Another drabble done for the prompt "childhood". Neviril is a joy to write as a kid. It's even more fun to have her interact with kid!Aaeru. A touching moment between father and daughter here.
She couldn't remember the woman in the picture that her father kept by his bed. It was the only picture in the house of the woman; her father had ordered that all the others be taken down after that day. He simply couldn't bare to look in those eyes and feel his chest tighten. For the longest time, he had kept that picture frame turned around so that he wouldn't have to look at it either. It was only because she had taken it one day and asked him about it.
"Father, who's this?" asked a young Neviril, barely five years old. She held the picture frame in her small hands.
Halconf knew what she was asking about before he saw the frame in her hands. He knew there would be a day when she would ask. He scooted his chair back from his desk and held out his arms. "Come here, Neviril. Let me tell you about her." He picked up his young daughter and set her on his lap. She was the spitting image of her mother, right down to those eyes. He took the picture so that they both could see it. "Neviril, this is your mother."
"My mother?"
"Yes. She was the one who had you. You look just like her, see? You have her eyes, and her hair. When you were born, it was the happiest day for us. We had always wanted a daughter to raise."
"And you got me."
"We did, Neviril."
"But what happened to mother?"
Sighing, Halconf took his time in formulating a response. He could feel his chest tightening again just picturing the series of events. He wanted to put it in terms she would understand. Perhaps it would make it easier on her that way. He didn't want to scare her, but she did have a right to know. "Right after your second birthday, your mother got very sick. None of the doctors could figure out what was wrong with her."
"Couldn't they make her better? That's what doctors do."
"They tried, Neviril. They tried to make her better, but nothing they did worked. She would still get sicker. Soon she couldn't even get out of bed."
"Why couldn't she?"
"She got tired too easily and it was hard for her to walk very far. You were still so little then, and she wanted to see you all the time. You would often play in bed with her. You'd bring in your teddy bear and some dolls, and you and your mother would play together. She loved the stories you would create for your dolls."
"What happened next?" asked Neviril softly. Halconf suspected that she knew the ending wasn't going to be a happy one.
"Your mother… soon couldn't even play with you anymore. She was too sick to do so. Soon…Tempus Spatium took her home. She became an angel."
"What's an angel, father?"
"An angel is someone who doesn't live with us on Daikuriku. They are someone who lives with Tempus Spatium, and watches over the people they loved."
"So mother is watching us right now? Can we see her?"
"No, Neviril. You can't see her, but I'm sure she's watching you. I'm sure she thinks that you're a wonderful little girl and that she loves you very much, even if she can't be with you."
Neviril laid her head against Halconf's chest and he wrapped his arms around her, setting the picture frame on his desk. He held her close, closing his eyes. He remembered how it was with the three of them together and then the day they had laid her to rest. A tear slipped down his cheek, and Neviril noticed it.
"Don't cry, father," she whispered, patting his cheek. "Mother's watching you. She still loves you."
"I know, Neviril, I know," he whispered, kissing the top of her head.
