Page 30 of Legends of Sorcery
He drifted off to sleep thinking of her and dreamed of a different world where she was his. They were happy living in the castle with a son and daughter of their own.
“Daddy!” the little girl squealed as she launched herself into his arms. “Come play with me.”
“I wish I could little princess, but I have important work to be done.”
“But you’re the King. You get to make the rules now,” she pointed out.
He smiled down at her and kissed the top of her curly brown hair. “This is true,” he admitted.
“You should decree today as family day!” she squealed excitedly.
“Very well, it shall be.”
“Yay! Let’s go tell Mommy.”
He set her down and she took his large hand in her tiny one and led him down a hall. When she opened the door at the end, there was Valaria looking more beautiful than ever reading a book to the young prince.
“What are the two of you up to today?” she asked smiling as she rose to greet them.
When her lips met Arion’s in an affectionate kiss. He froze, then pulled her into his arms and kissed her like a drowning man savoring his last dying breath. Her chest rose and fell against his as she returned the kiss with equal passion.
A girlish giggle followed by an “Ew!” broke them apart as she grinned up at him, lips swollen, cheeks tinted with red, and a sparkle in her eyes. He would do anything to keep her that happy.
“Perhaps we should send for the Governess to come and take the children for the day,” she whispered.
Arion sighed. “Sorry, but I promised another love in my life that I would decree today family day.”
“We’re going on a picnic,” the little princess announced.
Valaria smiled up at him excitedly as she pressed another kiss to his lips.
Arion awoke with a sigh, as he his touched his lips. Looking around his small bare bedroom, he knew it had only been a dream, but it had felt so real. Was that what it would be like to have a family of his own? His heart screamed yes, but his head reminded him that it was a dream that could never be.
No, it would be best not to dream of things that could never be. He needed to focus on reality. If the deep-seated root of his dream was a longing for a family, than that could happen, but not with Valaria. He tried to imagine that dream with any other woman, and he couldn’t.
Next, he tried to imagine his life as the High Keeper working closely next to her the rest of his life. This vision wasn’t quite as appealing as his dream, but it was a very real path. She would go on and marry someone else. The kids in his dream wouldn’t actually be his, but he could still be close with them. Perhaps even feel like an extended part of her family. The question loomed: would it be enough?
Zallon came in to check on him and pulled a chair up to his bedside.
“Can I ask you a question?”
“Of course, Arion. You can ask me anything.”
“Do you have any regrets? I mean giving up a family and personal happiness for the kingdom. Do you ever regret it?” he asked.
Zallon sighed. “The position of High Keeper is an important role, Arion. I don’t think about what I gave up, but instead what I have gained. Of course, there’s the notoriety and some great perks that comes along with the title. There’s also a lifetime of learning few will ever experience. I thirst for that knowledge. Then there’s the thought of what if it were someone else. Who would it be? Would they be able to do as good a job as I have? It’s hard to imagine it.”
“But didn’t some part of you want a family of your own?”
Zallon smiled and tapped him lightly on the forehead. “Not all families are bound by blood. It’s beyond that. We create our family by those we love and surround ourselves with. I know you have always longed for a family of your own, but to me, we are already family, maybe not the traditional one you envision, Arion, but I’m pretty proud of how I raised you and the young man you’ve grown into.”
With that lingering in the air between them, Zallon got up and left the room quietly.
Arion had never stopped to consider Zallon was family. Sure, he was the father figure he grew up with and they were quite close, but he’d always thought he was missing out with no family or anyone who truly cared about him the way a mother or father should. But Zallon had been there all along, right in front of him, better than any father could possibly be.
This change in perspective shook him to his very core. He wasn’t just a ward of the kingdom assigned to Zallon. He was loved and wanted like a real son. He truly did have a family, maybe not of blood, but out of love, and someday he could take in a boy to raise as the next apprentice and they could be a real family too. Zallon was right, families could come in all shapes and sizes by surrounding yourself with those you cared about.
Suddenly the burden he’d been carrying as he held on to everything he would have to give up to take on the apprenticeship was lifted and the benefits of accepting weighed greater than declining.
