Opening my eyes, I yawned while getting out of bed. Usually, I don't really have a lot of energy in the morning, let alone wake up on my own this early, but I guess maybe it was an instinctive thing this time?
The sun isn't even fully out yet…
Considering we were in the middle of December, the sun usually goes fully out at around 7 am? Something like that. I could definitely see the sky getting lighter ever so slightly, but no trace of the sun was visible. It was probably around 6 and a half give or take, earlier than what I'd ever wake up at naturally.
Well, I guess I'll go downstairs for the time being.
Being Maia's favorite fruit, for the past 7 years ever since I was born, mom would always make a Strawberry cake for her. She did alter the main base flavor a few times, like vanilla or chocolate but generally speaking, strawberries were also always there.
This world had their own way of moving past seasonal crops, much like in my previous life with greenhouses. I'm fairly sure they do also exist here since I'm like 90% sure the world setting isn't the average medieval, but regardless magic was generally a cheaper and more convenient way for farmers most likely.
Strawberries are obviously not in season in the middle of December, so like any other crop that's out of season, they get more expensive. Regardless of that though, they always manage to get enough for at least her cake every year. I'm not sure if we're just lucky with our parents or the "oldest child gets nothing, while the middle child gets forgotten and youngest gets everything" memes were just false, but they never treated any of us unequally in the end.
They treated Maia with the most respect and trust, as she's not only the strongest but the most dependable one as well so I wouldn't count that as discrimination. I'm getting treated with a lot more freedom than any other kid my age, which is probably due to not only me being a "prodigy" in intelligence compared to kids my age, but also because of her and her training. The youngest get treated like regular 6 year olds, which I'd say is pretty understandable. All in all, we get treated equally well, circumstances taken in consideration.
"Hm? Are you feeling sick or something, Cael?"
As I went downstairs, mom was very clearly surprised to see me up so early, and completely stopped whatever she was doing to come at me, crouching in front of me, placing her hands on both of my cheeks.
"No, I'm alright…"
"Are you sure? It's still very early, you know? Were you not able to sleep?"
I shook my head.
"I did sleep pretty well actually, I just didn't feel sleepy when I woke up earlier, so I decided to go down. I can help you with the cake if you want too."
After an extensive "Awh" she quickly hugged me.
"My little boy woke up early and wants to help with his big sister's cake… aren't you just the cutest?"
Am I really that hopeless in the morning?
Like, I don't mean to deny that I'm not a morning person, but is it actually that bad? Maybe I should try and wake up early more often… but either way, after around a minute of hugging, she finally let go and I did end up helping her with it.
I mostly took care of mixing stuff for her, while she prepared the strawberries and actually cooked the thing. However, I did also get to help with the frosting making and the decorations which was pretty fun. By the time the cake was out of the oven, it was about time we started making breakfast, but I honestly had already done too much morningly effort to be bothered to help her with that. Sorry mom.
"…Morning guys… you sure are up early, huh?"
"Good morning dear. I hope you didn't forget what day it is though, of course we'd be up early. Just like every other year too, the little one has come to help me with it as well."
Scratching the back of his head dad walked to mom, hugging her and giving her a morning kiss I guess? These 2 really loved each other a lot, man. Then, he walked to the table and sat next to me.
"Morning, dad."
"Morning little one."
Ruffling my hair a little, he smiled almost proudly. I can probably guess why as well honestly. "Good job, helping your mother with Maia's cake, I'm proud of you, son!" Is probably what he's thinking. You could also help her yourself though, you know?
Well, not that I actually mind since at least I get to help her myself, which over the years has actually changed my opinion on baking as a whole. I didn't like dealing with any type of baking, whether it was something as hard as making a cake or as simple as a cookie, but helping mom with more than just Maia's cake has changed my opinion over time.
"I didn't manage to check when I woke up, but did you manage, dear?"
"Yeah, don't worry. It's hidden pretty well too. Though I doubt she'd look for it either way…"
I guess they're talking about Maia's present?
Dad does usually wake up a lot earlier than this at the very least, so he was probably out until late at night yesterday? That seems to check out.
"What did you get her this time?"
I also can't deny the fact that I was a little bit curious as well. But his reaction wasn't actually what I expected. His face slightly darkened in a melancholic, or rather anxious way.
"Well, honestly we didn't really know what to get her this year, but we did get an idea in the end…"
Mom who had finished making breakfast then approached us, putting our plates on the table, then placing one hand on his shoulder as if to encourage him.
"Dear, you're worrying too much. I'm sure Maia will appreciate it."
"You're probably right… it's just that, this year's present is a little too simple, you know?"
Simple, huh? Though I don't really think Maia cares about presents in general, if he's that unsure it must actually be a very simple gift. Maybe they got her a pair of socks or something?
I doubt that was the case, but hey, you have to consider all possibilities. While I was getting more curious, there was no time to further discuss it.
"…good morning y'all…"
Yawning, looking half asleep while walking down the stairs there she was.
"Good morning sweetie, and also happy birthday."
"Happy birthday, my dear Daughter."
"Happy birthday, my dear older sister."
I feel like we may have gotten our sarcasm from dad now that I think about it, since our lines were almost identical, but I guess it's not that bad to have some similarities to your parents, regardless of how small.
"Thanks everyone…"
Seems like she's still sleepy. I honestly can't even remember the last time I've seen her so relaxed.
Maybe because she was the one waking me up every day, or I simply didn't pay enough attention, but unlike before Maia seemed genuinely as guardless as they get. You wouldn't think she's going to be the commander's Lieutenant starting tomorrow, just by looking at her at least. She was probably just intending on enjoying her last birthday here though.
Shortly after, the twins had also woken up and we all ate breakfast together. Even after the house was repaired, eating breakfast together wasn't a common thing anymore due to my routine, and Maia's help with the repairs, so this was honestly almost nostalgic. Pretty weird when you think about it since it's nothing really special, but it did still hit a little harder than expected.
After eating, while dad did the dishes we all chatted for a while, catching up on our lives which had been separated pretty drastically ever since Alduin's visit. Mom and dad automatically became the "heads" of the village, and were extremely busy with taking care of the whole situation. The twins had unfortunately been forced to spend less time with mom and dad, but fortunately enough they weren't too lonely since Lyanna unlike Aldric was mostly free besides taking care of their kid. I guess she became a babysitter, huh? I kinda feel bad for her, since she does still have her own infant daughter to take care of, but there really wasn't any other choice.
And lastly, you already know what me and Maia have been up to, so I won't really waste time on that. But as you can tell, our lives were now extremely different from each other. Weird isn't it? It all changed overnight, because of a single man paying us a visit… but we can't be too melancholic can we? Today is a special day, which should be spent happily, not reminiscing on sad memories. But, I guess there is a reason as to why I'm remembering it this way.
Sure, it's not actually a pleasant set of memories, but they all eventually revolve around Maia in the end, in a slightly more appreciable way. For starters, even though he had effortlessly defeated her, Maia's first appearance on the battlefield was more than enough to buy us more time. Had she not pulled up when she did, I was most likely going to die.
The person who gave me the sword aside then, it was also Maia who came back and saved me from all of those Wyverns, and healed every single survivor that was hurt. The one who went out of her way to get us the materials to start rebuilding the village was also her. And let's not forget how she aura farmed while dealing with the cadaver piles.
Thanks to her I also got to meet Layra, Jun, Juna… and of course, Luna. And again thanks to her I've learnt skills that would definitely help me later on, for which I'm obviously grateful. Not only that, but she even went back to help everyone with the village repairs until its very completion as soon as she was done with teaching me.
After eating, we met up with Aldric, Lyanna and their little one, and decided to go on a stroll together, all of us. Walking around the village's ground which had quite a bit of snow piled up wasn't really anything special, but the fact that it was all of us made it seem ever so slightly more memorable as an experience. However, there was also something weird going on.
Where is everyone?
Sure, there may not have been that many survivors, but those who did survive should all be good and well. Not only was there no one outside, but we couldn't even hear a sound from any of the houses as we passed by.
Is everyone still asleep?
Though it's already close to 9, I guess it's not that weird?
But in a way it actually was. Granted, there wasn't much to do outside on a snowy day, these folks were fairly active individuals as a whole… but maybe I'm just overthinking it.
It may have been a few months already since then, but we did lose most of our village…
It may be insensitive of me to assume everyone would be all rainbows and sunshines even when the sun himself is hiding behind the clouds. But as we approached the center of the village, I was instantly proven wrong.
"Everyone, they're here!"
Someone's voice rang through our ears, and we all stopped our marching just a few steps later. Some Standing on each side of the pathway, and some straight ahead of us, regardless of who and why or where… they were all there. Dad was the one to walk forward, and all of them walked towards him, lining up one next to the other.
"What's going on, guys?"
"Chief. I hope you hadn't thought we'd just ignore today's date, did you?"
"What are you guys talking about-"
Interrupting their own chief though, which was funny in its own way, one of them kept talking.
"You don't need any details. After all, this isn't about you either way, is it?"
Smiling, he then looked over at Maia. Realizing what he was talking about now, I couldn't see his face since he was in front of us, but I could see his shoulders start to tremble ever so slightly. The man who was taking… he was actually the previous chief's son. Everyone had accepted dad and mom as the new heads, but if we were to be honest, he was supposed to be the rightful heir. Even then, he simply walked next to him, one hand on his shoulder before he continued.
"If it wasn't for Maia, perhaps all of us may have been dead by now. Not to mention how she completely turned around the tables on the repairs, and made sure that none of us would freeze to death during this winter."
He stood there silently. His shoulders trembling was getting more and more intense, and we didn't even need to look at him to understand why. After all, when I looked next to me on both sides, whether it was mom, Aldric, Lyanna or even the twins… they were all tearing up just as much as I was now. Only one of us wasn't, Aldric's kid aside. But even she was listening in with widened eyes.
"We've never ever believed the accusations on which you loads had your noble status revoked on, but now even if there was anyone with the slightest hint of doubts, they're either not in this world anymore, or have been forced to accept the simple fact that you guys are not bad people at all."
Then, as if following his lead, more and more villagers came forward and started talking.
"That's right. Not just Maia either, if it wasn't for the Ashford family, we wouldn't be here today."
"That isn't to take credits away from you though, Aldric, Lyanna! You guys did just as much work, and were just as grateful!"
"Haha, especially Lyanna, since she helped all of us babysit our own kids even though she has her own to take care of."
"Yeah, honestly, we'd be here all day if we were to single handedly announce why we're grateful to each one of you."
Then, the rightful heir spoke once again.
"But this time, although I may sound like a bit of a dick, I ask you to forgive me, Chief. But the one we're here to celebrate is none of you."
"…"
Dad was still silent, waiting for him to continue. Letting go of his shoulder, he then went back among the rest of the lined up fellas. After a few moments of silence, they then all spoke in synchrony.
"Maia… Happy Birthday!"
And that was understandably so, Maia's breaking point. Tears streamed down on her face like an open faucet, but her smile didn't falter once. All of the villagers were also tearing up at the sight, but we were all sharing a thing. We were all happy, and smiling.
"Oi, oi… come on, we're here to celebrate, not to cry…"
It was pretty obvious that he was the rightful heir. His way of speech was so relaxed yet empowering at the same time. And also, it was definitely comforting too. Not to take away any credits from dad, but still.
"You're right everyone… Thank You."
From that point on, the mood had almost instantly lightened up. Almost like a festival, everyone was genuinely having a good time. In between eating, drinking, dancing, or just chatting. It was like a massive party, as a single family, all coming together to celebrate the birthday of one of our own.
I had never thought about it this way until now, and looking at the scene in front of me I was almost saddened by it. I was jealous of our villagers most of my life until now, since they could all use basic elencali magic unlike me. I never thought that the day would come, when I'd think of every single one of them as family.
It was honestly fairly cold outside, but it was weird. Even though the sun hadn't come out of the clouds once throughout the whole day… None of us seemed to be cold in the slightest. But I guess it made sense in the end. After all, whenever anyone took even the smallest glance at her, their whole being would get instantly warmed up. Her smile really was contagious, even though it was something I saw pretty much every day due to her natural easy going personality, there was something different about it today.
Radiating brighter than ever before, so bright that she made the sun's absence irrelevant. as if she was genuinely happy from the bottom of her heart that we had come together to celebrate for her. I don't think that she's been unhappy until now obviously, but why am I even bothering trying to explain it anyway? All that matters is that right now, today Maia seemed to be the happiest I've ever seen her, and that's all that I cared about.
Unfortunately though, as much as we'd have loved it to last forever, in the end it was still winter. And during wintertime, the sun would always set faster. It was around 6 pm, and although we all had our fun, we also knew that it was about time we called it a day. Everyone knew deep down. Who will be on screen for tomorrow's announcement that is.
Our parents, and Aldric had retreated for a few moments while me, Maia and the rest were still at the center of the village with the rest. Obviously, there could be only one reason for it.
"Haha, now I kinda feel bad. This is all we have after all…"
Mom, holding the cake we had made this morning walked towards us. Dad was on her right holding a box, while Aldric was holding plates and cutlery on her left.
"Don't be ridiculous! We wanted it to be a surprise after all. We knew that you'd start baking without rest to make enough cake for all of us if we told you, so we avoided that."
"Hehehe…"
Both dad and Aldric looked at mom with an almost proud smile on their faces, as they finally reached us. The others had quickly set up a table next to us in the meanwhile, and they put down the cake on it.
"Not to mention, we're all full either way, you know? So it's better if we leave the cake for the birthday girl and her family."
It was pretty logical, and it wasn't a half assed lie either anyway, since there was a lot of food involved today after all. After distributing the cake as much as possible, managing to give away some to anyone who actually wanted a taste, it was gone in around half an hour give or take.
I guess this means that now it's time for…
"Maia."
Dad, Mom, Aldric and Lyanna had all come together in front of her. Dad was holding the same box as earlier, standing in the middle of them.
"After all this you're still going to give me a present? Aren't I being spoiled a bit too much, my dear father?"
Handing her the box, he then replied once she started opening it.
"No amount of spoiling would be enough for you, Maia. I don't really know if you'll like it or not, but still. This is from all 4 of us."
Her eyes widened for a second as she had finally opened it. Then, taking it out, she put it on her right hand. What you may be asking? Honestly, I now understand why dad was so hesitant about it, and unsure if she'd like it or not this morning.
So that's what it was…
I don't mean it in a bad way though. Albeit simple, that Archery Glove was clearly something else, even just from looking at it. The main color was black, but it had a golden outline all around, and from the way it looked… It was most definitely real gold.
"I know it may be a little stupid since you can just use magic directly without a real bow, but we did also get it enchanted. That glove shouldn't be affected by magic one bit, so you can use it without the fear of burning it.. but, uhm.. oh, yeah. Obviously, if needed, you can enchant it even more yourself! And… haha…"
And there goes his composure…
He was panicking. Tears were running down his face as he looked at her, but who could blame him? This time we could actually see it as well. I know it may seem repetitive, but whether you like it or not, it was time for the second round of crying for all of us. Dad was anxiously waiting for any kind of words from Maia, clearly still unsure if she liked it or not, but judging from the fact that she jumped into his arms, and hugged him tight like that… I'd say that the answer was obvious.
"Thanks, Dad! I'll treasure it!"
Giving up on any type of resilience, dad hugged her back. Following him, mom, Aldric and Lyanna holding her daughter, the twins and finally me, all joined in one big final corny yet much needed embrace.
After everyone had calmed down, we spent around another half an hour or so just chatting among each other, enjoying the moment as long as we could, but shortly after the 7 pm mark closed in, it was now time for the bittersweet part of today's event.
We all went outside the village's walls, 0 exceptions. Maia was a few steps ahead of us, and a flame of hers was illuminating the area above us all. The adults aside and me aside, the little ones were all already crying. Mom was holding both the twins while we watched her.
"No need to be so sad, guys. After all, you're going to see me tomorrow, you know? Though it won't be in person haha."
Silence.
"Not to mention, this isn't a goodbye. We'll see each other soon…"
She looked at us while saying that, then turned to face the others before continuing.
"And I'll come to visit you guys as well whenever I have time…"
They nodded.
"That's why…"
Facing us all at the same time, with a smile on her face which betrayed her watering eyes, she bowed down.
"Thank You all for everything you've done for me until now."
None of us could bring ourselves to say anything to that. Holding our composure alone was hard enough after all. After turning around then, her golden and black mixed aura enveloped her body.
"I'll take my leave now… so for now, See Y'all later. I Love You guys!"
And there she went… jumping high in the sky, glowing so brightly that she illuminated the whole sky like a star, she fled alone, until the light coming from her was eventually lost in the darkness of the night.