Cer'iq stood in the middle of the village square, completely transfixed by the fluffy white flakes that fell through the air. Suddenly jumping up into the air, he caught one in his hand. Due to the fact that his hands were just as cold, if not colder, the flake did not melt, allowing it to retain it's beautiful shape. After a few moments of silently admiring it, he closed his hand around it and started running back towards his house.
Once there, he pushed open the door and rushed inside, failing to remove his snowy boots before taking off in search of his parents. Luckily, it didn't take him long, as he soon found his father in the living room, reading a book by the fireplace.
"Papa, look! I caught a snowflake!" Cer'iq exclaimed happily. He opened his hands to show him the snowflake, but was disappointed to see that it had partially melted from the warmth of being inside. "Well, It was a snowflake..."
Looking up from his book, Galahad chuckled and patted his son on the head as he began to pout. "Snowflakes are meant to be kept outside for a reason, my boy."
The family of three had just made the move from Sedona to the village of Thornkeep in the northern isle. Cer'iq was a bit hesitant to move at first. He had rather liked living in Sedona, but after an incident involving Te'ijal occurred, they had been forced to leave and find a new place to live, a place where they wouldn't have to worry about hiding so much. It had taken them a long time to find such a place, having very few options, but then they remembered the place where Cer'iq had been created; Thornkeep.
So far it seemed to be the perfect place for them. The village usually didn't receive much sunlight, and that was good. There were very few other villagers, only the elderly innkeeper and his wife, the herbalist, who was delighted to finally meet their son. Few travelers dared to venture so far north, but every now and then a merchant from Sedona came to the village, and they were able to stock up on the supplies they needed when he did. They were all satisfied with their new home for the most part. Galahad in particular liked that they were able to stay in the Overworld, and live a somewhat normal life.
"Cer'iq Ravenfoot Teomes! Why is there snow all over the floor!?" Te'ijal yelled from the other room.
Cer'iq gulped as he glanced at the floor. Sure enough, he had left a trail of snow. Knowing that it wouldn't take long for his mother to find him, he quickly hid behind the couch, hoping that by doing so, he might be able to hide from her. Unfortunately for him, it didn't seem to work. A moment later, Te'ijal came storming into the room, heading straight towards the couch. Leaning over, she reached down and grabbed him by the collar of his tunic, hoisting him up so that he was dangling in midair.
"You should know by now that it does you no good to hide from me," Te'ijal stated, her blood-red eyes glaring into his. "I can hear every step you make, no matter what room you are in. Now, go take off your boots and clean up the mess you made."
With a sigh, Cer'iq nodded his head, "All right, mommy."
Hoisting him back over the couch, she set him back down on his feet, watching as he quickly scampered off. "Well, at least he listens to us. Most human children I've seen do not listen to their parents."
Galahad was surprised by how obedient Cer'iq was as well. He would occasionally protest when it came to chores, especially when it came to chores, but most of the time he listened and obeyed his parents. There had been a rough patch in his life, about a year ago. It turns out there was a reason people called the terrible twos. His thirst had gotten a bit out of hand, and he didn't know how to control it. They had been forced to keep him under their constant supervision because he would try to bite any and all guests they had. Thankfully, it didn't last too long, and he was not able to control himself.
Cer'iq was only three years old, but you would honestly never guess it. He had recently hit a growth spurt and now looked more like a five-year old. He could talk almost as well as any adult, although he did still occasionally struggle with some more difficult words. A part of Galahad felt uneasy about his son's rapid growth, yet he was also pleased at the same time because it meant he could start teaching his son how to use a sword soon, and train him to defend himself if need be. He was looking forward to that.
Just then, there came a knock at the front door. "There here!" Cer'iq exclaimed happily.
Putting his book down, Galahad got to his feet and went to get the door, Te'ijal following after. Both of them were relieved to see that the floor was no longer covered in snow. "Good job, Cer'iq," Galahad praised his son.
Cer'iq grinned at his father, but soon after averted his eyes towards the door. Today was the day that he would finally get to meet his mother and father's friends, or at least some of them, and he was so excited. As his parents opened the doors and began to greet their friends, he couldn't help but peak around the door frame. There was a brown haired man, dressed in a full suit of armor, a long shiny sword with a shiny diamond attached at the hilt hanging at his side. Beside him was a pretty purple haired woman with darker skin and blue butterfly wings.
The man kind of reminded him of his own father, as he had seen his father dressed in armor plenty of times as well, but the woman ... She was pretty, and had a kind looking face, but she smelled like the mothballs in the attic. He noticed that there was a purple haired little boy in her arms that looked like he might be close to his age. That pleased him. He would finally have someone to play with!
"Aren't you going to introduce us to your handsome little boy?" the woman said once they were all inside the house.
"Of course. This is Cer'iq," Te'ijal introduced. "Cer'iq, these are our friends, Edward and Stella Pendragon, and their son, Michael."
Cer'iq waved and went towards Stella, reaching up to feel her wings. "Are you a Na... Nay ... Nayditian?" he asked. "Mommy says your kind are hard to catch but still tasty."
"Te'ijal, why did you tell him that?!" Galahad exclaimed, turning to face his wife.
Te'ijal laughed, "I was telling him about our trip to Naylith, and he asked what the people were like. I only gave him my honest opinion, crumpet."
Galahad pinched the bridge of his nose. "Unbelievable," he muttered.
They all went into the living room and sat down. Michael and Cer'iq went off to play in Cer'iq's room, leaving their parents to talk and catch up on what all had happened in the last three years since they had seen each other last. As you can imagine, there was a lot to talk about. Edward and Galahad started discussing politics and military tactics, while Stella and Te'ijal talked about things that were considerably less boring. Eventually the men got tired of their own discussion and joined the women.
"So, Te'ijal, how exactly did you turn back into a vampire?" Edward asked. "Did you go back to Ghed'ahre and convince someone to turn you?"
Te'ijal shook her head. "No, Galahad turned me."
Both Edward and Stella looked over at Galahad, their eyes wide with disbelief. How could that be, they wondered. They both knew that if Galahad had bitten her, and drank her blood, he would have become a full vampire, with glowing red eyes and pale skin, but he obviously hadn't. Galahad looked no different from usual.
Galahad rolled his eyes, "It didn't happen the way you think it did."
"It turns out that all I had to do to become a full vampire again was receive a transfusion of fluid," Te'ijal explained.
"She bit me ... again," Galahad clarified, moving his hair out of the way so that they could see the fresh bite marks.
Edward and Stella were speechless for a while, not knowing what to say. However, they recovered from their shock after a while, realizing that they really shouldn't have been all that surprised. Te'ijal and Galahad's relationship had always been a bit crazy. They doubted that would ever change.
"Anyway, did you hear that Mel has finally got a boyfriend?" Stella asked.
"I never thought I would see the day," Te'ijal replied. "Tell me, who is the lucky man?"
"His name is Lars Tenobor VIII, and he's a nobleman from Velderah," Stella explained.
Te'ijal couldn't help but burst out laughing. It was just too funny for her to handle. Mel was dating a descendant of the original Lars Tenobor. Even Galahad found it funny and began to laugh. Neither of them could imagine Mel with someone like Lars. First of all, she hated nobles. Second of all, she hated snobs. Either Mel had lost her mind, or this Lars was the complete opposite of his ancestor. Whatever the case was, they were looking forward to meeting him.