Drake arrived in Aldebaren at 8am, after rushing here as fast as possible. He was never sure how he knew that something catastrophic had happened, but when he had felt it yesterday evening, he grabbed his wife and ran as fast as her legs would carry her.
When they arrived, Melianta stopped and said "Okay Drake, that is it. We have been running for over a day, and now I am tired" she said as she sat down onto the bridge of the city. She then saw her youngest daughter being dragged, by a white haired alchemist. For just an instant, she thought it was Saphia, but then she saw the mini glasses, that her little Tatiana uses and realised that her daughter had gotten a great deal taller.
"Drake, there's Tatiana, I'm going to get my daughter." Melianta said and she got up and followed them to the Alchemist guild.
"Fine, if she is here, Saphia has to be around here somewhere." Drake said and went looking for his daughter.
Melianta now was just approaching the Guild and saw Mama Adagio. She smiled, as she was a classmate of her's when she was there and was happy to see her as the head of the Guild now. Quietly, she snuck up on her youngest daughter and then wrapped her arms around her and whispered "Hello"
"MAMMA!" Tati shrieked and turned around and hugged her mother and began sobbing.
"Darling, what is wrong?" Melianta said concerned as she looked at Isa, who was carrying Aila
"Mother of the Coven, I think I had better explain things." Aila said as she flashed everything that had been happening, with the exception of her daughter's late night activities. When Meli saw the fate of her daughter, she collapsed onto the ground sobbing with her youngest. This was how Drake found them together, with Isa's hand on Tati's back.
"Father of the Coven, I welcome you." Aila spoke and she flashed him the images as well. When he saw his daughter's fate, complete rage overcame him and with a tightened face he only said "I will find her now" and left the three of them.
Mama Adagio, then came back with five dresses, and then saw the two women, sobbing. "What has happened?" she asked
"Yesterday we discovered that Saphia had been murdered and her parents are just finding out Mama..." Isa said with tears in his eyes.
"My poor babies.." Adagio said. "Isagani, here is her dresses. We don't have a lot of DD sizes, but I had some spare ones from Mel's time. If she doesn't mind them being 30 years old." She said as she looked at Melianta.
"Thank you Adagio" Mel said as she got up and wiped the tears from her daughters face. She then sensed that Isa was important as well, and so wiped the tears from his eyes.
He looked at Tatiana's mother and finally allowed himself to grieve as well. She encircled him within her arms and cried as well.
"I'll leave the 3 of you alone." Adagio said as she left her office.
OoO
When Drake left the Alchemist guild, he was full of rage. With a flick of his wrist, all the rogues within Aldebaren appeared before him.
"Find the body of my daughter NOW!" Drake screamed
"Yes sir." The rogues said cowering. None of them had ever seen Drake this upset. Not even after Axia had disappeared.
Drake walked to the hotel, where Aila had shown him where his daughters were. The concierge then started his standard greeting of "Welcome to the Aldebaren hotel, where fantasies..." but then he saw Drake and the rage in his eyes and said "Rooms 12-16, that way" and he pointed up the stairs. Drake wordless ran up the stairs and headed to the last room, which was Axia's and Aldo's room and slammed the door in.
"Where is my daughter." Drake said
"Hello Drake, it is nice to see you. Is Melianta here as well?" Aldo said as he could sense that not only did he know, but also he was ready to kill anything in sight.
"WHERE IS MY DAUGHTER." Drake shouted at him.
"On the bed, but if you disturb her I will kill you myself. She is carrying my children and I will not allow you to make her upset, is that clear Drake" Aldo said in a very controlled voice.
That softened him a bit and he said "Children?"
"Yes Drake, Axia and I are having twins, a daughter and a son. Last night we were attacked, and Axia defended us as well as she could, but we lost something very precious.." Aldo ended at that, as he didn't want to even think about the loss of Bizi's son. "Axia is still very vulnerable and she needs rest, or she will miscarry as well." Aldo finished.
"As well...tell me, who is sleeping with Mistress?" Drake said to him
"That would be none of your business" Bizi said, with Lachlan in hand.
Behind Drake, Aldo was trying to make motions to make Bizi shut up, but Lachlan was already sending the sparks out and Bizi could not see.
"I don't know who you are old man, but she is my woman, and I will not share her." Bizi said as he sent a volt of lightning towards Drake
"Arrow Vulcan!" Aldo shouted as he diverted the energy bolt out of Drake's path and sent it into the wall.
"Aldo, why did you stop me?" Bizi said
"Because this is her father you idiot!" Aldo said and then started laughing
"OH MY GOD, Drake I'm sorry." Bizi said then extended a hand to Drake
Drake took the extended hand and then punched Bizi into the stomach. "That was for debasing my daughter. Now I want to see Mistress, if she is up and running. And I am sorry about the loss of your child, son." Drake said as he walked out of the room and started towards one of the rooms.
He chose the right one and found Mistress sleeping, still recovering from the miscarriage. He brought a chair over to her and sat beside her, stroking her face, as he used to do this when she was a child. She awoke and then saw him standing over her. "Father, you are here? Is Mother here as well?" Mistress said still groggy from the sleep induced coma that Lachlan put her under
"Yes your mother is here, she is with Tatiana. And we know almost everything. Your items told us." Drake said to her
"Oh Daddy.." Mistress said as she began to cry again and Drake held her as she sobbed.
This was how Bizi found them a few moments later. He walked over to the bed, sat down behind Mistress, and stroked her back as she was still crying over the loss of her son.
"You love her very much don't you son?" Drake said
"I have since she was 10 years old, sir." Bizi said looking into her father's eyes
"Then why did you never visit us?" Drake said
"Because Father, I didn't want to mix my heritage with my studies at the church." Mistress said looking up at her father as he wiped away her tears.
"Yet Axia brought Aldo home quite often." Drake said "He even helped with the delivery of the twins" Drake said silently
"I guessed that, as Aldo had mentioned being there when they were born." Bizi said still stroking Mistress's back
"Are you boys planning on marrying my daughters?" Drake said
"I know Isagani and Aldo most likely will. Isa has already approached me last night. As for myself, I have not asked her yet." Bizi said, knowing he was asking right now
"And the answer is yes Bizi." Mistress said turning to him
"So now the last thing is to find Sirano and make him say yes. I know Callista has been trying for years to make that man marry her." Drake said and left Bizi and Mistress.
Drake felt like he was visiting the sick, but moved to his last daughter's room and entered. Both Callista and Sirano were still asleep, naked beside each other. Oblivious to this, as he on many occasions had seen this, and has already accepted that Sirano was a frequent bed mate and often had found them like this, so when he went over and tapped Sirano on his chest, Sirano was not surprised or flustered by seeing Drake standing over him.
"Hey boss, what's up?" Sirano said as he brought a sheet over Callista.
"I need you to co-ordinate the find for Saphia. She needs her proper burial." Drake said quietly, as to not awaken Callista
"Right away sir" Sirano said as he gently kissed Callista and then rolled out of bed, stark naked
"So when are you going to agree to marrying my daughter? Your younger brother has more honour then you. He at least waited until taking her virginity and has already made arrangements with Bizi." Drake said as he watched him get dressed
"Isa won't hold out for too much longer, he's been in love with your daughter for a long time. But he is a good boy, so no worries. As for Callie. I have always been worried that it would feel like I was sleeping to the top Drake. She is the head of the Rogues, and by marrying her I would be as well. And I didn't want that. That's why I have been avoiding the marriage thing. Besides, she stopped asking a few years ago, when she realized I wouldn't ask her." Sirano finished as he strapped on his daggers and got himself ready.
"Then I am telling you. This is the last time you are sleeping with my daughter, until she has a ring on her finger. You are a bad example. My Tati is now my only little virginal girl left and I will not have this. Now the other boys have snapped to attention and are marrying my girls. You will do the same or you are out. Is that clear?" Drake said
"Yes Sir!" Sirano said saluting him and left the room to help the other rogues look for Saphia.
Callista then turned over, looked at him, and said "You done old man?"
"I got him to say yes didn't I. It's what you have been whining about for 5 years." Drake said as he sat down on the bed and faced away from her so that she could get up and dressed.
"So, you could have said it better." Callista said as she got on her clothes.
"You could have posted sentries to watch things, and so it is your fault as well that Saphia is dead." he said as he held his face in his hand and started crying
"Old man, I swear to you, I will avenge her death. Make no mistake about that." Callista said as she turned and faced him with her orc hero helm on. She wore this when she wanted to make a statement about her power. She and Sirano spent a long time to be worthy of this, and when she was granted it by the Hero, she wore it now with pride, as well as a statement of her status.
"I'm getting too old for this...I will let you and Sirano handle things, okay." Drake said wearily
"Dad, why don't you go talk with Tati and Isa" Callie said
"I will but I think Mel might need a rest soon, we ran all the way from Morroc." Drake said
"You knew didn't you? Just like you knew who I was all those years ago." Callista said looking at him strangely
"Yes, I think I did, and I think that's why I brought Mel with me. I know Mel is not your mother, but she has been a mother to you for 20 years." Drake said
"And that is why you can use my room. Sirano and I will be busy for the next few days while we are waiting for Axia to regain consciousness." Callista said
"I am going to lie down then, when you see Mel, tell her where we are, okay" Drake said as he removed his boots and crawled into the bed
"I will old man" she said and with that she disappeared
OoO
As Callie was stalking past the alchemist guild she saw the three of them sitting down. She then revealed herself to them. "Mel, you can stay and get some rest in my room. Me and Sirano will be busy over the next few days." she said. She then turned to Isa and looked at him. "Touch her and die." and with that she hid again
"Oh my." Isa said
"Don't worry about Callista. She may act tough...okay she is tough, but you are family. So do not pay any attention to her. Now I think I will take Callista up on that offer as your father kept me going most of the night to get here. Isa, welcome to our family." Mel said as she leaned over to his forehead and gave him a kiss on it. She then kissed her daughters cheek and headed towards the hotel
"I see where Mistress gets her personality." Isa said touching the spot where Melianta kissed him
"Wait till you see where Axi got her's" Tati giggled She then got a good look at her mother and added "And me and Saphia got Mom's looks" she added
Isa then realized that even though Mel's hair was now white, it was a soft white, meaning she had the same colour as Tati, and he remembered that Melianta was even taller then Drake, hence why Tatiana was 6'3
"So how long have your parents been married?" he asked. He didn't even remember his parents as it was Sirano who raised him
"30 years. Mom was 7 months pregnant with Axia and Mistress." Tati said as she started towards the hotel as well
"7 months!" Isa said as he ran to catch up with Tatiana
OoO End of Chapter 10 OoO