The first thing the middle-aged man noticed when he woke up was that he wasn't dead. The next was a beautiful woman staring down at him with a tired smile.
Her hair was a startling silver color, the sort of hue that would be expected from an elderly woman. However, her face was young, showing that she was no older than the mid-twenties at the latest.
The middle-aged man blinked, wondering if he was seeing things.
The woman gently patted his cheek, staring with kind eyes the same color as her hair.
Confused, the middle-aged man opened his mouth to ask what was going on. But before he could, he was distracted by the appearance of someone else.
A cold and aloof man wearing a posh black long coat. Matching his attire, there seemed to be a dignified air about him as he approached the woman. His side-swept bangs, a strange light blue color, drifted across his face as he moved, briefly obscuring his eyes. When they parted, it revealed a sharp gaze with eyes the color of glacial ice. Even so, that gaze softened when he looked upon the woman.
The middle-aged man noted that the new arrival was young, likely around the same age as the woman. And with that gaze... Were they married? No, more importantly, what were they doing holding him like this?
A myriad of questions.
Where was he? What was going on? How did he live? And what happened to that girl?
Unfortunately, before those questions could be answered, a wave of fatigue swept over the middle-aged man and he lost consciousness.
When the middle-aged man woke again, he realized that he wasn't in a dream or a dying delusion.
For one, the surroundings were too crisp and clear to be a dream. For another... what kind of dying delusion let you wake up twice?
Even so, despite that realization, the current situation was still odd. There seemed to be a giant crib surrounding him. No, a giant room. While the furnishings weren't too odd, wooden walls and various stocked bookshelves, the room itself seemed to be massive.
A faint fear crossed his mind. Did he lose all his limbs from the accident? Was this an assisted living home?
His body didn't respond. Not only that, but he could only swivel his eyes around.
That fact sent a thrill of panic through his heart... but then he realized that he could feel.
Something soft was beneath his body. At the same time, while he couldn't move his hands, he could feel them tapping against the crib's bars.
Then-
A light and cheery voice. Following it, the beautiful young woman with silver hair appeared in his field of view.
He blinked and then tried to ask her where he was. However, all that came out were gargles.
The young woman laughed and then reached over to pick him up, cradling him in her arms. As she did, she spoke. It was an odd language, vaguely familiar but still foreign.
Even so, the man managed to pick out a name through it all: Isaac.
Suddenly, it clicked. The young woman, that man, and then the reason why everything seemed so large...
Ah. I've been given another life.
There were still plenty of questions. However...
Whether it was a God-given gift, a miracle, or whatever, the man... Isaac decided. This time... he would make sure to live a life that he could be proud of.
The young woman cooed and then gently rocked her arms, humming.
Thus, despite his resolution, the reincarnated middle-aged man, the newly born Isaac... fell asleep.
Time passed.
Whether days, weeks, or months, Isaac didn't know. His consciousness continued to drift in and out, giving him only brief moments of clarity.
However, whether due to a baby's natural learning capacity or whatever miracle gave him a second life, he managed to pick up the language that his new parents were using.
Speaking of his parents...
The cold man with blue hair glanced from his seat across the table. As always, he was immaculately dressed in his posh black coat.
"Are you certain that he's old enough to be sitting like that, Hilda?"
"It's fine, Rob!" The silver-haired young woman brushed her hands against her apron and said, "He's already six months old. Honestly, you worry too much."
Unlike her husband, Hilda was dressed casually, wearing a fluffy pink sweater paired with comfy blue jeans beneath the apron.
Isaac blinked and then went over how he got into the current situation.
That morning, Isaac had finally awoken and managed to stay awake. Not long after though, he had been picked up by his mother, Hilda, and promptly belted in a padded seat beside a dining table.
That done, he was left alone while she went about preparing food. Shortly after that, Isaac's father, Rob, sat down at the table, idly flipping through a book.
Stifling a yawn, Isaac took a look around the room.
It wasn't too odd. A bit rustic, what with various cloth tapestries and mounted swords, but there were plenty of lamps and lights hanging around, so it didn't seem to be in a third-world country.
Considering that, it was odd why Isaac's parents dyed their hair such vibrant hues, but he wasn't about to be picky over something that trivial.
Hilda walked over to the table with a pair of plates, setting one down in front of Rob and then the other at the vacant chair to his left. "Here you go, Rob! Toast and eggs, sunny side up just the way you like it!"
Rob set his book aside and then brushed a few stray hairs away from his eyes. Afterwards, he looked at Hilda and raised an eyebrow. "You're awfully energetic today. Did something good happen?"
Hilda beamed and said, "Of course!" She spun around and grabbed Isaac's hands. "It's the first day we can have breakfast with our little baby!"
Rob picked up a fork and knife, elegantly cutting a piece of his toast. "At this point, he's not so little anymore, Hilda."
Hilda turned back and stuck out her tongue. "Says you!" She turned back to Isaac and said, "You're still Mommy's little baby, aren't you Isaac?"
It was an intense and earnest expression.
Faced with that, Isaac subconsciously nodded.
"See! He agrees with me, Rob!"
Isaac's aloof father finished eating a slice of his toast and then said, "Are you sure he's not just hungry? You forgot to hand him his bottle."
"Ah!" Hilda jumped up and then said, "I can't believe I did that! Bad Hilda!" She quickly brushed off her hands and then ran off into the distance.
Isaac blinked again.
His parents were... definitely an interesting pair.
Rob sighed and glanced over to Isaac. As he did, his sharp features softened, showing a faint smile. "I hope you don't inherit your mother's personality. As brilliant as she may be, I doubt I could survive two of you."
"I heard that Rob!" Hilda's voice echoed from the distance before she ran back in the room. "And I didn't forget! I just placed it next to our drinks. I totally would have remembered when I went back to grab them."
Rob cut a slice from his eggs and then said, "Whatever you say, dear."
"Hmph. Meanie." Hilda placed a pair of cups on the table before turning back to Isaac. "Mommy's sorry she forgot, so don't hold it against her, okay?" Saying that, she placed a plastic milk bottle in front of Isaac.
Isaac tilted his head.
It was good and all that his mother handed him the bottle... but it didn't really do any good if he wasn't coordinated enough to lift it.
"You have to make him hold it, dear."
Hilda flushed. "I-I knew that!" She quickly arranged Isaac's hands around the bottle and guided the tip to his mouth. "See?"
Isaac let out a mental sigh. If he could talk, he'd definitely be scolding his mom on her poor parenting skills.
As if reading his mind, Rob sighed and said, "Are you certain that you don't want me to find a maid to help you care for-?"
"NEVER!"
Isaac flinched, causing him to choke on his milk.
"A-Ah! Mommy didn't mean to scare you, Isaac!" Hilda quickly reached over and wiped the milk away, gently patting Isaac's back.
That time he did sigh. Just what did such a cool and aloof man like his father see in her? Was it true that opposites attracted?
After cleaning up the mess, Hilda handed Isaac his bottle again and then turned towards Rob. "As I was saying, Rob, I'm not sharing Isaac with anyone. He's my baby and I won't let anyone steal this precious time away from me."
Rob shook his head and said, "You really are different from the others. Most noblewomen would have thrown their child to a milkmaid at the first chance they had."
"Well, I'm not like other noblewomen!"
"I am well aware of that, dear. Along with just about every other person in the Aesir kingdom."
"Good!" Seeing that Isaac was settled in, Hilda sat down next to Rob and shoved a piece of toast in her mouth. Munching it down and chasing it with a swig from her cup, she said, "They're all stupid anyway. What kind of parent wants to miss out on the cutest period of their baby's growth?"
"Not you, obviously."
"Obviously!"
Rob shook his head and went back to eating. As he did though, he paused and glanced over at Isaac. "Still... I'm a bit surprised."
"Hm?" Hilda followed her husband's gaze and said, "At what? That our baby's so cute?"
"No. That he's so peaceful." Rob took a sip from his cup and said, "I heard horror stories from my men of the first year with their newborns. I also saw their sleep deprivation and fatigue firsthand. And yet our child has caused nothing of the sort."
"That's because he's a special baby!" Hilda turned back to Isaac and grabbed his feet. "Aren't you, Isaac? Mommy's little boy is going to grow up to be a super genius and better than everyone else, isn't he?"
Rob nodded. "I would hope so. Considering that he's the latest in the line of the Frostblade family as well as your 'most noble lineage', it would be a shame if he weren’t."
Hilda rounded on Rob. "And what is that supposed to mean?" She stood up and placed her hands on her hips. "You make it sound like you're going to disown him if he isn't, Rob!"
"It's a joke, dear."
"...Hmph! Better be." Hilda sat back down and angrily stuffed another slice of toast in her mouth.
Rob stared at Isaac and said, "I would be fine even if he was an idiot. In fact... it might be better that way." He lowered his gaze and said, "I can't even imagine how painful it'd be if he followed in my footsteps and fell on the battlefield."
Hilda scoffed and grabbed Isaac's feet again, lightly shaking them. "Don't listen to Daddy, Isaac. Mommy believes in you! And even if you grow up to be a worthless bum like your uncle Arty, Mommy will always love you!"
Rob wiped his mouth with a napkin and said, "He'll be mad if he hears that, Hilda."
"Well then, tell him to stop sitting around his butt and get to making a cute baby with Vee!"
"...Duly noted."
It was a whirlwind of emotions and activity.
The entire time Isaac was sipping on his bottle, he watched his parents interact. With that, he slowly found his heart wavering.
Light-hearted banter and bright smiles.
It... reminded him a lot of his old parents, before everything happened. No, these parents, Rob and Hilda... they were much warmer.
Maybe it was because he was just born, but even so, Isaac couldn't help but appreciate the affection that they were showing him.
Suddenly, without him realizing it, his eyes began to water and his breath began to catch in his chest.
Thankfully, the milk bottle was empty so he didn't choke. However, another problem came up.
Isaac started to cry.
"Wh-What did I do?" Hilda's eyes grew wide and she quickly unbuckled Isaac, holding him close to her chest. "D-Don't cry, Isaac. Mommy's got you! Hush, hush..." She gently placed the bottle back into Isaac's hands.
But that gentleness only made him cry more.
Hilda turned around, panic in her eyes. "What do I do, Robert!? He's not stopping!"
Rob... rather, Robert, sighed and walked over. "Here, give him to me."
Hilda bobbed her head and then gently handed Isaac over.
Like that, Isaac was face to face with his father. Suddenly presented with that cool face, Isaac finally managed to rein in his emotions and stop crying.
Hilda huffed. "That's not fair!"
Robert cracked a smile and said, "It's obvious, isn't it? He knows that he's safe with me."
"Well of course! You're the strongest person in the world!"
Robert shook his head. "I wouldn't go that far... But I'm definitely in the top ten."
Hilda dragged her chair over and spun it around, leaning over its back. "Why don't you just admit it already, Rob? Not like anyone's going to be able to beat you anytime soon."
"You can't be certain. Even so..." Robert looked down at Isaac with a gentle gaze and said, "You don't need to worry about that, Son. Dad will get strong enough for all of us, so just do your best and grow up well."
Hilda leaned over and said, "Me too! Mommy won't lose to anyone either!"
Seeing the young couple make such strong declarations made Isaac want to laugh.
Strongest in the world? Not losing to anyone else? What did his parents think they were, superheroes?
Even so... Even though they were a bit ridiculous.
Isaac had to admit. This... was nice...
Robert Frostblade
Hilda Frostblade
Heavenly_Poison· Aug 12, 2020
