Chapter Text
Joaan and Axel had three kids after Stian and Esther settled in the tundra. The younger couple remained in their small town watching over the old workshop. However, the family always made the long journey across the world to visit their elders every other year. Their visits were a welcome sight for the artists. Lately, Esther had been preoccupied with managing the economics of their growing village while Stian was making it look nice. So, the five younger members of their family were a breath of fresh air.
———
Malik was Joaan’s eldest and only son at thirteen. Or, as some - his sisters - would call him, the older and ‘immature’ twin. According to Stian’s daughter, Malik was going through a minor rebellious phase. For starters. he’d butchered his hair into resembling some kind of bird’s nest to copy the other boys his age. Furthermore, Malik was coming home later and later as his adventures into the nearby forests became longer and more intensive.
It had gotten to the point where Joaan practically had to drag him back herself.
“-He came home with this large cut on his forehead one night and I almost snapped. Nothing I’m saying is working and I’m just-“ The woman frenetically gestured to her parents. Her lips were forced into a thin line as she loudly sighed. Axel and the kids were exploring the village as she released her woes.
“You never had this problem when you were his age.” Esther calmly noted, tilting her head in thought. Streaks of white and grey were drowning out what little remained of her auburn head.
“I don’t know what to do… He’s just waving it off every time I try to talk to him…” Joaan ranted, grabbing at her arms as she paced the small house. Stian and Esther glanced at each other before the latter spoke.
“What has Axel done, Jo? Did he talk to Malik at all?” The older woman carefully asked, warmly grasping her daughter’s shoulder.
“Same as me… But, he suggested that you talk to him, Dad.” Joaan explained with a tinge of hesitation and embarrassment on her face.
“Ah, me?” Stian tilted his head in visible confusion.
“Snow, Malik looks up to you. He might listen if it’s you.” Esther clarified after realizing it herself. Stian hummed as he looked at his girls, thinking the scenario over. After a moment, the Doki returned an encouraging grin at his daughter.
“Okay, I’ll talk to him.” Stian nodded and stood. He paused to massage his aching back before making his way towards the door.
“Jo, I’ll make you something to drink.” Esther offered, ushering the younger woman into a chair.
“Thanks, Mom…” Joaan groaned as she slouched into the wood. Stian smiled at the sight before opening the door. However, he froze upon noticing a spool of fishing wire. Instantly, his mind sprung to life with various ideas, and a plan began to form. Without hesitating, the elder crouched and grabbed the spool in his palm before leaving.
Stian further developed his plan as he searched the village for his family. Occasionally, he’d greet fellow villagers who’d either moved to meet him or desired a quieter life. A light dusting of snow covered the hard ground he walked on. It was a stark contrast from the thick piles he’d used to scale. It helped that there were many more people actively clearing the snow away from the houses those days.
The sound of childish laughter alerted him to his grandchildren.
Near one of the in-progress buildings with a half-finished mural, his three grandchildren were engaged in an intense snowball fight. Specifically, it was Malik versus his siblings with Axel moderating on the sidelines.
“Hey, guys, look who it is!” The young man alerted his children upon seeing a waving Stian.
“Gramps! Grandfather!” The three youths cheered, immediately halting their fight to rush the elder. He chuckled as he was nearly thrown off balance by the attack. Joaan had gone ahead to talk to her parents while the others set up their stay in the local inn. So, it was the first time he’d seen them in a little over two years.
“You three sure have grown!” Stian jovially greeted, feeling light and bubbly on his feet. “Ah, what’s with the hat, Malik?” He inquired upon noticing the grey cap adorning the boy’s head.
“He had a bad hair day, Stian sir,” Axel responded before his son could answer. In turn, the white-haired boy grew a sour look on his face. Stian frowned.
“Ah, well, I was wondering if Malik here wanted to go set up some new fishing lines with me?” The elder quickly offered while holding up the spool. Malik blinked before a wide grin spread across his face.
“Really, Gramps?!” Malik excitedly asked, bouncing on the spot before yelping as he slipped on ice. Fortunately, the boy merely landed on soft snow. “I’m fine! I’m fine!” He shook off as the group laughed.
“I know you wanted to come along when you visited last time. And you’re the right age for it now so why not?” Stian went while ruffling his other siblings’ hair. “I’m guessing that’s a yes?” He noted with a relaxed smile as the boy became even more animated if that was possible.
“Yes! Let’s go, Gramps! Out into the great unknown!” Malik yelled before yanking his arm towards the white expanse. Stian willingly went along with it, sharing a look with a grateful Axel as he steered the other children away.
———
“Bam bam bam!” Malik cheerfully went as they ventured into the snow and ice while Stian fondly watched. However, a spike of concern shot through him upon noticing a scar on the boy’s forehead. In one swift motion, Stian removed Malik’s cap and nearly failed to hold back a gasp. His hair really was horrendous! It was as if someone bundled up a bunch of shredded paper and glued it to his head while getting the proportions horribly wrong.
“Ah… where’d the scar come from, kiddo?” Stian asked after swallowing his surprise. In response, Malik looked away while adjusting his cap to hide the mark.
“It’s nothing, Gramps.” The boy grumbled. The elder sighed, allowing snow to crunch beneath his boots before he replied.
“Your mother’s worried about you.” Stian calmly stated, wiping his smile away and replacing it with a neutral expression. Malik gawked at him before moodily crossing his arms over his chest.
“I don’t need her to coddle me, Gramps. It’s nothing!” The white-haired boy pushed, jogging ahead. However, Stian noticed a familiar shifting in the snow and his eyes widened. The wind and frigid air became mute to his mind. His mouth and body moved without thinking, ignoring the years of age that sank into his bones. Time froze as a single cracking sound split the sky.
“MALIK!” Stian howled, roughly shoving his grandson behind him before he could fall through. The boy yelled but didn’t sink any further as Stian collapsed to his knees next to him. The two panted before Malik’s breathing steadied first.
“Hey, what-Gramps? Gramps?!” Malik fearfully asked, moving to stand next to his coughing grandfather. Stian’s lungs felt clogged and his entire body was heavy. He coughed and he wheezed and he gasped while a petrified Malik watched. “Gramps, Gramps?!” The boy frantically repeated, tugging on his arms.
“Ugh… I’m too old for this…” Stian eventually mumbled before meeting Malik’s blue-eyed gaze. “Ah, are you alright?” He questioned, his voice returning to a more upbeat tone. The boy slowly and silently nodded. “Good, that’s good.” Stian sighed before glaring at the ice as if it had personally offended him. His limbs felt the burn from exertion.
“Gramps-“ Malik tried to say.
“Malik. Come here.” Stian rasped, resting his back. It was the first time he’d dropped his soft, friendly persona around him. Thus, the boy obeyed without question. “Your mother told me you’ve been spending time in the forests near your home. Why?” The elder calmly questioned as he inspected the ground. Malik shuffled his feet before nervously answering.
“I-I-I want to be like you when I’m older… I want to explore the entire world and go on adventures! You made it sound so cool and I want to do it too!” The boy passionately exclaimed, waving his arms around.
“Malik looks up to you…” Esther had said.
“Careful,” Stian warned, putting his arm out to act as a boundary. Malik stiffened still as a statue. “I’m flattered you want to be like me, Malik.” The elder started. “Though, most of those adventures were accidental, to be honest.” He privately corrected. “And the world is amazing… so amazing there aren’t enough words to describe it…” Stian continued in a wistful tone. “My brother…” Stian unsurely started before steeling his voice.
“Great-uncle Joaan?” Malik nodded, hiding his hands behind his back.
“Yes, him. When I was just a little older than you are now, me and my brother made our first journey away from home. We walked all the way from the village to the mountains and beyond.” Stian began to tell, looking towards the distant land. Somewhere out there were those same mountains he and Joaan had reached.
“We read your books, Gramps…” The boy quietly noted.
“Something happened on the way there, Malik. I saw a sign. I got excited. I didn’t watch the ground. But, my brother went ahead first… and it collapsed under him… a piece of wood stabbed him while I pulled him out. He almost died that day… It was one of the scariest moments of my life.” Stian explained with a hard expression as Malik turned pale.
“D-Died…?” The boy stuttered. Stian sombrely nodded.
“Well, not exactly.” His mind inwardly corrected. “What I’m trying to say is… the world is amazing, but it’s also dangerous. People die. You could die if you’re not careful. Your mother knows this and she just wants you to be careful when you do these kinds of things.” The Doki allowed his words to sink in. “Do you understand, Malik?” Stian asked as the wind picked up.
“I-I understand, Gramps.” Malik hurriedly nodded, holding his sides. Stian sighed and wrapped an arm around the boy.
“Come on, let’s go home. We can set up those lines later.” He steered the boy back towards the village. As they walked in a deathly silent march, Stian guiltily glanced at his grandson. The boy looked blatantly disheartened. “It’s good he learns now rather than later. But, what can I do to cheer him up?” Stian pondered. Afterwards, he proceeded to stare up at the sky for an answer. The Doki could feel his own grandfather’s necklace press against-
An idea struck him. Stian slowed, hesitating as he carefully debated his next actions.
“I have something I want to give you.” Stian abruptly announced, reaching beneath his shirt to grab his grandfather’s necklace.
“Huh? You do?” Malik repeated with curious eyes. The two paused so Stian could crouch down to the boy’s height and place the necklace around him. Malik’s eyes widened as he held up the tooth centrepiece. “Woah…” He admired.
“Our ancestors, we have a tradition, kiddo. When boys turn thirteen they go on a hunt and make a necklace from what they find or get. This was my grandfather’s, your great-great grandfather’s necklace. So, take good care of it, okay?” Stian explained with a broad smile which Malik returned.
“I’ll take great, great, great care of it, Gramps!” He vigorously nodded as Stian patted him on the head. Though, inside the elder felt as if he’d given away an integral part of himself. But, Malik’s eyes sparkled brighter than the glistening snow as he studied the necklace. And looking at the joy on his grandson’s face, the loss seemed mute.
“That’s what I like to hear…” He chuckled as they continued to walk towards the village.
———
Marika was the middle child of the family despite being only a hair younger than Malik. She liked to call herself the ‘mature’ twin whenever she was teasing her brother. Stian was pleasantly surprised to find she’d taken an interest in research during one of her visits.
“I want to go study the world! Kind of like Grandfather’s travels…” Stian overheard her telling Esther after dropping Malik off to Axel.
“Ah, that sounds fun.” He jovially stated upon entering the house, shaking the snow from his hair. The Doki made sure to meet Joaan’s eyes and send her a confirming grin. In turn, his daughter sighed with relief, silently mouthing a thank you.
“Grandfather! How’d setting up fishing lines go?” She politely asked, closing her book to approach him. Her long, shaggy white hair fell freely against her back. Inquisitive blue eyes like her brother’s met his.
“Ah, we decided to do it later, spent most of the time talking actually.” Stian vaguely explained as he placed his fishing line spool away.
“I see, I see.” Marika bopped her head up and down. “Oh, Grandfather? Do you still have your original journals from when you were travelling the world? Grandmother was saying you still kept them around… and I was wondering if… if…” The girl struggled to explain.
“She wants to know if she could borrow one or two to research, Snow.” Esther filled in.
“I mean, it’s totally okay if you’re not okay-“ Marika began saying before being cut off.
“Ah, it’s fine, Marika. I’ll get them right now!” Stian reassured as he went to retrieve the journals from his desk. He’d put the effort into keeping them clean and free of dust. Yet, even the oldest ones were beginning to crinkle with yellow, showing the passage of time. The Doki felt a grimace tear at his face before sighing. He coughed, then coughed again before grabbing the two newest ones, their pages a grey-white.
“Nice!” Marika cheered as she inspected the covers.
“Be careful with those.” Esther and Stian said at the same time, before smiling at each other.
“I will! You have nothing, nothing to worry about!” Marika nodded before plopping into a chair to absorb the journals’ contents.
“Ah, I think I still have some of my old travelling books lying around somewhere. It’s probably better to buy a more up-to-date one but it might be interesting. If you want I could go hunt it down for you later.” Stian kindly offered.
“That’d be great, Grandfather!” The girl enthusiastically agreed as her eyes flew across the pages.
“So, you want to travel the world?” Esther quizzed as she organized some loose papers.
“Yup, hopefully after we finish school. I’m going to document everything that I can like Grandfather did. See, I even have my own journal! Mom got it for my birthday!” The girl fervidly spoke, raising her own book up high for all to see. “But, I’m probably going to get a lot more interviews from people. And, it’s going to be aimed at specific questions, focusing on the ‘why’ and the ‘when’ and trying to answer those questions…” Marika rambled on and on.
“You know, Malik wants to travel too. He wants to be like me.” Stian blushed, scratching the back of his head.
“Wouldn’t it be fun if you and Malik travelled together, bell?” Joaan suggested. To which Marika made a choked sound and scrunched her face in disgust.
“Never.” She hissed. “He’ll just waste all of our money on dumb things like… like cheap tricks that’ll stop working after a day! And he’s annoying! You don’t have to deal with him at school, Mom! He’s so loud and rude and he’ll probably…” She ranted and ranted. The only subject that could break Marika’s polite exterior apart was her twin.
Stian simply savoured the noise that surrounded him on all sides of his home.
———
Little Matilda was the youngest of the family with only seven winters under her belt. Her short, curly white locks contrasted with muddy brown eyes inherited from Axel. Notably, the young girl didn’t spend as much time with her siblings as she probably should’ve. A day into their visit saw Matilda alone. Stian found her leaning against the walls of his house mindlessly playing a horn instrument Joaan had invented for her birthday.
“Gramps!” The girl waved as he approached, putting her horn down.
“Hey there, Matilda. Shouldn’t you be with your siblings?” Stian asked while taking a seat next to her.
“They’re fighting again. So, I got bored and left. But, Mommy and Daddy are busy so I don’t have anyone to play with.” Matilda sadly explained, moving her horn around in a wave-like pattern.
“Ah, well, that’s no good.” Stian frowned, tugging at his braid for a moment. “Well, I can keep you company for now.” The Doki decided with a snap of his fingers. Matilda’s face instantly lit up at his words.
“Really? Thanks, Gramps!” The girl expressed, tightly hugging his torso.
“Alright, alright. Hmm, do you want to go build some snowmen?” Stian suggested while gently prying the girl off of him. However, she merely looked at him blankly.
“Gramps, aren’t you a snowman?” Matilda asked with a tilt of her head. Right… he’d never explained to her what snowmen were. Stian lightly chuckled before explaining what exactly he was talking about. Afterwards, the girl seemed much more excited to create life in her mind.
Thus, the two spent the rest of the afternoon building snowmen. Though, Stian let Matilda do most of the decorating and personality building.
He didn’t even feel tired once it was over.