"AHHH!" Callum jumped as he heard his mother scream again.
It had been almost a years since his mom married the king and they moved into the castle and for the last few months his mom's tummy had started growing bigger and bigger.
Everyone told him she had a baby in her belly.
And Callum was gonna be the baby's big brother.
That sounded weird.
He didn't even know how he was supposed to be a big brother.
He'd seen how Soren and Claudia acted, sometimes playing nice and happy but also often fighting and yelling.
He wasn't sure if he wanted him and the baby to be like that.
Another scream ran through the air again and he winced, upset he couldn't help his mother.
Instead he had been put into another room with a few servants and guards who didn't talk do him.
He didn't like being there, all alone.
Suddenly his mother's screams stopped and were replaced with a new voice crying out.
The door opened, revealing Opeli with a smile on her face.
"Callum, it's done. You want to see your family?" she asked and Callum nodded and got up, following her down the hall.
"In here. Go on." the woman opened another door and gently ushered him inside before closing the door behind him.
Callum looked back at the door for a moment before looking ahead.
He found his mother laying in a large bed, propped up by a bunch of pillows and holding a small bundle wrapped in a dark red blanket in her arms.
She looked exhausted and hair strands of sweaty hair clingling to her forhead but she was smiling down at the bundle.
Harrow was kneeling next to her, arm around his wife's shoulders.
"Callum!" Sarai perked up to beam at her son.
"Hey, honey. Come here and say 'hi' to your new little brother." she shifted to free one hand and wave him over.
"Little... brother...?" Callum repeated, stunned.
"That's right. Your mother gave bith to a healthy boy." Harrow nodded gently.
After hesitating for a few seconds, Callum slowly creeped closer.
"Here, let me help you." Harrow carefully liften him up on the bed to he could sit next to his mother.
"There you are~" Sarai cooked, booping him on the nose and earning a short giggle.
The bundle in her arms suddenly made a noise, making Callum gasp in surprise.
Sarai and Harrow however just shared a fond look.
"Look, Callum. This is your little brother." she shifted the bundle and Callum came face to face with a small baby.
The baby's skin was darker that Callum's own or his mom's and more like Harrow's and his eyes were closed.
"His name is Ezran." Harrow told him.
"Ezran?" Callum mumbled as he reached for the baby's face, jerking his hand back when the baby suddenly jawned.
He could faintly hear his mom and step-dad chuckle but he didn't pay any mind to it and tried again.
Slowly, carefully he reached forward again, searching for any kind of movement until he softly poked the baby's cheek.
Ezran made a soft noise and scrunched his little face before relaxing again.
Seeing as nothing bad happened, Callum poked Ezran again but this time didn't pull his finger away, instead kept his finger where it was.
His little brother's skin felt really soft.
Then to his amazement, Ezran didn't try to pull away but instead he actually leaned into the touch.
Callum gasped again and looked up at his mother.
She just smiled back and nodded.
Ezran made another noise, drawing Callum's attention.
He looked back and was met with a pair of blue eyes. Blue like the clearest sky.
"O-Oh..." he went, lost for words.
"It looks like he wanted to see his big brother for himself." Harrow said.
"H-Hi, Ezran." Callum awkwardly waved at the little boy who just stayed back, mouth slightly open as if trying to figure out who or what Callum was.
The blanket he was wrapped in moved a little and then a small hand emerged and grabbed onto Callum's finger.
The boy nearly cried out, almost having forgotten he was still touching the baby's face.
Then, as he felt tiny fingers tighten on his own one, all of Callum's worries disappeared when Ezran smiled at him.
A big, happy, adorable, toothless smile that could light up the whole world.
Callum felt happy. He felt more than just happy.
Looking into those big, bright blue eyes, seeing that toothless smile, having his little brother, Callum was the happiest he ever felt.
"Do you like your new brother, Callum?" Harrow asked, breaking him from his trance.
"Like him?" Callum repeated, glancing back with a frown before shaking his head, shocking him and his mother.
"Y-You don't like Ezran, Callum?" Sarai asked worriedly.
"No, I don't like him." Callum confirmed as he looked at her before grinning, "Because I love him!"
Both adults sighed in relief at that.
"Don't scare me like that!" Sarai huffed as she ruffled his hair.
"It's a good thing however. Ezran will need a strong big brother who will be there for him." Harrow said, putting a hand on Callum's shoulder.
"I will always be there for him!" Callum announced determindedly before leaning over and as carefully as he could pressed a kiss to his brother's forehead, "And I will always love him!"
"And I'm sure Ezran will grow up always loving you." Sarai whispered, hugging both her boys close.