Ascending Legends

[BookWyrm]

Dayn joined Mazy after taking off his sword belt. "Alright. I think we have time for a couple of stories before dinner." Dayn read off a few titles before Mazy finally selected an old tale of a knight rescuing a princess from a dragon, a classic all over Trulane, and then to his surprise she choose a Southern folktale about a young girl wandering into a magical forest.


The stories took the better portion of an hour and a half to get through, and by the end Dayn thought he could hear all of their stomachs growling. "I'll get on to finding something for supper then."

 

[Dragongal]

Arryn gave him a peck on the cheek. "You do that, breadwinner." Arryn then turned her attention back to Mazy. "I have a surprise for you after dinner." Mazy look at Arryn with wide eyes. "Really?! What is it?" Arryn laughed and ruffled May's hair. "Of course! But if I told you, it wouldn't be a surprise."

 

[BookWyrm]

Dayn returned about ten minutes later with supper: bread bowls filled with potato soup. "Don't ask me where I found this. That is my secret. Enjoy!"

 

[Dragongal]

Mazy didn't need any more prompting. She immediately dug in. Arryn went at a slower pace, then took the time to side up to Dayn and lean on him. She gave him a smile and playfully took a spoonful of his soup, despite her breadboard still being full.

 

[BookWyrm]

Dayn took the advantage and kissed Arryn's cheek before starting in on his own soup.

 

[Dragongal]

Once they were all done with their food, Mazy looked at Arryn expectantly. Arryn chuckled a bit and moved over to Mazy, then reached into her pocket and pulled out a quartz ring with a silver band - Arryn was careful not to touch the silver. Mazy marveled at the ring before putting it on. "It'll help you focus your magic, and the quartz can hold excess mana." Mazy grinned and thanked her, but Arryn immediately pulled something else from her pocket - a ball of velvet cloth. She unraveled it (careful not to touch its contents) and held it out to Mazy. A silver griffin necklace with gilded wings. "Griffins are my family's crest. I thought this might be a good way to show... you know... we're kind of family now." Mazy gingerly picked up the necklace and examined it. To her it was the best gift she'd ever gotten and sparkled more than fresh snow. She slid it on over her head and looked at it for a moment, before nearly tackling Arryn in a hug.

 

[BookWyrm]

Dayn smiled as he watched Arryn give the gifts to Mazy, only to burst out laughing when she practically tackled Arryn. "Alright you two, its late in the evening, and we have a big trip ahead of us tomorrow. Why don't we all get some rest."

 

[Dragongal]

Mazy gave Arryn one last squeeze before letting go. "Thank you, Arryn." "You're welcome." Mazy looked to Dayn and nodded before crawling into her bed and carefully arranging her blankets. Arryn turned to Dayn and wrapped her arms around his neck and nuzzled against his cheek. "Alright, let's go to bed."

 

[BookWyrm]

Dayn held Arryn close, lightly playing in her hair, his thumb brushing against her cheek before he walked behind the changing area to get comfortable. Once they had both settled into the bed together he gave Arryn a kiss before laying his head back, closing his eyes, and falling asleep with a smile on his face.

 

[Dragongal]

Arryn had cuddled close up to Dayn and tucked her head under his. They would be leaving tomorrow, and she wanted to be prepared for what would come. She hadn't prepared for Mazy having a nightmare and waking up with a scream.

 

[BookWyrm]

The blissful serenity of sleep was suddenly shattered by the piercing scream. Whether he enjoyed admitting it or not Dayn had grown slightly used to Arryn's nightmares. Mazy, on the other hand, triggered a different response. As Dayn jolted awake he felt his body instinctively going into a shift, causing him to freeze and focus on trying to keep the wolf inside him. His eyes were iced over, his teeth canines, and his features taking on the distinct wolfen features as they normally did. Desperate to keep himself in control but his fatherly drive urging him to care for the child Dayn did the only thing he could at the moment. He nudged Arryn urgently all the while praying that he wouldn't shift and make things worse.

 

[Dragongal]

Arryn had jerked awake at the sound of Mazy's screaming, and Dayn's nudging her helped her to understand what was happening. Dayn was half-shifted, which meant he had to stay out of Mazy's sight. Arryn got out of bed as quickly as she could and rushed to Mazy's side. "Mazy, it's okay, you're safe here, shh, you're safe, I promise." Mazy latched onto Arryn tightly as she sobbed. For a moment, Arryn was taken back by just how small Mazy was next to her. For seemingly twelve years, Mazy was frail - likely from lack of nutrition the last number of years. Arryn started slowly combing her fingers through Mazy's hair to help her calm down.

 

[BookWyrm]

Dayn sat up on the bed, his back to the girls as he slowly came to grips with himself. After shifting back Dayn walked over and sat next to Arryn, reaching out slowly and gently running his hand through Mazy's hair. "You're okay Mazy. Arryn and I are here. Nothing is going to hurt you again."

 

[Dragongal]

Mazy looked up to Dayn and moved from clinging to Arryn to clinging to Dayn. She was small enough to sit in his lap without isuse, yet her arms around his waist had a strong, desperate grip.The was why she had moved to Dayn's lap, though. He was bigger than Arryn. More protective. Safer.

 

[BookWyrm]

Dayn sat up a bit straighter, his arms floating over Mazy as she tried to bury her face against him. His eyes drifted up to Arryn for a few moments before he slowly lowered his arms and cradled Mazy against himself. Unexpectedly Dayn found himself at a loss for words. The gesture was so childlike, so very innocent, and it tugged at his heart strings. Dayn slowly looked back to Arryn, almost trying to ask her what to do.

 

[Dragongal]

Arryn met Dayn's gaze and nodded a bit before leaning in to whisper one syllable: "Hum."

 

[BookWyrm]

Dayn slowly nodded before looking back to Mazy, his mind wandering over the various songs and tunes before finally settling on something. Thankfully it was a southern lullaby and not a battle chant. As he hummed he continued to play with Mazy's hair like he did with Arryn. He was just guessing at the moment but he figured the tactic would work for her as well.

 

[Dragongal]

Mazy slowly calmed under Dayn's treatment, and soon she was no longer crying. When Dayn finished the song, she very quietly mumbled, "Thank you."

 

[BookWyrm]

"You're welcome, Mazy." A couple of thought's crossed Dayn's mind. He had considered shifting and curling up with Mazy, though he couldn't for obvious reasons. The other, well, he hoped Arryn wouldn't be upset. "Do you want to stay in bed with us tonight? Would that help you sleep?" Again his eyes drifted up to meet Arryn's, his best I'm sorry look across his face.

 

[Dragongal]

Arryn gave Dayn a slight smile to let him know it was okay, then returned her attention to Mazy. Mazy looked up at Dayn for a moment before ever-so-slowly nodding.

 

[BookWyrm]

Dayn smiled before picking Mazy up and carrying her over to the bed, letting her lay in between him and Arryn as they got comfortable. "Alright, you are safe now. Just rest Mazy."

 

[Dragongal]

Arryn smiled a bit as Mazy settled down between her and Dayn. At least they could provide some comfort for the girl. It wasn't long before both Mazy and Arryn were asleep once more.

 

[BookWyrm]

Before he could realize it Dayn was already missing Arryn being snuggled up against him. Oh well, gaps could be bridged for the time being. He reached over Mazy and took Arryn's hand in his own as he closed his eyes, joining the girls as all three drifted off to sleep.

 

[Dragongal]

In the morning, Arryn slowly stirred. It took her a moment to remember why she wasn't cuddled next to Dayn. Mazy was still asleep between Dayn and herself. Arryn gently squeezed Dayn's hand to wake him.

 

[BookWyrm]

Dayn's eyes opened almost immediately, blinking away the fog before focusing on Arryn with a smile as he rubbed his thumb over her hand. "Morning.", he whispered before looking down to Mazy. She hadn't stirred a bit after crawling into bed with them. Dayn leaned down and kissed her head tenderly before leaning, carefully, over to give his wife a short kiss on the lips. "I'll get something for breakfast. We will need to be heading out soon."