Chapter 9: Defender

Song: "Lauren's Lullaby"

Chapter Disclaimer: Normally, I would call my OC "Butterford" in stories, but from here on out, whatever stories he's in, he'll simply be referred to as "Jas," just like his friends and family call him.

"Daddy, I don't feel so good… Will you sing me my song?"

It didn't take much prompting from his daughter for Jas to cradle his sick little girl and carry her to her room. Even at six years old, when she was starting to show more independence, Lauren still craved as much affection and attention from her parents as she could get.

Jas sat down in a rocking chair with Lauren clinging to his tunic, her face scrunched in discomfort with her cheeks tinged a light pink. He reached over and grabbed a blanket from a basket next to the chair, and he draped it around the little girl as he rocked her back and forth. After he got a steady rhythm going and Lauren settled a bit, Jas sang her a lullaby that he'd written just for her when she was a toddler—usually accompanied on his piano, but he had his arms full right now.

"Let the night wind sing you to sleep; let the moon be your guide. Don't worry, love—I'm always here. No need to cry." Jas reached up and gently wiped some tears from his daughter's eyes, likely brought on by discomfort or frustration. He smiled as she snuggled into his chest, her curly brown hair brushing his arms as she did so. He pressed a soft kiss to her temple and continued singing, "And as the day slowly slips away and the stars come out to play… I'm with you, you're with me; forever we both will be side by side, on this ride we call life… Just sleep for me…"

Lauren's fitful whimpering settled as the Guardian continued singing softly to her, and before long, she was fast asleep in Jas's arms. Her breathing evened out, and she was able to rest at last.

Jas stood from the rocking chair, moving over to his daughter's bed, and he lowered the little girl under the covers, which he straightened around her. "Good night, sweetie." He kissed her cheek before exiting the room, shutting the door softly behind him.

He slipped into the lavatory, yawning as he picked up a brush and detangled his hair, tying it into a ponytail for a change. Since it was getting later in the evening, he'd already changed into his simple white pajamas, and he figured he and Muscles would be going to bed within the next few hours. He set the brush down and picked up a small jar next, unscrewing the lid. Inside was some lotion that had a soft shimmer to it. He dipped his left hand into it before setting the jar and lid aside, rubbing the lotion into his tattooed hands. This concoction was crafted specifically for him, to keep his hands in good condition and to protect his magical tattoos. If he'd had access to this back when he was a teenager, he imagined his experiences would have been far different.

Once he was finished preparing for bed, Jas left the lavatory, closing the door behind him, and made his way down the hallway. He blinked when he saw Muscles standing next to the door, along with… "What are you guys doing here?"

Orion, Vega, Cedric, Sofia, Amber, and James were all in their home, and the air in the room was rather serious in comparison to the calmness it had once been.

"Jastin," Orion greeted kindly, nodding at the Guardian, "we need to speak with you…"

"That's…a lot to take in for such a short amount of time," Jas admitted, laughing nervously. "Let me see if I got it straight though. Sofia's siblings… James and Amber…" He gestured toward the twins. "…Have a cousin who was related to their mother; he is disabled and suspected to be in danger at his own castle, and he has recently been guarded by a former sentry named Isolde, whom James knew from…whatever that situation was with the 'evil twins.'" He missed the sheepish grin James tossed Amber, who simply sighed and folded her arms. "And now he and Isolde have both been abducted, so you guys want me to go with the twins to save them while Cedric and Sofia take down whatever evildoer is still at the castle. Is that right, or am I dreaming again?"

"Again?" Sofia teased, sitting beside him on his sofa, nudging him playfully. "You've had a dream about this already?"

"Well, not this specifically, but the other night, I did dream that we were on the run from a destructive evil deity that was determined to eradicate the entire world, and we had to team up with every magical being in existence to stop it."

"Don't say things like that, Jas," Cedric pleaded, clasping his hands and pressing them to his forehead. "With our luck, that will be our next mission… And I'd just like to stay home and enjoy some peace and quiet for a change."

Muscles raised one hand to get the others' attention, and then he nodded toward Vega and Orion. "With all due respect, just out of curiosity… Why do Jas and the others have to deal with this at all? I get the twins, but don't you guys have Protectors to handle things like this? Sofia, last I heard, was retired from the whole Protector thing, and Cedric's a retired sorcerer with no Protector background. And even if the others are occupied, you two are available, aren't you?"

"We can't leave the Mystic Isles right now," Vega explained evenly. "With so many gone, and with some instabilities we've sensed in surrounding magical realms as well as throughout the isles, it's best that we stay here and keep an eye on things. It would be horrible for us to be gone and chaos break out here, and no one is around to manage it."

"Is that common or just something that's happening lately?" James wondered.

"A bit of both at this point," Orion responded diplomatically. "We just don't talk about it much so as to avoid panic. Not everything must be shared. Sometimes, it's best to keep things on a 'need to know' basis."

Jas sighed. "Okay… I'll go and help James and Amber." He stood, pulling Sofia to her feet, smiling at her. "It will be weird not guarding you for a change."

"Maybe, but they're kind of fun," she answered, giggling. "Even in danger, James and Amber manage to be entertaining."

"Gee, thanks, Sofia," Amber laughed.

Muscles also stood, kissing Jas on the cheek. "I'll keep an eye on Lauren while you're gone. Be careful, okay?"

The blonde Guardian nodded, hugging his husband. "I will. I love you."

"Love you too, Jas."

Since it was later in the evening by now, the group decided to spend the rest of the night at the Mystic Isles headquarters, getting some rest in the guest quarters below the base (which most didn't even know existed). They would leave in the morning, traveling to Venburg before splitting up for their specific missions. While gathered, Jas got more pertinent information regarding the full plan, coming up with some ideas on how to handle things. After talking things out a bit more, the conversation turned to something of interest.

"Tell me more about this Ember person," Jas requested as he leaned back into a sofa in a common room his arms folded across his stomach. "Sofia told me a little bit, but I don't think I got the full story."

James shrugged as he exchanged glances with Amber, who frowned thoughtfully. "I'm not sure even we got the full story, to be honest. She was Amber's 'evil twin' who manipulated my 'evil twin' Jaime, who was her actual twin, into doing her wicked deeds. Stuff went down, I died, Jaime sacrificed himself to save me and then became kinda…non-communicative for a while…" He cleared his throat, running his hands through his hair. "And then, Ember got a chance to redeem herself and was sent on a mission to Limboris to seek out a magical tree that could grant wishes and get Jaime back to normal. Super long story short… She did it, and they're living happily ever after now. Oh, and somewhere in there, Isolde and her former partner Elias escorted Ember, but Elias ended up being a huge creep, and he got arrested for trying to assault literally everybody, and now Isolde is working for a king who's probably a lot cooler since he's our cousin. The end."

"We need to work on your storytelling skills, James," Amber remarked, twirling her hair around her fingers. "But last we heard, Jas, Ember and Jaime were much happier and living peacefully away from others, which is what really needed to happen, considering their history. But enough about that." She yawned, a hand rising to her mouth. "I'm tired. I think we need to get some sleep."

"I can't argue with that." Cedric took Sofia's hand and tugged her toward the hallway. "Good night, all. Pleasant dreams."

Jas followed behind them, going into his own room, leaving the twins alone.

"You okay?" James asked, scooting closer to his sister and placing a hand over hers, his warm eyes full of concern.

"I don't like talking about it, James… Not after all that…" She frowned heavily, but she clasped his hand in hers instead of pushing it away. "I can't help but think that… Even if Jaime deserved a better life, Ember knew what she was doing. Why does she get a second chance? She hurt people. She hurt you."

He nodded in understanding. "I get that, but… She was really just a misguided and lost person, Amber. I know I told you before, but believe me. The Ember I saw on that trip was not the same Ember we met before. She'd changed a lot. You even saw a little bit of that before I went with her and Jaime. In a weird way, she kind of is part of you. You changed for the better over the last several years. Sure, you didn't have people murdered or anything, but… You sure put those poor bakers and decorators to the test when it came to our birthday parties."

Amber couldn't help it. She laughed at his words. He always found a way to cheer her up. "James…"

"Those people probably never wanted to see a cake or streamer ever again after our third birthday." He grinned as she laughed harder. "Now… Can we stop moping about the mess with Ember and move on to better things? She and Jaime got a second chance, and so did we." He squeezed her hand in an encouraging manner. "Don't let anger ruin your happiness, Amber. I'm still here."

She sighed, nodding at his words. "I know. And I'm glad." She smiled as he released her hands and hugged her, and she instantly returned the affection. "If you ever get tired of being a knight, I think you'd be a pretty good counselor or something."

James just laughed before standing, pulling her to her feet. "Come on. Let's get some sleep."

To be continued…

Next Chapter: Repaved Path