Hello! Sorry to make you guys wait! But I just some news-
I overestimated myself and what was supposed to be the entire chapter 9 became split into two chapters (now we have chapter 10 which I would be uploading alongside this)
I would like to say that I was inspired by a certain comment (I'm looking at you, Jovee) and also, a certain fanfic (shoot for the moon) by aetherae-you can find at A03, and as a result, this is what I have to give to you all!
Again, thank you for waiting patiently!
And also, shoutout! This chapter is dedicated for the one and only MVP-Jovee! Thank you for your wonderful comments!
As for the background of the title? The answer is within the chapter!
Good luck!
A few days have gone since the arrival of their baby daughter—Eve.
Aside from the members of Brave Vesperia, Hanks and the rest of the community in the Lower Quarter were given the opportunity to warmly welcome the newborn. To their surprise, they were greeted with a pair of bright green eyes, and though it was a bit too early to speculate, Marie could've sworn that the tiny hair strands on the newborn possessed a dark color.
Immediately, the people who laid eyes on her fell in love and were eager to see her grow in the next upcoming years. As for Hanks, he couldn't seem to get enough of his grandchild and insisted that wherever she goes, he would follow along. After much consideration, Yuri and Estelle agreed that the old man should be the one in charge of taking the role as Eve's nanny while the pair and their friends prepared for the wedding.
And so, Hanks tagged along with their group, entering through the Palace Gates to witness the shocked expressions of the young Emperor and Commandant who anticipated for their arrival.
For the bearded man, it became quite a surprise when he watched the two advanced toward him, only to halt abruptly in their steps to gaze intently at the newborn he was cradling in his arms, their eyes widening and mouths partly opening in complete awe.
"She's so beautiful," Ioder commented, smiling. "What's her name?"
"Genevieve," Estelle answered, collecting her hands together in a firm grip. "Or Eve, for short," As she added those words, she giggled as she snuck a glance over to her fiancé who looked back at her with the same mischievous grin. "Courtesy of Yuri over here,"
"…I-I'm an Uncle," Flynn managed to say, his cheeks turning red. "She's my niece…"
"That's right," Yuri began, taking a step forward as he widened his impish smirk, "Which means I'm expecting you to treat her with the utmost care, okay, Sir Commandant?"
The knight glanced over to his childhood friend and nodded firmly. "On my honor as a knight," He declared, sweeping his right hand above his head to form a salute before bowing his head.
"By the way, Estellise," Ioder joined in, gaining their attention. "Which location did you give birth to the little one? If it's beyond Zaphias, I'm sure I could make some proper arrangements,"
Eyes blinking and heads turning, the entire guild laughed.
Hanks, Ioder, and Flynn exchanged looks of confusion to one another.
"What's the matter?" Hanks spoke up, tightening his grip on the newborn. And then he shot an odd look at his foster son. "Come on, just say it!"
"Actually…" Karol trailed off, scratching the back of his head as he sheepishly grinned. "Estelle sort of…gave birth on the Fiertia…"
Ioder quirked an eyebrow, tilting his head to the side. "Oh?"
"You mean the boat?" Flynn wondered, which earned him a few nods from some of the others. "So, what about it?"
Smiling pleasantly, Judith proceeded to give him a hint, "Don't tell me that you've already forgotten?"
The knight pondered, not clearly understanding the meaning behind her head. As he mulled over his thoughts, slowly, it dawned to him. "Oh my god…" Quickly, he raised his arm to point a finger toward the smirking dark-haired man who gave him a wink. "Yuri, please don't tell me that you— "
Yuri caught on to this and laughed. "That's right, Flynn!" He cried loudly for some of the pedestrians idly walking by and even the guards on duty to stop and stare at the commotion. Snaking his arm around his fiancée's waist, he proceeded to exclaim at the top of his lungs, "We gave birth to a sky baby!"
"I cannot believe you!" Flynn exclaimed, shooting the latter a deadly glare. "Yuri, I told you that the Fiertia—hell, Ba'ul, is NOT a certified place to give birth to a baby! How could you? Don't you realize that you just broke another violation?"
Before Yuri could protest, he took notice of the White Knight sword that his childhood friend was unsheathing from his belt and took a step backward. "Come on, man!" He cried, laughing away, "Give me a pass, will ya?"
Flynn gritted his teeth and roared, "Absolutely not!"
Retreating a few steps back, Hanks silently advised the others to do the same. Nodding, Ioder and the rest of the members of Brave Vesperia did as they were told. Before they could even blink, their ears picked up the sound of scampering footsteps and Flynn yelling for the swordsman to come back at once.
Once the two men disappeared from their sight, a few minutes of awkward silence passed until—
"WAIT!" Rita suddenly cried, startling those around her. "WHERE THE HELL IS ESTELLE?"
On cue, Yuri returned though was quick on his feet as he redirected his pace to the opposite direction. And there, nestled in his arms, was none other than the slightly frightened pink-haired woman who was clutching onto his tunic for dear life. Seconds later, they heard another series of shouting and profanities coming from the knight who, too reappeared and was swiftly on their trails.
Growing frustrated, Rita ran forward. "HEY, YOU DIMWITS! COME BACK HERE!" She exclaimed, running after them.
Shaking her head, the Judith excused herself to chase after the fuming mage and following after her, was none other than Raven, who automatically seized the opportunity to provide her some form of backup.
Suspicious about the archer's motives, Karol and Patty fled next, with the blue dog barking animatedly and outrunning them.
…Leaving poor Hanks and Ioder to stand in the sidelines, watching with interest at the display of the nine individuals who were currently partaking on the shenanigans in front of them. The sound of laughter, erratic screaming, teeming magic, scattered footsteps, and whistling erupted in all directions—raising the bar of complete madness and chaos.
"Are they really the same people who saved us from the Adephagos?" Ioder wondered, loud enough for the other male standing next to him to hear.
When Hanks heard this, he couldn't help but shake his head. "Even I wonder the same thing," He admitted, chuckling a little. He then lowered his gaze at the newborn snuggled in his arms. Despite the noises in the background, little Eve remained fast-asleep.
And just like that, his worries were dissipated in the blink of an eye. Ignoring the chaos before him, all that mattered to him was the small bundle of joy and how grateful he was to still be alive to witness such a miracle.
"With parents and family like them," He whispered fondly in the baby's right ear, "There would never be a dull moment for you," And proceeded to peck her lightly on the cheeks, causing the baby to toss a little, her tiny hands occasionally twitching as if to reach out for something. Smiling, Hanks inserted his finger through her hands, hoping to tickle her. To his surprise, little Eve eagerly accepted it and let out a burst of lighthearted laughter.
A warm sensation filled his chest as the baby continued to laugh joyfully.
While Hanks continued to interact with his grandchild, he failed to realize the young Emperor watching them with a soft smile on his lips. Angling his body the other way, he veered his attention toward the spectacle about a few meters from where he stood.
In the midst of the chaos—of Yuri and Flynn clashing their swords, Estelle and Patty insisting that they should stop, Judith and Karol trying to calm down a still aggravated Rita with Raven and Repede resorting to sitting down on the patches of grass—there were laughter and merriment all around.
Sensing the closeness of the band of friends, Ioder nodded in approval.
"What a happy family, indeed,"
Later that afternoon, the young Emperor offered a resolution to their growing predicament.
"By the power invested in me," He proclaimed, holding a decorative sword above his head before slowly swinging it down though made sure not to touch the tip of his little niece's exposed head, "I, Ioder Argylos Heurassein—hereby give Genevieve Lowell the nominal title as the first child to be born as one with Terca Lumireis and its heavenly skies,"
Three months in and out of nowhere, Repede arrived with three pups—two boys and a girl.
Similar to Yuri and Estelle's relationship, Repede had a secret lover of his own but was unfortunately left to be the one to take full custody of them as it was eventually revealed by Hanks that the female dog died from an unexpected monster attack after stumbling upon her dead corpse near the entrance of the Capital.
Becoming reminded of Lillian and her sacrifices, Hanks insisted that Brave Vesperia should be the ones to help raise and provide care for the little puppies. While doing so, took the time to consult with the widowed dog who was down in the dumps for a while.
"I know how much it hurts right now," The bearded man comforted the dog who sprawled himself across the floor, looking exhausted. "But you'll get through this, I'm sure of it."
Repede huffed, turning his head to the side to keenly observe the light drizzling rain in the open yard.
Hanks bitterly smiled. "She must be really good to you, huh?"
Though the dog said nothing, he could tell from how tightly he was clenching the end of his pipe with his teeth that this seemed to be the case.
"I see…" He trailed off and once more, patted the latter in an affectionate manner.
All of a sudden, the dog sprang to his feet.
Worried, Hanks asked if something was amiss. Much to his dismay, Repede ignored this and rushed back inside the house, wandering aimlessly to find the source of the crying.
Sighing, the bearded man got up on his feet and headed inside. As soon as he stepped into the living room, his eyes widened as he watched the dog climb up on a nearby couch and leaned closer, dipping his wet nose in the crib and waiting for a reaction.
A tiny hand reached out, tugged on the dog's nostrils and laughed joyfully.
Hanks silently approached them, his lips slightly curving upwards as he happened to catch the dog's eyes softening prior to his interaction with the baby.
"My darling Eve," He began, looming over the crib and chuckling as the baby recognized him, her big green eyes twinkling and tiny hands reaching out for him. "You have quite the gift,"
It took about another week for Repede to eventually get back to normal. With Hanks's support and Little Eve's presence, his spirit was rekindled and proceeded to take on the job as a single father for his three pups.
That same week, Yuri and the others (excluding Karol who was terrible at giving out names), they eventually settled giving the young pups with the following names—
Lambert (named after Repede's deceased father) notable for its strikingly similar coat of fur and appearance as his biological father.
Zephyrus (Zephyr for short) and despite bearing the same look like the latter, it was the happy-go-lucky demeanor that distinguished him from his brother and father.
And lastly, Lamia (named after Repede's deceased mother), who could be easily set apart by her shorter tail and how she picked up Repede's habit of holding an object—in her case, random flowers that she liked were her go-to.
There were times when Repede was stationed at Dahngrest, leaving the poor pups on their own in the house at Halure. But through negotiation, the members of Brave Vesperia arranged a schedule that benefitted them all—the boys and girls would take turns taking the guild jobs while the other would remain in Halure and tend to not only the pups but also with Little Eve.
For the first shift, it was Yuri, Karol, Raven, and Repede who did the workload while Judith, Rita, and Patty stayed with Estelle and Hanks to nurse the puppies in good health (with the assistance of Hanks and often at times, Yuri during one of his spare times).
While doing that, Ioder would stay there for a good long while, helping with the arrangements for the wedding and getting to know the guild members and his baby niece. Flynn, on the other hand, stayed put in the Palace with his second command, Sodia and the young mage, Witcher ever present to aid him.
Above all else, the litter was well and healthy, becoming new additions to their ever-growing family.
While initiating the plans, Yuri suddenly suggested the idea to invite the Council members.
At first, Ioder and Flynn were against this but after a few minutes of trying to persuade them (which happened to be Estelle, of all people), they eventually got on board.
Prior to inviting the Council, this also meant that they were going to have to whip out their wildcard—the guilds.
"Let's have President Kaufman and her guild seated here," Estelle suggested, pointing a finger at the two middle rows on the blueprint layout. "And then we'll have Sir Wilkins and Sir Quentin right there," And again, pointed to another row ahead of the ones she previously chose.
Flynn raised an eyebrow. "Don't you think that's a little too close from where Fortune's Market is stationed?"
Estellise shook her head. "I don't think she minds," She assured him with a sweet smile, "Besides, the more guild members present, the more we'll be able to anger the Council, right?"
Flynn widened his eyes, surprised to hear those words coming out of the princess. He quickly motioned his head to the young emperor who didn't seem to voice out his concerns regarding this. Getting worried, he turned to face the last person for help.
"Hey, Yuri," He called out to his barely-conscious friend, who leaned back against the open window with Little Eve in his arms.
Stirring from his sleep, the dark-haired man yawned and blinked a few times. "What's up, Flynn?"
"Lady Estellise sounds a little cunning than usual," He explained before shooting him a glare. "What the hell have you been teaching her these past few years?"
Hearing this, Yuri smirked. "Well, let me ask you this, Flynn…" He began, sitting upright. Carefully propping the newborn and with one hand, held her close to his chest, he responded back with, "If one of those stuck-up assholes refused to let you be with the one you love the most, what would you do? Defy the laws or something?"
Thinking it over, the knight sighed. "No, I won't break the rules but…" He trailed off, shaking his head as he furrowed his eyebrows.
"You'd want to sucker punch the hell out of them, right?" Yuri finished his sentence, which earned him a baffled look.
Flynn opened his mouth to protest, only to catch himself from doing so and turned the other way. Now that he thought real hard about it, the current position that Yuri and Estelle were in must be quite difficult for them. Not that he was speaking out of experience but the reality of it. He fixed his gaze on the newborn and smiled weakly.
"If it involves someone like her," Flynn points out, jerking his chin to the sleeping baby, "Then yeah, I'll gladly punch the life out of them."
"Exactly," Yuri agreed, nodding along. "And after rejecting our offer to wed the first time, we thought it'd be best to pay them back. That way, we'll both be even,"
Unfazed by his words, the knight rolled his eyes. Still, he couldn't help but produce a grin on his lips. "All right then," He said finally, sighing deeply, "But just this once…"
Hearing this, Yuri nodded. "We'll be sure to make it worth your while,"
And for the next few hours, they returned to join Estelle and Ioder to contribute more to the planning. It took months for everything to be arranged—secretly letting in some of their friends to each play a certain part in the ceremony.
Along the way, they were faced with some problems though were quickly resolved.
With no priest to officiate them, it was Leblanc who came to the rescue and self-volunteered himself to take the position.
Adecor and Boccos were granted with the job of being escorts to the Lower Quarter folks, leading them to the castle gardens where the wedding ceremony would be located.
Karol and Raven helped with the deliverance of the invitations, mostly among the guilds. For Judith, Rita, and Patty, they set off with Ba'ul to personally invite the friends that they've made along their journey.
Ioder took care of the catering business while Flynn instructed his brigade as well as the rest of the entire Imperial Knights on security and defense in case a potential brawl were to happen.
Which left Yuri and Estelle at the hands of the royal tailors with Hanks and Repede keeping watch over Little Eve and the wandering pups.
It took about an hour and a half for Estelle to choose her wedding dress—a bountiful dress with layers of creamy white that perfectly showed her curves, pink flowers situated on the front to match her short hair along with a veil that she acquired from her journey, and a heart-shaped necklace at the center of her exposed cleavage.
"…What do you think?" She spoke up, coming out of the dressing room and twirled around, all the while blushing furiously.
Hanks looked up, smiled, and then nodded in approval. "It suits you, my dear," He expressed before lowering his head to face the baby resting on top of his lap. "What do you think, Little Eve? Does your mother look pretty in her dress?"
Estelle giggled as she watched her daughter animatedly wave her arms, bouncing up and down in delight. "I take that as a yes," She agreed, approaching them. Sitting herself down next to the bearded man, she was tackled by one of the puppies. "Come here, Lambert," She cooed, carefully taking the little pup from the ground and letting him get close to her daughter. "Say hello to Eve,"
Both reached out for each other, with Lambert being the first to lick the latter across the face.
Eve's expression contorted, shaping her tiny hands into fists.
"Oh no, she's gonna cry," Hanks cried, quickly excusing himself out the door. "I'll see you later, dear,"
Estelle nodded and raised her gloved hand to wave at her daughter as she and her father-in-law left the dressing room.
Once they were outside, Eve bawled.
"Shh, Shh…" Hanks whispered in her ear, cradling her and pecking her on the temple. "You're alright, Eve…you're alright…"
From the corner of his eye, he noticed his foster son wandering around the hallways. He whistled him to come over, which the latter hurriedly responded. He smiled at the sight of the dark-haired man donning a white suit, though it was quick to disappear when he realized that his green necktie was loose and was hanging on the side of his shoulder, how his long mane was somewhat tousled, and the inner vest he had inside was completely unbuttoned.
"What in the world happened to you, boy?" Hanks stressed, though made sure not to raise his voice as the newborn continued to cry aloud. "Got into a fight or something?"
Yuri scratched the back of his head as he grumbled, "Something like that…" He averted his eyes to crying daughter and smiled. "Can I take her off your hands?"
Hanks shook his head as he shot him a glare. "Yuri, you didn't choose your suit!"
"So, what?" He argued back, getting annoyed. "You should know that better than anyone else, old man! I'm not good with all this fancy-schmancy stuff,"
Hanks rolled his eyes. "At least put an effort to look decent for your fiancée. She's all set, you know? Looking so glamorous and picturesque, and then there's you, looking like you just came out of a hangover or something,"
Yuri groaned. "Hanks, please…" And reached out to grab hold of his daughter.
Again, the bearded man shook his head. "No, I'm not giving you Eve!" He exclaimed and then proceeded to gesture his chin to the clothes that the latter was wearing. "Not until you fix…whatever it is that yer wearing,"
The swordsman groaned. "Fine…" And then walked off to the direction of where his dressing room was located.
Rolling his eyes, Hanks focused his attention back to Little Eve. He smiled—he was so busy lecturing Yuri that he had failed to realize that the newborn had calmed herself down and was back to her usual, bubbly self. Chuckling, the bearded man held her close and sighed deeply.
"Blest the spirits that you have your mother's personality and not your father's,"
After months of preparations, the day of the wedding finally arrived…and to everyone's amusement, the result was naturally chaotic.
It began in the early afternoon—the date is on November 22nd and with the help of the four great spirits, the weather became fairly nice with clear, blue skies and cherry blossoms floating about from the trees planted in the gardens.
The wedding venue was spectacular—as it was located outside, every person invited were able to get a sense of the grandeur size of the whole area—from the hundreds of chairs lined up in perfect order, to the bustling floral decorations, and twinkling lights in the tiny shapes of stars hanging overhead the large canopy.
Along the purple rug consisted of pink petals, and further down the aisle—there was a floral arch at the end of it were a few chairs in the first row exclusively for those who were close to the bride and the groom.
Everything was in orderly fashion…and then there were the guests.
"This is unacceptable!" One of the council members cried, stomping his foot against the grass. "What kind of trickery is this?"
"They must be baiting us here just to look like fools!" Another ranted, seething their teeth. "And these disgusting barbarians and street rats prancing around here as if they own this place…who in their right mind invited them in an extravagant place such as this?"
"It must be that insolent vigilante," A third one voiced out their concerns, "First tainting the princess with those bloodied hands, then impregnating her with his own spawn…and now, this pig show!"
With the council members and nobles immersed with themselves, some of the guild members gathered together with the folks of the Lower Quarter.
"This is quite a scene…" Kaufman trailed off, folding her arms as she scanned through the perimeter. When she became reminded of a certain pair, all she could do was chuckle to herself. "This is sure to be interesting…"
Once every person settled themselves to their designated seating—in which case, the Councilmen becoming offended by how they were scattered about as they were forced to be seated next to a guild representative and a person coming from the Lower Quarter, only to get yelled back by a short mage who was held back by some of their friends—the ceremony commenced.
Together, Yuri, Flynn, and their friends positioned themselves at the front of the venue.
Turning his head to face the officiate for the wedding, who happened to be Leblanc, Yuri gave him a two-finger salute.
LeBlanc nodded firmly, though brought his hand over to the side of his upper left chest and tapped on it.
Yuri narrowed his eyes. "What?"
Luckily, Flynn was there to help him out. "Dammit, Yuri!" He scolded his foster brother, raising his hands out and reached out to fix the brooch on his suit. "Come on, get yourself together!"
"Hey, cut it out!" Yuri cried back, getting irritated.
While the brothers bickered, Karol and Raven rolled their eyes.
"This is going to be a long ceremony…" Karol muttered lowly under his breath.
Raven nodded along in agreement. "You could say that again…"
On the other side of the venue, the girls were having their own conversation.
"I have a bad feeling about this…" Rita moaned, nursing her temple.
Judith smiled earnestly. "Well, at least we're here to witness everything…" She admitted, causing the two to stare wide-eyed at her. "Four to five years in the making…that's an awfully long time to commit yourself to someone,"
Rita snorted, folding her arms. "If you're so jealous, why don't you go and find someone that suits you?"
The female Kriytan tipped her head to the side, mulling the thought over. "If I had done that, then I wouldn't be where I am now…" She explained, "Being here with you, Patty, and the rest of the guild—my new family…to me, that's all that matters."
Patty gleefully bobbed her head. "Aye!" She exclaimed merrily.
Hearing this, the short mage's cheeks turned crimson. "…Whatever,"
Suddenly, the noises went utterly silence as they watched a few flower girls and boys enter through the aisle dancing around and holding hands. Everyone stopped and stared, some cooing and awing at the sight.
Meanwhile, the Councilmen watched this and cringed in their seats.
Yuri beamed, recognizing the children automatically to be the same ones from the orphanages and Estelle's general audience for storytelling. Once they reached the end, Yuri walked forward and presented them with an open palm to which all five of them proceeded to high-five him one by one—which earned a few laughs here and there.
And then later, Repede came in with a basket of his own. Behind his hind legs were his little puppies—Lambert, Zephyr, and Lamia adorably skipping around and racing to the end of the aisle where the others waited for them.
Next came Hanks, dressed in a handsome suit and holding Little Eve in his arms. Whisperings and cooing ensued in all directions, though it was pretty obvious where the gossiping was coming from. When the bearded man reached the end of the aisle, he gave Yuri a prideful smile and then proceeded to take the newborn's tiny arm to initiate a wave.
Grinning widely, Yuri waved back with their friends, including LeBlanc following his example.
Last but not least, Estelle arrived with Ioder at her side.
Yuri stood there, his mouth partly opened as his eyes zoomed in on his bride who stared back at him with a loving gaze. He didn't realize that he was staring at her for too long until Flynn had to nudge him on the elbow to force him back into reality.
Blinking, Yuri blushed a little as he found his friends, Estelle, and even LeBlanc chuckling at his dumbfounded state. Confused, he turned to his fiancée and asked her what was wrong.
"You're drooling, Yuri…" She pointed out in-between her fit of giggles.
Quickly, the dark-haired man brought an arm over his mouth to wipe it off, though his ears were able to still pick up a few chuckles even from the audience. Clearing his throat, he turned to face LeBlanc and gave him a knowing look.
Right away, the subordinate cleared his throat, nodded firmly and veering down on the book resting on his hands, began to recite the words provided for him.
All the while, Yuri and Estelle stared at each other, hands holding each other, making funny faces to make the other laugh or snort, and overall, just content with how everything seemed alright with the world.
And once they exchanged their vows and rings and were proclaimed as husband and wife to their friends, family, and the people they didn't know, the dark-haired man took this as a notion to step up his game, only to find himself getting pulled forward as his princess tugged on his tie in a playful manner. Going on her tip-toes, Estelle captured his lips and from there, they sealed the deal.
Sparks of electricity spread throughout his body, and feeling bold, Yuri took her into his arms and spun her around, at the same time, deepening their kiss.
A large round of applauds erupted everywhere, with most of them coming from their friends and those in the first few rows as they rejoiced for the newly-wedded pair.
"THIS IS LUDICROUS!"
All eyes and ears turned to the main source who happened to be one of the oldest councilmen standing up from his seat and directing his finger at the pair. "WHAT KIND OF MADNESS IS THIS, YOUR HIGHNESS?" He continued to lash out, "GUILD MEMBERS…PIGS AND RATS FROM THE LOWER QUARTER…FOREIGN INVADERS FROM ANOTHER LAND…WHAT IN THE WORLD HAS GOTTEN INTO YOUR HEAD— "
Before he could go on any further, something hit him from behind. Peeved, the councilman hastily turned around and glared at the people around him.
The details weren't clear as to who originally started it or how the madness happened, but one thing's for certain—that at that point, the ceremony had ended with Yuri, Estelle and the other members of Brave Vesperia safely evacuating the people of the Lower Quarter, Teagle and his family, Karen and Rich, the puppies along with His Highness Ioder before eventually throwing themselves into the chaos that was the Councilmen and the guild representatives going out in an all-out brawl. Even the Imperial Knights that Flynn originally instructed didn't seem to help one bit as they were easily tossed to the side or had accidentally hit someone and got struck by a weapon.
To their surprise, Flynn came over to present the newly-husband and wife their respective equipment to which they happily took.
"Last one there's a rotten egg!" Karol exclaimed, rushing forth with a hammer equipped with both hands.
"Hey! Don't leave me behind!" Patty cried, following after him.
Judith and Rita snuck glances at each other, nodded before advancing forward as well.
"I-uh, have some business to attend to…" Raven trailed off with a sheepish grin. Before he could flee the scene, Flynn caught him by the collar and dragged him along.
"Captain Schwann, we need your assistance!" The young Commandant proclaimed, "Let's do this! On our honor as knights!"
This left Yuri and Estelle on their own, grinning widely at the chaos laid before them.
Taking a few steps, the swordsman turned around to face the princess. With one hand holding the handle of his sword and the other reaching out to take her hand, he offered her an encouraging smile. "Shall we?"
Estelle crinkled her lips to produce a smile. She nodded, reached out to accept his hand and squeezed it tightly. "Let's go," She answered him, quickly pecking him on the cheek before going onward with her rapier at the ready.
A few hours later and the brawl gradually subsided—closing what was to be quite the historic event for years to come.
In the banquet hall, most of the tables were left barren as the majority of the guests—especially those hailing from nobility, some of the lesser-known guilds, and among the Council had departed. As for the others who decided to remain, they made sure to end the night away with a bang.
For the newly-wedded couple, this meant one thing…
"A 200-melee tournament?" Hanks cried aloud, shocked beyond words. "Are you crazy?"
To his surprise, Yuri shook his head. "Natz gave Estelle and I a ticket in advance to reserve our entry for the next tournament in the next coming weeks," He explained, pausing briefly to lift the newborn from his lap and raised her above his head, causing the latter to laugh joyously. As he watched his little daughter peer up and started to reach out for the cluster of stars with her tiny hands, he grinned. "But for now, our top priority is this little brat. Which means, our getaway would have to wait…"
Hearing this, Hanks heaved a sigh. "Oh, that's good…" He expressed, chuckling. As he focused back to his foster son, he couldn't help but produce a prideful smile as he watched him and his newborn daughter interact animatedly with each other—with Yuri rubbing their noses together before placing his mouth on top of her chubby stomach and blowing a raspberry. The bundle of joy laughed harder, wiggling her arms and legs in enjoyment.
"Oh, there you are!"
Father and son stopped what they were doing and turned around only to find the blushing bride standing before them with two servings of strawberry shortcake.
"Sorry to bother you from your privacy," Estelle began, smiling, "But I thought maybe you'd like to have something to eat,"
Hanks bowed his head, reaching out to graciously accept her offering with Yuri repeating the same action.
Before she could leave, she noticed Eve reaching out for her. "I'm afraid she wants to come with me," The princess spoke up, squatting a little to take the newborn into her arms who happily crawled into her arms. Once the little girl made contact with her mother, she nuzzled her cheeks along with her exposed neck.
Estelle sighed, tipping her head and inhaling her daughter's powdery scent.
"You go on ahead, Estelle," Yuri assured his wife, his eyes softening. "I'll join you guys later,"
Estelle nodded, shared a quick kiss with her husband before walking off to return to the banquet hall where the Marie, Ted, the children, Karen, President Kaufman, and the other members of Brave Vesperia surrounded her to get a good look at the newborn.
A moment of silence filled the air between the bearded man and his foster son.
"Strawberry shortcake…" Hanks spoke up, breaking the ice. "I'm guessing you were the one in charge of the dessert section?" He motioned his head to face the latter, only to find him already stuffing his mouth with big pieces of the cake. Catching this, he laughed boisterously.
"After all this time, yer still the same old Yuri," He uttered lowly to himself, taking hold of the fork near the edge of the small plate, began to slice some of the layers before proceeding to take a bite out of it. Munching it over, he hummed, only to abruptly cringe in his seat. "Too sweet…"
Few months after the wedding, Flynn became a father.
In retrospect, it happened during one of his expedition across the Ilycian continent when he came across a couple who had just been attacked by monsters and were close to their brink of death. With nobody else to turn to for help, they insisted that the young Commandant should take care of their baby girl.
Recalling his foster father and the struggles he went through to raise him and Yuri, Flynn gladly accepted the wailing bundle into his arms and assured her parents that she was in good hands. With grateful smiles gracing their features, the mother and father of the unnamed baby girl succumbed to their wounds, eventually embracing death.
And so, on May 23rd—Flynn adopted the baby girl who later came to be known as Sarah Scifo.
"Okay, now you're just trying to copy me…" Yuri grumbled, refusing to meet eye contact with his childhood friend who sat across the table holding a cup of black tea in one hand.
Flynn rolled his eyes. "Why would I do that—copying someone like you of all people?" He exclaimed, growing frustrated. "Look, Yuri, I'm doing this because I want to. I also want to make sure that Sarah has a future that she could pave on her own…" As he delivered those words, another thought occurred to him. "Just like what you're doing now with Genevieve…"
At the mention of his daughter, Yuri finally turned to face the knight. With his arms still crossed over his chest, he took a moment to collect himself and sighed. "Any ideas of what to do moving forward?" He spoke up after a few minutes of silence. "Do you think you can raise her on your own? You do know that raising a child is a handful,"
"I know," Flynn agreed, "Parenting is a two-person job…" As he trailed off, he placed his arms on the surface of the table and groaned. "Maybe I should've thought this through…"
"Does Hanks know?"
"…No, I haven't told him yet," Flynn admitted, feeling a bit embarrassed. "Maybe after I'm done here, I'll drop by the Lower Quarter and tell him."
Yuri nodded intently. "He's got the right to know," He pressed on, crossing his leg over the other as he leaned back against his chair. "Especially since he's the one who just so happens to have done the same thing to the both of us…" His lips produced an impish smirk. "And who knows? Maybe you could finally turn some heads and look at you differently," He continued, "You know, maybe let them be your partner in craziness or something…"
The knight mustered a smile. "Say, how's Genevieve?" He began, changing the topic.
"She's doing well," Yuri began, smiling, "She loves playing with Repede and the pups, and would sleep for a long time. Estelle and I made sure to take turns caring for her or if not, we just do everything together—you know, like a team,"
Flynn chuckled. "Good to hear," And sighed in relief.
Yuri frowned. "What are you looking at me like that?"
"Hmm?"
"That look, right there," Yuri points out, quirking an eyebrow. "What's up with that?"
The knight smiled before chuckling. "Oh, it's just…" He trailed off, choosing his words carefully before speaking once more. "I've never seen you this relaxed before. Usually, you'd be walking around with a grumpy look but now—you're always smiling, despite being worn out from your guild duties,"
Listening to his words, Yuri cracked a grin. "If you have a child, you'll want to do everything you can to give him a future," He muttered, looking elsewhere.
"…Yuri?"
Alarmed, the dark-haired man cleared his throat before shaking his head. "Never mind what I said…" He drawled out, waving his hand dismissively. "Anyway, go talk to Hanks if you can," And then flashed a smile. "Knowing the old man, he'd probably give you a few tips on how to get started and whatnot,"
Time flew passed since then.
And within those few short years, Hanks began to find himself becoming immersed with such news. So far, most of it has been positive.
First, there was Flynn declaring that he had picked up a stray orphan in the middle of nowhere, a baby girl who seemed to be around the same age as Little Eve. Fueled by determination, the knight had sworn that he would take her under her wing and raise her as his own.
With that said, Hanks found himself becoming the grandfather of another healthy child (not that he seems to mind).
More months passed and the bearded man became one of the few witnesses to Little Eve's first steps (as he just so happened to have exited out of the Fiertia, only to catch the little one clumsily walking over to him on two feet with Yuri and Estelle right behind her in case she fell down).
Coincidentally, Sarah showed promising skills through her fast-learning, becoming the first out of the two to start speaking, with her first word being that of, "…Apple," and funnily enough, it just so happened that Witcher was around and seemed to have triggered it.
As soon as Yuri heard of this, he immediately warmed up to his niece and insisted that he should be the one to take her as his student as soon as she was of age—to which Flynn argued back that if his foster brother were to do that, then he should do the same with Eve…and as usual, what resulted next came into clashes of swords—only to be interrupted by a certain princess who showed no mercy to them once she found out that they were disrupting the gardens and scaring the neighbors away due to their intensive sparring.
In the end—they both came to a conclusion…that Estelle should be the one to be Eve and Sarah's swordsman teacher.
Speaking of Estelle, about two years later—she was pregnant again, and much to Hanks and Flynn's dismay, the desired location for the childbirth was once again in the small cabin of the Fiertia, soaring through the skies with Ba'ul. This time, the knight happened to be there as he wanted to have a fast-travel to Aurnion. And when he happened to witness the four spirits embedded within the princess come to life to once more help out with the stabilization of her formula, he realized that all this time, there was nothing to worry about.
And in that cold morning of November, a baby boy by the name of Owain Lowell was born—with little strands of pink hair and mesmerizing ebony eyes apparent to the people who laid their sights on him.
Once more, Ioder was summoned and granted his nephew a similar-sounding title as the one that his two-year-old sister was bestowed with.
Around that same time, Judith gained overwhelming support and popularity among the Kriytan people. With the amounts of Gald that she managed to save up through her services, she created a dojo exclusively for other young Kriytans to take part of in Dahngrest. With the elder proclaiming that the Enxtelexia, Khroma, was close to its deathbed, it was time for her people to part ways with the sky and adapt to the land—beginning with the introduction of combat.
It was there that the female lancer met a five-year-old orphaned Kriytan named Seliph, who happened to have lost his parents during the reign of the Adephagos. She described their first meeting to be intertwined with fate, claiming how she felt like it was her responsibility to take him under her wing.
"There are no words to describe the kind of feeling I was having when I met him," She described to the bearded man who had asked her what prompted her to do such action, "But if my father, who took me in as his own, had done so, then I would follow his footsteps and do the same,"
With that said, baby Owain and Seliph were welcomed with open arms to the Brave Vesperia family.
Another three years passed afterward and as always, more changes came.
First, there was Eve. Now that she was five-years-old, her appearance slowly became prominent—no doubt, she inherited her mother's eye color and eye shape, the roundness of her visage to her petite appearance.
As for her father, she inherited his long, dark hair (though for her, she decided to keep it short like her mother), his impish smirk, and his reckless personality—which triggered poor Hanks to become reminded of a certain foster son of his being such a loathsome brat.
Even so, Eve was quite fortunate as she had the princess as her mother and was made sure to be taught proper mannerisms and etiquette in certain occasions, learning how to be formal and informal depending on the environment and people she'd encounter.
As expected, she became the rightful owner of Lambert, the first pup of Repede and together, they were inseparable.
However, what nobody predicted was Eve's fondness of the Extelexeia and spirits, most notably with Ba'ul. Because of this, she was always seen around her Auntie Judith who was more than happy to teach her about them. And when the time came for her sixth birthday, she was bestowed with a feather from Ba'ul and with the help of her mother, became a trademark accessory necklace for her and her only.
Then, there was Sarah.
Bright, wavy red hair and blue eyes so fair and full of hope, even at the age of six-years-old, she held a promising aptitude and thirst for knowledge. Much to Yuri and the others' dismay, she seemed to have adopted some of Flynn's characteristics such as waking up every morning to jog around, having a poor fashion sense and the most obvious one of all—already dreaming to become an ambitious knight as her father (though this seemed to heighten due to them currently living at Aurnion).
Though unlike the latter, she seemed to be rather good at cooking.
And the kicker? The two girls—Eve and Sarah were birds of a feather and like Yuri and Flynn, were already showing signs of rivalry with one another.
As for Owain who was barely two-years-old, he was a quiet and frightened little boy. For one thing, he was scared of fighting and would even cower whenever Yuri brought him to visit the garrison in Dahngrest. Then again, it must've been the accidental fights in the public streets that they would come across every now and then. It took even longer for the poor boy to eventually warm up to Repede and the pups, though was quick to develop a bond with the ever-happy-go-lucky Zephyr. A mommy's boy and a constant crybaby, Yuri and Estelle couldn't help but worry for his future.
Nevertheless, Hanks was there to assure them that this was normal. "You might not know this but Yuri went through this kind of stage," He explained, which earned him a frown from his foster son. "Took him a long time to warm up to everything but once he got used to it, well…I mean, look at him,"
"Hey!" Yuri exclaimed, quite offended by the comment.
Estelle giggled. "Thank you, Hanks," And glanced down at the sleeping boy nestled in her arms.
Lastly, there was Seliph. Though Hanks didn't spend much time with him as he was rather close to the female lancer above all else, he could tell from the few instances that he encountered the young Krityan that he displayed a sense of modesty and resilience.
For a while, Hanks enjoyed the company of his granddaughters and grandson and as promised, would often hitch a ride on Ba'ul to simply visit Halure to see them, the pups and their eccentric parents.
And when the time came for Yuri and Estelle to announce another pregnancy—to which the members of Brave Vesperia continuously gushed and gambling over how 'busy' they've been lately—Hanks had a sinking feeling that his time was almost reaching its conclusion.
Worried that he'd cause a panic, he allowed himself to keep it in.
With his wooden cane in tow and Eve providing him support by leading him the way to the house, he did what he could to cherish every second of his visits with the Lowell family.
And that's the end of part one of chapter nine (next chapter after this is supposedly part two)
Like I mentioned before, this was mostly unplanned and the entire chapter was inspired by aetherae's beautiful fanfic which involves a very realistic yustelle wedding! (and if that author happens to be reading this end notes, let her know that I give her my thanks and that I'm sorry that I didn't speak to you sooner regarding this)
Also, Yuri and Estelle's wedding attire were heavily based on the Tales of Asteria wedding event gacha (I fell in love with Estelle's gown~)
And if you're wondering about the strange surge of new children and puppies, rest-assured, the next chapter would touch lightly upon it (and if not, then the announcement will!)
Anyway, I would like to say thank you for the wonderful comments!
Like I said, feel free to comment down below (I'm eager to know your opinions and open criticisms!)
Can't say that I'll wait for you but rather, I'll see you all in the next chapter!