Evan
Lilith sighed as she sat back and sipped her tea. Was her roommate supposed to be home an hour ago? Yes. But the boiling rain had started well before them and he was likely waiting it out somewhere. She finally had the quite house to read her book. He'd be fine.
The door burst open and Darius stumbled in. Lilith jumped and spilled hot tea over her book.
"Darius! What the–" She stopped short.
He had dropped to his knees just inside the door. There were holes burned through his favorite lilac cloak and even through his shirt in some places. His plaisman, Bell, was huddled on the top of his head rather than clinging to the ends of his hair like usual. His hands and white silk shirt were caked in dirt and mud. There was mud splashed up his legs and even his velveted pants had been singed by the boiling rain. He clutched something to his chest that he was hunched over as he panted.
"Damn it, Darius," Lilith groaned and stood, "You should have waited the storm out at the castle. I'll get the burn salve."
"I couldn't."
She turned, "What?"
"I COULDN'T wait at the castle, Lilith!" He looked up at her with wide eyes, "I couldn't risk him finding us."
"Us?" She knelt in front of him, "What do you mean 'us'?"
Darius held out the bundle in his arms. The baby wrapped in the blankets was just as dirty as he was, but had been unharmed by the boiling rain. They continued to sleep soundly. Lilith choked.
"Darius, whose baby is that?"
"Jesper's…I-I think," He tucked the baby back to his chest, "He…He's dead, Lily. J-Jesper's dead. Belos. He…" (1)
Lilith saw her hands shaking as she reached out to hold him. Darius leaned forward until his forehead rest on her shoulder. She stared out the still open door, feeling the fog begin to fill her mind. She shook her head.
"Hey," She rubbed his back, "Why don't you go take a shower? Not a bath. A shower. Take the baby with you. Get them cleaned up too. We'll talk after."
Darius nodded but stayed where he was for a moment longer. Then he sat back and looked down at the baby. His eyes widened when he saw his hands, as if he were seeing the dirt and mud for the first time.
"Yeah. I know," Lilith put her hands back on his shoulders, "That's why you're going to wash up. Go on."
He looked up at her for a moment before nodding again. He clutched the baby closer and stood. Then he made his way up the stairs and to the bathroom.
Lilith stayed on the floor by the door. Steam from the rain wafted towards the house but she could bareilly see it through the fog that was over taking her mind.
Belos had killed Jesper? His Golden Guard? Jesper had a child?
She had never been close with the Head of the Emperor's Coven. Not in the way Darius was. Even though it was he that she answered to in the coven. But now he was gone.
She stood on autopilot and closed the door. She lay her forehead against it. Why? Why? WHY? Was Jesper really gone? Was the baby really his? Would Darius lie to her? What on the Ials were they going to do with a baby?
"Scaw?" Something landed on her head.
"I'm alright, Socks." She whispered, "Just…confused."
The white raven trilled softly and snuggled into her hair. By the time Lilith found the strength to return to the sofa, her tea had gone cold. She grabbed her book but didn' open it. Socks leapt from her head to rest in her lap.
Quiet footsteps signaled the return of Darius with the baby. His hair was still damp and he was now dressed in his loose fitting pajamas. The baby was still, miraculously, asleep in his arms, now clean and wrapped in a clean, soft blanket. Darius sat next to Lilith but didn't take his eyes off the baby.
"Now what?"
Lilith shook her head, "I don't know…How did you find it?"
"J-Jesper." Darius explained, "He-A couple weeks ago he told me, if anything were to happen to him, there was a chamber under the throne room that I needed to go to. And I had to get there BEFORE Belos did. So…when…when I heard…I heard…"
Lilith put her hand on his knee. Darius took a deep breath. The baby continued to sleep.
"I was walking past the throne room and I heard…what Belos was doing to J-Jesper…I knew what I had to do," He held the baby closer, "That's where I found him. He was just lying there in the dirt. I-I just grabbed him and ran. It didn't care that it was raining. I couldn't let Belos find him."
Lilith nodded and let herself really look at the baby. He was nearly as pale as she and her mother were with the same straw blond hair as Jesper. He yawned and curled into Darius' chest.
"So, what are we going to do with him?" She asked, "Because, I don't know about you but I don't know a lot about babies."
"Um," Darius' cheeks darkened, "I hadn't thought that far ahead. I just know that, whatever we do, we have to be sure that he's safe. I promised Jesper."
"Of course. But where would he be safest? Who with?"
Darius thought for a moment before turning to face her, "What if we left him on your sister's doorstep with a note saying that he's yours and her sister, Lily, is dead?"(2)
Lilith blinked at him, "Darius, we're not going to do that. For several reasons."
He groaned and leaned back, "Yeah. I know. I'm grasping at straws. We don't know a lot of people. And TRUST even less." He smiled tiredly," Besides, aren't her and Whispers going to pick up the little girl they adopted?"
"Tomorrow, yes. And your sister is pregnant (3) The Blight's just had twins."
"Not that I would trust them with him," Darius adjusted the baby so he was resting more upright on his chest.
"You need to let that go."
"No. He's a backstabbing hack."
Lilith rolled her eyes and shook her head, "I'd say Perry but he's a news reporter. That feels like asking for him to be found."
Darius hummed and closed his eyes. "And an orphanage is probably one of the first places Belos will look."
"We're quickly running out of options, Dari…Darius?"
"Hmm?"
"He's staring at me."
Darius looked down at the baby. Sure enough, he was awake and staring at Lilith. He smiled.
"Good morning, Little Prince."
"He's quiet now but he's going to want food soon," Lilith insisted.
Darius winced as a clap of thunder shook the house. The baby whimpered.
"I don't think any of the shops are going to be open in this weather." He sat up and rubbed the baby's back.
Lilith looked out at the storm before standing and going into the kitchen. Darius watched her go. The baby's whimpers quickly evolved into cries. He groaned and stood. He paced the living room, bouncing and rocking in an attempt to sooth the baby.
"I'm sorry, Little Prince," He whispered, "I know it's scary. It's going to be ok. I've got you."
"Here," Lilith returned, a bottle in hand, "Try this."
She rest one hand on the baby's head and pressed the tip of the bottle to the baby's lips. He latched on and started to nurse.
"Where did you get that?"
"It's just spider milk with a little nutrient potion mixed in," She explained, "I transfigured the bottle out of one of our glasses. It is not a long term solution. If he's staying here then we're going to need to figure out when and how we are going to get supplies."
"Stay here?" Darius lift an eyebrow, "You think we should keep him?"
"Why not?" Lilith looked up at him, "YOU said we need to keep him safe from Belos. Where better than with two of the strongest witches on the Boiling Isles?"
"Belos will surly recognise him if two of the witches working closest to him suddenly have a child that looks just like the one he's looking for," He argued, "What would we even say?"
"Um…" Lilith looked away in thought, "The more truths in the story the better so…We can say he's the son of a mutual friend. We've been friends since we were in the baby classes so no one will question that."
"And his looks? He has Jesper's eyes, Lilith. It'll be a little hard to explain THAT."
SHe shrugged, "We can get him an illusion stone or I can mix a potion to disguise his hair and eyes."
"There will be more talk about the 'nature' of our relationship."
Lilith looked away.
"I don't like it and I know you don't either," Darius tilted his head to look at her.
Lilith shuffled in her spot.
"People always talk the most about what they know the least about," She whispered, "You and I both know that, while I love you, it will never be like that."
"You don't have to explain it to me, Lily," He smiled softly, "You know that the feeling is mutual."(4)
She smiled back and stroked the baby's forehead with her thumb. For a moment all three of them were quiet.
"Well," Darius said, "If he's going to stay, he's going to need a name."
"We can't keep calling him 'Little Prince' forever," Lilith adjusted the bottle so that Darius could take it, "One moment. I'm going to get a towel to burp him."
"Why not. I think it has a nice ring to it," Darius sat back on the sofa, "Then there would be TWO 'Lils' in this house."
"Call me that again and I'll smack you!"
"In front of our child?" He gasped, mock hurt.
"In front of our child."
Darius chuckled and turned back to the baby. He looked up at him with large magenta eyes.
"He kind of looks like your grandfather." He called to Lilith over his shoulder, "Same nose and such. That one lock of hair that stands up like Jesper's."
"Then why don't we call him Everet," Lilith returned with a towel draped over her shoulder and reached to take the baby, "After my grandfather, you know?"
Darius shook his head, "No. That just feels like too much…How about Evan instead?"
"Hmm. Evan Clawthorn-Daemmone." She hummed and rubbed the baby's back, "Yeah. I like that one."
"Hang on," Darius sat up, "I brought him home. Shouldn't it be 'Daemmone-Clawthorn'?"
"I mean, I was just going alphabetically."
"Oh, of cour-"
"Blegh!"
Lilith sat straight up. Darius leaned back, look of horror spread across his face.
"And THAT is why we use the towel…"
LLB
1) I hear Jasper a lot for the name of the previous Golden Guard but I just like the sound of Jesper better.
2) This joke looked me in the eye and threatened my family.
3) I like the idea that Darius and Gavin are related so I made Gavin his nephew in this one.
4) I figured I should get the explanation for Darius and Lilith's relationship out of the way as soon as possible. They are both Ace in this fic. Darius is Asexual Biromantic and Lilith is AroAce. What they have is a queer-platonic relationship. They love each other for sure but not like that. They're more than best friends but not really a couple either. I don't really know how to explain it other than that.
