As they walked through the village towards the pedestal, Lillian could not help but feel her heart racing with anxiety. She kept her eyes downcast, not wanting to meet the judgmental gazes of the villagers. She tightened her grip on Valentina, as if protecting her from the world's judgment.
Nathanielle walked beside his father; his eyes fixed on the ground in front of him. Aurelian, on the other hand, kept asking where they were going. "Dad, where are we going?" he asked, tugging on Aiden's hand.
"We're just going to meet someone, Aurelian," Aiden said, trying to reassure his son. But Lillian could hear the worry in his voice.
As they approached the pedestal, the crowd grew thicker, making it difficult for them to move. People gave them a wide berth, as if afraid of touching them. Lillian noticed that some of the villagers had brought their children along, but they kept them at a distance, as if afraid that the Aurelian would somehow harm them.
Finally, they reached the pedestal, where the shaman was waiting for them. He was an old man, dressed in long, flowing robes of a deep blue colour. He wore a necklace of bones around his neck, and his hair was long and grey, falling in tangled locks around his shoulders.
Aiden approached the shaman, feeling a mix of apprehension and hope. "Are you the shaman who was sent to help us?" he asked, his voice trembling slightly.
The shaman looked Aiden up and down, taking in his four arms and then turning his gaze to the children. "I am the shaman," he said, his voice low and gravelly. "And I have been sent to determine whether your children are blessed or cursed."
Lillian felt her heart sink at the shaman's words. She knew what that meant. The villagers believed that their children were cursed, and the shaman had been sent to confirm it. She looked at Aiden, seeing the pain and frustration etched on his face.
But Aiden did not give up hope. "Please, shaman, can you tell us what you see?" he asked, his voice pleading.
The shaman nodded, and gestured for the children to come closer. Nathanielle and Aurelian hesitated, but Aiden gently urged them forward. The shaman examined each of them carefully, looking at their limbs and their faces.
After a few minutes, he stepped back and looked at Aiden. "Your children are unusual, there is no denying that," he said. "But they are not cursed. They are blessed by the gods."
Lillian felt a wave of relief wash over her, and she saw Aiden's face light up with hope. "Thank you, shaman," Aiden said, clasping the man's hand. "Thank you for your wisdom."
The shaman nodded, then turned and walked away, disappearing into the crowd. The family breathed a sigh of relief, and Aiden gathered them all close, feeling grateful that they had been spared from the villagers' judgment.
As they made their way back home, Aurelian asked again, "Papa, what did the man with the necklace say?"
"He said that you are blessed, Aurelian," Aiden said, smiling down at his son. "And he was right. You are special, just like your mother and your brother and your sister."
Lillian breathed a sigh of relief as the shaman pronounced that there was nothing wrong with Aurelian. She had been worried sick about her son ever since the letter arrived, summoning them to the pedestal to face the shaman and the judgement of the villagers. The fact that the shaman had given them a clean bill of health meant that Aurelian was not going to be ostracized any longer.
As they left the pedestal, Lillian turned to her children and asked, "What do you guys want for dinner?"
"I want fish stew!" exclaimed Nathanielle excitedly.
"Fish stew again?" teased Aiden, "What about you, Aurelian?"
Aurelian was quiet for a moment, lost in thought. Finally, he looked up at his mother and said, "Can we have chicken and dumplings, Mama?"
Lillian smiled and ruffled Aurelian's hair. "Sure thing, honey."
As they made their way back home, Nathanielle spotted his friends Samantha and Frey playing by the side of the road. He ran over to them, leaving his family behind.
"Hey, guys!" he greeted them eagerly.
Samantha and Frey looked up and their faces fell when they saw Nathanielle. They had not played together since the day they had discovered that Aurelian had four arms.
"Hey, Nathanielle, Will you come to play with us Tomorrow she asked" said Samantha in a small voice.
Little Nathanielle looked at his mother waiting for approval and after receiving a small nod from her , he jumped and Said “YES”.
As they went home , Aiden put Aurelian on his shoulder proudly displaying his child. As they walked Nathanielle looked at Aurelian with jealous eyes, however since Lillian was quick to notice. He got his turn soon.
Right as they were finishing dinner , Aiden noticed Lillian seemed to be giggling to herself. As his gaze fell on her she showed him a pleasant smile.
“Aiden , would like to drink wine with me today ?” She says as she brings up two large wine glasses. Her red glossy lips were not an invitation to wine but something else. Being married for almost 7 years now , Aiden had some experience with her moods. And he knew this was her “I am going to reward your mood.”
“You are not pregnant right.” Aiden asked , his voiced filled with slight concern.
“Pregnant , we haven’t had sex in over a year.” She said as she moved towards him swaying her ample breast attracting all of Aiden’s attention.
“Well, you are about to be” Aiden walked up to her , his hand covering her waist. And within a second she was in a princess carry. The two shared a kiss and Aiden led her to the bedroom.
The next morning as they were eating breakfast, there was a knock on the door. Aiden went to answer it, and he found Samantha and Frey standing there. Aiden was surprised to see them, and he wondered if Nathanielle had invited them.
Samantha smiled at Aiden and said, "Can Nathanielle come out to play with us?"
Hearing that was enough , Nathanielle ran out from the table leaving his Sandwich half eaten and left. Aiden on the other hand looked at Aurelian silently eating his breakfast. “Don’t you want to go and Play , Aurelian” Aiden asked smiling and dotingly looking at his son. “No ! Aurelian wants to go diving”
"Sure thing," said Aiden. And the father and son due left towards the forest , as Lillian looked at them holding Valentina.
As life went on, Aiden spent most of his time teaching Aurelian newer things, and Nathanielle would join in from time to time. Aurelian was a quick learner and was learning a lot from his father. From the morning till the evening, Aiden would train with Aurelian and by the evening, he would start reading books with Lillian.
Aiden had become proficient with using all four of his arms independently. Not just that, he had learned to write from all four of his hands.
Valentina was growing up fast, and Aurelian would often play with her. She was a happy child, and always had a smile on her face. A year passed by quickly, and Lillian was pregnant again. Despite the difficulties they faced, Aiden was a great father, and Lillian did not mind having a couple more children
Sure, Enough Nine months later, Lillian blessed Aiden with another child, the couple named him Theodore. And it was around this time , Lillian finally realised how troublesome it was to have children , she could not sleep because both Valentina and Theodore would cry in the night at times. Valentine was even more troublesome ; she would sometime pluck Lillian’s hair. As a result, she would spend days without being able to sleep. And the result was visible at this point. There were huge black bags under her eyes. She was getting thinner and thinner by day. Her mood was getting worse. She would sometime lash out at Aiden and would then apologise. But what is worse was the food was getting worse day by day and the kids asked their father to do something.
Finally, Aiden had enough , he invited to Lillian to a walk with him on a starry night. At first, she disagreed , but the kids convinced her to leave. Lillian and Aiden walked hand in hand.
As they lay on the grassy patch, looking up at the twinkling stars, she let out a sigh of relief. "You know, it feels good to take a breather sometimes," she remarked, her voice carrying a tinge of exhaustion.
Aiden, sensing her weariness, replied, "Yes, I understand. But look at how much hair you're losing." He could not help but feel a hint of worry for his partner's well-being.
"Really?" she asked, a hint of concern creeping into her voice. "Is my scalp visible? Valentina keeps plucking them out. I do not know why she does that. Aiden was not like that, and Aurelian was even quieter. But I don't know."
Aiden reassured her with a gentle smile. "It's alright, love. I would love you even if you were bald," he said, playfully poking her side.
She punched him back, laughing. "Aiden!" she exclaimed.
He winced, rubbing the spot where she had hit him. "Ouch! By the way, I was thinking that I could take care of Valentina. She is at the age where we can start feeding her cow milk anyway. It would also lessen your burden."
A wave of gratitude washed over her, and she leaned in to give him a warm hug. "Thanks, Aiden. Finally, I'll be able to get some sleep."
Finally, the family was happy once again , two years of bliss passed without even them noticing. Nothing essentially changed with their lifestyle , except for the fact that Nathanielle was back to training with his dad , still far behind Aurelian and the gap was growing wider than ever. Valentina became Mommy’s princess. She along with Theodore would not leave there mother alone and would stick to her like a glue. She had already started studying and would stand at the level of 2nd Grader in terms of her academic knowledge. Eventually she also made some friends outside the home with the help of Nathanielle’ s close friend Samantha. Valentina would often take Theodore with her , while Samantha would take care of her and Theodore.
There were only two weeks left when Nathanielle would leave for the Royal Academy in the Capitals
