Page 83 of The Champion
“I love you so much, Freya, and I will never again be ashamed of telling you.”
I fell asleep with a soft smile on my lips.
CHAPTER 24
Wisdomia
Six Months Later – July 2468
Victor
Pearl and Khan were sitting on our porch, which offered shade from the bright sun. The bench was wide enough for them to spread out, but they sat closely together, studying baby Isobel who lay in Pearl’s lap grinning up at her grandparents.
“Ah, aren’t you the sweetest little girl in the world. Isobel is such a pretty name and when you grow up, I’ll tell you stories of my mother whom you’re named after. She was a strong woman who led the world as Chairwoman of the Council for over a decade,” Pearl cooed to our little girl, who was five weeks old and wouldn’t understand a thing.
“Isobel was also a pain in the ass who once placed your grandmother in a place of reflection to stop her from being with me.”
Pearl gave Khan a sideways glance. “No need to bring that up now. My mother apologized many times.”
Khan smiled and took a sip of his cold beer. “As she should. I’m the best thing that ever happened to you.”
After a small scoff from Pearl, they exchanged one of those smiles that spoke of private jokes and deep friendship.
“She came to your wedding, didn’t she?” Freya asked.
“Who Isobel?” Khan was about to take a sip of his beer and his hand stalled mid-air. “Yeah, she came. By the way, talking about weddings. I still think it was a mistake to have such a small ceremony for the two of you.”
“Dad, I told you; Victor isn’t big on marriage to begin with, and we preferred for it to be small and intimate. You still made it much too grand compared to what we agreed on.”
“Argh, nonsense. I could have made your wedding as spectacular as Thor’s and Linea’s.”
“We had a hundred guests and a six feet tall ice sculpture. It was beautiful.”
I sat on the railing of the porch while Freya was in a chair. The dark circles under her eyes revealed how sleep deprived we both were, but the way she smiled at me made me feel warm and fuzzy inside.
“Sure, but I wanted a bigger public display with a parade through the city and an art installation where the people could express their love for you.”
Freya gave a tired chuckle. “That sounds lovely, Dad, but I’m very happy with the wedding we had. I will remember Victor’s vow for the rest of my life.”
Khan lowered his brow. “What was it again? Something about man-made laws and cultural norms. Maybe I didn’t listen very well, but it didn’t seem very romantic.”
Freya protested, “It was insanely romantic. When Victor promised me forever, he defied his country’s laws and culture. That’s why I cried so much.”
I was still learning to be comfortable talking about my emotions. One thing was to share my feelings with Freya in private. It was something else to discuss my love for her with her parents. Changing the subject, I looked to our daughter. “It’s good to see Isobel smiling so much. Last night she wouldn’t stop crying.”
“Did you get any sleep at all?” Pearl asked Freya, who yawned.
“Not much, but it wasn’t her fault. I was watching vids from the meetings that I’ve missed because of the birth.”
“Freya, honey, I hope you’ll take some time to enjoy Isobel and not work too much,” Pearl said with a worried tone.
Khan was quick to defend Freya. “She’s the first prime minister of the country; it’s a little hard to put everything on pause because of a baby.”
“It’s all right. I plan on bringing Isobel to meetings with me. They all said I should and that they would be happy to hold her.”
“That’s what you get from having so many Motlanders on the new Council.”
“It’s not a council but a parliament and we have members from all around the world,” Freya emphasized.
