Hey everyone! I have some bad news, but it will be at the bottom. This is a chapter about Aiden and Arrayah, and I hope everyone enjoys this chapter.
Disclaimer: I do not own Revenge, nor do I profit from this story. This is merely a figment of my imagination! Also, all mistakes are mine.
Third POV:
Aiden Mathis has never dealt with children, so when Nolan had told him that he would have to care of Emily's daughter, saying he is nervous is the understatement of the year. They have just arrived at his apartment and he releases the young girl from the bag. Aiden and Arrayah just stand there in his kitchen for a moment before he speaks up, "So, what do you like to do for fun?"
"Reading and running." She mumbles.
"Run, as in track?" Aiden inquires.
"Yes, Daddy finally allowed me to do an activity, but it's not for school." Arrayah says, a small smile appearing on her lips.
"Cool, I never really did sports when I was younger." Aiden smiles at her, she has her mom's smile, "Would you like to watch a movie?" Arrayah shrugs and follows Aiden to the couch, where she sits on the opposite end.
"Aiden, is this my Mommy?" Arrayah asks, picking up the picture frame.
"Yes, that is your mother and me while we were training in Japan." Aiden explains, flipping through the movie channels.
"She looks the same, but with darker hair." Arrayah says, tracing her mother's face. They sit in silence for a minute before Aiden gets down in front of her and takes her hands in his. She flinches lightly, but doesn't recoil her hands.
"Arrayah, please tell me what your mother is like now."
"She's caring, and likes to tell me stories when I see her. She likes to sing sometimes." Arrayah says, closing her eyes, trying to picture her mother, "I'm sorry, I can't remember much."
"It's alright, Arrayah, just tell me what you remember." Aiden reassures, trying to make up for scaring her earlier this evening, "What about those stories? What are they about?"
"Some are about princesses and knights. Others are about talking animals, even though they can't exist." Arrayah explains, "Lots of fairy-tales with happy endings."
"Really, your mother came up with those?" Aiden questions, not believing what Arrayah had just told him. He thought Emily hated fairy-tales because they reminded her of her mother.
"Yes, and she is really good! She uses different voices and I can actually picture the characters she describes."
"Can you tell me one?"
"Promise not to tell? Well you can tell Nolan, because I told him one."
"Cross my heart."
"Good, Once upon a time, there was a happy family of fairies living in an enchanted forest. This forest was different since it had special sparkles and changed colors and it was always sunny. Everything also had a special song it sang when it was time to wake up. One day, the king with the biggest heart wanted a new queen since his first one one got sick and moved on, and his daughter needed a mom. He found one, one that was lovely and pretty on the outside, but secretly wicked and ugly on the inside. He wanted to marry her right away, but the problem was that she was a pixie, a totally different kingdom. The advisers tried to stop him, but he was blinded by the fierce love he felt for her. They went on several, secret meetings, since she was engaged with the king pixie. She truly loved him, but once the king pixie found out, he had the king fairy dethroned and enslaved his kingdom. He sent his daughter to work in the mills on the edge of the forest. She lived in filthy homes with strange, mean people. She would cry herself to sleep every night; the thing that kept her going was the songs of the forest and the thought of her father being free. That couldn't help the pain she felt and once she became of age, she decided to free the kingdom, even if it was the last thing she did. So she set out and trained with the special birds, and met two misfits along the way. Both misfits had seen a lot of pain, but they were the sweetest creatures she had ever met. Together, the trio brought down the mean king pixie, and tossed him in dungeon. She freed her father, and sent the pixie that betrayed him to the edge of the kingdom, never to return. She eventually married one of the misfits, the other married a royal advisor and they all lived happily ever after." Arrayah finish, proud she had remembered one of the first stories her Mommy had ever told her.
"You are very good at telling stories, and you did a great job at recalling them." Aiden praises.
"Thank you." Arrayah yawns.
"You should probably get some sleep. Let me get you a blanket and pillow." Aiden says, getting up and retrieving the items off his own bed and bringing them to his couch.
"Good night, Arrayah." He says as she settles in.
"Good night, Aiden. Thank you for everything." She lets out a few coughs before she falls asleep
Their night is eventful; Arrayah wakes up from another nightmare, which wakes up Aiden. He does his best to soothe Arrayah, and he eventually falls asleep on the couch with her.
They wake up early the next morning, Aiden tells Arrayah the plan. He makes her repeat it to him as they drive to the beach, where she runs and scratches herself up in the sand and dirt. After she is scratched up, he drives them both to the police station.
So, here's the news: this story will be on at least a two-week hiatus. With all the bad weather, my school has missed a lot of days, and the teachers have gone crazy over the end of course assessments that won't be re-scheduled. They are piling on the work and I will be staying after school for extra sessions to prepare for them. I'm hoping that after two weeks, everything will be calmed down to where I can get a good few minutes to write. My goal is to publish on March 10th. I apologize, and know it's a terrible excuse. I hope you all stay with me and see you then!