Meh. Hello. I know I'm being extremely bad about updating, and I'm very sorry for that. I just got major writer's block on this chapter... I drew a complete blank. I think I have some good ideas now, so here we go.
Lull: Hmph. Maybe if you had spent more time thinking about the chapter instead of playing TLA, you'd have updated by now.
Lull, you're taken straight out of Golden Sun. I'd think you, of all... er, creatures... would understand its addictiveness! ...Anyway...
Incrediblecuznz: Thank you muchly! ^_^ You make me feel special. I felt especially bad getting such an enthusiastic review and taking a long time to update... ^^;
Feonyx: Thank you too! Much of this story will actually focus on Ivan. This chapter will most likely be the last Hammet-centric chapter... but we'll see what happens.
Chapter Two: Secrets
"The monsters had almost caught up to him, when suddenly..." Hammet paused for suspense, staring at his adoptive son with a silly expression on his face.
Four-year-old Ivan giggled, violet eyes sparkling as he stared up at the storyteller. "More, Daddy!" he laughed, clapping his hands gleefully.
Hammet smiled to himself. He had often marveled at the ability of young people to listen to the same story over and over and still find so much enjoyment in it. He paused for a moment before continuing. "...three warriors appeared out of the trees! There was one woman and two men, wearing strange clothing and carrying powerful weapons. The bravest fighter of all was their leader, the one with blond hair and bright purple eyes. The fighters charged forward-"
"Hammet?" A woman's form appeared in the doorway. Her red hair glinted in the light of the candle she held. "Are you two almost done in here?"
"Just a moment, Layana..." Hammet returned to his story, gesturing wildly to act out the parts of the warriors. Ivan's favorite part had always been when the warriors appeared to save the day. Now he watched, transfixed, as Hammet told the story. Finally the wayward traveler was safe in the foreign village, and the tale was over.
Hammet bent down to say goodnight to his son, thinking about the trip to market he would have to make tomorrow. Mentally he recalled the list of the things they needed. Ivan was going through a phase of very picky eating, and it was difficult to find things to suit his tastes.
"Am not," Ivan huffed. Hammet blinked.
"What was that, my boy?" he asked. Surely he had misheard him.
"I'm not a picky eater," Ivan repeated very clearly, fixing his adoptive father with a pouty stare. When Hammet still didn't respond, his expression slowly changed to a small smile. "You're weird, Daddy." He flopped down onto his pillow, pulling the blankets up to his chin. "G'night."
Shaking his head, Hammet straightened. "Good night, Ivan."
In the hall, Layana peered quizzically at her husband. "Hammet? What is it? You seem distracted."
"Oh, me? Well, it's nothing, really..."
Layana shook her head. "He knew what you were thinking... didn't he?" Seeing Hammet's surprised look, she sighed. "It's been happening with me, too. Like yesterday, I was thinking about how cold it was in the house..." she smiled slightly. "He asked me if I wanted him to close the window."
Hammet frowned. "You're sure you didn't just speak out loud?"
"I'm positive." She paused, looking around, then said in a lower voice, "Hammet, let's go outside."
"Layana, he can't hear us out here..."
She only shook her head again, heading for the door. "He hears more than we think he does."
Outside, Hammet paused to inhale the crisp breeze blowing over the rooftops of Vault. With the success of his silk trading, their house had grown to be one of the biggest in town. He frowned to himself. He owed so much to that strange village in the Western Sea, but it was still such a mystery to him...
"Down here." Layana had taken a seat on the steps in front of the house, and was patting the stone beside her. The darkness obscured her expression, but Hammet sensed there was something on her mind.
Sure enough, she sighed deeply as he sat down beside her. "Hammet... have you ever thought about whether we should be keeping Ivan so involved in his past?"
Hammet was silent for a moment. "I'm not sure I understand you, dear."
"It's just... you're always telling him stories... about Contigo, about his parents. You and I both know he possesses strange powers." She frowned. "The way he manipulates the wind is truly astounding. But if we encourage these powers, if we tell him about his past - it could cause problems. Not only for us, but for him as well. People fear what they can't control. If Ivan falls into that category..."
"I see what you mean." Hammet sighed. He didn't want to cause problems for Ivan. It was true that others might shun him if they knew about his strange origins and abilities. "Are you suggesting that we keep his past a secret from him entirely?"
Layana looked down at her knees, her hair casting shadows across her face. "I don't see what else we can do. If we tell him even the smallest parts of his story, he'll want to know the rest when he's older. That could complicate things."
Something clicked in Hammet's head. "And the prophecy I heard in Contigo... it said that Ivan would need to embark on a quest." His brow furrowed as he thought back to the Contigan woman's words. "Three years after the terrible storm that strikes only Mt. Aleph... There's no telling how old Ivan will be by then. Probably plenty mature enough to wonder about where he came from, and who his true parents are."
His wife looked up at him. "So you think his origins would distract him from his quest?"
Hammet sighed and raked fingers through his hair. "That was my thought. Although it won't be easy avoiding the subject altogether. He'll want to know the truth sooner or later."
"I hope this is the right thing to be doing." Layana sighed, leaning into her husband's shoulder. "I feel so guilty hiding things from Ivan. He's a smart boy, and I don't want to deceive him."
"I know what you mean. I feel responsible now too, since Ivan's been... entrusted to me." Hammet felt a pain of something - sorrow? regret? - as he remembered the tear-streaked face of Ivan's mother, her pleading whisper. Not only as a person, but as a father, he wanted to do the right thing for her baby.
There was a pause before Layana turned uncertain eyes to her husband. "What will we tell everyone? About Ivan, I mean. I don't think 'A mind-reading wind-magic lady in the Western Sea gave him to me' is going to work."
Hammet sighed. "We've been through this. I think we should just stick to the story we've been using. We found him, orphaned on the outskirts of town. He was completely alone, and we don't know where he came from." Layana still looked unsure. "You know Angara's been going through hard times, dear." He put an arm around her shoulder reassuringly. "It's a bit of an unlikely story, but definitely not impossible."
Without warning, Layana buried her face in his shoulder. "I feel like an awful mother," she said tearfully. Her voice was muffled by the fabric of his tunic. "There shouldn't be secrets between a child and his parents, adoptive or not."
Hammet stroked her hair soothingly. "Ivan is a special case, Layana. In this situation, I believe we are doing what's right. He will know about his past. Just... not yet." He remembered Ivan's mother. "Do not forget," she had told him. The intensity in her eyes when she said it still had an effect on him. "The prophecy comes first," he sighed.
Suddenly the wind picked up, scattering autumn leaves across the porch and ruffling the couple's clothes. With a howl, the sudden gale intensified, and Hammet had to grip his cap tightly to keep it from blowing away. Layana said something over the wind, but her words were carried off by the gusts as soon as they left her mouth.
Taking his wife's hand, Hammet fought the wind for access to the front door. Finally they made it inside, the fierce gusts slamming the door shut behind them. Hammet could still hear the howling through the door, but at least he could hear Layana, too.
"Where did that come from?" Hammet reached up to straighten his cap. "It was so calm a moment ago."
"Nightmares." Layana was staring off down the hallway. Seeing her husband's quizzical look, she took his wrist and led him back to Ivan's room. "Look at him."
Hammet looked. Sure enough, Ivan was thrashing around in his bed, sheets tangled. The top blanket had already been thrown off. He mumbled incoherent phrases as he tossed and turned beneath the covers.
Going to his side, Layana stroked his hair and made soothing noises. Ivan slowly calmed down, his feverish whimpering fading. With a jolt, Hammet noticed that the sudden tempest outside was also subsiding, the wind's howls quieting to a calmer level. When Ivan was again sleeping peacefully, the fierce gusts were completely gone, the outside left as if nothing had happened.
"Ivan doesn't just manipulate the wind," he murmured as Layana returned. "It's like it's a part of him."
She shook her head tiredly. "Let's go to bed, Hammet."
The next day at bedtime, Ivan asked for his usual story, about the traveling merchant and the warriors who fought with wind. Hammet sighed as he looked into Ivan's eager, innocent eyes.
"Let's tell a different story tonight, Ivan," he said softly.
T_T I have no excuses for taking this long, I know. I'm still not sure I'm entirely satisfied with this chapter. If it seems too much like filler, I'm very sorry! ^^ I just needed to establish this plot point before I could elaborate on my other story elements, so... yeah.
Please review. You all get free cookies for waiting so long for this chappy! ^_^