Aiden had a restless night as usual, his body always on high alert due to the constant threat of danger. He got up slowly, trying not to wake his wife, and made his way to the window, peering out into the misty morning. As he watched the sun begin to rise, he noticed a faint movement in the shadows at the edge of their property. His hand instinctively went to his sword, which he had placed beside him the previous night.
He stood there for a few minutes, watching intently, and waiting for any further movement. But as the minutes ticked by, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Finally, he decided to step outside and investigate. He tiptoed quietly, careful not to disturb his family's peaceful slumber. As he reached the door, he paused, listening carefully for any sounds of movement. He heard nothing, so he carefully pulled the door open and stepped outside.
The morning air was cool and fresh, and the grass was still wet with dew. He took a deep breath, trying to calm his racing heart. As he walked around the property, he checked every nook and cranny for any signs of danger. But as he went along, he found nothing unusual. It seemed like just another quiet morning in their little village.
Feeling satisfied that all was well, Aiden made his way back to their house. As he entered, he saw that his wife was awake and sitting up in bed, looking at him with concern.
Aiden sat down on the edge of the bed, holding Lily's hand. "Do you remember when those assassins tried to take you away from me?" he asked softly, his grip on her hand tightening slightly.
Lillian nodded, a small frown on her face. "Of course, how could I forget? But that was two years ago, Aiden. Nothing like that has happened since then. You are being a little too paranoid, don't you think?"
Aiden sighed, running a hand through his messy hair. "I know, I know. But I cannot help but worry about you and our family. We've been through so much; I don't want anything to happen to us."
Lily squeezed his hand reassuringly. "I know, Aiden. And I love you for caring so much. But we have to live our lives too, and not let fear control us. Besides, we have taken all the necessary precautions to keep ourselves safe. We are already in a different country. Neither Father nor his enemies have any influence here."
Aiden nodded slowly, before letting his head rest on Lillian’s lap. A smile forming on his rugged face "I Hope you're right, as always. I guess I just need to learn to let go a little.”
Lily leaned in and kissed his lips "I'll help you with that, my love. Now get ready. You still have to get some food. And I have to check up on the kids."
“There is still time for the market to open. And both the kids are still asleep. Let me enjoy the view” Aiden said while ogling at his wife’s breast. Lillian notices his intense stare and chuckles softly.
"You're such a pervert," Lillian teases, running her fingers through her hair. "Staring at me like that."
“I am a Pervert!” Aiden stood up and pushes Lillian on the bed. “You are calling me a pervert when your cheeks are red as a tomato.”
Lillian did not say a thing and just looked at the window unable to maintain a direct eye contact with Aiden because she was caught guilty. Her cheeks were still red as ever , her eyes waiting for something to happen.
“You are inviting me to make another one. Are not you.” Aiden closes the distance between the two. His hand had already wrapped around her waist. Lillian closed her eyes anticipating for something to happen. Before Aiden ended everything with a little kiss on her forehead and left.
Days passed quickly, Aiden and Lillian settled into their new life in the village. Lillian spent most of her time taking care of Nathanielle and their new born son, while Aiden focused on setting up their farm. The villagers, who were still wary of them, kept their distance, except for Mary and her family.
Mary would come over occasionally to visit and play with Nathanielle, and to curiously peek on the new born. During this time Lillian found an unexpected friend in Mary’s mother with whom she would gain knowledge on parenting.
Despite their efforts to integrate into the village, the villagers still viewed them with suspicion. And their looks did not help the matter either. Lillian clearly gave off the air of a noble woman , as much as she wanted to try and integrate with the villagers, the way she carried herself with grace and elegance simply made her stood out. Meanwhile Aiden looked like a Rugged Knight from one of those adventurer stories. Aiden was aware of the villagers' feelings towards them, made sure to work hard on their farm and be courteous to everyone he met, hoping to gain their trust.
As the months went by, Aiden and Lillian started to feel more settled and comfortable in their new surroundings. For now, they decided to hide the presence of Aurelian , their new born. They knew that they had to introduce the child to the villagers , but now was surely not the right time. Meanwhile Lillian tried to encourage Nathanielle to make friends with the kids from the village. Surely being friends with Mary helped him a lot. She would introduce Nathanielle to kids around his age , and unlike the adult villagers these kids do not have any notion to begin with. Eventually helping he found himself becoming fast friends with two other children, Samantha, and Frey.
Samantha was a bright-eyed two-year-old with curly blonde hair, and Frey was a rambunctious three-year-old with a mischievous smile. The three children could often be found running around the village, playing tag or hide-and-seek. They would often come home with scrapes and bruises from their tiny adventures. Although Nathanielle’ s actions would cause Lillian to worry about him a lot. She was quick to realise that this was nothing but the normal flow of things.
Meanwhile, Aurelian, the new born baby, was growing stronger by the day. Even at just two months old, he had already started to crawl, much to the amazement of his parents. Lillian and Aiden would watch in wonder as their little boy explored his world, eager to see what new discoveries he would make. By the time he was just six months old he started speaking.
Despite the challenges they faced, Aiden and Lillian were determined to make a new life for themselves and their family in the village. They knew it would not be easy, but they were willing to work hard and do whatever it takes to make it work. Perhaps Aiden was working too hard , too hard on Lillian that is. That is, he ended up getting pregnant for the third time.
As Aiden came back to their house, he looked exhausted from a long day of tending to their farm. Lillian greeted him with a smile, but he could tell something was off. She was fidgeting with her hands and looked nervous. He sat down on the porch and took off his work boots.
Lillian sat beside him and took a deep breath. "Aiden, I have some news," she said, looking at him with a mix of excitement and apprehension.
He raised an eyebrow, waiting for her to continue.
"I'm pregnant," she said, and her eyes lit up.
Aiden was taken aback at first, but then a smile spread across his face. "Another baby?" he said, surprised but happy. "That's wonderful news, Lillian!"
Lillian let out a breath she did not realize she was holding and hugged Aiden. "I was so worried you wouldn't be happy," she admitted.
Aiden looked at Nathanielle who just entered and then whispered to Lillian “I am going to make eleven of those.”
“ELEVEN !” Lillian gasped for some air
Just then, their conversation was abruptly interrupted by a loud thud from the other room. Aiden and Lillian rushed over to see what had happened and found little Aurelian lying on the floor beside his crib, crying loudly.
Aiden immediately scooped the baby up in his arms and checked him over for any injuries, while Lillian frantically searched for the cause of the fall. Nothing seemed wrong with the crib itself , the only possibility was that Aurelian could crawl out of the crib now.
As they were tending to Aurelian , Nathanielle came inside panting. “Nathanielle needs water Mama”. Aiden rushed to get him some water from the earthen pot while Lillian tended to his cuts and bruises.
“Nathanielle did you fell down?” Lillian asked as she continued to apply ointment to his wounds.
“No Nathanielle fighted Cat”
“Why did you fight a Cat , Nathanielle ?” Lillian asked concerned for her child’s safety.
“Cat attack Samauntha , Nathanielle fighted Cat” Nathanielle said, proud of his bravery.
“Oh, Nathanielle Did you made new friends ?” Aiden asked as he brushed his child’s hair. Looking at him proudly.
“Yes…”
“Good ! Nathanielle, you want something to eat.” Aiden asked as he crouched down to Nathanielle’ s level.
“Cookies” He answered enthusiastically.
After Nathanielle finished his cookies, he darted out of the house again to play with his friends. Aiden and Lillian watched him go with a smile.
"He's growing up so fast," Lillian said with a sigh.
Aiden chuckled. "Yeah, he is.”
Lillian nodded in agreement. "Speaking of growing up, we need to start thinking about when to introduce Aurelian to the villagers."
Aiden scratched his chin in thought. "Well, he's just six months old. We do not need to worry about that yet. It won't be until he's at least 18 months old that we'll have to keep a closer eye on him."
"But he is growing so fast even faster than Nathanielle? You know today he even said Mama. I don’t think we even have 18 months’ time with us." Lillian asked, worry etched on her face.
“You are right, we have to do this at some point. Besides most people do not know you let alone Aurelian.” Aiden continued with a concerned voice. “I think you can pay me some visits at the farm. Like bringing Lunch for me at times.”
“Surely you just want to eat Lunch or is there something else.” Lillian asked in a rather naughty tone.
In response to her actions Aiden leaned closing the distance between the two and then silently whispered “You know you are pregnant right.”
