Vanessa was filled with grief. Her oldest son had been injured and would take some time to heal. During this period he mustn’t move around too much, or the bison-veins keeping his wound together would snap. If the stitch should break, their son would likely not survive this winter…

So Vanessa pushed up her sleeves and began to work like a mule.

Before leaving for a hunt, the father went over to the gathering that was taking place in his son’s bedroom. Vanessa was gently kneading Joss’ hand, while William had been reduced to a heater. The father saw this and asked “Do you really think that it’s wise to let the baby lie with Joss? What if it rolls onto his injured shoulder?”.

Vanessa gazed at her husband and then shook her head while saying “There is no other alternative… While you are away I need to keep the house free from snow, prepare food, do winter chores… I can’t also keep an eye on Mirabelle… Therefor, Joss is our new nanny… Mirabelle just has to lie down and warm him up and likewise with Joss. I think they’ll be fine”.

The father sighed, giving up on pushing the baby on his hardworking wife.

Before fetching Grettel’s son, he went over to his own, unconscious one. His hand wandered across Joss’ forehead, in a mild caress. The weak boy winced at the cold touch and muttered “...run…”. Both parents became wide eyed. Their pitiable son hadn’t realized that he was now safe and sound…

Vanessa lowered her head. The golden locks swayed with ease on Joss’ cheek. She whispered “You’re safe now… My son… Sleep”. Her smile at that moment was as soft as cotton. Anyone could see that she loved her children. Even the unwelcome ones…

The father stood tall and said his farewell. He would return again, with luck, in three days…

****

The dazzling snow gradually began to melt. Birds came back from foreign lands that they migrated to during the winter…

Everything was getting ready for spring. It was time to plant peas, beans, onions, and fruit trees, while repairing the roofs that leaked during the thawing. It was work, work and more work for Vanessa.

Fortunately her husband managed to come back more than once, with a good catch. It was enough to lead the two families, alive through the season. The father had even begun to invite Grettel’s son frequently over.

This fact, Joss despised!

Joss was heated with questions such as: Why does father give more attention to this nobody!? Why doesn’t he ask me for help?..

All these jealous concoctions, brewed inside Joss’ head while he played with William.

During the period when Joss was William’s nanny, they got a bit closer as siblings...

The baby was happy getting tickled. Until it caught a glimpse of a bloody shoulder. Every time William saw that awful wound start to fester, he had to thank his brother deeply in his heart. This wound was really the worst. It took a very long time to heal and would often reopen. Even now it hadn’t fully closed! Such a hassle...

The reason why Joss would be finished if the stitch broke, was because they didn’t have the money to get a new one made. The doctor in the castle was for the exclusive use of the lord and his spawn.

After all, even bonded people can get sick and die. So to even have the doctor look at Joss was a great achievement. Probably only possible because the lord was in a rather good mood when they came to beg and ask. He was on his way to the Winter Weddings. A splendid occasion that any lord loved to attend to…

****

In the quiet mornings William would entertain Joss by trying to talk. He would try to say stuff like “Stupid ugly bastard”, and it would sound like “Umin ugig baba”. He was fascinated at how twisted it could sound when it came out of his untrained mouth. To be honest he also got a bit of an adrenaline rush from trying to sound out those forbidden words.

What if he got them right? The look on Joss’ face would be priceless at that moment!

While William was trying to say “Give me your blood”, in his cute baby voice, someone came in to ruin the fun. It was Grettel’s son: Harvick. He was a very curious fella. The adults loved him because he absorbed anything he heard or saw like a dry sponge. If his mother had been someone else, then maybe he would be a lord in the future…

His father on the other hand would be of no use…

He was found dead shortly after the thick snow melted. His corpse had been devoured to some degree. The peasants believed it to be the work of a feral dinosaur…

WinterFairy

Sorry, chapter 9 was a rather short chapter ｡(*^▽^*)ゞ
I hope that you had a good christmas though. Hehe (/^▽^)/