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“Give it a couple more minutes,” said Philza. “I’m sure he’ll show up.”
Fundy huddled into himself further. He recognised that tone of voice. Patronising. Wilbur used to use that voice all that time. Used to feign optimism, because Fundy was apparently too young and stupid for reality.
Well, Fundy had been dealing with reality for a long time now. And it fucking sucked.
From his seat – an empty barrel, on top of a hill – he could see the stretch of land between the edges of New L’manberg and Eret’s castle. There were small circles of light, torches warding off monsters, and that was it. No movement, except for that of dead things. Just skeletons and zombies; not a potential parental figure among them.
Fundy liked to think he had reasonable expectations for a parent. His criteria just a list of two. One, to not be dead. Two, to not abandon him. And yet here he was.
He sighed and began to look away – why let the empty space taunt him? – when his eyes caught movement.
Making their way through the dark was Eret.
He perked up, his tail wagging. “Phil! Look!”
“Not all of us have your eyes, Fundy,” replied Philza. “I’m not exactly an owl.”
“It’s Eret!” said Fundy, no longer sitting. Should he go out and meet them halfway? He wanted to show them he was eager. But also, that he wasn’t too eager. Just enough to be endearing without being annoying.
“See, I told you, mate,” said Philza, patting him on the shoulder. “Knew they’d turn up.”
It was difficult but Fundy managed to stay. At the meeting location, that is. Not still. He was practically vibrating, his ears flicking as they listened for any hint of Eret’s voice.
“Hey Fundy,” said Eret warmly, stepping into the light. “Philza.”
Fundy’s eyes took in their smile and their welcoming expression and how terrible they looked. Not even their glasses were enough to hide the dark circles under their eyes. Their hair was in disarray, their crown tilted at a dangerous angle. Clothes crumpled and creased. Something akin to black veins was peeking out from under their sleeves.
“Are you… okay?” asked Fundy. The joy triggered by their sight was rapidly turning into concern.
“Oh, yeah,” they said. “I’m fine. Just a bit tired. Been up for a little while. Was afraid to go to sleep.”
“Why were you afraid to sleep?’ asked Philza. There was something in his voice. Not quite curiosity, not quite suspicion. Some concept that rested between them.
“Didn’t…” Eret managed, before having to stifle a yawn. “Didn’t want to risk oversleeping.” Their sunglasses met Fundy’s eyes, and their smile widened. “Wouldn’t miss this for the world, after all.”
“We can go through things quick, then,” said Fundy. “Then you can take me back to the castle, and go to sleep.”
“Sounds good,” said Eret. “Philza, the papers?”
“About that,” said Philza. “You and I need to have a little talk first. Fundy, you stay here.”
Fundy opened his mouth to protest. He wasn’t some kid, to be placed at the little table while all the grown-ups talked about grown-up things. But then Eret smiled at him.
“It’s okay, Fundy. He’s just doing his job as grandfather.”
And Fundy liked the idea of Philza doing his job as grandfather, so he just sat and watched as they walked away.
“Now, Eret,” began Philza. He was a strange one, Philza. Eret wasn’t entirely sure what to make of him. Sometimes he was old, in the way old men were. A bone-creaking, back-bending kind of old. Tired, worn. But other times… other times he was old in the way mountains and stars were. An eternal – or near eternal – thing, that sat and watched and had witnessed lifetimes upon lifetimes.
Rarely, he was old in the way oceans were. A watcher, like the mountains and stars. But also a bringer of death and life, in unknown measures.
Eret didn’t know if those feelings, those instincts, were right. She didn’t even know where they came from. She did, however, know that, sometimes, when she looked at Philza, she couldn’t quite bury the fear that rose in her gut.
The withering was not helping. At all. Of all the times for it to flare…
“I want Fundy to have a new father,” he continued. “I really do. But, I did hesitate when he mentioned it would be you.”
Eret took a deep breath. Pushed down her tiredness. “I understand,” she said. “I’ve done some things… I’m not proud of. Things that hurt Fundy, and… other people.” Unbidden, Wilbur’s face came to her, a look of absolute betrayal painted across it. “But, now, I want to do things I can be proud of. And one of those things is giving Fundy a home.”
Philza nodded his head. “And is your home up to code?”
“Code?” she asked, suddenly worried. Philza, on the server at least, hadn’t built much. But what if, in his time before, he had been a master builder? She loved her castle, was proud of it. She was pretty sure no one would disagree that it was one of the Dream SMP’s better builds. However, she also knew that there were more impressive builds out there. Were they where Philza’s bar was at? Was that what he meant? Maybe she should have rested before coming. “I don’t—”
“Like, have you covered the doorknobs?” elaborated Philza. “Made sure the torches are out of reach? No corners to bang his head on?”
Eret paused. “… I thought Fundy was an adult?” Or, if not an adult, at least old enough to not bang his head on cabinet corners.
“Oh, he is,” said Philza. “More or less.”
“Then I think he should be fine,” said Eret.
“Okay then,” said Philza. “Final thing.”
Eret braced herself. Shit, she was tired. She hoped it wouldn’t be a trick question; she wasn’t sure she’d be able to catch it. Not when her eyes were dropping. She was just glad for her sunglasses. Philza’s opinion would not be helped by her having her eyes closed for half their conversation.
“I don’t fully know what happened,” confessed Philza. “But I know you betrayed my son. And Fundy. You say you’re changed. Good. But if you’re lying now, like you lied back then…”
His eyes had been looking at her earlier, but now they were two arrows, pinning her in place. That feeling of fear swelled in her stomach. She felt like a storm had just appeared on the horizon of the ocean, and that it was approaching her. Rapidly. Too fast to escape.
“I killed my son,” he said at last. “I won’t hesitate with you.”
“I see,” she replied. She thought she was managing to kept her voice steady, un-trembling, but she wasn’t entirely sure. “That’s quite the familial shovel talk you have there.”
“Well, you know. Just doing my job as grandfather.”
“So, you’ll sign?” asked Eret.
“Yeah,” said Philza. “I’ll sign.”
He took out a quill – black, same as his wings – and marked the papers, before handing them to Eret.
“Fundy!” called out Eret. “Your turn!”
Fundy practically sprinted to them. She was probably reading too much into it – Fundy could just be cold and bored and wanting to go to her castle so he could start his pranking – but still, it warmed her heart.
He grabbed the quill from Philza, and messily scrawled his name. It took a surprisingly long time. Then he shoved the book to Eret, who put it away.
“Sometime we should go fishing,” said Philza. “See how things are going.”
He said it warmly enough, but Eret could hear the threat buried beneath. But Fundy’s tail was wagging, even faster before, and she didn’t fear Philza’s judgement. In fact, she welcomed it. She would prove to him, and to Fundy, and to herself, that she could be a good parent.
“Just let me know when,” she said smoothly.
“Be seeing you then,” he replied. He gave Fundy a quick pat on the shoulder, and then he was gone. Swallowed by the night.
“So, uh…” said Fundy. “I guess you’re my… father now, huh?”
She shrugged. “Mother. Parent. Father. Whatever you want.”
“I’ll probably stick to father then, if that’s okay?”
She gave him a smile. “I just said whatever you want.” Then, a frown, as a thought came to her. “I’m… I’m not trying to replace Wilbur, though. I know he was your father first.”
Fundy shoved his hands into his pocket. Kicked at a nearby stone. “Wilbur was… Wilbur was whatever. He’s gone now.”
“Ghostbur’s still around,” pointed out Eret.
“Yeah, but,” Fundy began, then sighed. “He’s… he doesn’t remember shit. Ghostbur. And I wouldn’t be me without my memories, so Ghostbur isn’t Wilbur. Not really. And even if he was… I’m not sure that’d be a good thing.”
“I know Wilbur did… I know he went downhill, at the end,” said Eret. “But that was caused by bad events, by bad people…” His face again appears, this time along an empty chest and blood on the floor. “By me. Before that he was a good leader, a good father.”
She saw anger on Fundy’s face, his lips pulled back to show his teeth, but then it settled to just bitterness.
“Things weren’t perfect, even before your betrayal,” he said.
Eret gnawed at her lip. Minutes into being a parent, and she was already lost. Come on, she thought to herself, there has to be something you can say. Think, Eret, think.
“When it comes to history, to the past,” she began, “it’s true, you can’t just remember the good bits. But you can’t also just forget them and only remember the bad bits. You need both, the good and the bad. Otherwise, your history becomes a false one.”
“I… don’t want to talk about this anymore,” said Fundy. Privately, Eret agreed. She had barely been able to string those words together. Even standing was becoming a challenge.
“Fair enough. Want to go to the castle?”
He nodded.
Eret hesitated, then reached into her inventory. “I have something for you, if you want it,” she said, handing the items to him. “Since you are a prince now. I figured you would appreciate a choice.”
He unwrapped them, holding them gently in his paws, and gasped when the candlelight hit gold.
He held two crowns. One was thicker, with his signature orange and yellow and blue for the colour of the gems. The other was slightly thinner, with blue and white and pink – all pale – gems.
“Can I keep them both?” asked Fundy. His pupils were wide.
“Sure,” Eret laughed. “Not like you have any siblings to wear them.”
Fundy lifted them up and placed both on his head. It was a wonky arrangement. Eret gave it a minute before one or both fell off.
Now, Prince Fundy,” said Eret, putting on her best grandiose voice. “If you would come and see your new castle?” She held out her arm.
He took it, and they started heading to the castle.
Maybe this parenting thing won’t be too hard, she thought. And even it is… well, it’ll be worth it.