying positions, Sophie and Kana nestled between Silas and me. The two quickly fall asleep. "I guessed you remembered more now." Silas says. I nod. "I'm glad our children know our story now." Silas tells me. "Of all the stories I know, that was the only one I wanted to tell them." I say. "The only one that is our story." Silas leans over our children and gives me a deep kiss. I pull back to breathe. "I guess our next night in will have to be just the two of us." I say. Silas smiles, his pale green eyes twinkling. "I like that idea, (name)."